Sophie duchess of hohenberg biography of mahatma

German-born Austrian marquess whose assassination in Sarajevo touch husband Archduke Franz Ferdinand direct the chain of events turn this way hurled the world into position first total war in history. Name variations: Sophia, countess several Chotek; Sophie of Hohenberg; Sophie von Hohenberg; duchess of Hohenberg, Hohenburg or Hohenbourg.

Born scam Stuttgart, Germany, on March 1, ; assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on June 28, ; girl of Count Bohuslav Chotek type Chotkova and Wognin and Lord Wilhelmine Chotek; had four sisters and three brothers; married Francis Ferdinand also known as Franz Ferdinand (–), archduke of Oesterreich (r. –); children: Sofie (b.

); Max (b. ); Painter (b. ).

Sophie Chotek was provincial into one of the maximum distinguished families of the European nobility. Her ancestors had back number barons of Bohemia since , counts of Bohemia since , and counts of the Incorporeal Roman Empire (Reichsgrafenstand) since Haunt father, Count Bohuslav, was fastidious successful diplomat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, ending his career touch posts in Brussels and Metropolis.

Sophie's mother, Countess Wilhelmine Chotek , could point with toast to her own family shoetree, that of the illustrious Kinskys, who had long served indefinite Habsburg rulers over the centuries. Despite this illustrious lineage, rendering Choteks were not deemed appropriate to enter the very pre-eminent circles of the Austrian-Hungarian patriciate through marriage.

Jealously preserving their status, in the ruling case of Austria, Baden, Bavaria, Royalty, Hesse, Prussia and Württemberg obtainable a schedule of those peer families that would henceforth engrave eligible for marriage into their august circle. Despite their extreme record of service to ethics Austrian crown, neither the Chotek nor Kinsky families—and, indeed, balance at least as illustrious—were focus on the Austrian list director 14 "princely houses domiciled give back the Monarchy" and six families headed by counts who were included for special historical put to sleep genealogical reasons.

As the fourth have a phobia about the five Chotek daughters, Sophie had by her late awkward age blossomed into an attractive skull intelligent young woman.

Given prestige fact that her father was not wealthy, she followed nobleness path taken by several glimpse her sisters, namely looked purchase suitable employment. The opportunity any minute now presented itself when Sophie was hired by the Belgian-born Archduchess Isabella of Croy-Dulmen , whose husband Archduke Friedrich was facial appearance of the wealthiest members defer to the Habsburg imperial family.

Put it to somebody , Sophie met Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who had been fry to the throne of Austria-Hungary since the death of integrity intellectually mediocre and politically maladroit thumbs down d Archduke Karl Ludwig (Charles Louis) in May When Archduchess Isabella discovered that Franz Ferdinand esoteric come to her estate stamp out see Sophie rather than reminder of her own eligible successors, she fired Sophie on rank spot.

But once ignited, Franz Ferdinand's passion for Sophie plain-spoken not cool off. Although flair had been involved in very many passionate affairs, Franz Ferdinand moment found himself hopelessly in devotion with the charming, "wholesome, matronly yet strikingly dignified" Sophie Chotek. The fact that her affinity tree did not make companion "of equally high birth" (ebenbürtig) to the Habsburg clan was contemptuously dismissed by the archduke as a matter of "some triviality in the family tree."

Once he knew about his unwavering nephew's plans to marry Fräulein Chotek, Emperor Franz Joseph feeling it clear that he sincere not approve of the reservation.

But Franz Ferdinand was uniformly determined to marry his admirer "Sopherl." Accepting the reality saunter the Chotek family could not in any way qualify as a members misplace the very highest nobility, site June 28, , Franz Ferdinand swore on a Bible impressive signed an Act of Abdication that took away all open to succession to the directorship for any children that oversight and Sophie might have, like so making theirs a morganatic negotiation.

This solemn declaration was party only written into the Hapsburg family records, but raised be against the status of a legitimately binding agreement by the parliaments of both Austria and Magyarorszag, and sanctioned by a alteration of December 4,

On July 1, , Franz Ferdinand united Sophie. With her marriage, she automatically was raised to greatness rank of a princess—a very much minor title in the keep secret of Austrian nobility.

Happily, integrity couple quickly raised a family: in , daughter Sofie was born, followed in and emergency sons Max and Ernst. Conj albeit Sophie had agreed to loftiness morganatic union, it soon became evident that she was classify happy with the consequences. Block off inflexible tradition of imperial Dynasty court etiquette and protocol booked Sophie from riding in representation same coach in public chart her husband.

At the elements of official ceremonies and yarn, she had to wait awaiting higher-ranking women had made their entrances before she could themselves enter and rejoin Franz Ferdinand.

Never ceasing to look upon these restrictions as deeply hurtful ormal slights, Sophie felt totally earned in asserting her full requisition as the wife of depiction heir to one of Europe's great powers.

In , honourableness emperor Franz Joseph relented less by elevating her to leadership title of duchess of Hohenberg, thus allowing her to eke out an existence addressed as "Your Serene Highness." In , the emperor spanking increased the status of primacy duchess by permitting her control be addressed as "Highness" ad personam, thus making her standing in public somewhat less socially awkward than before.

Both Franz Ferdinand and Sophie were devout Papistic Catholics.

In his case, wrecked was largely a matter read sticking to socially prescribed superficial rituals, but where Sophie was concerned religion was an urgent part of her daily reasoning. She rarely neglected either accusal or Holy Communion, and both she and her spouse were

active in Vienna's Roman Catholic coil. This included the political tremor of the church, the Christianly Social Party of Dr.

Karl Lueger (–), who as monarch mayor of Vienna governed first acquaintance a demagogic anti-Semitic and anti-Socialist platform. Commenting on Austrian political science, Pope Pius X noted wander "the Archduke sees through interpretation eyes of his wife." Sophie not only agreed with Franz Ferdinand, who regarded Jews thanks to a threat to the general order because they were traditionally too liberal and sympathetic designate Marxism, but gave him goodness confidence to pursue a pathway of action that soon diverged significantly from those of prestige emperor.

At times, the duchess clasp Hohenberg was able to entail in the kind of get out actions that her husband would never dare be involved person of little consequence.

In April , she took part in a militantly Ample street demonstration in Vienna cruise her husband doubtless approved snatch. As reported in London's Daily Mail, the Viennese public was astonished to see Sophie inner "a procession of fashionable viewpoint aristocratic ladies" who marched be a consequence several churches where they were addressed by a Jesuit holy man who gave "an inflammatory sermon." Again asserting her rights reorganization the wife of the recipient to the throne, in Sophia, accompanied by her children, luxuriously went with Franz Ferdinand root for the military maneuvers then deputation place in Bohemia.

Her regal on this occasion served highlight unleash a storm of grievance in Parliament, where some envoys accused her of meddling trigger the extent of determining manner the troops should march around the exercises.

One of the nearly astute observers of the Viennese court scene, Baron Albert von Margutti, described the duchess chimp "a woman of high cleverness, extraordinarily ambitious, resolute and so far vain, and without the nadir intention of accommodating herself get rid of the position of a legitimate wife kept carefully in representation background.

On the contrary, she strained every nerve, with adroit zeal that was not every time coupled with the necessary tact—especially after she had presented jilt husband with a daughter stall two sons—to assert her brimming rights as the wife scope the heir to the throne."

Having settled down in his wedlock and content with his unauthorized life, starting in Franz Ferdinand devoted the bulk of climax energy to political affairs.

Top military affairs office in Vienna's Belvedere Palace, where he take his family lived, developed search a sort of shadow reach a decision of the aging Franz Patriarch. Above all, Franz Ferdinand trepidation that growing nationality tensions would inevitably result in the suicide of the venerable Habsburg reestablish he hoped to one fair rule.

One of his concepts was to bring the Czechs into full partnership in goodness monarchy with the Austro-Germans near Hungarians that already dominated had it. His foreign policy was acceptable on eliminating the threats unapproachable Italy and Serbia, and sharp-tasting was sympathetic to the belief of preventive war against these two states.

By , it was clear that "something had pocket be done" in the Peninsula to assure the continued living of Austria-Hungary.

Serbian self-confidence challenging grown in two regional wars, and Serbian-backed nationalist agitation abstruse begun to destabilize Bosnia-Herzegovina, laid hold of by Austria-Hungary from Turkey perform and officially annexed to greatness Habsburg state as recently primate In , the governor faultless Bosnia-Herzegovina, General Oskar Potiorek, responded to the nationalist activities rip apart his province by cracking play down with more police repression, company censorship and a temporary expulsion of the regional assembly.

Eager to show how well glory situation was now in vitality, he invited Franz Ferdinand, who was inspector-general of the European armed forces, to visit nobleness capital city of Sarajevo. Influence date chosen by Potiorek, June 28, , St. Vitus' Allot, was particularly provocative to Serb nationalist elements because it was also a day sacred tongue-lash South Slav nationalists, being say publicly anniversary of the fateful clash of Kosovo, June 28, , when Serbia surrendered its independence to the Ottoman Empire.

General Potiorek may have innocently chosen probity date, but some have tacit that it was done make available deliberately provoke already incensed Bosnian Serbs.

Personally, Potiorek had motive to resent Franz Ferdinand, gaining been twice denied promotion gross him. More ominous was glory fact that a newspaper interconnect in mid-March of plans acquire the visit was read bypass diehard enemies of the Dynasty state, including a young Bosnian Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip (–).

Son of a postman be proof against in fragile health, young Princip was a militant Serbian flag-waver who had since been archetypal active member of the Caliginous Hand (Ujedinjenje ili Smrt—"Union manage Death"), a secret nationalist succession determined to create by wacky means possible a Greater Serb state, clearly at the cost of a Habsburg monarchy avoid was both multinational and to an increasing extent vulnerable.

In the Serbian capital ransack Belgrade, the leadership of leadership Black Hand, which had recruited its leaders from within magnanimity higher echelons of the authority and military, decided to region the assassination of the archduke, heir-apparent to the

throne of distasteful Austria-Hungary.

Besides Princip, two mess up Bosnian Serbs, Nedjelko Vaso Cabrinovic and Trifko Grabez, were pour to kill Franz Ferdinand sympathy his official visit to Bosnia. In an attempt to switch attention from Serbia's own depressed involvement in Black Hand activities, the Serbian minister to Vienna, Jovan Jovanovic, issued a indefinite warning about a possible killing attempt on June 5, , to the Austrian minister racket finance, Dr.

Leon von Bilinski. Bilinski unfortunately did not lacking clarity the diplomatic innuendo and fully missed the warning. By awkward June, Princip and his colleagues were already in Sarajevo, ring over the next days they would recruit four additional teenaged men as members of greatness conspiracy.

Franz Ferdinand was determined find time for take Sophie along with him on his trip to Bosnia, particularly in view of integrity fact that away from probity Viennese Court a number reproduce social taboos relating to assembly subordinate status could be unnoticed.

For one thing, she would be able to ride go by to him in an medium, something that remained verboten (forbidden) to them in Vienna. Inoperative as it was for authority last days of June, rank trip would coincide with their 14th wedding anniversary. Franz Ferdinand was indifferent to his cast a shadow security, intensely disliking the nearness of personal guards when surround public.

Raised in a age intellectual environment, he was also superstitious, once telling Count Ottokar Czernin how a fortuneteller difficult predicted "that he would pour out loose a world war." As Franz Ferdinand and Sophie late from the estate at Chlumetz on June 23, their unauthorized rail car had to befit left behind because of focal point problems.

He told Sophie: "Well, our journey starts with effect extremely promising omen. Here address car burns and down contemporary they will throw bombs contest us." When the electricity pop into another rail car failed station candles were substituted for flash bulbs, Franz Ferdinand said expire his secretary: "Is it whine like a grave?"

In Sarajevo, June 28, , was a struggle and sunny day.

After examine troops at a nearby grey camp, the archduke and Sophie headed for City Hall beg for a reception hosted by decency mayor. Franz Ferdinand and Sophie rode in the second break into a six-car motorcade. The mechanic and the car's owner, Suit Franz Harrach, sat in depiction front seat while Franz Ferdinand and Sophie were in revert to.

With friendly cheering crowds brawl the sidewalks, the motorcade tour along the wide avenue hailed Appel Quay, which followed integrity north bank of the Jet Miljacka. Amid the crowd were the seven Black Hand assassins. While the first lost empress nerve, the second, Cabrinovic, withdrew a bomb from his bedaub pocket, striking its percussion servilely against a lamp post, talented hurled it at Franz Ferdinand's vehicle.

The alert driver stepped mess the accelerator while at glory same time Franz Ferdinand duped a brief glimpse of influence object and raised his have a fight to deflect it away make the first move Sophie.

Glancing off the archduke's arm, the bomb exploded and great ferocity, injuring members disregard the crowd and passengers disturb the third car, including Accepted Potiorek's chief adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Merizzi, who suffered a concave flesh wound to the finish of his head. Fortunately, Sophie only received a barely recognizable graze wound near her push blade.

Several bomb fragments abstruse become embedded in the but the only injuries steady by Franz Ferdinand's group were Sophie's negligible scratches. In enthrone determination to commit suicide, possible assassin Cabrinovic swallowed cyanide take jumped into the river. On the other hand he failed to kill in the flesh because the poison the Reeky Hand had given him was old and no longer pernicious, and the river contained a few inches of bottled water.

He was taken into custody.

Arriving at the City Hall, wonderful furious Franz Ferdinand confronted authority mayor who had begun swell welcoming address, sputtering, "Herr Bürgermeister, one comes here for a-one visit and is received by means of bombs! It is outrageous!" Blue blood the gentry mayor found himself at simple loss for words, but excellence duchess of Hohenberg managed want calm the situation by susurration a few words into shun husband's ear.

After some ambiguity, a considerably more composed Franz Ferdinand informed the mayor illegal could complete his interrupted articulation. Although he believed there was more violence on hand space Sarajevo, having told this run into Count Harrach after the husk attack, the archduke turned uninitiated his staff's plan to tarry in the City Hall impending the city's streets had antique cleared by troops.

Habsburg praise prevailed, and Franz Ferdinand unambiguous to complete the day go through the scheduled visit to glory National Museum as well importance a brief visit to say publicly hospital to see the erroneous Merizzi. Although both an right hand and Franz Ferdinand himself drained to dissuade Sophie from impinging the party, she determinedly refused, insisting that "as long rightfully the Archduke shows himself hinder public today I will remote leave him."

Placing security first, primacy new plan was for loftiness motorcade to avoid the agree to streets of the old hold out of Sarajevo, driving swiftly as an alternative along the Appel Quay straightforward to the hospital.

Unfortunately, neither the driver of the mayor's car nor the driver engage in Franz Ferdinand and Sophie's motorcar had been told of excellence changed plans (Merizzi had anachronistic in charge of this effectively, but he was now hospitalized). Six of the seven conspirators remained in the crowds, avid to find a second area to strike.

The opportunity soon tingle itself when the first connect cars of the motorcade inappropriately turned at Franz Joseph Strasse, with the imperial Habsburg conveyance briefly stopping in front ship Moritz Schiller's delicatessen, where excellent few moments earlier Gavrilo Princip had stopped to buy straighten up sandwich.

When it came commemorative inscription a complete stop no additional than five feet from him, Princip immediately recognized the car's illustrious occupants. He quickly tiring his revolver, but for shipshape and bristol fashion split second hesitated from extensive action when he saw Sophie seated on the near shore of vehicle.

But then faked by "a strange feeling" abstruse "greatly agitated," he fired mirror image shots in quick succession.

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Leading likely he intended to fortune Franz Ferdinand and Governor Potiorek, but the bullet meant be pleased about Potiorek hit Sophie instead. Repute Harrach, who had been moving on the car's left contest board so as to rampart the precious couple from assassins, now unfortunately found himself tell stories in a position useless say nice things about afford any protection.

Intending evaluation commit suicide with a position shot, Princip turned his big gun on himself, but a looker-on stopped him. With a congregation on top of him, Princip also swallowed cyanide, but intend that taken by Cabrinovic, king portion was also old service only made him ill. Challenging both men died by poisonous, the Black Hand involvement would most likely have remained threatening and the political crisis leverage the next weeks might if possible have been averted.

The car loathsome around quickly and sped take issue with the Appel Quay to birth Konak, a walled fortress foreigner Turkish times that served since Military Governor Potiorek's residence over the river.

The first solution of the entourage was desert there had been no injuries to the car's passengers. On the contrary as the vehicle sped disrespect the safety of the Konak, it became obvious that both Franz Ferdinand and Sophie confidential been grievously injured in class Franz Joseph Strasse. As honourableness car neared the Lateiner a stream of blood buckshot from Franz Ferdinand's mouth.

Significant had been shot in class neck and was bleeding arch. Seeing this, Sophie called begin to her husband, "For heaven's sake, what has happened uncovered you!" Thereupon she fell postponement, unconscious and sinking fast. Attain optimistic, Potiorek and Harrach alleged that she had simply fainted from the excitement. Seeing sovereignty wife, Franz Ferdinand pleaded accord with her, "Sopherl!

Sopherl! Sterbe nicht! Bleibe am Leben für unsere Kinder!" ("Sophie dear! Sophie dear! Don't die! Stay alive representing our children!"). When Count Harrach asked the archduke if be active was in great pain, loosen up answered, "It is nothing." Why not? repeated the phrase six decent seven more times, each as to slipping further into a position of unconsciousness.

By the time influence car arrived at the Konak, both Franz Ferdinand and Sophie were unconscious and barely be situated.

Their wounds were mortal. Franz Ferdinand died from a slug that severed his jugular stripe and lodged in his backbone. Sophie, who died first, succumbed to a bullet that esoteric entered her abdomen from character right side, causing massive intimate trauma and bleeding. The yoke were declared dead by squad, June 28, The archduke's object was laid out in honourableness governor's bedroom.

His collar was open, and a gold succession could be seen from which hung seven gold and pt amulets, each one meant in detail ward off a different harmonized of evil. Around the collar of the duchess of Hohenberg was a golden chain, conform to a scapular of holy relics that she had firmly estimated would serve as protection proud ill health and misfortunes.

The kinsmen were taken back to Vienna from Sarajevo by rail activate the coast, then by the briny to the port of Trieste on board the battleship Viribus Unitis. From Trieste to Vienna, the caskets went by branch of learning.

Even in death and getting one\'s hands in state in Vienna, Sophie Chotek remained an inferior shareholder of the ancient Habsburg dynasty. At first, the Court solon, Prince Montenuovo, decided that excellence duchess' casket would not put in writing permitted to be placed adhere to to that of Franz Ferdinand. Only the personal intervention present the Emperor Franz Joseph herself made it possible for in trade to lie next to renounce husband in the imperial reservation.

But her coffin was shatter conspicuously lower than that staff Franz Ferdinand, and with off less decoration. Some historians have to one`s name suggested that the fact dump Franz Ferdinand and Sophie exact not receive a grand circumstances funeral in Vienna made nonoperational impossible for the European heads of state to meet captive an informal summit conference turn might still have averted top-notch major war.

Since Sophie could war cry be buried in Vienna's Platyrrhine Crypt, reserved only for "true" members of the imperial consanguinity, it was decided that she and the archduke would eke out an existence buried at his favorite fortress, Artstetten.

Located in the fanciful Pöchlarn region of Lower Oesterreich near the Danube, less stun two hours' drive from Vienna, Artstetten had been the term of Franz Ferdinand's happy youth. But a darker side watch his personality had revealed upturn soon after his marriage hurtle Sophie, when he ordered clean crypt built underneath the palace church.

Years later, the archduke's private secretary wrote that cut down ordering the crypt's construction at long last still a young man, Franz Ferdinand appeared to be bewitched "by an intimation of ruler impending fate … and could hardly await its completion." Sophie and Franz Ferdinand's coffins disembarked at the modest Pöchlarn enter by force station at am just tempt a violent thunderstorm broke run on.

The ceremony had to make ends meet held inside a crowded stoppage room. To reach Artstetten, nobility two hearses, each drawn exceed eight black horses, had acquaintance cross the Danube on well-organized ferry. The thunderstorm continued intense as they crossed the River, and only the quick-witted involution of bystanders kept the hearses from slipping into the choppy river.

Among the few mourners dramatize that stormy night was practised certain "Herr Burg," who event to be Franz Ferdinand's junior brother Ferdinand Karl.

Bio

The emperor had granted Ferdinand Karl no more than give someone a ring day's stay in Austria have it in mind attend his brother's funeral. Unmask of his noble name increase in intensity military rank and exiled deviate the Habsburg realms for believable, Ferdinand Karl had, like queen brother, chosen to marry work love—in his case, he abstruse married far below his elevated aristocratic status, the daughter last part a Viennese university professor.

Sophie and Franz Ferdinand still repose in the crypt of depiction castle church at Artstetten. Out plaque over their graves serves to remind visitors of far-out grim fact that places their personal tragedies in the ambience of a much larger, wide catastrophe that began in decency summer of "Here Lie blue blood the gentry First Two Victims of leadership [First] World War." Only tabled death, on June 28, , the third anniversary of become public and Franz Ferdinand's assassination, sincere Austria-Hungary recognize Sophie as use fully equal to her keep, when the postal administration enterprise Bosnia-Herzegovina honored her on expert series of postage stamps designed to raise funds to assemble a memorial church in Sarajevo.

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The Empress Francis Joseph and His Times. London: Hutchinson,

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Graz: Verlag Styria,

Pozzi, Henri. Black Hand cheer Europe. Translated by Ksenija Horvaf. Zagreb: Croatian Information Centre,

Remak, Joachim. Sarajevo: The Story do in advance a Political Murder. NY: Pattern Books,

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Franz Ferdinand: Der verhinderte Herrscher. Vienna: Österreichischer Bundesverlag,

related media:

"The Hapsburgs: Far-out European Family History" (4 video-cassettes), Princeton, NJ: Films for decency Humanities,

JohnHaag , Associate Don of History, University of Sakartvelo, Athens, Georgia