| House of Auersperg | |
|---|---|
 Arms of the Princes of Auersperg | |
| Country | Holy Roman Empire Austrian Empire Austro-Hungarian Empire |
| Place of origin | Auersperg Castle (Slovene:Grad Turjak, German:Burg Auersperg) |
| Founded | 12th century |
| Current head | Carl Adolf |
| Final ruler | Wilhelm I |
| Titles | Prince of Auersperg Duke of Gottschee Duke of Münsterberg Princely Count of Tengen Princely Count of Wels Count of Auersperg Lord of Schönberg Lord of Seisenberg |
| Style(s) | Serene Highness |
| Deposition | 1806:Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire |
| Cadet branches | Auersperg-Breunner Auersperg-Trautson |
TheHouse of Auersperg (Slovene:Auerspergi orTurjaški) is anAustrian princely family and formerly one of the most prominent European noble houses. The family originates from thecomital line of Auersperg in theDuchy of Carniola during theMiddle Ages and belongs to thehigh nobility (one of theMediatised Houses, or former Sovereign families).
The Auerspergs held the rank ofPrinces of the Holy Roman Empire from 1653 and had an individual vote (Virilstimme) in the College of Princes of theImperial Diet from 1664.[1] They also held at various times theduchies ofMünsterberg andGottschee. Following the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire 1806, theirImperial State wasmediatised to theGrand Duchy of Baden. The Auerspergs remained one of the most prominent families in theAustrian Empire and laterAustro-Hungarian Empire, most notably serving as generals, prime ministers of the western half of the empire (Minister-President of Cisleithania) and presidents of theAustrian House of Lords.
The formeredelfrei family was first mentioned asUrsperch in a deed of 1162 issued by DukeHerman II of Carinthia at his residenceSt. Veit. The family's ancestral seat wasTurjak Castle (German:Burg Ursperg, laterBurg Auersperg) in theMarch of Carniola, according to an engraving on site built in 1067 by one Conrad of Auersperg. Above the engraving stands the original Auersperg coat of arms, displaying anaurochs (German:Auerochs(e) orUr, Slovene:Tur). The family name may derive fromUrsberg inSwabia, and their ancestors probably settled inLower Carniola after the victory of KingOtto I of Germany over theHungarian forces at the 955Battle of Lechfeld. They held large estates fromGrosuplje in the north down toVelike Lašče andRibnica, rivalling with theMeinhardiner counts ofGörz, the CarinthianOrtenburg dynasty and thePatriarchs of Aquileia.
In the 13th century, the high noble line became extinct and was succeeded by a dynasty ofministeriales. In the mid 15th century, this line split into two eponymous branches with the brothers Pankraz II (1441–1496) and Volkhard VIII (1442–1508). The Auerspergs inherited the estate ofŽužemberk and Šumberk in theWindic March, which passed on to a cadet branch. Pankraz II of Auersperg heldTurjak Castle in theDuchy of Carniola and married Anne ofFrankopan. His son Trojan (1495–1541) served at theHabsburg courts inLjubljana and theAustrian capitalVienna as a Carniolanchamberlain andregent, ImperialHofrat and commander during the OttomanSiege of Vienna in 1529. Trojan's sonHerbard VIII von Auersperg (1528–1575), calledHervard Turjaški in Slovene, was CarniolanLandeshauptmann and commander of theCroatian andSlavonian Military Frontier, he played a vital role as a patron ofPrimož Trubar,Jurij Dalmatin and theProtestant Reformation in theSlovene Lands. He received the noble rank of an Imperial Baron (Reichsfreiherr) in 1550, his descendants were elevated toImperial Counts (Reichsgrafen) in 1630.
The Auersperg cadet branch, named after the castle of Šumberk inLower Carniola, was influential throughout the 16th century. Wilhelm Auersperg (called "the Rich", cca. 1462–1507) and his nephew Hans (1480–1529) were regents (Landeshauptmann) of Carniola. Hans's son Wolfgang-Engelbert was considered one of the most educated noblemen in Carniola, and a strong supporter of Lutheranism.[2] His sonAndreas von Auersperg was one of the military commanders during the decisiveBattle of Sisak against theOttomans, gaining the nickname "Carniolan Achilles". In the early 17th century, the Šumberk cadet line, which was considered wealthier and more influential than the main one,[3] died out; its estates were transferred back to the main line, and were later mostly inherited by the so-called "princely branch" of the family.
Principality of Auersperg Fürstentum Auersperg | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1664–1806 | |||||||||||
 Coat of arms | |||||||||||
| Status | State of theHoly Roman Empire | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Bavarian | ||||||||||
| Government | Principality | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Early modern era | ||||||||||
• Auersperg raised toprincely status | 17/18 September 1653 | ||||||||||
| 14 March 1664 | |||||||||||
• JoinedCouncil of Princes | 1664 | ||||||||||
| 1806 | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
CountJohann Weikhard of Auersperg (1615–1677) served as head of theAulic Council (Reichshofrat), as envoy of EmperorFerdinand III in the negotiations preparing the 1648Peace of Westphalia, and as a tutor to young KingFerdinand IV.[4] Emperor Ferdinand III elevated Johann Weikhard to a hereditaryPrince of the Holy Roman Empire in 1653 and enfeoffed him with the SilesianDuchy of Münsterberg in theLands of the Bohemian Crown the next year. In 1663, Johann Weikhard received in pawn the lands of the extinct Counts ofTengen (Thengen), a Habsburg possession inFurther Austria since 1522, and reachedImperial immediacy asGefürsteter Graf with a seat in theImperial Diet the next year.
The Duchy of Münsterberg was conquered byPrussia in the course of theFirst Silesian War with Austria in 1742, but the Auerspergs at first could retain their possessions as a Silesianstate country. In 1791, Karl Joseph of Auersperg finally sold Münsterberg to KingFrederick William II of Prussia. In the same year,Emperor Leopold II granted Karl Joseph the title of Duke ofGottschee and elevated the Auersperg-owned County of Gottschee to be the Duchy of Gottschee (German:Herzogtum Gottschee, Slovene:Kočevska Vojvodina). Upon the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the Auersperg territory at Tengen wasmediatised to theGrand Duchy of Baden.
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The Auerspergs were among the largest landowners in Carniola. In addition toTurjak Castle, which was their central possession, for centuries they were the owners of many other properties, both within and outside their territories. Among these were twoBaroque palaces in the center ofLjubljana,Turjaška palača (Auersperg Palace) andKnežji dvorec, which means 'Princely Palace'. They were both damaged in the1895 Easter earthquake, and the land was sold to the municipality. TheSlovene National and University Library was built on the site of the Princely Palace in the 1930s, modelled on the latter's size and form. TheCity Museum of Ljubljana was opened at the Auersperg Palace in 1937.[6]
Palais Auersperg is a Baroque palace at Auerspergstrasse 1 in the Josefstadt or eighth district ofVienna. The palace was owned by the family from 1777 to 1953.
Turjak Castle and all the other Slovenian property was seized by the newly createdcommunist government ofYugoslavia in 1946. It has never been returned to the head of the family. However, other branches still own property in Austria andSouthern Tyrol (Italy):
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