Sophie | |
|---|---|
| Duchess of Hohenberg | |
 Sophiec. 1910 | |
| Full name | Sophie Maria Josephine Albina Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin |
| Born | (1868-03-01)1 March 1868 Stuttgart,Kingdom of Württemberg |
| Died | 28 June 1914(1914-06-28) (aged 46) Sarajevo,Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina,Austria-Hungary |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Buried | Artstetten Castle,Artstetten-Pöbring |
| Noble family | |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | |
| Father | Count Bohuslaw Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin |
| Mother | Countess WilhelmineKinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau |
Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg (German:Sophie Marie Josephine Albina Gräfin Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin;Czech:Žofie Marie Josefína Albína hraběnka Chotková z Chotkova a Vojnína; 1 March 1868 – 28 June 1914) was the wife ofArchduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to theAustro-Hungarian throne.Their assassination inSarajevo sparked aseries of events that led, four weeks later, toWorld War I.
Countess Sophie Chotek von Wognin was born inStuttgart as the fifth child and fourth daughter ofCount Bohuslav Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin and his wife, Countess WilhelmineKinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (1838–1886). Her father was aBohemian aristocrat, by birth member of an oldHouse of Chotek, who served asAustrianAmbassador to the royal courts ofStuttgart,Saint Petersburg andBrussels.[1][2][3][4]
As a young woman, Sophie became alady-in-waiting toArchduchess Isabella,[3] the wife ofArchduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen, head of the Bohemiancadet branch of theHouse of Habsburg-Lorraine.
It is unknown where Sophie first met Archduke Franz Ferdinand, although it may have been at a ball inPrague in 1894. Franz Ferdinand, who was stationed at a militarygarrison in Prague, paid frequent visits toHalbturn Castle, the home ofArchduke Friedrich, and it was assumed that he had fallen in love with Friedrich's eldest daughter,Archduchess Marie Christine.[3] The liaison was discovered byArchduchess Isabella, herself only born into amediatised family (theHouse of Croÿ). When Isabella discovered Franz Ferdinand's locket lying on the tennis court, she opened it, expecting a photo of her daughter. Instead, the locket contained a photo of Sophie. From this, a scandal ensued.[5]
Franz Ferdinand had becomeheir presumptive to the throne, after the suicide of his cousinCrown Prince Rudolf in 1889 and the death of his fatherKarl Ludwig of typhoid in 1896. As such his uncle, theEmperor Franz Joseph, informed him that he could not marry Sophie, who could not become anEmpress consort.[3] To be an eligibleconsort for any member of the ImperialHouse of Habsburg, one needed to belong to one of thereigning orformerly reigning princely dynasties ofEurope. Although the Chotek family werenoble since at least the 14th century and had been madecounts of theHoly Roman Empire in 1745, they were not ofdynastic rank (although Sophie was also ofroyal blood by also being a descendant of theHabsburgs, in particular fromMatilda of Habsburg, daughter of KingRudolph I of Germany, who was also Franz Ferdinand's ancestor).[3][6]
Franz Ferdinand refused to renounce Sophie to marry equally and beget an heir to the throne, compoundingthe scandal surrounding the death andillicit affair of the emperor's previous heir.
In 1899, under pressure from family members (especially theArchduchess Maria Theresa, the emperor's formidable sister-in-law and Franz Ferdinand's stepmother) the couple were granted permission to wed.[3] Franz Ferdinand was allowed to retain his place in the order of succession and a suitable title was promised for his future wife. However, to prevent Franz Ferdinand from attempting to proclaim his wife empress-queen or declaring their future children dynasts and thus eligible to inherit the crown (especially that of Hungary, wheremorganatic marriages were unknown to law) once he ascended the throne, he was compelled to appear at theHofburg Imperial Palace before the gathered archdukes, ministers, and dignitaries of the court, the Cardinal-Archbishop of Vienna and thePrimate of Hungary on 28 June 1900 to execute by signature an official instrument in which he publicly declared that Sophie would be his morganatic wife, never to bear the titles of empress, queen or archduchess, and acknowledging that their descendants would neither inherit nor be granted dynastic rights or privileges in any of the Habsburg realms.[3][7]
Sophie and Franz Ferdinand were married on 1 July 1900 at Reichstadt (nowZákupy) inBohemia. The Emperor did not attend the nuptials, nor did any of the archdukes, including Franz Ferdinand's brothers. The only members of the Imperial family who were present were Franz Ferdinand's stepmother, Archduchess Maria Theresa, and her two daughters,Maria Annunciata andElisabeth Amalie.[3]
Upon her marriage, Sophie was given the titleFürstin von Hohenberg ("Princess of Hohenberg") with the style ofDurchlaucht ("Serene Highness"). In 1909, she was elevated toHerzogin (Duchess) and accorded the higher style ofHoheit ("Highness").
Nonetheless, all of the archduchesses,mediatized princesses and countesses of Austria and Hungary took precedence before her. For the fourteen years of their marriage, Sophie never shared her husband's rank, title, or precedence. Her position at the Imperial court was humiliating, aggravated by the ImperialObersthofmeister,Alfred, 2nd Prince of Montenuovo, whose insecurity about his own morganatic background is said to have prompted him to rigorously enforce courtprotocol at Sophie's expense.[3] Problems of protocol prevented manyroyal courts from hosting the couple despite Franz Ferdinand's position as heir to the throne. Nonetheless, some did so, includingKing George V andQueen Mary of theUnited Kingdom, who warmly welcomed the couple toWindsor Castle from 17 to 21 November 1913. Queen Mary's father,Francis, Duke of Teck, was the offspring of a morganatic marriage and was shunned by royal families in Europe.[8]
The couple had four children:[4]
.jpg)
In 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was invited by GeneralOskar Potiorek, Governor of the Austro-Hungarian province ofBosnia and Herzegovina, to watch troops onmaneuvers for three days inSarajevo, the provincial capital. Sophie was not usually allowed to accompany her husband on ceremonial visits because of her lower status, but on this occasion, Franz Ferdinand was invited as a military commander rather than a royal personage.[10]: 17 The archduke therefore arranged for Sophie to join him on 28 June, the third and final day, for a troop review followed by a visit to the city to dedicate a new museum before returning to Vienna. The date coincided with the 14th anniversary of their Oath of Renunciation and was a rare opportunity to celebrate in public together, although he knew that the visit would be dangerous.[citation needed]
At 10:10 am of Sunday, 28 June 1914, when the procession passed the Sarajevo central police station,Nedeljko Čabrinović hurled ahand grenade at the archduke's car. The driver accelerated when he saw the object flying towards the car and the grenade exploded under the wheel of the next car. Two of the occupants, Eric von Merizzi and Count Boos-Waldeck, were seriously wounded. Fourteen spectators were hit by bomb splinters.[citation needed]
After attending the official reception at theCity Hall, Franz Ferdinand asked about the members of his party that had been wounded by the bomb. When the archduke was told they were badly injured and had been taken to the hospital, he insisted on being taken to see them. A member of the archduke's staff,Andreas, Freiherr von Morsey, suggested this might be dangerous, but General Oskar Potiorek, who was responsible for the safety of the Imperial party, replied, "Do you think Sarajevo is full of assassins?"[citation needed] However, Potiorek did accept it would be better if Sophie remained behind in the city hall. When Freiherr Morsey told Sophie about the revised plans, she refused to stay, arguing: "As long as the Archduke shows himself in public today I will not leave him."[citation needed]
In order to avoid the city centre, Potiorek decided that the Imperial car should travel straight along theAppel Quay to the Sarajevo Hospital. However, Potiorek forgot to tell the driver,Leopold Loyka,[11] about this decision. On the way to the hospital, by theLatin Bridge, the driver took a right turn into Franz Joseph Street. One of the conspirators,Gavrilo Princip, was standing on the corner at the time. Oskar Potiorek immediately realized the driver had taken the wrong route and shouted "What is this? This is the wrong way! We're supposed to take the Appel Quay!"[citation needed]
The driver put his foot on the brake, and began to back up. In doing so he moved slowly past the waiting Gavrilo Princip. Theassassin stepped forward, drew his pistol, and at a distance of about five feet, fired twice into the car. Franz Ferdinand was hit in the neck and Sophie in the abdomen. Sophie said to her husband, "For God's sake, what has happened to you?!" She then fell bleeding. Before losing consciousness he pleaded, "Sopherl! Sopherl! Don't die! Stay alive for our children!", using his pet name for the duchess.[10]: 11 They were both dead within an hour.[citation needed]
On trial, Gavrilo Princip said that instead of Sophie, he intended to assassinate Oskar Potiorek, but he missed him and hit her. The assassination triggered theJuly Crisis which led to theFirst World War.
The bodies were transported toTrieste by the battleshipSMS Viribus Unitis and then toVienna by special train for a jointfuneral mass in a short ceremony at theHofburg Palace attended by the immediate imperial family. The Archduke and Duchess were then taken to be entombed side by side as he had requested[10]: 17 in thecrypt ofArtstetten Castle, the Habsburgs' summer home, because burial in theImperial Crypt was forbidden to Sophie.[12] Today the castle houses a museum in their memory.
Duchess Sophie's castle ofArtstetten was selected as a main motif for the 10-euroCastle of Artstetten commemorative coin minted on 13 October 2004. The reverse of the coin shows the entrance to theHohenberg family crypt, with left-set overlay profile portraits of Sophie and Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
Austria-Hungary:[13]
Kingdom of Bavaria: Dame of Honour of theOrder of Saint Elizabeth[13]
Holy See: Grand Cross of theOrder of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem[13]
Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Dame of Honour and Devotion[15]| Ancestors of Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Titles of nobility | ||
|---|---|---|
| New title | Duchess of Hohenberg 1909–1914 | Vacant Title next held by Maximilian |
Generations are numbered by descent fromSophie, Duchess of Hohenberg. | ||
| 1st generation |  | |
| 2nd generation | ||
| 3rd generation | ||
