TheAustrian nobility (German:österreichischer Adel) is astatus group that was officially abolished in 1919 after the fall ofAustria-Hungary. Austria's system ofnobility was very similar to that of Germany (seeGerman nobility), as both countries were previously part of theHoly Roman Empire (962–1806).
Any noble living in theHabsburg-ruled lands, and who owed allegiance to thedynasty and therefore to theemperor, was also considered part of the Austrianaristocracy. This applied to any member of theBohemian,Hungarian,Polish,Croatian, and other nobilities in the Habsburg dominions. Attempting to differentiate betweenethnicities can be difficult, especially for nobles during the eras of the Holy Roman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian monarchy (1867–1918). A noble fromGalicia, for instance, such as theCount Jordan-Rozwadowski (see section "Noble titles" below underGraf/Gräfin (count/countess)), could call himself a Polish noble, but he also rightfully belonged to the Austrian nobility.
Two categories among the Austrian nobility may be distinguished: the historic nobility that lived in the territories of theHabsburg Empire and who owed allegiance to the head of that dynasty until 1918, and the post-1918 descendants of Austrian nobility—specifically, those who retain Austrian citizenship, whose family originally come from Austria proper,South Tyrol, northern Italy andBurgenland, or who were ennobled at any point under Habsburg rule and identify themselves as belonging to that status group.[citation needed]
From 1453, theArchduke of Austria hadthe right to bestow titles and ranks upon non-nobles, as did theArchbishop of Salzburg, asSalzburg remained an independent territory. Besides the Holy Roman Emperor (an office which was almost uninterruptedly held by the Archduke (of theHouse of Habsburg) from 1438 to 1806), only a few territorial rulers within the Empire had this right. In an era ofAbsolutism, the nobility residing in the cities slowly turned itself into thecourt nobility (Hofadel). Service at the court became the primary goal of the nobility. This in turn initiated an interest in education and the interests of the court. Within the court, a close inner circle, called the100 Familien (100 families), possessed enormous riches and lands.[citation needed] They also had great influence at the court and thus played an important role in politics and diplomacy.
After the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the Habsburg rulers, who wereEmperors ofAustria from 1804 onwards, continued to elevate individuals to nobility until the end of the monarchy in 1918. Some of the noble families even obtained the right to be seated in theHerrenhaus (House of Lords), theupper house of theReichsrat (Imperial Council). Nobles from previously sovereign states such as those in northern Italy (Venice, Mantua, Milan) were also recognized by the authorities and were allowed to keep their titles and rights.
On the former status of nobility inBurgenland, which was part of the Kingdom of Hungary until 1921, seeHungarian nobility.
A few very wealthy Jewish families were ennobled after theToleranzedikt vom 1782 ("1782 Edict of Tolerance") decreed by EmperorJoseph II. Under this Edict, very wealthyJewish bankers, and later entrepreneurs and industrialists—some of themcourt Jews—could also beennobled for their services. Jews had been ennobled mostly, as was common with all newly ennobled families, withlesser noble ranks, but also withpeerages such asFreiherr (Baron). The few Jewish families elevated into the nobility were not required to forswear their faith, but some of these families converted toChristianity in order to become more accepted. Although elevation into the nobility meant recognition for civic contributions and services, and entailed a rise insocial status, it did not alter the fact that Jews were, for the most part, still only "tolerated" at best. Jews could not freely choose the place and duration of their stay and had to regularly ask for permission from theauthorities. This placed a huge burden on Jewish families; if the head of the family died, all his relatives had to leave the city.[a] The right to purchasereal estate was forbidden to Jews, even if they belonged to the nobility. This regulation stayed in place until 1860, when it was abolished by EmperorFranz Joseph I and Jewish citizens were given equal rights.[1][2][3] When the banker and protector of arts Raymund Karl Wetzler von Plankenstern was created aReichsfreiherr (Baron of the Empire) byEmpress Maria Theresia, he converted toCatholicism while still young. His mansion in Vienna was a center of thefine arts and he was a close friend ofMozart, as his son Alexander was ofLudwig van Beethoven.
Despite these difficulties, by 1821 there were at least eleven ennobled Jewish families living in Vienna alone: theRothschild,Arnstein,Eskeles,Gomperz,Kuffner, Lieben,Auspitz,Schey von Koromla,Todesco, Goluchowski-Glochowsky, Wertheimstein, Weißmann and Wiernes families. In 1830 the Jewishvon Neumann family were elevated into the nobility. The elevation into the nobility of wealthy Jews also started the process ofassimilation of Jewish families into the Austrianupper class.
With the same date, theHabsburgergesetz of 1919 ("Habsburg Law"), which legally dethroned, exiled and confiscated the properties of the Imperial House of Habsburg, theAdelsaufhebungsgesetz (Arbitration Act) of 3 April 1919 ("Law on the Abolition of Nobility") abolished nobility as well as all noble privileges, titles and names in Austria.[4] In other monarchies of Europe, Austrian noble families may use their noble titles as well asnobiliary particles such asvon andzu in their names and they still retain noble status there.
This may sometimes be confusing, as descendants of nobles are sometimes referred to with noble names abroad. Also, members of noble families often hold multiple citizenships, as was the case forOtto von Habsburg (eldest son ofthe last Emperor of Austria-Hungary and father of Karl Habsburg-Lothringen), who was also a citizen of Germany. The Austrian law does not apply to artistic, performer orstage names, wherevon is sometimes used, as in the case of conductorHerbert von Karajan or the musician Hubert von Goisern. However, stage names are never recognized for official purposes.
Members of the lower nobility especially (such ascivil servants) found this radical step of abolition degrading and humiliating, since working towards and finally earning a noble title was a way for them and their families to rise within society. Members of the higher nobility were able to absorb the formal abolition more easily.[citation needed] They lost their titles and privileges, but kept their social networks, manners, standing and riches.Federal PresidentMichael Hainisch called the official abolition
...childish, because it did not hit those that it was supposed to hit. I once talked to the very fine and very intelligent PrincessFanny Starhemberg about this. "To us," she said, "the official abolition is quite irrelevant, because with or without the titles, we will always remain the Starhembergs."[5][citation needed]
The law abolishing nobility and titles was never repealed, even during the period ofAustrofascism (1934–1938). Following theAnschluss toNazi Germany (1938–1945), this law remained on the books, although it was not enforced, allowing Austrian nobles to use titles freely again.[citation needed]
Although noble titles and the particlesvon andzu are no longer legal, some persons are still unofficially referred to by their titles. For example, the lateKarl Schwarzenberg was occasionally still referred to asFürstzu Schwarzenberg (Prince zu Schwarzenberg) in the media; he held Czech and Swiss citizenship, not Austrian.
Unlike the nobility inBohemia (Czechoslovakia), Poland, Russia, or the former Prussian territories, the Austrian nobility never had its lands and riches confiscated in Austria (except the Imperial House of Habsburg, which had its properties legally confiscated by the Austrian republican government on 3 April 1919, through theHabsburg Law). Social measures were introduced by the republican government in order to create more equality amongst the citizens and finance public projects, which put a strain on the traditional land-holdinggentry and aristocracy, resulting in the forced sale of many palaces and lands due to the expense of their upkeep. However, there was no measure by the government specifically to target nobility and take away their possessions.
Still, the nobility today are sometimes nonetheless treated slightly differently from other citizens. Austrian nobility still plays a large part in movies made after World War II (for example,Sissi andThe Sound of Music), and is still featured regularly in the media and literature. The social events of nobles are still covered extensively intabloids.
Apart from the prohibition of their titles, some former nobles still make up some of the richest families in Austria, such as theEsterházy,Mayr-Melnhof and Mautner-Markhof. Many members of the Austrian nobility today work in the traditional fields of diplomacy, politics, have business and financial interests, or arephilanthropists orsocialites.
It was estimated that there were about 20,000 Austrian nobles in 2005.[citation needed] That year, an association was founded, theVereinigung der Edelleute in Österreich (Association of Austrian Nobles, or V.E.Ö.), which sees itself as the successor of theVereinigung katholischer Edelleute in Österreich (Catholic Association of Austrian Nobles, or V.E.Ö.), founded in 1922 but banned under theNazis in 1938[citation needed]. This was challenged under the Nobility Abolition Act[citation needed].
Austria's nobility was divided into three categories: themediatized nobility (standesherrlicht), thehigher nobility (hoher Adel), and thelower nobility (niederer Adel):
Non-ruling members of the imperial family held various titles:
Legitimate butmorganatic descendants of the imperial family were excluded from theline of succession, but might sometimes receive lesser titles with noble rather than royal prerogatives, e.g.:
(English titles with German equivalents)
(English titles with German equivalents)
(English titles with German equivalents)
Use ofnobiliary particles, such as the prepositions "von", "zu", variations such as "van" and "vom", or combinations ("von und zu"), common until after World War I (non-German-speaking nobility preferred to use "de"), were also banned by the 1919 Law on the Abolition of Nobility.
Below is an incomplete list of Austrian noble families, listed by rank of title.[6] Note that some members of a family were sometimes given higher titles by theemperor because of merit.Titles,styles, andrights could only be conferred by the monarch. In some cases, they could even be revoked because of fall from favour.
The style of address was usually "Serene Highness" (Durchlaucht) or the lower style of "Princely Grace" (Fürstliche Gnaden). AlthoughHerzog ("duke") was officially a higher title thanFürst, the former was rare in Austria, except among sovereign andmediatized houses (e.g., theHouse of Liechtenstein asHerzog vonJägerndorf undTroppau, and theHouse of Croÿ asHerzog von Croÿ). The princelytitle was the most prestigious of the Austrian nobility, usually borne by heads of families whosecadets were generally counts/countesses, although in some mediatized princely families (Reichsfürsten) members were allowed to bear the same title as cadets of royalty: prince/princess (Prinz/Prinzessin) with the style of Serene Highness.
| Preposition[b] | Original name | Most called [clarification needed] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| von | Auersperg | head of this family also carries the titles of Duke of Gottschee, Princely Count of Wels. All members are Serene Highnesses, Princes(ses) of Auersperg | |
| Batthyány-Strattmann[7] | junior members were counts | ||
| von | Clary und Aldringen | Clary-Aldringen[8] | |
| Collalto und San Salvatore[8] | Collalto | ||
| Colloredo-Mansfeld[9] | Colloredo-Mansfeld | junior members were counts; eldest son of the prince was titledCount of Mansfeld; see alsoHouse of Mansfeld | |
| Croÿ[9] | Croÿ-(subline) | also known as Croÿ-Dülmen, three branches exist. Heads of this family were dukes; also used the prepositionde. | |
| Dietrichstein | became extinct firstly in male line, recreated for husband of heiress; junior members of this family were countsvon Dietrichstein & Proskau-Leslie (first family) thenDietrichstein-Mensdorff-Pouilly (second family)[9] | ||
| Eggenberg[citation needed] | became extinct firstly in male line, Bohemian possessions passed to the nearest male relatives via marriage, theSchwarzenberg family, and Styrian possessions likewise to theHerberstein family.[10][11][12][13] | ||
| de | Esterházy von Galántha[citation needed] | Esterházy | alsocomital; also used the prepositionde |
| Festetics von Tolna[citation needed] | Festetics | ||
| zu | Fürstenberg[citation needed] | Fürstenberg | members use titles outside of Austria; some use the prepositionvon |
| von | Grassalkovich[citation needed] | Grassalkovich | became extinct |
| Hohenberg | title ofFürst for all members; elevated to ducal status by primogeniture in 1917 | ||
| zu | Hohenlohe[citation needed] | Hohenlohe-(subline) | this family had multiple branches |
| von | Khevenhüller-Metsch[citation needed] | Khevenhüller-Metsch | junior members were counts |
| Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau[citation needed] | Kinsky | junior members were counts; alsocomital | |
| von | Koháry | Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry | alsocomital; became extinct firstly in male line, possessions passed to theSaxe-Coburg and Gotha branch of the family via marriage to the heiress of thelast prince |
| Lamberg | junior members were counts | ||
| Lichnowsky | |||
| Lobkowicz[citation needed] | Lobkowicz | ||
| von und zu | Liechtenstein[citation needed] | Liechtenstein | sovereign since 1719 |
| von | Metternich-Winneburg[citation needed] | Metternich | also used the prepositionde; became extinct |
| Montenuovo | see alsoHouse of Neipperg | ||
| zu | Oettingen-Oettingen[citation needed] | this family had multiple branches (Oettingen,Wallerstein &Spielberg) | |
| von | Orsini und Rosenberg[citation needed] | Orsini-Rosenberg | junior members were counts |
| Rohan[citation needed] | Rohan | head of this family was ducal; also used the prepositionde | |
| zu | Sayn-Wittgenstein[citation needed] | Sayn-Wittgenstein-(subline) | this family had multiple branches |
| von | Schönburg[citation needed] | Schönburg-(subline) | this family had multiple branches (Hartenstein &Waldenburg); alsocomital |
| Starhemberg[citation needed] | Starhemberg | junior members were counts | |
| (von und) zu | Schwarzenberg[citation needed] | Schwarzenberg | Head of House carries also the titles of Duke of Krumlov, Princely Landgrave of Klettgau and Count of Sulz. All members are Serene Highnesses, Princes(ses) of Schwarzenberg, Counts of Sulz and Landgraves of Klettgau. |
| von | Thun-Hohenstein | Thun-Hohenstein[citation needed] | alsocomital |
| von und zu | Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg[citation needed] | Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg | |
| von | Waldburg[citation needed] | Waldburg-(subline) | this family had multiple branches; junior members were counts |
| zu | Windisch-Graetz[8] | Windisch-Graetz | alsoWindisch-Grätz |
Mediatized counts were often entitled to the style of "Illustrious Highness" (Erlaucht). Ranking below them were the comital families of ancient lineage, wealth and influence who were recognized as such in Austria, but had not been Counts of the Empire (Reichsgrafen) prior to 1806; these counts bore the lower style of "High-born" (Hochgeboren).
There was no official style, but"Gnädiger Herr" (Gracious Lord),"Gnädige Frau", or"Gnädiges Fräulein" (Gracious Lady) were common forms of address. Although strictly speaking the title wasFreiherr, the usage of "Baron" in written and verbal communication was very common, even if incorrect. The titleFreiin was also often replaced for "geborene (née)Baronin", which was strictly speaking also incorrect since aBaronin would have been married already.
There was no official style, but"Gnädiger Herr" was a common form of address. The title was for males only; no female version existed. Female members of a family with the titleRitter however were often addressed as "Edle von", which was incorrect unless the family already carried theEdler honour before being raised to theRitter class.
The rank ofEdler carried no official style, but"Gnädiger Herr" or"Gnädige Frau" were common forms of address.
This title belonged to the patricians of the free city ofWerl, in Germany, who had the hereditary (erb-) right to exploit the nearby salt mines (salz). Thus this title was not granted in Austria, but merely recognized there.
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