Adolf Hereditary Prince of Auersperg | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byEugen Felix, 1883 | |
| Minister-President of Austria | |
| In office 28 November 1871 – 15 February 1879 | |
| Monarch | Franz Joseph I |
| Preceded by | Ludwig von Holzgethan |
| Succeeded by | Karl von Stremayr |
| Provincial President of Salzburg | |
| In office 1870–1871 | |
| Monarch | Franz Joseph I |
| Preceded by | Ernst Graf Gourcy-Droitaumont |
| Succeeded by | Sigmund Graf Thun-Hohenstein |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1821-07-21)21 July 1821 |
| Died | 5 January 1885(1885-01-05) (aged 63) |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 5, includingKarl |
Adolf Wilhelm Carl Daniel, Hereditary Prince of Auersperg (German:Adolf Wilhelm Carl Daniel Erbprinz von Auersperg; 21 July 1821 in SchlossVlašim,Bohemia – 5 January 1885 in Schloss Goldegg,Neidling) was aBohemian and anAustrian nobleman and statesman. He served as eighthprime minister of the western part of theAustro-Hungarian Empire (Cisleithania) and ninth provincial president ofSalzburg.
On the death of his father (Wilhelm II, 7thPrince of Auersperg, Duke ofGottschee), Prince Adolf became heir to one of the most prominentprincely families of the Holy Roman Empire, whose sovereign principality wasmediatized in theAustrian Empire following theGerman Mediatisation of the post-revolutionary era.
After studying law, he served as an imperial cavalry officer from 1841 to 1860 and attained the rank of major in Prince Eugene's Dragoons regiment. In 1867 he entered political life as a member of the BohemianLandtag (provincial assembly), being elected by the Liberalland proprietors. Ten months later, on the resignation of Count Hartig, he was appointedSupreme Marshal of the Kingdom of Bohemia, continuing in that office until 1870.[1] In January 1869 he was nominated life member of the Upper Chamber of theAustrian Reichsrat, in which he took a conspicuous part.
He was provincial president ofSalzburg from 1870 to 1871, and proved in that position, as well as in his subsequent political life, a staunch supporter of the constitution.Auerspergstraße is a street in the center of Salzburg that was named after Prince Adolf and his family in 1873. The street is almost 1,000 meters long and runs in a quarter circle from Schwarzstrasse to Schallmooser Hauptstrasse. Due to anti-Aristocratic sentiment during Austria's membership of theGerman Reich (1938–1945),Auerspergstraße was officially calledStraße der SA, however the street was immediately renamed after Austria gained sovereignty in 1945.[2]
In 1871 he succeededKarl von Hohenwart as prime minister for the western half of the empire (Minister-President of Cisleithania). Auersperg's ministry enacted a measure of electoral reform (1873), secured direct elections to the lower chamber of the Reichsrat, and strengthened the political entente withHungary. Intraparty controversies over Austrian occupation of Bosnia finally forced him to resign in 1879. Auersperg's resignation marked the end of German liberalism in Austrian politics throughout the remaining years of the Empire.
Prince Adolf's brother,Karl Wilhelm, 8th Prince of Auersperg, Duke of Gottschee, also served as Minister-President of Cisleithania and as the first President of the AustrianHouse of Lords (Herrenhaus). His other siblings were Aglae (1812–1899), Wilhelmine (1813–1886), Alexander (1818–1866) and Leopoldine (1820–1821).
Adolf was married twice:
Knight of theOrder of the Golden Fleece,1878
| Minister-presidents of the Austrian Empire, 1848–1867 |  | |
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| Minister-presidents ofCisleithania inAustria-Hungary, 1867–1918 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
