Klara Hitler | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1860-08-12)12 August 1860 |
| Died | 21 December 1907(1907-12-21) (aged 47) Linz, Austria |
| Cause of death | Breast cancer |
| Other names | Klara Pölzl |
| Known for | Mother ofAdolf Hitler |
| Spouse | Alois Hitler (1885–1903; his death) |
| Children | Gustav Hitler (10 May 1885 - 8 December 1887) Ida Hitler (23 September 1886 - 2 January 1888) Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 - 30 April 1945) Otto Hitler (1892 - 1892)Edmund Hitler (24 March 1894 - 28 February 1900) Paula Hitler (21 January 1896 - 1 June 1960) Stepchildren:[1] Alois Hitler Jr. (13 January 1882 - 20 May 1956) Angela Hitler (28 July 1883 - 30 October 1949) |
| Parent(s) | Johann Baptist Pölzl Johanna Hiedler |
| Relatives | Johann Nepomuk Hiedler (grandfather) |
Klara Hitler (born Klara Pölzl, 12 August 1860 - 21 December 1907) was anAustrian woman. She was thewidow ofAlois Hitler and the mother ofGermandictatorAdolf Hitler.[2]
Klara was born in theAustrian village of Spital,Weitra,Lower Austria. Her father was Johann Baptist Pölzl and her mother wasJohanna Hiedler. Either Hiedler's father,Johann Nepomuk Hiedler, or his brother,Johann Georg Hiedler, was thebiological father of Alois Hitler, the man she would later marry. It is presumed and accepted by most that the father was Johann Georg Hiedler. Klara and Alois were firstcousins once removed.
In 1876, three years after Alois Hitler's firstmarriage to Anna Glasl-Hörer, Klara's uncle Alois had hired her as a householdservant. She was 16 years old at the time. After the death of his second wife, Franziska Matzelsberger, in 1884, Alois and Klara were married on 7 January 1885 in a wedding held early in the morning at Hitler's rooms on the top floor of the Pommer Inn inBraunau. Alois then went to work for the day at his job as acustoms official. Klara still called Alois "uncle" after the marriage. Their first son, Gustav, was born four months later, on 15 May 1885. Their second child, Ida, was born on 23 September 1886. Bothinfants died ofdiphtheria during the winter of 1886-1887. A third child, Otto, was born and died in 1887.
Adolf was born 20 April 1889, followed by Edmund on 24 March 1894 andPaula on 21 January 1896. Edmund died ofmeasles on 28 February 1900, at the age of five.[3] Klara's adult life was spent keeping house and raising children. According to Smith, Alois had little understanding or interest in raising children.[4] Historian Alice Miller later wrote, "The family structure could well be characterized as the prototype of atotalitarian regime. Its sole, undisputed, often brutal ruler is the father. The wife and children are totally subservient to his will, his moods, and his whims; they must accept humiliation and injustice unquestioningly and gratefully. Obedience is their primary rule of conduct."[5]
Klara was very devoted to her children. According toWilliam Patrick Hitler, she was a typical stepmother to her stepchildren,Alois Jr. andAngela.[1]
Klara was a devoutRoman Catholic. Sheworshipped atchurch regularly with her children.[6] Of her six children with Alois, only Adolf andPaula survived childhood.
Alois's and Klara's children were:
When Alois died in 1903, he left her agovernmentpension. She sold the house inLeonding and moved with young Adolf and Paula to anapartment inLinz. Three or four years later, she wasdiagnosed withbreast cancer. After many painfuliodoform treatments given by her doctor,Eduard Bloch, Klara died at home in Linz from thetoxicmedicalside-effects on December 21, 1907.[7] Adolf and Paula were at her side.[8] Klara was buried inLeonding near Linz.
Adolf Hitler had a close relationship with his mother. He was crushed by her death and carried thegrief for the rest of his long life. Bloch later recalled that, after Klara's death, he had seen in "one young man never so much pain and suffering broken fulfilled".Decades later, in 1940, Hitler showed gratitude to Bloch (who wasJewish) by letting him and his wife to leave Austria and go to theUnited States.[9]
