Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria (31 May 1922 – 6 January 1993) was a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. She was the youngest daughter of Charles I, the last Emperor of Austria, and his wife Zita of Bourbon-Parma.
Family and early life
Elisabeth was born on 31 May 1922. Her father, Charles I, deposed since 1918, had fallen ill and died from pneumonia on 1 April 1922 two months before she was born. After his death, her pregnant mother Zita was invited by Alfonso XIII of Spain to live in Spain. Zita gave birth to Elisabeth in the Royal Palace of El Pardo in Madrid. She was named after Empress Elisabeth, the wife of Franz Joseph of Austria.[1] Charles had picked the name long in advance, somehow knowing that the baby would be a girl.[1] This new addition to the family had seven older siblings: five brothers (Otto, Robert, Felix, Carl Ludwig, and Rudolf) and two sisters (Adelheid and Charlotte).
By Alfonso's invitation, they took up residence in Palacio Uribarren at Lekeitio in the Bay of Biscay. For the next six years Zita settled in Lekeitio, where she got on with the job of raising and educating her children. Their lessons were under a strict regime, with the greatest volume applying to Otto, and decreasing by age, so that Elisabeth had the smallest workload.[2] Their mother loved to have them all photographed in a line by height, with Otto (the tallest) at one end and Elisabeth (the shortest) at the other end.[3] They lived with strained finances, mainly living on income from private property in Austria, income from a vineyard in Johannisberg[disambiguation needed], and voluntary collections. Other members of the exiled Habsburg dynasty, however, claimed much of this money, and there were regular petitions for help from former Imperial officials.
In 1929, Elisabeth's family moved to Steenokkerzeel, a small Belgian town near Brussels. As they had close relatives in Belgium, her oldest siblings chose to attend university there. They were forced to flee however in 1940 when German troops invaded Belgium. They narrowly missed being killed by a direct hit on the castle by German bombers and fled to Zita's brother Prince Xavier's French Castle in Bostz. With the assumption of power by the collaborationist government of Philippe Petain, the Habsburgs fled to the Spanish border, reaching it on 18 May. They moved on to Portugal where the U.S. Government granted the family exit visas on 9 July. After a perilous journey they arrived in New York on 27 July, having family in Long Island and Newark, New Jersey; at one point, Zita and several of her children lived, as long-term house-guests, in Tuxedo Park, at Suffern, New York.
The Austrian imperial refugees eventually settled in Quebec, which had the advantage of being French-speaking (the younger children, including Elisabeth, were not yet fluent in English). As they were cut off from all European funds, finances were more stretched than ever. At one stage, their mother was reduced to making salad and spinach dishes from dandelion leaves. However, all her brothers were active in the war effort. Otto promoted the dynasty's role in a post-war Europe and met regularly with Franklin Roosevelt; Robert was the Habsburg representative in London; Carl Ludwig and Felix joined the United States Army, serving with several American-raised Austrians of the Mauerer noble clan; Rudolf smuggled himself into Austria in the final days of the war to help organize the resistance.
Marriage
On 12 September 1949, Elisabeth married Prince Heinrich of Liechtenstein in Lignières, France.[4] He was a son of Prince Alfred Roman of Liechtenstein (himself a son of Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein) and Princess Theresia Maria of Oettingen-Oettingen. He was also a cousin of the reigning Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein.[4]
They had five children:
Name |
Birth |
Death |
Notes |
Prince Vincenz Karl Alfred Maria Michael of Liechtenstein |
Graz, 30 July 1950 |
14 January 2008 |
married Hélène de Cossé-Brissac; divorced in 1991, had issue. He married in 1999 to Roberta Valeri Manera; without issue. |
Prince Michael Karl Alfred Maria Felix Moritz of Liechtenstein |
Graz, 10 October 1951 |
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married in 1986 to Hildegard Berta Peters; had issue. |
Princess Charlotte Maria Benedikte Eleonore Adelheid of Liechtenstein |
Graz, 3 July 1953 |
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married in 1979 to Pieter Kenyon Fleming-Voltelyn van der Byl; had issue. |
Prince Christof Karl Alfred Maria Michael Hugo Ignatius of Liechtenstein |
Graz, 11 April 1956 |
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unmarried and without issue. |
Prince Karl Maria Alfred Michael Georg of Liechtenstein |
Graz, 31 August 1957 |
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unmarried and without issue. |
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
- Her Imperial and Royal Highness Archduchess and Princess Imperial Elisabeth of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia
- Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Heinrich of Liechtenstein, Archduchess and Princess Imperial of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia
Ancestry
Family of Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria (1922–1993) |
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Brook-Shepherd (2004), p. 73.
- ↑ Brook-Shepherd (2004), pp. 73-74.
- ↑ Brook-Shepherd (2004), p. 240.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Sources
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1st generation |
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2nd generation |
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3rd generation |
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4th generation |
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5th generation |
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6th generation |
- Isabella Clara Eugenia, Co-sovereign of the Habsburg Hetherlands*
- Catherine Michelle, Duchess of Savoy*
- Archduchess Maria*
- Anna, Queen of Spain
- Elisabeth, Queen of France
- Archduchess Maria (1555–56)
- Archduchess Maria (1564)
- Archduchess Margaret (1567–1633)
- Archduchess Eleanor (1568-80)
- Archduchess Maria (1562-67)
- Archduchess Anna Eleanor
- Archduchess Maria (1584–1649)
- Anna, Holy Roman Empress
- Anna, Queen of Poland
- Maria Christina, Princess of Transilvania
- Archduchess Catherine Renata
- Archduchess Elisabeth (1577–86)
- Archduchess Gregoria Maximiliana
- Archduchess Eleanor (1582–1620)
- Margaret, Queen of Spain
- Constance, Queen of Poland
- Maria Maddalena, Grand Duchess of Tuscany
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7th generation |
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8th generation |
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9th generation |
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10th generation |
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11th generation |
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12th generation |
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13th generation |
- Archduchess Ludovika Elisabeth
- Marie Louise, Empress of the French
- Archduchess Carolina Ferdinande**
- Archduchess Maria Caroline
- Archduchess Caroline Ludovika
- Maria Leopoldina, Empress of Brazil
- Clementina, Princess of Salerno
- Archduchess Maria Luisa**
- Archduchess Alexandrine
- Maria Theresa, Queen of Sardinia**
- Marie Caroline, Crown Princess of Saxony
- Archduchess Maria Anna
- Archduchess Amalia Theresa
- Maria Theresa, Queen of the Two Sicilies
- Maria Theresa, Countess of Chambord***
- Archduchess Hermine
- Archduchess Franziska
- Archduchess Maria Caroline
- Adelaide, Queen of Sardinia
- Maria Beatrix, Countess of Montizón***
- Archduchess Maria Caroline
- Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska
- Marie Henriette, Queen of the Belgians
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14th generation |
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15th generation |
- Archduchess Sophie
- Gisela, Princess Leopold of Bavaria
- Archduchess Marie Valerie
- Margarete Sophie, Duchess of Württemberg
- Archduchess Maria Annunziata
- Elisabeth, Princess Aloys of Liechtenstein
- Archduchess Maria Antonietta**
- Luise, Crown Princess of Saxony**
- Anna, Princess of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein**
- Archduchess Margareta**
- Archduchess Germana**
- Archduchess Agnes**
- Archduchess Maria Theresa**
- Karoline Marie, Princess Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha**
- Archduchess Maria Antonietta**
- Maria Immaculata, Duchess of Württemberg**
- Archduchess Henriette**
- Maria Christina, Princess Emmanuel of Salm-Salm
- Maria Anna, Princess Elias of Bourbon Parma
- Maria Henrietta, Princess of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst
- Archduchess Natalie
- Archduchess Stephanie
- Archduchess Gabrielle
- Isabella, Princess Georg of Bavaria
- Alice, Baroness Waldbott of Bassenheim
- Archduchess Eleonora, Mrs. Alfons von Kloss
- Renata, Princess Hieronymus Radziwill
- Mechthildis, Princess Olgierd Czartoryski
- Archduchess Gisele
- Archduchess Sophie
- Archduchess Magdalena
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16th generation |
- Elisabeth Marie, Princess of Windisch-Graetz
- Helena, Duchess Philipp of Württemberg**
- Rosa, Duchess of Württemberg**
- Archduchess Dolores**
- Maria Inmaculada, Nobile Inigo Neri Sereneri**
- Margarita, Marchioness Taliani di Marchio**
- Princess Maria Antonia, Mrs. Luis Pérez**
- Archduchess Assunta, Mrs. Joseph Hopfinger**
- Elisabeth, Countess of Waldburg-Zeil**
- Hedwig, Countess of Stolberg-Stolberg**
- Gertrud, Countess of Waldburg-Zeil-Trauchburg**
- Archduchess Maria Elisabeth**
- Archduchess Agnes**
- Archduchess Margarethe, Mrs. Alexander Cech
- Ilona, Duchess of Mecklenburg
- Archduchess Anna Theresia
- Archduchess Maria Kynga, Mrs. Joachim Krist
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17th generation |
- Descent of Charles I :
- Archduchess Adelheid
- Charlotte, Duchess of Mecklenburg
- Elisabeth, Princess Heinrich of Liechtenstein
Tuscany :
- Elisabeth, Edle Hubert von Braun**
- Alice, Baroness Vittorio Manno**
- Marie Antoinette, Baroness of Proff in Irnich**
- Archduchess Marie Christine**
- Archduchess Walburga, Mrs. Carlos Tasso**
- Archduchess Verena**
- Archduchess Katharina, Mrs. Roland Huber**
- Agnes, Baroness Peter of Fürstenberg**
- Maria Ileana, Countess Adam Kottulinski**
- Alexandra, Baroness Viktor of Baillou**
- Maria Magdalena, Baroness of Holzhausen**
- Archduchess Elisabeth, Mrs. Friedrich Sandhofer**
- Agnes, Princess Karl Alfred of Liechtenstein**
- Archduchess Maria Margaretha**
- Archduchess Ludovica**
- Archduchess Allix**
- Josepha, Countess Clemens of Waldstein-Wartenberg**
- Valerie, Margravine of Baden**
- Alberta, Baroness Alexander of Kottwitz-Erdödy**
- Theresa, Princess Rasso of Bavaria**
- Maria Inmakulata, Countess Reinhart of Hoensbroech**
Palatines :
- Archduchess Monika, Mrs. Charles de Rambures
- Archduchess Marie Christine, Mrs. Raymond van der Meide
- Archduchess Maria, Mrs. Wilhelm de Witt
- Margherita, Countess Benedikt of Piatti
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18th generation |
- Descent of Charles I :
- Andrea, Hereditary Countess of Neipperg
- Monika, Duchess of Maqueda
- Michaela, Countess Hubertus of Kageneck
- Archduchess Gabriela, Mrs. Christian Meister
- Walburga, Countess Archibald Douglas
- Maria Beatrix, Countess Riprand of Arco-Zinneberg***
- Isabella, Countess Andrea Czarnocki-Lucheschi***
- Maria del Pilar, Edle Vollrad-Joachim von Poschinger
- Kinga, Baroness Wolfgang of Erffa
- Archduchess Marie Adelheid, Mrs. Jaime Corcuerra
- Archduchess Viridis, Mrs. Karl Dunning-Gribble
- Archduchess Alexandra, Mrs. Héctor Riesle
- Maria Constanza, Princess of Auersperg-Trautson
- Maria Anna, Princess Peter Galitzine
- Catharina, Countess Maximiliano Secco d'Aragona
Descent of Maximilian :
- Archduchess Elisabeth, Mrs. James Litchfield
- Sophie, Princess of Windisch-Grätz
- Archduchess Marie Christine, Mrs. Clemens Guggenberg
Tuscany :
- Archduchess Marie Bernadette, Mrs. Rupert Wolff**
- Archduchess Katharina, Mrs. Niall Brooks**
- Archduchess Alicia**
- Archduchess Maria Christina**
- Archduchess Margaretha, Mrs. Andreas Baumgartner**
- Archduchess Marie Valerie, Mrs. Martin Josef Wagner**
- Archduchess Hedwig**
- Archduchess Veronika**
Palatines :
- Archduchess Johanna
- Archduchess Elisabeth
- Archduchess Celina
- Archduchess Maria Floriana
- Archduchess Sofía
- Archduchess Anna Carolina
- Archduchess Theresa
- Archduchess Sophie
- Archduchess Ladislaya
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19th generation |
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20th generation |
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- * also an infanta of Spain
- ** also a princess of Tuscany
- *** also a princess of Modena
- ° also a princess of Belgium
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