The current head of the family is Prince Johannes (born 1967), son and heir of the late Karel, 12thPrince of Schwarzenberg (1937–2023), a Czech politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. The family owns properties and lands across Austria, Czechia, Germany, and Switzerland.
History
Origin
The family stems from the Lords of Seinsheim, who had established themselves in Franconia during the Middle Ages.[1] A branch of the Seinsheim family (the non-Schwarzenberg portion died out in 1958) was created when Erkinger of Seinsheim acquired the Franconian territory of Schwarzenberg and the castle of Schwarzenberg in Scheinfeld during the early part of the 15thcentury. He was then granted the title of Freiherr (Baron) of Schwarzenberg in 1429. At that time, the family also possessed some fiefdoms in Bohemia.
Ascent and expansion
In 1599, the Schwarzenbergs were elevated to Imperial Counts, and the family was later raised to princely status in 1670.[1] In 1623 came the Styrian Dominion of Murau into the Schwarzenberg family due to the marriage of Count Georg Ludwig of Schwarzenberg (1586–1646) with Anna Neumann von Wasserleonburg (1535–1623). Furthermore, the House of Schwarzenberg acquired extensive land holdings in Bohemia in 1661 through a marriage alliance with the House of Eggenberg. In the 1670s, the Schwarzenbergs established their primary seat in Bohemia and, until 1918, their main residence was in Český Krumlov, Bohemia (now in Czech Republic).
Schwarzenberg/Sulz family unification
Due to the absence of a male heir and his only daughter Maria Anna married to Prince Ferdinand of Schwarzenberg, Johann Ludwig II Count of Sulz proposed a family unification between the Counts of Sulz and Princes of Schwarzenberg at the Imperial Court. His request was granted, which not only transferred all legal and property rights upon his death in 1687 from the Sulz family to the Schwarzenberg family, but assured that the Sulz family continues in the Schwarzenberg family. The visible affirmation of this bond was the merging of the coat of arms.
Alliance crest on Jinonice castle
Ferdinand & Maria Anna
Alliance crest on Schwarzenberg Ducat, which was the own currency issued by the House of Schwarzenberg
Two princely lines
At the beginning of the 19thcentury, the House of Schwarzenberg was divided into two princely-titled lines (majorats).[1] This division was already foreseen in the will of Prince Ferdinand (1652-1703). However, the absence of two male heirs until JosephII and KarlI Philipp inhibited the execution. The senior branch, which held not only the Palais Schwarzenberg in Vienna, but also the Dominions of Scheinfeld, Krumlov, Frauenberg and Murau, died out in the male line in 1979 upon the death of JosephIII of Schwarzenberg, who was the 11thPrince of Schwarzenberg. The cadet branch, which was established by Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg at Orlík Castle, continues to the present day.
The three last Princes of the primogeniture: Adolf (l.), JohannII(m.) and Josef III (r.)
The heir of both lines: Karl VII/I
The last Prince of the secundogeniture: Karl VI (m.)
Present time
Due to the unification of the family-headship under KarlVII Schwarzenberg, the fidei commissa of both the primogeniture / Hluboka line and the secundogeniture / Orlik line came under the single ownership of the last-mentioned prince. KarlVII created in the 1980s the current structure of the family belongings. The German and Austrian properties from the primogeniture were embedded (with some exceptions) into the Fürstlich Schwarzenberg'sche Familienstiftung (Princely Schwarzenberg Family-Foundation) based in Vaduz. The art collection, which includes the painting The Abduction of Ganymede by Peter Paul Rubens or an important collection of works by Johann Georg de Hamilton, is held in the separate Fürstlich Schwarzenberg'sche Kunststiftung (Princely Schwarzenberg Art-Foundation). The Czech property of the secundogeniture was held until 2023 privately. These properties were in their vast majority also transferred into the Fürstlich Schwarzenberg'sche Familienstiftung. The members of the family follow careers in the private or military sector.
RUBENS: The Abduction of Ganymede (between 1611 and 1612)
Hunting scene with the Princely family in front of Hluboká Castle in 1865
HAMILTON: Hirschhetze (1710)
Frisian and Prussian line
Michael II Baron zu Schwarzenberg (†1469), oldest son of ErkingerI (1362–1437), was married twice. First with Gertrud (Bätze) von Cronberg (†1438), from whom the princely line descends. His second marriage was with Ursula (Frankengrüner) Grüner (†~1484), from whom the Frisian and later the Prussian line originates. The children of Michael's and Ursula's alliance were never recognized by their half-siblings, as their first born son was born out of wedlock and the legitimisation only took place with the subsequent wedding.
Johann Onuphrius (1513–1584), a great-grandson of MichaelII and Ursula, is considered to be the progenitor of the Frisian Line. His marriage with Maria von Grumbach (†1564) ensured Groot Terhorne Castle until 1879 as the family seat in the Netherlands. The Frisian line was made a member of the Dutch nobility by a Royal decree of King WilliamI of the Netherlands on August 28, 1814. Henceforth, the Dutch version thoe Schwartzenberg en Hohenlansberg was applied for this branch of the family.
The Prussian Line was established as a cadet branch of the Frisian line with Georg Baron thoe Schwartzenberg en Hohenlansberg (1842–1918), who served as a Rittmeister in the Imperial German Army. He and his descendants were made members of the Prussian nobility by an Imperial decree, issued by Emperor WilhelmII, and are entitled to carry the German title Freiherr.
- Acquired by the Lords of Seinsheim 1405 – 1421 - Imperial immediacy 1429 - Raised to Imperial County 1599 - Raised to Princely County 14 July 1670 - German Mediatisation 1806
Schwarzenberg
Schwarzenberg (Germany)
Princely Landgraviate of Klettgau
Gefürstete Landgrafschaft Klettgau
1410 – 1806
- Transition of the Landgraviate of Klettgau from the Habsburg family to the Sulz family 1410 - Schwarzenberg / Sulz family unification 1687 - Raised to Princely Landgraviate 1687 - German Mediatisation 1806
Klettgau
Klettgau (Germany)
County of Gimborn
Grafschaft Gimborn
1550 – 1782
- Imperial immediacy 1631
Gimborn
Gimborn (Germany)
By coincidence the coat of arms of the Princely Landgraviate of Klettgau and the Earldom of Buchan in Scotland are the same. The Klettgau coat of arms can be found in the left heart shield of the Schwarzenberg coat of arms.
Notable family members
The House of Schwarzenberg produced many military commanders, politicians, church dignitaries (including a Cardinal), innovators and patrons of the arts.[1] They were related to a number of European aristocratic families, notably the Lobkowicz (Czech: Lobkovicové) family. Some of the most noteworthy members of the Schwarzenberg family are:
Major general of the Austrian Empire, Colonel of the General Staff in the Spanish First Carlist War, officer in the Swiss Sonderbund War and author, known as der Landsknecht (the Lansquenet)
In the 12th centruty, the family (still known as Seinsheim / de Sovensheim) served as the ministerialis in Wässerndorf.
From 1263, it served as the main seat of the Seinsheim family.
After the line Seinsheim-Westerndorf died out, the castle came in 1550 in full possession of Count Friedrich zu Schwarzenberg, who rebuilt the castle from 1555 onwards.
From 1910 onwards, the family ′′′von Pölnitz′′′ lived in the castle.
The castle was burned down by American troops on 5 April 1945.
Herrschaft Schwarzenberg, Amt Kellmünz; Kellmünz becomes "Bavarian" and the Schwarzenberg family become Barons of the Empire of Kellmünz; Castle removed in 1809; Acquired in 1788; Sold in 1834
Given by Sybille von Plettenberg to her second husband Friedrich Freiherr von Schwarzenberg in 1620. Sold by him in 1630 to Drost Dietrich von Velen.
Bohemia
The Schwarzenberg Estate in South Bohemia in 1840
The Schwarzenberg land holdings in Bohemia included the Duchy of Krumlov, the town of Prachatice and Orlík Castle. The family also acquired the property of the House of Rosenberg (Czech: Rožmberkové). On their lands, the Schwarzenbergs created ponds, planted forests and introduced new technologies in agriculture.[1]
Upon the establishment of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia in 1939, the possessions of Prince Adolph of Schwarzenberg were seized by the Nazi authorities. He managed to flee, but his cousin, Heinrich, Duke of Krumlov, was arrested and deported. After World War II, the Czechoslovakian government stated, by law No. 143/1947 from August 13, 1947 (Lex Schwarzenberg), that the assets of the Schwarzenberg-Hluboká primogeniture passed to the Land of Bohemia.[1]
The Schwarzenberg family holding included the following residences in Bohemia:
Mathias de Flamige, married with Wilhelmina de Notomb, sold the castle to Jean-Henri de Schwarzenberg bought the castle on 27 January 1790. However Baron Charles-Henri de Broich who was an in-law of the seller, bought back the estate and later sold it again to Baron Philippe de Witte de Limminghe.
Ecclesiastical buildings and places
The following religious places are linked to the Schwarzenberg family either as burial or memorial places:
Karl VII/I Adopted by Heinrich 1965 Takeover of the Primogeniture Estate 1979 Headship Primogeniture 1986 Headship Secundogenitiure (1937–2023) same as before
...
Michael II (1437–1469)
Adam I Franz (1600–1641)
Ferdinand (1683–1703)
Johann Adolf II (1833–1888)
Karl II (1820–1858)
Johannes (1967 -)
Apollonius d. Ä. (died 1311)
Michael III (1469–1499)
Johann Adolf I (1641–1670)
Adam II Franz (1703–1732) Duke of Krumlov from 1723
Adolf Joseph (1888–1914)
Karl III (1858–1904)
...
Erkinger II (1499–1510)
Joseph I Adam (1732–1782)
Johann II (1914–1938)
Karl IV (1904–1913)
Hildebrand (IV) (died 1386)
Wilhelm I (1510–1526)
Johann I (1782–1789)
Adolph (1938–1950)
Karl V (1913–1914)
Michael (I) Michael (I) (died 1399)
Wilhelm II (1526–1557)
Joseph III Titular Head of the Family (1950–1979)
Karl VI (1914–1986)
Erkinger (VI/I) (1362–1437)
Adolf (1557–1599)
Prinz Heinrich Acting Head of the Family Adopted by Adolph (1950–1965)
Karl VII/I Adopted by Heinrich 1965 Takeover of the Primogeniture Estate 1979 Headship Primogeniture 1986 Headship Secundogenitiure (1937–2023)
The names hereby presented are those of all the direct successors of the Prince JohnI of Schwarzenberg (1742–1789). They have been respectively divided into the two branches of Krumlov and Orlik, including the contemporary generations. For the genealogy to be easier to consult, the male successors alone are listed, and they are accompanied with noteworthy information where necessary. In bold the names of the members of the eldest part of the family.
Jan I Nepomuk (1742–1789), 5th Prince of Schwarzenberg, 10th (3rd of his line) Duke of Krumlov
A1. Josef II Jan (1769–1833), 6th Prince of Schwarzenberg, 11th (4th of his line) Duke of Krumlov (1789–1833), founder of the main branch of the family (that of Frauenberg-Krummau)
B1. Jan Adolf II (1799–1888), 7th Prince of Schwarzenberg, 12th (5th of his line) Duke of Krumlov (1833–1888)
C1. Adolf Josef (1832–1914), 8th Prince of Schwarzenberg, 13th (6th of his line) Duke of Krumlov (1888–1914)
D1. Jan II Nepomuk (1860–1938), 9th Prince of Schwarzenberg, 14th (7th of his line) Duke of Krumlov (1914–1938)
E1. Adolph Jan (1890–1950), 10th Prince of Schwarzenberg, 15th (8th of his line) Duke of Krumlov (1938–1950)
E2. Karl (1892–1919)
E3. Edmund Černov (1897–1932), Called "Black Sheep" as a consequence of the refusal of his surname
G1. Karel (VII / I) Schwarzenberg (1937–2023), 12th Prince of Schwarzenberg (1979–2023), 17th (10th of his line) Duke of Krumlov (1965–2023), former Minister of the Foreign Affairs and candidate to the head of state for the Czech Republic in 2013. He unified the two lines of the family.
H1.Jan III Nepomuk (born 1967), 13th Prince of Schwarzenberg (from 2023), 18th (11th of his line) Duke of Krumlov (from 2023), current CEO of the family companies
G2. Friedrich (1940–2014), Dr.rer.oec., Director at UBS and Mirabaud Group
G1. Jan (born 1957), Officer of the United States, U.S.NavyCaptain, former US Navy Special Operations Officer, Deputy Dir. of US Pacific Command's Joint Interagency Coordination Group for Counter-terrorism and Commander of the Combined Joint Task Force Paladin in Afghanistan
(German: S.D. der Erbprinz zu Schwarzenberg, Herzog von Krummau, Graf von Sulz, Landgraf im Kledage)
The title of the wife of the first born son and heir of the family would be:
HSH The Hereditary Princess of Schwarzenberg, Duchess of Krumlov, Countess of Sulz, Landgravine of Klettgau
(German: I.D. die Erbprinzessin zu Schwarzenberg, Herzogin von Krummau, Gräfin von Sulz, Landgräfin im Klettgau)
The title of all other female members of the family is:
HSH Princess Name of Schwarzenberg, Countess of Sulz, Landgravine of Klettgau
(German: I.D. Prinzessin Name zu Schwarzenberg, Gräfin von Sulz, Landgräfin im Klettgau)
The title of all other male members of the family is:
HSH Prince Name of Schwarzenberg, Count of Sulz, Landgrave of Klettgau
(German: S.D. Prinz Name zu Schwarzenberg, Graf von Sulz, Landgraf im Klettgau)
Although the family is entitled to use the von und zu, only the zu is applied. Moreover, all members of the family are allowed to use the title Fürst / Fürstin. However, this is not anymore practiced since the late 19th century and the cognates refer to themselves as Prinz / Prinzessin.
Bohemian Princes (Fürst) for all family members Vienna 5.12.1746
Princes of the Holy Roman Empire (Reichsfürst) for all family members Vienna 8.12.1746
Coat of arms
Family coat of arms
The ancestral arms of the Lords of Seinsheim consisted of six vertical stripes in silver and blue.[4] However, the Schwarzenberg family's original coat of arms has four silver and four blue vertical stripes. Moreover, it starts with silver on the heraldic right (mirror-inverted perspective).
The family became Freiherren (Barons) of Schwarzenberg in 1429, and a silver tower on a black hill was added to their coat of arms to represent the city Scheinfeld and Schwarzenberg Castle.[4]
Monument to the recapture of Győr, Hungary (1598) in memory of 1998; Adolf von Schwarzenberg (l.), Miklós Pálffy (r.)
In 1670, the Schwarzenbergs were raised to princely status. However, only the marriage of Ferdinand, The 2ndPrince of Schwarzenberg (1652–1703) with Marie Anna Countess of Sulz (1653–1698), the daughter of Johann Ludwig II Count of Sulz (1626–1687), led to the augmenting of their coat of arms, with quarters added for the domains of Sulz, Brandis (canting arms: a brand) and the Landgraviate of Klettgau.[5][8] Due to the absence of a male heir, Count Rudolf requested at the imperial court that the two families should be consolidated. This was granted, which meant for the Schwarzenberg family not only to assume all titles, rights and duties of the Counts of Sulz, but also to inherit all of Rudolf's properties.
The last augmentation of the family coat of arms was granted by the Austrian Emperor FranzII/I, he rewarded Field Marshal KarlI Philipp Prince of Schwarzenberg with the right to bear the three-part arms of the Habsburg family with the addition of an upright standing sword. This unique distinction was granted to commemorate the field marshal's victory in the Battle of the Nations, where he was the Generalissimo of the Sixth Coalition.
The family motto is NIL NISI RECTUM (Nothing but the right thing).
Fürst is a German word for a ruler as well as a princely title. Fürsten were, starting in the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ruled over states of the Holy Roman Empire and later its former territories, below the ruling Kaiser (emperor) or König (king).
The House of Kinsky is a prominent Czech noble family originating from the Kingdom of Bohemia. During the Thirty Years' War, the Kinsky family rose from minor nobles to comital rank (1628) and later princely status (1747) under the rule of the Habsburgs. The family, recorded in the Almanach de Gotha, is considered to have been one of the most illustrious of Austria-Hungary.
The Duchy of Krumlov was a titular duchy in the southern part of the Kingdom of Bohemia, comprising the town of Český Krumlov and its surrounding territories, now in the Czech Republic.
The House of Fürstenberg is an old and influential Swabian noble house in Germany, based primarily in what is today southern Baden-Württemberg near the source of the Danube river. Numerous members of the family have risen to prominence over the centuries as soldiers, churchmen, diplomats, and academics. Sometimes the name is gallicized as de Furstenberg or anglicized as Furstenberg.
Felix Ludwig Johann Friedrich, Prince of Schwarzenberg was a Bohemian nobleman and an Austrian statesman who restored the Austrian Empire as a European great power following the Revolutions of 1848. He served as Minister-President of the Austrian Empire and Foreign Minister of the Austrian Empire from 1848 to 1852.
The House of Liechtenstein, from which the principality takes its name, is the family which reigns by hereditary right over the principality of Liechtenstein. Only dynastic members of the family are eligible to inherit the throne. The dynasty's membership, rights and responsibilities are defined by a law of the family, which is enforced by the reigning prince and may be altered by vote among the family's dynasts, but which may not be altered by the Government or Parliament of Liechtenstein.
The House of Zierotin or House of Žerotín was a Czech noble family in the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, one of the oldest and most illustrious noble families from Bohemia and Moravia. The family was first mentioned around the year 1200 as Bludovici, later renamed Žerotínové, and achieved the rank of Imperial Counts in the Holy Roman Empire. The male line of this family died out in 1985. Its estates, manor Bludov, were returned to their female descendants, the family Mornstein-Zierotin after fall of Communist rule in 1989.
Prince of the Holy Roman Empire was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised as such by the Holy Roman Emperor.
Karel, 12th and 7th Prince of Schwarzenberg was a Czech politician, diplomat and statesman who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic from 2007 to 2009 and then again between 2010 and 2013. Schwarzenberg was leader and co-founder of the TOP 09 party and its candidate for president of the Czech Republic in the 2013 election. He served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies (MP) from 2010 to 2021 and in the Senate from 2004 until 2010.
The Belgian nobility comprises Belgian individuals or families recognized as noble with or without a title of nobility in the Kingdom of Belgium. The Belgian constitution states that no specific privileges are attached to the nobility.
The Czech branch of the House of Thurn and Taxis is a dynastic cadet branch of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis, a German noble family that was a key player in the postal services in Europe in the 16th century and became well known as the owner of breweries and builder of many castles.
The House of Eggenberg was the name of an influential Austrian noble family from Styria, who achieved princely rank in the 17th century. The family's last male heir died in 1717, bringing an end to the House of Eggenberg.
Orlík Castle is a château 500 metres (1,600 ft) in Orlík nad Vltavou, in Písek District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The original position of the spur castle, on a rock 60 metres (200 ft) above the Vltava valley, was altered by the creation of the Orlík Reservoir in 1954–62, and the chateâu is now barely a few metres above the water level.
Anna Maria Princess of Eggenberg, née Brandenburg-Bayreuth (born 30 December 1609 in Bayreuth; died 8 May 1680 in Ödenburg) was a Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth and, by marriage Johann Anton I von Eggenberg, a Fürstin (princess) of Eggenberg.
Maximilian, Prince of Dietrichstein, was a German prince member of the House of Dietrichstein, Imperial Count (Reichsgraf) of Dietrichstein and owner of the Lordship of Nikolsburg in Moravia; since 1629 2nd Prince (Fürst) of Dietrichstein zu Nikolsburg, Baron (Freiherr) of Hollenburg, Finkenstein and Thalberg, was a diplomat and minister in the service of the House of Habsburg. He was a Kämmerer, Lord Chamberlain (Obersthofmeister), Conference Minister (Konferenzminister) and Privy Councillor of Emperors Ferdinand II and Ferdinand III, Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece since and ruler over Nikolsburg, Polná, Kanitz, Leipnik, Weisskirch and Saar.
In European heraldry, the severed Turk head, most often as pierced by a sword, signifies the many wars fought by European Christian states against the invading Muslim, Turkish-led Ottoman Empire. Other depictions include the head held up by a victor or picked by a raven. It is used in modern town, municipality and village coat of arms in Hungary, Serbia and Croatia.
Erkinger I von Seinsheim, Baron of Schwarzenberg was the chief hunter of the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg. From 1416 he had the title of Imperial Councilor. He was raised to the Freiherr (baron) and banner lordship in 1429. Erkinger is considered the progenitor of the later Franconian-Bohemian Princes of Schwarzenberg.
Ferdinand Wilhelm Eusebius Prince of Schwarzenberg was a German-Bohemian nobleman from the Schwarzenberg family.
Adam Franz Prince of Schwarzenberg, 3rd Prince of Schwarzenberg, was a Bohemian nobleman from the Schwarzenberg family and Austrian Obersthofmarschall.
Joseph II Johann 6th Prince of Schwarzenberg was a German-Bohemian nobleman from the Schwarzenberg family.
↑ Sugar, Peter F.; Hanák, Péter; Frank, Tibor, eds. (1990). A History of Hungary. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. p.97.
↑ Slater, Stephen (2013). The Illustrated Book of Heraldry: An International History of Heraldry and Its Contemporary Uses. Wigston, Leicestershire: Lorenz Books. pp.234, 240–241. ISBN978-0-7548-2659-0.
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