Prince Ernst of Hohenberg
| Prince Ernst | |
|---|---|
Prince Ernst of Hohenberg in 1913
| |
| Born | 27 May 1904 Konopiště, Bohemia, Austro Hungarian Empire |
| Died | 5 March 1954 (aged 49) Graz, Austria |
| Noble family | Hohenberg |
| Spouse | Marie-Thérèse Wood (m. 1936) |
| Issue | Prince Franz Prince Ernst |
| Father | Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria |
| Mother | Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg |
Prince Ernst of Hohenberg (Ernst Alfons Franz Ignaz Joseph Maria Anton von Hohenberg; 27 May 1904 – 5 March 1954) was the second son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his morganatic wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, who were assassinated at Sarajevo in 1914.[1][2]
Life
Prince Ernst was born at his parents' estate at Konopiště in Bohemia. Following his parents' assassination, which helped trigger the outbreak of World War I, Ernst and his siblings, Sophie and Maximilian, were taken in by their uncle, Prince Jaroslav von Thun und Hohenstein.
In late 1918, their properties in Czechoslovakia, including Konopiště and Chlumec nad Cidlinou, were confiscated. The children moved to Vienna and Schloß Artstetten.
In 1938, following the Anschluss, some of the family members were arrested. Prince Ernst, having previously spoken at pro-monarchist meetings and having publicly opposed the Anschluss, was sent to Dachau concentration camp with his brother.[3][4] Prince Ernst was later transferred to other camps and was freed in 1943. The family's Austrian properties were confiscated in 1939. Following World War II they regained possession, and Artstetten Castle was formally restored to the family in 1949.[5]
Marriage and issue
Prince Ernst married on 25 May 1936 in Vienna, Marie-Thérèse Wood. She was the daughter of Captain George Jervis Wood, son of Nicholas Wood and Edith Florence Jervis, and his wife, Countess Rosa Lónyay de Nagy-Lónya et Vásáros-Namény, daughter of Count Albert Lónyay de Nagy-Lónya et Vásáros-Namény and Princess Marie of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein, elder sister of Princess Eleonora Fugger von Babenhausen. The couple had two sons:[6][7]
- Prince Franz Ferdinand Maximilian Georg Ernst Maria Josef Zacharius Ignaz of Hohenberg (14 March 1937 in Vienna – 8 August 1978 in Graz), married Heide Zechling (born 4 January 1941 in Eisenerz). They have one son.[8]
- Prince Ernst Georg Elemer Albert Josef Antonius Peregrinus Rupertus Maria of Hohenberg (1 March 1944 in Vienna – 12 January 2023), first married Patricia Caesar (born 12 June 1950 in Glen Cove) in 1973; they divorced in 1999. In 2007 he married Margareta Anna Ndisi (born 26 November 1959 in Östhammar). He has one daughter from his first marriage.
Death
Prince Ernst died at Graz in Austria in 1954, aged 49, his death considered to be connected to mistreatment he suffered in the concentration camps.[9] He is buried in the crypt of the Hohenberg family's Artstetten Castle in Lower Austria.[10][11] His wife's remains are in a sarcophagus to his right.
Honours
- Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Family: Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece, 1945.[12]
Ancestry
- Ancestors of Prince Ernst of Hohenberg
- 8. Archduke Franz Karl of Austria
- 4. Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria
- 9. Princess Sophie of Bavaria
- 2. Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
- 10. Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies
- 5. Princess Maria Annunciata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
- 11. Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria
- 1. Prince Ernst of Hohenberg
- 12. Karl, Count Chotek of Chotkow and Wognin
- 6. Bohuslav, Count Chotek of Chotkow and Wognin
- 13. Countess Marie Berchtold, Baroness of Ungarschitz
- 3. Countess Sophie Chotek of Chotkow and Wognin
- 14. Count Joseph Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau
- 7. Countess Wilhelmine Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau
- 15. Countess Marie Czernin of Chudenitz
References
- Back to citation "Sophie Hohenberg - Timeline". www.sophie-hohenberg-czech-rep.eu. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- Back to citation "The Rise of the Eagles: A Central Powers Victory". alternatehistory.com. 29 March 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- Back to citation TIMES, Wireless to THE NEW YORK (5 May 1939). "HOHENBERG REPORTED DEAD IN A NAZI CAMP; Son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Imprisoned Last Year". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- Back to citation TIMES, Wireless to THE NEW YORK (6 May 1939). "Hohenberg Death Denied". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- Back to citation "Ernst Hohenberg". gedenkort.at. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- Back to citation "English Blonde Is Hapsburg Bride - Lekar-like Romance in Vienna - The World's News (Sydney, NSW: 1901 - 1955) - 27 May 1936". Trove. Archived from the original on 7 December 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- Back to citation "Austrian Royal Family". monarchies.onlinewebshop.net. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- Back to citation "FamilySearch.org". ancestors.familysearch.org. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- Back to citation "ERNST HOHEHBERG, AUSTRIAN PRINCE; Son of Archduke Murdered at Sarajevo Dies at 50 Was Interned at Dachau". The New York Times. 6 March 1954. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- Back to citation Family crypt info Archived 9 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- Back to citation "History". Artstetten Castle. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- Back to citation Boettger, T. F. "Chevaliers de la Toisón d'Or – Knights of the Golden Fleece". La Confrérie Amicale. Retrieved 25 June 2019.