Everything about Sophie Duchess Of Hohenberg totally explained
Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, born
Sophie Maria Josephine Albina Chotek, Countess of Chotkova and Wognin (
March 1,
1868 -
June 28,
1914). She died at the age of 46. She is the
morganatic wife of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. Their
assassination sparked
World War I. (
de:
Sophie Maria Josephine Albina Chotek Gräfin von Chotkova und Wognin, later the
Fürstin von Hohenberg, since 1909
Herzogin von Hohenberg,
cs:
Žofie Marie Josefína Albína hraběnka Chotková z Chotkova a Vojnína, later the
kněžna z Hohenbergu, since 1909
vévodkyně z Hohenbergu)
Early relationship with Franz Ferdinand
Sophie was born in
Stuttgart to a prominent
Bohemian aristocratic family. She was the fourth daughter of Count Bohuslaw Chotek von Chotkova und Wognin and of his wife, Countess Wilhelmine Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau. As a young woman, Sophie became
lady-in-waiting to the
Archduchess Isabella, wife of
Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen. It is unknown where Sophie first met Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, though many claim a ball in Prague.
Sophie and Franz Ferdinand kept their relationship a secret for years. When Franz Ferdinand began to make regular visits to the home of Archduke Friedrich, it was assumed that he'd fallen in love with his eldest daughter, Marie Christine. When the relationship was discovered by Archduchess Isabella a public scandal was created.
Emperor Franz Joseph made it clear to Franz Ferdinand that he couldn't marry Sophie. To be an eligible partner for a member of the
Austro-Hungarian imperial family, one must be a member of one of the reigning or formerly reigning dynasties of
Europe. The Choteks were not one of these families, although they did include among their ancestors in the female line
princes of
Baden,
Hohenzollern-Hechingen, and
Liechtenstein. Ironically one of Sophia's direct ancestors was Count
Albrecht IV of Hapsburg; she was descended from Elisabeth von
Hapsburg a sister of King
Rudolph I of Germany.
Franz Ferdinand insisted he wouldn't marry anyone else.
Emperor Wilhelm II of
Germany,
Tsar Nicholas II of
Russia and
Pope Leo XIII all made representations to Franz Joseph on Franz Ferdinand's behalf arguing that the disagreement was undermining the stability of the
monarchy.
Marriage with Franz Ferdinand
In
1899, under pressure from family members (especially the unyielding Archduchess Isabella) Emperor Franz Josef agreed to a deal with Franz Ferdinand for a
morganatic marriage. Franz Ferdinand was allowed to marry Sophie but it was stipulated that her descendants wouldn't be allowed to succeed to the
throne. Sophie wouldn't share her husband's rank, title, or precedence.
Sophie and Franz Ferdinand were married
July 1,
1900 at Reichstadt (now
Zákupy) in
Bohemia. The Emperor Franz Joseph didn't attend the affair, nor did any archduke including Franz Ferdinand's brothers. The only members of the imperial family who were present were Franz Ferdinand's stepmother, Maria Theresia, and her two daughters.
Upon the marriage, Sophie was given the title
Princess of Hohenberg (Fürstin von Hohenberg) with the style
Her Serene Highness (Ihre Durchlaucht). In
1909 she was given the more senior title
Duchess of Hohenberg (Herzogin von Hohenberg) with the style
Her Highness (Ihre Hoheit). This raised her status considerably, but she still took precedence at court after all the archduchesses.
Alone among the European monarchs,
Wilhelm II of
Germany did much to treat Sophie with a measure of dignity worthy of the wife of the heir to the Austo-Hungarian imperial throne.
The couple had four children:
The rumour that at the time of her assassination in
1914, Sophie was pregnant with her fifth child, isn't true. After the birth of her stillborn son in 1908, doctors advised her not to become pregnant again.
The Assassination
In
1914, General
Oskar Potiorek, Governor of the Austrian provinces of
Bosnia-Herzegovina, invited Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Sophie to watch his troops on maneuvers. Franz Ferdinand knew that the visit would be dangerous. A large number of people living in Bosnia-Herzegovina were unhappy with Austrian rule and favoured union with
Serbia.
Sophie was usually not allowed to accompany her husband on official visits, but on this occasion Franz Ferdinand arranged for her to come as an anniversary gift. She was ecstatic.
At 10.10, when the procession passed the central police station,
Nedjelko Cabrinovic hurled a
hand grenade at the archduke's car. The driver accelerated when he saw the object flying towards the car and the grenade exploded under the wheel of the next car. Two of the occupants, Eric von Merizzi and Count Boos-Waldeck were seriously wounded. About a dozen spectators were also hit by bomb splinters.
After attending the official reception at the City Hall, Franz Ferdinand asked about the members of his party that had been wounded by the bomb. When the archduke was told they were badly injured in hospital, he insisted on being taken to see them. A member of the archduke's staff,
Baron Morsey, suggested this might be dangerous, but Oskar Potiorek, who was responsible for the safety of the royal party, replied,
"Do you think Sarajevo is full of assassins?" However, Potiorek did accept it would be better if Sophie remained behind in the City Hall. When Baron Morsey told Sophie about the revised plans, she refused to stay, arguing:
"As long as the Archduke shows himself in public today I won't leave him."
In order to avoid the city centre, General Oskar Potiorek decided that the royal car should travel straight along the Appel Quay to the Sarajevo Hospital. However, Potiorek forgot to tell the driver,
Franz Urban, about this decision. On the way to the hospital, by the
Latin Bridge, Urban took a right turn into Franz Joseph Street. One of the conspirators,
Gavrilo Princip, was standing on the corner at the time. Oskar Potiorek immediately realised the driver had taken the wrong route and shouted
"What is this ? This is the wrong way ! We're supposed to take the Appel Quay !".
The driver put his foot on the brake, and began to back up. In doing so he moved slowly past the waiting Gavrilo Princip. The
assassin stepped forward, drew his gun, and at a distance of about five feet, fired several times into the car. Franz Ferdinand was hit in the neck and Sophie in the abdomen. Sophie said to her husband,
"For God's sake what happened to you", then she fell bleeding. Before losing consciousness, he pleaded
"Sophie dear ! Sophie dear ! Don't die ! Stay alive for our children !" They were both dead within an hour.
Sophie and Franz Ferdinand had a joint funeral mass, but, according to a television report on
World War I her plinth was placed 18 inches below her husband's in light of her lower social station, further confirmation of the lingering antagonistic attitudes prevailing among the members of the imperial family. They were buried in the crypt of their country home, Schloss Artstetten. Today the castle houses a museum in their memory.
In today's life
Duchess Sophie has left such a legacy behind that her
Castle of Artstetten was selected as a main motive for a very recent commemorative coin: the 10 euro
The Castle of Artstetten commemorative coin minted in
October 13 2004. The reverse shows the entrance to the crypt of the Hohenberg family. There are two portraits to the left, showing Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg.
Titles
Countess Sophie Chotek
Her Serene Highness The Princess of Hohenberg
Her Highness The Duchess of HohenbergFurther Information
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