House of Schwarzenberg

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(Princely) County of Schwarzenberg
(Gefürstete) Grafschaft Schwarzenberg
State of the Holy Roman Empire
←
1429–1806


Coat of arms

Capital Schwarzenberg Castle, Scheinfeld;
Český Krumlov (de facto since the 1670s)
Government Principality
Historical era Middle Ages
 - Acquired by Lords of
    Seinsheim		 1405/21
 -  Imperial immediacy 1429
 - Raised to
    Imperial county		 1599
 - Raised to
    princely county		 14 July 1670
 - Raised to princely
    landgraviate		  
1671
 -  German Mediatisation 1806

Schwarzenberg (Czech: ze Švarcenberka) is the name of a Franconian and Bohemian aristocratic family.

History

The family was first mentioned in 1172. A branch of the Seinsheim family (the non-Schwarzenberg portion died out in 1958) was created when Erkinger I of Seinsheim acquired the Franconian barony of Schwarzenberg, the castle Schwarzenberg and the title Baron of Schwarzenberg, in 1405–21. At this time, they also possessed some fiefdoms in Bohemia. In 1599, the Schwarzenbergs were elevated to Imperial Counts and in 1670 to Princes of the Holy Roman Empire. The House of Schwarzenberg came into extensive land holdings in Bohemia in 1661 through a marriage alliance with the House of Eggenberg. In the 1670s, they established their primary seat in Bohemia. Until 1918, their primary residence was in Český Krumlov, Bohemia (now in the Czech Republic).

In the late 18th century, the House of Schwarzenberg was divided into two titled lines (majorats). The elder line died out in the male line in 1965 with Heinrich of Schwarzenberg, the 11th Prince of Schwarzenberg. The second line was established with Prince Karl Philipp of Schwarzenberg at Orlík, Murau and Vienna. Today, the two lines are united under the current head of the house, Prince Karl VII of Schwarzenberg, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

Coat of arms

The ancestral arms of the lords of Seinsheim consisted of vertical stripes in silver and blue.

The family later became Freiherren (Barons) of Schwarzenberg, and a silver tower on a black hill was added to their coat of arms to represent Schwarzenberg.

In 1599, Adolf von Schwarzenberg became an Imperial Count and added a quarter showing the head of a Turk being pecked by a raven, to symbolize the conquest of a Turkish-held fortress in Hungary known in German as Raab ('Raven').

In 1670, the family became Princes of the Holy Roman Empire. Their coat of arms was subsequently augmented, with quarters added for the domains of Sulz, Brandis (canting arms: a brand) and the Landgraviate of Klettgau.[1][2]

  • Lords of Seinsheim

  • Freiherren of Schwarzenberg

  • Counts of Schwarzenberg

  • Princes of Schwarzenberg

Members

Prince Karl Philipp I of Schwarzenberg, Field Marshal during the Napoleonic Wars
Prince Felix of Schwarzenberg, Prime Minister of the Habsburg Monarchy
Karel Schwarzenberg, served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, current head of the House of Schwarzenberg as Karl VII

The House of Schwarzenberg produced many military commanders, politicians, church dignitaries (including an Archbishop of Prague), innovators and patrons of the arts. They were related to a number of European aristocratic families, notably to the Lobkowicz (Czech: Lobkovicové) family. By name, notable members are:

Holdings

Bohemia

The Schwarzenberg property in Bohemia included the Duchy of Krumlov, the town of Prachatice and Orlík Castle. The family also acquired property of the House of Rosenberg (Czech: Rožmberkové). They created ponds, planted forests and introduced new technologies in agriculture.

Upon the establishment of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, the possessions of Prince Adolf of Schwarzenberg were seized by the Nazi authorities. He himself managed to flee, while his cousin and heir Duke Heinrich of Krumlov was arrested and deported. After World War II the Czechoslovakian government by law No. 143/1947 from August 13, 1947 (Lex Schwarzenberg) stated that the assets of the Schwarzenberg-Hluboká primogeniture passed to the Land of Bohemia.

Castles and palaces

The Schwarzenberg holdings included the following castles:

Leaders

Lords of Seinsheim

Town of Seinsheim, ancestral origin
Arms of the town of Seinsheim

The House of Seinsheim regarded Erchanger, Duke of Swabia (died 917) as their ancestor.

Barons of Schwarzenberg

  • 1420–1437: Erkinger I (same as Erkinger VI above)
  • 1437–1469: Michael II
  • 1469–1499: Michael III
  • 1499–1510: Erkinger II
  • 1510–1526: Wilhelm I
  • 1526–1557: Wilhelm II
  • 1557–1599: Adolf, count until 1600

In 1599, the barony was raised to an Imperial county.

Arms of the Counts of Schwarzenberg

Counts of Schwarzenberg

  • 1599–1600: Adolf, baron since 1557
  • 1600–1641: Adam I
  • 1641–1670: Johann Adolf I

On 14 July 1670, the county was raised to an Princely county and, the following year, to a Princely landgraviate.

Princes of Schwarzenberg

Arms of the Princes of Schwarzenberg
  • 1670–1683: Johann Adolf I
  • 1683–1703: Ferdinand Wilhelm Eusebius
  • 1703–1732: Adam II Franz Karl, Duke of Krumlov from 1719
  • 1732–1782: Joseph I Adam
  • 1782–1789: Johann I

Primogeniture (Hluboká)

  • 1789–1833: Joseph II, son of Johann I, Duke of Krumlov
  • 1833–1888: Johann Adolf II
  • 1888–1914: Adolf Joseph
  • 1914–1918: Johann II

Secundogeniture (Orlík)

  • 1789-1820: Karl Philipp, second son of Johann I, Count of Sulz and Princely Landgrave of Klettgau
  • 1820-1858: Karl II
  • 1858-1904: Karl III
  • 1904-1913: Karl IV
  • 1913-1914: Karl V
  • 1914-1918: Karl VI

In November 1918 the Austro-Hungarian Empire ceases to exist.

Heads of the House of Schwarzenberg

Orlík Castle, in Bohemia

Primogeniture

  • 1918–1938: Johann II
  • 1938–1950: Adolph Schwarzenberg, childless,
    adopted Heinrich, Duke of Krumau (died 1965),
    younger brother of his cousin
  • 1950–1979: Joseph III (died 1979), cousin of Johann II

Secundogeniture

  • 1918-1986: Karl VI (died 1986)
  • 1979–present: Karl VII, son of Karl VI, adopted by Heinrich, both lines reunified

Titles

Title of the head of the family:

  • H.S.H. The Prince of Schwarzenberg, Duke of Krumlov, Count of Sulz, Princely Landgrave of Klettgau (German: S.D. Fürst von und zu Schwarzenberg, Herzog von Krummau, Graf von Sulz, gefürsteter Landgraf im Klettgau)

All the other members of the family are not Dukes of Krumlov and they should be addressed without the "the" in front of the title prince. In the German language they are just "Prinz" and the son of the head of the family should be addressed with the title "Erbprinz".

References

  1. ↑ The Schwarzenberg Coat-of-arms
  2. ↑ The Schwarzenbergs

External links

Wikisource has the text of a 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article about Schwarzenberg.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to House of Schwarzenberg.
Franconian Circle (1500–1806) of the  Holy Roman Empire
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