Hitler's Ancestry: German Or Austrian?

Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary, on 20 April 1889. His father, Alois Hitler, was born in the hamlet of Strones, a parish of Döllersheim in the Waldviertel of northwest Lower Austria. Alois was born out of wedlock to Maria Anna Schicklgruber in 1837 and took his mother's surname, Schicklgruber. In 1842, Maria married Johann Georg Hiedler, and Alois took his stepfather's surname, Hitler, in 1876. Alois's biological father is unknown, but it is speculated that it was Johann Georg Hiedler, his stepfather, or Johann Nepomuk Hiedler, his maternal great-grandfather. Alois Hitler died in 1903.

Adolf Hitler's mother, Klara Hitler, née Pölzl, was the granddaughter of Alois' step-uncle (and possible biological uncle or father), Johann Nepomuk Hiedler. Klara was born in 1860 and married Alois Hitler in 1885. She died of breast cancer in 1907.

Hitler's father, Alois Hitler, was born out of wedlock to Maria Anna Schicklgruber

Alois Hitler's illegitimacy fuelled speculation, as early as the 1920s, that Hitler's grandfather was Jewish. However, no credible evidence has ever been found to support this notion. The two most likely candidates to have been Hitler's grandfather are Johann Georg Hiedler and his brother, Johann Nepomuk Hiedler.

Hitler's grandfather's identity has never been conclusively established, and the answer remains unknown. In 1931, Hitler ordered the Schutzstaffel (SS) to investigate the rumours surrounding his ancestry. They found no evidence of any Jewish ancestors.

Alois Hitler's biological father is unknown, but it was legally established as Johann Georg Hiedler, his stepfather

The biological father of Adolf Hitler's father, Alois Hitler, is unknown. However, it was legally established as Johann Georg Hiedler, his stepfather.

Alois Hitler was born out of wedlock in 1837 to Maria Schicklgruber, a 42-year-old unmarried peasant woman. At his baptism, the space for his father's name was left blank, and he was registered as "illegitimate". When Alois was five years old, his mother married Johann Georg Hiedler, a millworker who gave Alois his name. However, there were rumours that Alois's biological father was a wealthy Jewish man his mother had worked for. Other historians have also speculated that Johann Nepomuk Hiedler, the brother of Johann Georg Hiedler, was Alois's biological father.

In 1876, Alois Hitler convinced Austrian local authorities to acknowledge his deceased stepfather, Johann Georg Hiedler, as his biological father. As a result, Klara, who would later become Alois's third wife and Adolf Hitler's mother, was legally established as Alois's first cousin once removed. Alois then changed his surname from Schicklgruber to Hitler, although the authorities misspelled the intended "Hiedler".

Hitler's mother, Klara Hitler, was Alois Hitler's first cousin once removed

Adolf Hitler's mother, Klara Hitler (née Pölzl), was the third wife of Hitler's father, Alois Hitler. She was born in 1860 in the Austrian Empire village of Weitra to Johann Baptist Pölzl and Johanna Hiedler. In 1876, 16-year-old Klara was hired as a household servant by her relative, Alois, who was 39 at the time.

Alois Hitler was born out of wedlock in 1837 to Maria Schicklgruber. His biological father is unknown, but after his mother married Johann Georg Hiedler, Alois was designated as Hiedler's son. Johanna Hiedler, Klara's mother, was Hiedler's niece, making Klara and Alois first cousins once removed.

In 1885, four years after the death of his second wife, Franziska Matzelsberger, Alois married Klara. They had six children together, but only two, Adolf and Paula, survived to adulthood.

Klara was devoted to her children and was described as a quiet, sweet, and affectionate person. She was a devout Roman Catholic and regularly attended church with her children. She died of breast cancer in 1907, and her death devastated her son, Adolf.

Hitler's parents married in 1885, and had six children together, only two of whom survived to adulthood

Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, in Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary, to Alois Hitler and Klara Hitler (née Pölzl). Alois Hitler was born out of wedlock in 1837 and initially bore his mother's surname, Schicklgruber. In 1876, he changed his surname to Hitler, the name of his stepfather, and this was the only form of the surname that his son Adolf used.

Alois Hitler married Klara, his first cousin once removed, in 1885. The couple had six children together, but only two, Adolf and Paula, survived to adulthood. The other four, Gustav, Ida, Otto, and Edmund, died in infancy or early childhood of illnesses. Gustav, Ida, and Otto died of diphtheria, while Edmund died of measles.

Alois Hitler died in 1903, leaving Klara a government pension. She died in 1907 of breast cancer, leaving Adolf and Paula with some financial assistance from her pension and modest estate.

Hitler's father died in 1903, leaving his mother a government pension

Adolf Hitler's father, Alois Hitler, died on 3 January 1903, leaving his mother, Klara, a government pension. The death of his father was a pivotal moment in Hitler's life, freeing him from his father's domineering authority and stern words.

Hitler's father was a mid-level customs official who died at the age of 65 from a lung haemorrhage. Hitler was just 13 years old at the time and broke down and cried when he saw his father's body. Hitler's father had insisted that he become a civil servant, but Hitler dreamed of becoming a great artist.

Hitler's father left the family well provided for. Klara received half of her husband's monthly pension, plus death benefits. Hitler received a small amount each month, plus a small inheritance. The family also owned a house in Leonding, which had been mostly paid for in cash.

Hitler went to live at a boys' boarding house in Linz, where he attended a technical high school. He was remembered by the woman who ran the boarding house as a nervous, awkward boy, who spent most of his time reading and drawing. Although he loved to read, he was a lazy and uncooperative student.

Hitler's behaviour at school worsened after his father's death. He played pranks and practical jokes aimed at teachers, including releasing cockroaches in the classroom and rearranging the furniture. He also gave contrary, insulting, and argumentative answers to questions, upsetting the teachers and delighting his classmates, who sometimes applauded him.

Hitler's history teacher, Dr Leopold Pötsch, and his tales of heroic Germans from bygone eras kept his interest and earned his respect. By his early teens, Hitler had a keen interest in German nationalism, along with art and architecture. He put all his hopes into becoming a great artist, especially as his prospects at school grew dimmer.

Hitler's father's death also meant that he was now the male head of the household, a position of some importance at the time. However, Hitler's mother, Klara, was the one who had a close and devoted relationship with him. She supported his artistic ambitions and allowed him to pursue his dream of becoming an artist after his father's death.

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