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Princess Sophie of Bavaria, also known as Archduchess Sophie of Austria, celebrated her 25th wedding anniversary with her husband, Archduke Franz Karl of Austria, on November 4, 1849. Princess Sophie was born on January 27, 1805, and became the Archduchess of Austria by marrying Archduke Franz Karl of Austria on November 4, 1824. She was the daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his second wife, Caroline of Baden, and she had six children with Archduke Franz Karl. Princess Sophie played a significant role in Austrian politics, particularly in the accession of her son, Franz Joseph, to the Austrian throne in 1848. She is also known for her adversarial relationship with her niece and daughter-in-law, Empress Elisabeth Sisi of Austria. Princess Sophie passed away on May 28, 1872, at the age of 67.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg |
| Other Names | Sophia, countess of Chotek; Sophie of Hohenberg; Sophie von Hohenberg; duchess of Hohenberg, Hohenbur; Sophie Friederike Dorothea von Habsburg; Sophie Friederike Dorothea Wilhelmine |
| Birth Date | 1 March 1868 |
| Death Date | 28 June 1914 |
| Parents | Count Bohuslav Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin and Countess Wilhelmine Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau |
| Husband | Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria |
| Anniversary Date | 28 June (third anniversary of their assassination) |
| Anniversary Year | Unknown, but commemorated on postage stamps in 1917 |
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What You'll Learn
- Princess Sophie of Bavaria married Archduke Franz Karl of Austria in 1824
- Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, was the wife of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
- Sophie and Franz Ferdinand were assassinated in 1914, triggering World War I
- Archduchess Sophie of Austria was the first child of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth
- Sophie's mother-in-law took her two daughters away from her after their births
Princess Sophie of Bavaria married Archduke Franz Karl of Austria in 1824
Princess Sophie of Bavaria, born on January 27, 1805, in Munich, was the daughter of Maximilian Joseph, the first King of Bavaria, and his second wife, Caroline of Baden. She had a twin sister, Princess Maria Anna, who later became the Queen of Saxony. Princess Sophie married Archduke Franz Karl of Austria on November 4, 1824, primarily because her family desired to make her the Empress of Austria. The marriage produced six children after six years of childlessness: Franz Joseph, who became the Emperor of Austria; Ferdinand Maximilian, the ill-fated emperor of Mexico; Karl Ludwig; Maria Anna, a stillborn son; and Ludwig Viktor.
Princess Sophie was strong-willed and authoritarian, but she was also known for being devoted to her family and the Habsburg empire. She enjoyed court life, dance, art, literature, and horse riding. She was also known as the "'only man in court'" for her absolute authority over her husband and her son, Emperor Franz Joseph. She was the power behind the throne and played a significant role in the upbringing of her grandchildren, often taking charge of them without their mother's permission.
Princess Sophie had a difficult relationship with her grandson's wife, Empress Elisabeth "Sisi", who was also her niece. Elisabeth hated Sophie for being demanding and interfering in the upbringing of her children. However, there is no evidence that Sophie reciprocated these feelings, as she usually wrote quite pleasantly about Elisabeth in her diary and letters. Sophie was also known for her close relationship with her son, Emperor Franz Joseph, and was deeply affected by the execution of her second son, Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, in 1867.
Sophie retired from public life after Maximilian's death and passed away from pneumonia in 1872 at the age of 67. She left a farewell letter for her family, urging them to remain united in love and loyalty.
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Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, was the wife of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
Duchess Sophie was born into one of the most distinguished families of the Czech nobility. Her father, Count Bohuslav Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin, was a Bohemian aristocrat and served as the Austrian Ambassador to the royal courts of Stuttgart, Saint Petersburg, and Brussels. Her mother was Countess Wilhelmine Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau.
Sophie became a lady-in-waiting to Archduchess Isabella, the wife of Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen, and the head of the Bohemian cadet branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. She married Archduke Franz Ferdinand on July 1, 1900, in Reichstadt (now Zákupy) in Bohemia. The marriage was a morganatic union, meaning that Sophie agreed to a lower status in the social hierarchy due to her lower noble rank. Despite this, the couple was welcomed by some royal courts, including King George V and Queen Mary of the United Kingdom, who invited them to Windsor Castle in 1913.
Duchess Sophie and Archduke Franz Ferdinand had four children: Sofie (born in 1901), Max (born in 1902), Ernst (born in 1904), and a stillborn son in 1908. The Duchess's castle of Artstetten was featured on a 10-euro commemorative coin minted in 2004, honoring her and her husband.
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Sophie and Franz Ferdinand were assassinated in 1914, triggering World War I
On 28 June 1914, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, and her husband, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, were assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia. They were shot at close range by the 19-year-old Bosnian Serb student, Gavrilo Princip, while being driven through the provincial capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Princip was part of a group of six Bosnian assassins, all but one of whom were Bosnian Serbs and members of a student revolutionary group that later became known as Young Bosnia.
Sophie and Franz Ferdinand's assassination triggered a series of events that eventually led to World War I. The assassination led to the July Crisis and, four weeks later, Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia. This, in turn, caused a chain reaction, with Austria-Hungary's allies and Serbia's allies declaring war on each other, starting World War I.
The political objective of the assassination was to free Bosnia and Herzegovina of Austrian-Hungarian rule and establish a common South Slav ("Yugoslav") state. In the days leading up to the assassination, the Serbian Military Intelligence chief undercover operative against Austria-Hungary, Rade Malobabić, was active. However, there was no mention of an ethnic Serb Austro-Hungarian soldier shooting Franz Ferdinand in the days before the attack.
The couple had three children: Sofie (born in 1901), Max (born in 1902), and Ernst (born in 1904). Sophie was born into one of the most distinguished families of the Czech nobility, with ancestors who had been barons of Bohemia since 1556, counts of Bohemia since 1723, and counts of the Holy Roman Empire since 1745.
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Archduchess Sophie of Austria was the first child of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth
Archduchess Sophie had a younger sister, Archduchess Gisela, who was born the following year. Although they were both girls and did not need to be educated for the duties a monarch would be obliged to fulfill, both infants were taken away from their mother, Empress Elisabeth, after being baptised. They were taken by Archduchess Sophie, who was both Elisabeth's aunt and mother-in-law.
Empress Elisabeth had a difficult relationship with her mother-in-law, who was known as the "secret empress". Archduchess Sophie was the power behind the throne and was regarded as the political mastermind and "agenda-setter" behind her son, Emperor Franz Joseph I. She was also the emotional centre of the family and an important mother figure to her grandchildren.
Unfortunately, Archduchess Sophie died at a young age while travelling in Buda with her family. Both Sophie and her sister, Archduchess Gisela, fell ill with diarrhoea and had a high fever. While Gisela recovered, Sophie passed away on May 29, 1857, at the age of two, probably due to dehydration or convulsions from the fever. Her death had a profound impact on her mother, who wore a bracelet with her likeness and kept a portrait of her in her apartments.
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Sophie's mother-in-law took her two daughters away from her after their births
Archduchess Sophie of Austria, born on 5 March 1855, was the first child of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Sophie's mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie (née Princess Sophie of Bavaria), took her two daughters, Archduchess Gisela and Sophie Friederike, away from her after their births.
Princess Sophie took the children as soon as they were born, without any opposition. Elisabeth was heartbroken and begged her husband, Franz Joseph, to discuss the matter with his mother, but her pleas went unanswered. Finally, Franz Joseph spoke to his mother, and Elisabeth began to express her wishes more openly. She even took her daughters with her when she travelled.
The mother-in-law's controlling behaviour may have been influenced by the political turmoil of the 1840s in Austria, which threatened the House of Habsburg, as well as a handicapped emperor and her own disinterested husband. She was known as the "only man in court" due to her absolute authority over her husband and son. She also wielded power by taking charge of caring for Franz Joseph's and Elisabeth's children, even forbidding Elisabeth from breastfeeding them.
The dynamic changed when the family travelled to Hungary in early spring 1857. Both Sophie and Gisela fell ill with diarrhoea and a high fever. While Gisela recovered, Sophie died in her mother's arms at the age of two, probably from dehydration or convulsions due to the fever. This tragic loss haunted Empress Elisabeth for the rest of her life, and she was indirectly blamed by her mother-in-law for the child's death.
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Frequently asked questions
Archduchess Sophie of Austria was the first child of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth of Austria. She was born on March 5, 1855, and died at the age of two on May 29, 1857.
Princess Sophie of Bavaria, born on January 27, 1805, was the daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his second wife, Caroline of Baden. She became the Archduchess of Austria by marrying Archduke Franz Karl of Austria on November 4, 1824. She was the mother of Emperor Franz Joseph I.
Duchess Sophie of Hohenberg, also known as Sophie Chotek von Wognin, was the wife of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. She was born in Stuttgart on March 1, 1868, and was assassinated in Sarajevo in 1914, which triggered the events leading up to the First World War.
On June 28, 1917, the third anniversary of their assassination, Austria-Hungary recognized Duchess Sophie of Hohenberg as being fully equal to her husband, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This was a rare opportunity for them to be celebrated and honored together publicly.
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