Austrian Royalty: The Teschen Line (1822-1918)


Figure 1.--

The Duchy of Teschen was bestowed on Archduke Charles in recognition of his victory at Aspern (1822). Archduke Karl, Duke of Teschen, was born in 1771. As a younger son of Emperor Leopold II (1747-92), he was made Duke of Teschen. We are not sure yet just what Teschen was. Karl did, however, found a branch of the Austrian Hapsburg family--the Teschen line. We do not yet have much information on Archduke Karl, but we have found information on some of his decendents.

Duchy of Teschen

Teschen is an old town in Austrian Silesia. It was a largely German town with a substantial Polish and a small Czech population. Teschen was the capital of the Austrian duchy of Teschen. Emperess Maria Theresa and Frederick II signed the Peace ending to the war of the Bavarian succession at Teschen (May 1779). , The Duchy of Teschen was at first under the control of the dukes of Upper Silesia during the medieval era. Teschen came under the control of the Bohemian monarchy (1298) and when the male line of the Duchy died out, Teschen became a direct possession of the Bohemian crown (1625). The Duchy became known as Saxe-Teschen when Prince Albert of Saxony married a daughter of Maria Theresa and received the Duchy as part of his wife's dowry (1766). The Duchy was bestowed on Archduke Charles in recognition of his victory at Aspern (1822).

Duke Karl (1822-47)

Archduke Karl / Charles, Duke of Teschen, was born in 1771. Karl was a younger son of Emperor Leopold II (1747-92) and Luisa de Bourbon of Spain. During the Napoleonic Wars, Karl became known as the "Victor of Aspern. Aspern is an eastern suburb of Vienna. It was the scene of a rare Austrian victory over Napoleon (1809). After the Napoleonic Wars, Karl was made 1st Duke of Teschen in recognition of his service. Karl married Henrietta von Nassau-Weilburg in 1815. They had two children: Marie Therese (1816- ) and Charles Ferdinand (1818)

Karl Ferdinand (1847-74)

Karl Ferdinand (1818-74) was the son of Duke Karl and on his death became the 2nd Duke of Teschen. He married Austrian Arch Duchess Elisabeth in 1854. They had one child Frederick (1856- ).

Friedrich (1874-1918)

Friedrich (1856-1936) was the 3rd Duke of Teschen. He married Isabella of Croy (1856-1931). Isabella's father was Rudolf, the 11th Duke of Croy. They had one child, Arch Duchess Maria Anna (1882- ). Maria Anna married Elias of Parma de Bourbon in 1903. They had eight children: Elizabeth (1904- ), Charles (1905- ), Maria (1906- ), Robert (1909- ), Franz (1913- ), Johanna (1916- ), Alice (1917- ), and Maria Christine (1925- ). I'm not sure just what the status of the Duke of Parma was after the creation of the Italian Kingdom (1860). I think it was more of an honorific title than any actual reigning dynasty, but hopefully our European readers will provide some insights here. Frederich's status would have changed in 1918 with the creation of the Austrian Republic.






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Created: 8:11 PM 8/4/2004
Last updated: 9:03 PM 7/27/2023