*** Archduke Karl Ludwig









Austrian Royalty: Archduke Karl Ludwig (1833-)

Archduke Karl Ludwig
Figure 1.--This 1848 portrait of Arch Duke Karl Ludwig was ponted by Anton Einsle. This was at the time of the Revolutions of 1848 which fundmnentally influenced his outlook. He was 15 years old at the the time. He became known as the Exibition Archduke. His importance in the Imperial dynasty was through his sons, Franz Ferduinand and Karl I.

Next in line to the Austrian succession after Crown Prince Rudolf committed suicide was Franz Josef's younger brother Karl Ludwig. (He is commonly called Charles Louis in English.) Karl Ludwig was born at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna (1833). He was the son of Archduke Franz Karl of Austria (1802–1878) and his wife Princess Sophie of Bavaria (1805–1872). His mother saw to it that he was raised a devout Roman Catholic. Vienna Prince-archbishop Joseph Othmar Rauscher undertook this assignment. The Revolutions of 1848 were anothrr strong formtive force. His resultinng ultra conservatism whicg made him unsuitable for government amd turned into a religious mania and bigotry in his later years. Karl Ludwig took little interest in politics, unlike his older brother, the more mbitious Maximillian. He dutifully embarked on a military career, but showed no real interest or any particular aptitude. He then dabbled in political office. He joined the Galician government of Count Agenor Romuald Gołuchowski (1853). And then was appointed Tyrolean stadtholder in Innsbruck (1855). He took up residence at Ambras Castle. He was d=fristrated that his authority was restricted by the Austrian cabinet of his cousin Archduke Rainer Ferdinand and Baron Alexander von Bach. The problem was apparently his ultra-conservative attitudes. He positioned himself as a virulently anti-liberal and clericalist. He ultimately resigned from this office and assumed no further political functions. He eventually withdrew from political office when he was created a patent for a life as patron of the arts and sciences alyhoughh without any enthusism with either (1861). Karl Ludwig is also known by the derisive epithet of the ‘exhibition archduke’ because he stood in for the Empror at many private functions. With the death of Franz Joseph's only son (1889), the line of secession reverted to the Emperor's brothers. Maximillian was executed by firing squad in Mexico. This left Karl Ludwig as heir apparent to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His importance, however would be through his children. Karl Ludwig married three times. first wife was his first cousin Margaretha of Saxony (1840–1858), the daughter of Johann of Saxony (1801–1873) and Amalie Auguste of Bavaria (1801–1877). They married in Dresden (1856). She died only 2 year later and they had no children. His secomd marriage was the most important. His second wife was Princess Maria Annunciata de Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1843–71), daughter of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies (1810–1859) and Maria Theresa of Austria (1816–1867). They married by proxy in Rome (1862). They subsequently married in oersoin at Venice. The royal couple had four children. Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (1863 – 1914). He married Countess Sophie Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin morganatically (1900). They had three children. That mean that the children were no eligible for the sucession, but Franc Ferdinand wioulf become Emoeror Franz Josef's heir apparent. Archduke Otto Franz of Austria (1865 – 1906) married Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony (1867–1944) (1886). They had two sons, including Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria. Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria (1868-1915) married Bertha Czuber Bertha Czuber (1909). Yhis was done secretly and the Emopror ordered him to leave the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. He became Ferdinan Berg. . Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria (1870-1902) married Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg (1893). They had seven children. Maria Annunciata died (1871).Archduke Karl Ludwig married again (1873). His third wife was Infanta Maria Theresa of Portugal (1855–1944), daughter of Miguel I of Portugal (1802–1866) and Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg (1831–1909). They married at Kleinheubach (1873). They had two daughters: Archduchess Maria Annunziata of Austria (1876 – 1961)became abbess of the Theresia Convent in the Hradschin, Prague. Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie of Austria (1878 – 1960) she married Prince Aloys of Liechtenstein (1903). They had three/eight children, including Franz Joseph II of Liechtenstein. Although not dynastically important, Maria Theresa became importabt in the family. She proved to be loving stepmother to Karl Ludwig’s children from his second marriage. She also actively supported them as adults. With the deayh of Empress Elisabeth she becme th highest-ranking woman of the dynasty and participated in msny formal occassions. She became an indispensable figure in mediating between the Emperor and the rest of the family. She was even considered as a possible second wife for Fran Josef wher her husband died. After World War I and the the end of the monarchy she remained in Austria, residing in her Viennese palace on Favoritenstrasse. Karl Ludwig died of typhoid at Schönbrunn in Vienna returning from a journey to Palestine and Egypt, allegedly after the drinking contaminated Jordan iver waters. His widow, Maria Teresa died (1944).






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Created: 3:57 AM 4/26/2021
Last updated: 3:57 AM 4/26/2021