Category Archives: Former Monarchies

Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church) in Munich, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Michaelskirche in Munich; Credit – By Andrew Bossi – Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2918246

Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church), which this writer has visited, is a Roman Catholic church located in Munich in the German state of Bavaria. The patron of the church is Saint Michael the Archangel. In 1556, Albrecht V, Duke of Bavaria granted the Jesuit Order permission to establish a school in Munich which is still in existence and known as the Wilhelmsgymnasium. A church was to be built in conjunction with the founding of the Jesuit school. However, the school and the church did not get beyond the planning stage during Albrecht V’s lifetime.

Neuhauser Street and Michaelskirche, 1830s; Credit – Wikipedia

Eventually, the school and church were built during the reign of Albrecht V’s son and successor Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria, hence the name of the school, Wilhelmsgymnasium. Wilhelm V had received a Jesuit education and was a strong supporter of the Counter-Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church’s reaction to the Protestant Reformation. The Michaelskirche, built in the Renaissance architectural style, and the school built from 1583 – 1597 were spiritual centers of the Counter-Reformation. With the abolition of the Jesuit order in 1773, Michaelskirche and Wilhelmsgymnasium came into the possession of the House of Wittelsbach. After the end of the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1918, the church passed into the possession of the State of Bavaria. In 1921, the pastoral care of Michaelskirche returned to the Jesuit Order.

After the severe damage caused by bombings during World War II, Michaelskirche was renovated and then rededicated at Pentecost in 1953. Most recently, the interior was renovated from 1980 – 1983 for the 400th anniversary. From 2009 to 2013, the facade including the statues was renovated.

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The Facade of Michaelskirche

The facade of Michaelskirche; Credit – Credit – By Luidger – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=718322

The large, impressive facade of Michaelskirche has bronze statues of Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria and earlier rulers of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach in the form of a family tree. A large bronze statue between the two entrances shows Saint Michael the Archangel battling Lucifer. The statue was made by Dutch sculptor Hubert Gerhard.

Saint Michael the Archangel vanquishing Lucifer; Credit – By pingnews.com – Sculpture in Munich, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=97462767

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The Interior of Michaelkirche

The interior of Michaelskirche; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The main altarpiece has a painting of Saint Michael the Archangel fighting Lucifer by Bavarian painter Christoph Schwarz.

The main altar; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The church contains the 1830 monument by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen to Eugène de Beauharnais who is interred in the crypt. Eugène was the son of Josephine de Beauharnais, Napoleon Bonaparte’s first wife, and her first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais, who was executed by guillotine during the French Revolution. Eugène de Beauharnais marrried Princess Auguste of Bavaria, daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, and was created Duke of Leuchtenberg.

The monument by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen to Eugène de Beauharnais; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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The Princely Crypt

Sign with a photo of King Ludwig II at the entrance to the Princely Crypt; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The House of Wittelsbach ruled as Dukes, Electors, and Kings of Bavaria from 1180 until 1918. A princely crypt was in the original plans of Michaelskirche. Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria was buried in the crypt at his request, as was his son Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria.

Stairs down to the Princely Crypt; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The best-known Bavarian ruler interred at Michaelskirche is Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, the builder of Neuschwanstein Castle who died in 1886 under mysterious circumstances. Ludwig’s brother Otto, King of Bavaria is also interred at Michaelskirche.

Tomb of Ludwig II, King of Bavaria; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Besides Michaelskirche, rulers of the House of Wittelsbach have been interred at the Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan (Theatine Church of St. Cajetan) in Munich, the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Munich, and the Andechs Abbey in Andechs. In 1977, Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, Head of the House of Wittelsbach and pretender to the former Bavarian throne from 1955 until his death in 1996, set up a Wittelsbach private family cemetery near Andechs Abbey due to the lack of space in the other Wittelsbach burial sites. The cemetery complex is now the main burial place of the Wittelsbach family.

The following members of the House of Wittelsbach are interred in the crypt:

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. St. Michael (München) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael_(M%C3%BCnchen)> [Accessed 28 February 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. St. Michael’s Church, Munich – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael%27s_Church,_Munich> [Accessed 28 February 2022].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2012. Royal Burial Sites of the Kingdom of Bavaria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/german-royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-kingdom-of-bavaria/> [Accessed 28 February 2022].
  • St-michael-muenchen.de. 2022. St. Michael – die Jesuitenkirche in der Münchner Innenstadt. [online] Available at: <https://www.st-michael-muenchen.de/index.php> [Accessed 28 February 2022].

Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Munich, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Frauenkirche in Munich, Bavaria, Germany; By Diliff – CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5825439

The Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) also called Münchner Dom (Munich Cathedral), which this writer has visited, is a Roman Catholic church and the cathedral church of the Archbishop of Munich located in Munich, the capital of the German state of Bavaria.

Frauenkirche in 1870 looking toward the main altar; Credit – Wikipedia

In the 12th century, a Romanesque church was built on the site replacing an earlier church. This new church served as a second parish in Munich following the older Alter Peter Church. A new late Gothic cathedral commissioned by Sigismund, Archduke of Austria and the people of Munich, was erected in the 15th century. The cathedral was built from 1468 – 1488 by bricklayer and architect Jörg von Halsbach. Red brick was chosen as the building material for financial reasons and because there was no nearby rock quarry. The cathedral was consecrated In 1494 but the towers were not completed until 1525.

Frauenkirche in ruins after World War II. The steps led to the main altar; Credit – https://www.muenchner-dom.de/die-kathedrale/geschichte/baugeschichte/

The Frauenkirche was severely damaged by the Allied Forces’ bombing raids during World War II. The roof collapsed, one of the towers was damaged, and much of the interior was destroyed. A major restoration was required and continued until 1994.

Interior of the restored Frauenkirche looking towards the main altar; Credit – By Chabe01 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64107752

From 1971 – 1972 the main altar area was redesigned according to the reforms and specifications of the Second Vatican Council. From 1989 – 1994, the interior decorations of the original architect Jörg von Halsbach and the oak choir stalls with the sculptures of the original sculptor Erasmus Grasser were reconstructed and new altarpieces were created. Artwork from notable 14th to 18th-century artists like Peter Candid, Erasmus Grasser, Jan Polack, Hans Leinberger, Hans Krumpper, and Ignaz Günther replaced the artwork destroyed in the World War II bombing raids.

The main altar; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62161379

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Cenotaph of Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor

The Cenotaph of Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

A cenotaph, an empty tomb erected in honor of a person whose remains are elsewhere, for Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor who died in 1347, stands in the south aisle. The remains of Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor are interred in the Frauenkirche crypt. The cenotaph was the work of sculptor Hans Krumpper (circa 1570 – 1634) who was the chief sculptor to the Bavarian court during the reigns of Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria and Maximilian I, Duke of Bavaria.  During the World War II-related restoration of the Frauenkirche in the 1980s, the cenotaph was restored with financial help from the Messerschmitt Foundation whose primary goal is the preservation and maintenance of German cultural monuments.

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The Crypt

The 1971 crypt in the Frauenkirche; Credit – By User: Bbb at wikivoyage shared, CC BY-SA 1.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22660042

The crypt we see today was created in 1971 when a larger crypt with exposed brick walls and a concrete beam ceiling was built during World War II-related reconstruction. The coffins of members of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach were then transferred to new wall niches with grave markers. The House of Wittelsbach ruled as Dukes, Electors, and Kings of Bavaria from 1180 until 1918.

Besides the Frauenkirche, rulers of the House of Wittelsbach have mostly been interred at the Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan (Theatine Church of St Cajetan) in Munich and Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church) in Munich, and the Andechs Monastery in Andechs. In 1977, Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, head of the House of Wittelsbach and pretender to the former Bavarian throne from 1955 until his death in 1996, set up a Wittelsbach family cemetery near Andechs Abbey due to the lack of space in the other Wittelsbach burial sites. The cemetery complex is now the main burial place of the Wittelsbach family.

Burial site of some members of the House of Wittelsbach; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62160767

The following members of the House of Wittelsbach are interred in the crypt:

Burial site of Ludwig III, the last King of Bavaria, his wife and five of their children; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Frauenkirche (München) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frauenkirche_(M%C3%BCnchen)> [Accessed 29 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Munich Frauenkirche – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_Frauenkirche> [Accessed 29 December 2021].
  • Muenchner-dom.de. 2021. Der Münchner Dom: Baugeschichte. [online] Available at: <https://www.muenchner-dom.de/die-kathedrale/geschichte/baugeschichte/> [Accessed 29 December 2021].
  • Muenchner-dom.de. 2021. Der Münchner Dom: Home. [online] Available at: <https://www.muenchner-dom.de/> [Accessed 29 December 2021].

St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

St. Stephen’s Cathedral; Credit – By Bwag – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34672766

St. Stephen’s Cathedral, which this writer has visisted, is dedicated to St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. It is the main church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna, Austria, and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna. In 1137, construction began on the first St. Stephen’s Church. The church in the Romanesque style, which was probably not completely finished at the time, was consecrated in 1147. A second Romanesque church was constructed from 1200 – 1225. Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria (1339 – 1365) commissioned a major extension of the previous church and also founded the University of Vienna before his early death at age 25.

St. Stephen’s Cathedral survived the bombing raids during World War II. However, on April 12, 1945, during the final days of the war, civilian looters lit fires in nearby shops as the Soviet Army troops entered Vienna. Winds carried the fire to the cathedral, severely damaging the roof and causing it to collapse. Fortunately, protective brick shells built around the pulpit, Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich III’s tomb, and other treasures prevented major damage to the interior except for the 1487 choir stalls which could not be saved. Reconstruction began immediately after the war and St. Stephen’s Cathedral was reopened in 1952.

Double-headed Habsburg eagle on the roof; Credit – Von kodiak – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1820946

The original wooden roof was replaced by a roof of 230,000 colored glazed tiles in a zig-zag pattern. On the south side of the cathedral, the tiles form the double-headed eagle, a symbol of the Habsburg dynasty, and on the north side, the tiles form the coats of arms of the City of Vienna and the Republic of Austria.

The coats of arms of the Republic of Austria and the City of Vienna; Credit – Von Bwag – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63314921

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Altars

St. Stephen’s Cathedral has eighteen altars and additional altars in the various chapels. The High Altar and the Wiener Neustadt Altar are the most famous.

The High Altar; Credit – Von Bwag – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63298940

The High Altar was built from 1641 – 1647 by Johann Jacob Pock (link in German), a stonemason, sculptor, and architect, and by his brother painter Tobias Pock who painted the altarpiece. The High Altar shows the stoning of the cathedral’s patron saint St. Stephen in front of the walls of Jerusalem.

Wiener Neustädter Altar, Sunday panels; Credit – Von Bwag – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56638264

The Wiener Neustädter Altar made in 1447 is considered the most important altar in the cathedral. It is a pentaptych, a convertible altar with a main shrine, two movable outer and two movable inner wings. On weekdays, the panels are closed and display a painted scene involving 72 saints. On Sundays, the panels are opened showing gilded wooden figures depicting events in the life of the Virgin Mary. Originally, the altar was given as a gift by Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich III to the Cistercian Viktring Abbey. In 1786, the altar was sent to the Cistercian monastery of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, founded by Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich III, in the city of Wiener Neustadt. When the Wiener Neustadt monastery was closed after merging with Heiligenkreuz Abbey in 1885, the altar was sold to St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

Wiener Neustädter Altar weekday panels; Credit – Von Uoaei1 – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25932276

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Pulpit

Pulpit at St. Stephen’s Cathedral; Credit – Von Bwag – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66368821

The carved stone pulpit has long been attributed to Austrian sculptor and architect Anton Pilgram but today it is thought that Dutch sculptor Nikolaus Gerhaert van Leyden is more likely to be the carver. The pulpit stands against a pillar in the nave, instead of in the chancel at the front of the church. This placement of the pillar would allow the congregation to better hear the sermon before the advent of microphones and loudspeakers. Beneath the stairs is a stone self-portrait of the sculptor looking out a window. The chisel in the subject’s hand and the stonemason’s signature mark on the shield above the window led to the speculation that it could be a self-portrait of the sculptor.

Stone self-portrait of the sculptor looking out a window; Credit – Von Markus Leupold-Löwenthal – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3868897

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Tomb of Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor

Tomb of Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Von Bwag – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56696439

Friedrich III (1415 – 1493) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1452 until his death. In 1469, he succeeded in obtaining the necessary permissions from Pope Paul II to establish the Diocese of Vienna. Upon his death, Friedrich was interred in the Ducal Crypt at St. Stephen’s Cathedral. In 1463, thirty years before his death, Friedrich commissioned Dutch sculptor Nikolaus Gerhaert van Leyden to build a monumental tomb in St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Van Leyden died in 1473 and the work was completed by Austrian stonemason and sculptor Michael Tichter (link in German). On November 12, 1513, the remains of Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor were transferred in a grand ceremony from the Ducal Crypt to the tomb. The tomb lid shows Emperor Friedrich in his coronation regalia surrounded by the coats of arms of all his dominions. The sides of the tomb are decorated with 240 small statues. The tomb is considered a masterpiece of medieval sculptural art.

Depiction of the tomb lid; Credit – Von Georges Jansoone – Selbst fotografiert, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1061466

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Royal Events at St. Stephen’s Cathedral

1989 Funeral of Zita of Bourbon-Parma, wife of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria

This may not be a complete list.

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What is Separate Burial?

A separate burial is a form of partial burial in which internal organs are buried separately from the rest of the body. Separate burials of the heart, viscera (the intestines), and the body were common in the House of Habsburg starting with the death of Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans in 1654 until the death of Archduke Franz Karl in 1878. Ferdinand IV of the Romans (1633 – 1654), son of Holy Emperor Ferdinand III, had a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and requested that his heart be interred in the Loreto Chapel at the Augustinekirche in Vienna. This established the tradition of interring the hearts of members of the Habsburg family in a crypt alongside the heart of Ferdinand IV. Until then, the hearts of Habsburgs had mostly been buried with the body in the coffin at the Imperial Crypt in the nearby Capuchin Church in Vienna or in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna where the entrails of the Habsburgs were traditionally interred. With the death of Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans, it became traditional for the body to be interred in the Imperial Crypt in the Capuchin Church in Vienna, the heart to be placed in an urn in the Herzgruft, the Heart Crypt in the Loreto Chapel of the Augustinerkirche in Vienna, and the entrails to be placed in an urn in the Ducal Crypt of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna.

After the end of the monarchy in 1918, some members of the Habsburg family resumed the tradition of heart burial but not viscera burial. When Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, died in 1922, he was not allowed to be buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna and instead was buried at the Church of Our Lady of Monte on the island of Madeira in Portugal. His heart remained with his widow Empress Zita until it was interred in the Loreto Chapel of the Muri Monastery in Switzerland in 1971. When Empress Zita died in 1989, her body was buried in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna and her heart was interred with her husband’s heart in the Loreto Chapel of the Muri Monastery in Switzerland. Karl and Zita’s son Otto von Habsburg, the last Crown Prince of Austria, requested that his heart be buried in the crypt of the Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma in Hungary. His body was interred in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church. The body of Otto’s wife Regina of Saxe-Meiningen was also interred in the Imperial Crypt but she requested that her heart be interred in her family’s crypt at Veste Heldburg (link in German) in Heldburg, Germany.

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Royal Burials in the Ducal Crypt

Coffins in the Ducal Crypt; Credit – Von Burkhard Mücke – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54225621

In the Ducal Crypt (German: Herzogsgruft), located beneath the chancel of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, sixteen bodies of members of the House of Habsburg are buried along with copper urns containing the viscera (intestines) of members of the Habsburg dynasty. When Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria (1339 – 1365) commissioned an extension of the previous church, he also ordered a crypt to be built for his remains. After Rudolf IV, the family of the ruling line of Habsburg Dukes of Austria was buried here. However, after the House of Habsburg became Holy Roman Emperors beginning in 1440, they were buried in various cities as Vienna was not yet the settled seat of the Holy Roman Emperor. After the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna opened in 1633, it became the new burial site of the House of Habsburg.

In 1956, the Ducal Crypt was renovated and redesigned, with the coffins moved into the oval crypt space and niches built into the rectangular crypt space, in which the urns with entrails were placed behind gates.

The bodies of the following members of the House of Habsburg are interred in the Ducal Crypt:

  • King Friedrich III of the Romans, Duke of Austria (1289 – 1330), originally buried at Mauerbach Monastery, which he had founded. He was reburied at St. Stephen’s Cathedral after the monastery was dissolved in 1782.
  • Friedrich III, Duke of Austria (1347 – 1362) – son of Albrecht II, Duke of Austria
  • Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria (1339 – 1365) – son of Albrecht II, Duke of Austria
  • Catherine of Bohemia, Duchess of Austria (1342 – 1395) – wife of Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria
  • Albrecht III, Duke of Austria (1348 – 1395) – son of Albrecht II, Duke of Austria
  • Albrecht IV, Duke of Austria (1377 – 1404) – son of Albrecht III, Duke of Austria
  • Wilhelm, Duke of Austria (1370 – 1406) – son of Leopold III, Duke of Austria
  • Leopold IV, Duke of Austria (1371 – 1411) – son of Leopold III, Duke of Austria
  • Duke Georg (born and died 1435) – infant son of Albrecht II, King of the Romans, Duke of Austria
  • Albrecht VI, Archduke of Austria (1418 – 1463) – son of Ernst I, Duke of Austria
  • Archduke Ferdinand of Austria (1551 – 1552) – son of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II
  • Eleonora Gonzaga, Holy Roman Empress (1598 – 1655) – second wife of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, originally buried in the Discalced Carmelites convent she founded in Vienna. In 1782, she was reburied at St. Stephen’s Cathedral after the convent was dissolved.
  • Archduchess Maria of Austria (born and died 1564) – daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II
  • Archduke Karl of Austria (1565 – 1566) – son of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II
  • Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France (1554 – 1592) – daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II, wife of King Charles IX of France, originally buried at the Convent of Poor Clares Mary, Queen of Angels, also known as the Queen’s Monastery, which she founded in Vienna. In 1782, she was reburied at St. Stephen’s Cathedral after the convent was dissolved.

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A Note About Two Habsburg Rulers

Empress Maria Theresa; Credit – Wikipedia

Empress Maria Theresa: Born Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, she was the second and eldest surviving child of Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI. Her only brother died several weeks before she was born and her two younger siblings were sisters. The fact that Maria Theresa’s father did not have a male heir caused many problems. Maria Theresa’s right to succeed to her father’s Habsburg territories in her own right was the cause of the eight-year-long War of the Austrian Succession. Upon her father’s death in 1740, Maria Theresa became the sovereign in her own right of all the Habsburg territories which included Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma. However, she was unable to become the sovereign of the Holy Roman Empire because she was female. The Habsburgs had been elected Holy Roman Emperors since 1438, but in 1742 Karl Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria and Prince-Elector of Bavaria from the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach was elected Holy Roman Emperor Karl VII. He died in 1745 and via a treaty Maria Theresa arranged for her husband Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine to be elected Holy Roman Emperor. Despite the snub, the formidable Maria Theresa wielded the real power and in reality, ruled the Holy Roman Empire. She is generally referred to by historians simply as Empress Maria Theresa and that is how she is referred to in this article.

Emperor Franz I of Austria, formerly Holy Roman Emperor Franz II; Credit – Wikipedia

Holy Roman Emperor Franz II = Emperor Franz I of Austria: Upon the death of his father Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II in 1792, Franz was elected the last Holy Roman Emperor and reigned as Holy Roman Emperor Franz I. Franz feared that Napoleon Bonaparte could take over his personal Habsburg territories within the Holy Roman Empire, so in 1804 he proclaimed himself Emperor Franz I of Austria and reigned until he died in 1835. Franz’s decision proved to be a wise one. Two years later, after Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of Austerlitz, the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved and lands that had been held by the Holy Roman Emperor were given to Napoleon’s allies creating the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Kingdom of Württemberg, and the Grand Duchy of Baden. Franz is referred to as Emperor Franz I of Austria in this article.

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Royal Viscera Burials

In the foreground are the gated niches with urns containing the viscera of members of the House of  Habsburgs; Credit – By Bwag – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66345452

Gated niches in the original burial vault outside the entrance to the current burial vault contain the copper urns with the viscera (intestines) of the following members of the House of Habsburg.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Grabmal Kaiser Friedrichs III. – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grabmal_Kaiser_Friedrichs_III.> [Accessed 26 December 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Herzogsgruft – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herzogsgruft> [Accessed 26 December 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Hochaltar des Stephansdoms – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hochaltar_des_Stephansdoms> [Accessed 26 December 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Kanzel des Stephansdoms – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanzel_des_Stephansdoms> [Accessed 26 December 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Stephansdom – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephansdom> [Accessed 26 December 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Wiener Neustädter Altar – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiener_Neust%C3%A4dter_Altar> [Accessed 26 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Ducal Crypt, Vienna – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ducal_Crypt_(Vienna)> [Accessed 26 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Stephen%27s_Cathedral,_Vienna> [Accessed 26 December 2021].
  • Jenkins, Simon, 2021. Europe’s 100 Best Cathedrals. Dublin: Penguin Random House.
  • Stephanskirche.at. 2021. Domkirche St. Stephan. [online] Available at: <https://www.stephanskirche.at/> [Accessed 26 December 2021].

Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Capuchin Church in Vienna (Cloister on left, Church in middle, Imperial Crypt on right); Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The Capuchin Church (German: Kapuzinerkirche), a Roman Catholic church in Vienna, Austria, which this writer has visited, contains the Imperial Crypt, the burial site for members of the House of Habsburg. The Imperial Crypt is in the care of the Capuchin monks from the cloister attached to the church. The burial place of the Habsburgs is so unlike the soaring structures containing the other burial sites I have visited and certainly not as grandiose. The Capuchin Church is small and is on a street with traffic, shops, stores, restaurants, and cafes. One cafe is directly across from it. Walking past the church, one would never think the burial place of emperors was there.

The Capuchin Church was founded by Anna of Tyrol and her husband Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor in 1617. Anna of Tyrol had come up with the idea of a Capuchin monastery and burial place for her and her husband and wanted to build it near Hofburg Palace in Vienna. In her will, Anna left funds to provide for the church’s construction. Anna died in December 1618, a year after she had made her will, and her husband Matthias died three months later. The foundation stone was laid in 1622, but the church was not completed and dedicated until 1632 because of the Thirty Years’ War. On Easter of 1633, the two sarcophagi containing the remains of Matthias and Anna were transferred to the Capuchin Church and placed in what is now called the Founders Vault.

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Interior of the Capuchin Church; Credit – Wikipedia

Although there have been renovations over the years, the main part of the church is more like a chapel with one main altar and two side altars. Father Norbert Baumgartner (1710 – 1773), a Capuchin friar at the cloister, painted the three altarpieces.

The High Altar; Credit – By Ricardalovesmonuments – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69156888

The right side altar is dedicated to St. Felix of Cantalice, the first Capuchin friar to be named a saint.

The right side altar; Credit – By Ricardalovesmonuments – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69156891

The left side altar is dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua.

The left side altar; Credit – By Ricardalovesmonuments – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69156894

Two side chapels contrast the simpler church. The Imperial Chapel contains a series of life-size statues of rulers from the House of Habsburg and a high altar with a painting of Mary, Help of Christians. The last heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Otto von Habsburg, who died in July 2011, and his wife Regina of Saxe-Meiningen, who died in 2010 but was temporarily interred elsewhere, lay in repose in the Imperial Chapel before their burial in the Imperial Crypt.

The coffins of Otto von Habsburg and his wife Regina of Saxe-Meiningen lying in repose in the Imperial Chapel; Credit – By Gryffindor –  CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17173925

The Pietà Chapel has a marble altar with a life-size Pietà, created by Austrian sculptor and painter Peter Strudel. The statue was originally in the Imperial Crypt and was moved into the Pietà Chapel at the end of the 18th century. In the floor in front of the altar is the burial place of Blessed Marco d’Aviano, an Italian Capuchin friar beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2003. Marco d’Aviano’s name has often been given to Austrian royals and other Roman Catholic royals. See Wikipedia: Marco d’Aviano Honorary Protection.

The altar in the Pietà Chapel; Credit – By Ricardalovesmonuments – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69156907

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What is Separate Burial?

A separate burial is a form of partial burial in which internal organs are buried separately from the rest of the body. Separate burials of the heart, viscera (the intestines), and the body were common in the House of Habsburg starting with the death of Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans in 1654 until the death of Archduke Franz Karl in 1878. Ferdinand IV of the Romans (1633 – 1654), son of Holy Emperor Ferdinand III, had a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and requested that his heart be interred in the Loreto Chapel at the Augustinekirche in Vienna. This established the tradition of interring the hearts of members of the Habsburg family in a crypt alongside the heart of Ferdinand IV. Until then, the hearts of Habsburgs had mostly been buried with the body in the coffin at the Imperial Crypt in the nearby Capuchin Church in Vienna or in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna where the entrails of the Habsburgs were traditionally interred. With the death of Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans, it became traditional for the body to be interred in the Imperial Crypt in the Capuchin Church in Vienna, the heart to be placed in an urn in the Herzgruft, the Heart Crypt in the Loreto Chapel of the Augustinerkirche in Vienna, and the entrails to be placed in an urn in the Ducal Crypt of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna.

After the end of the monarchy in 1918, some members of the Habsburg family resumed the tradition of heart burial but not viscera burial. When Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, died in 1922, he was not allowed to be buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna and instead was buried at the Church of Our Lady of Monte on the island of Madeira in Portugal. His heart remained with his widow Empress Zita until it was interred in the Loreto Chapel of the Muri Monastery in Switzerland in 1971. When Empress Zita died in 1989, her body was buried in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna and her heart was interred with her husband’s heart in the Loreto Chapel of the Muri Monastery in Switzerland. Karl and Zita’s son Otto von Habsburg, the last Crown Prince of Austria, requested that his heart be buried in the crypt of the Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma in Hungary. His body was interred in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church. The body of Otto’s wife Regina of Saxe-Meiningen was also interred in the Imperial Crypt but she requested that her heart be interred in her family’s crypt at Veste Heldburg (link in German) in Heldburg, Germany.

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The Imperial Crypt is entered by descending the stairs marked by a sign “Zur Kaisergruft” (To the Imperial Crypt); Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Underneath the Capuchin Church lies the Imperial Crypt (German: Kaisergruft) which contains nearly 150 tombs of the Habsburg family. Through the years, additional vaults have been added and Capuchin friars still look after the tombs. By tradition, the bodies of the Habsburgs were buried at three locations. The hearts were interred in the Heart Crypt (German: Herzgruft) in the nearby Augustinerkirche in Vienna. The intestines were placed in copper urns in the Ducal Crypt (German: Herzogsgruft) of the Catacombs in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. Their bodies were entombed in the Imperial Crypt. All the caskets and tombs in the Imperial Crypt are labeled in German with the identity of the person and the relationship to a Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of Austria, or Archduke.

Read more about my visit to the Imperial Crypt at Unofficial Royalty: A Visit to the Kaisergruft (Imperial Crypt) in Vienna.

Imperialcryptvault layout

Credit – Wikipedia

A. Founders Vault: is the oldest part of the Imperial Crypt, dating from the original construction of the church which was completed in 1632.
B. Children’s Columbarium: was built in the 1960s and contains the sarcophagi of 12 children who had previously been in either the Founders Vault or the main hall of Leopold’s Vault
C. Leopold’s Vault: was built under the nave of the Capuchin Church beginning in 1657 by Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I following the edict of his father Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III that the hereditary burial place of the imperial family would be in the Capuchin Church.
D. Karl’s Vault: was built in 1710 by Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I and extended in 1720 by Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI
E. Maria Theresa’s Vault:  started construction in 1754. It is behind the Capuchin Church with its dome rising into the cloister courtyard.
F. Franz’s Vault: was built in 1824 by former Holy Roman Emperor Franz II, now Emperor Franz I of Austria. The octagonal Franz’s Vault is attached to the right wing of the Maria Theresa Vault.
G. Ferdinand’s Vault: was built in 1842, along with the Tuscan Vault, in conjunction with the reconstruction of the cloister above. There are only two visible sarcophagi but Ferdinand’s Vault contains one-fourth of the Imperial Crypt’s burials, walled up into the corner piers.
H. New Vault: was built between 1960 and 1962 under the monastery grounds as an enlargement to eliminate overcrowding in the other nine vaults, and to provide a climate-controlled environment to protect the metal sarcophagi from further deterioration.
I. Franz Joseph’s Vault: and the adjacent crypt chapel (J) were built in 1908 as part of the celebrations of Emperor Franz Joseph’s 60 years on the throne.
J. Crypt Chapel: The Crypt Chapel was built, along with the Franz Joseph Vault, in 1908. It is usually entered from the south doorway of the Franz Joseph Vault. The most recent burials are here.
K. The Tuscan Vault:  was built in 1842, along with the Ferdinand Vault. This vault takes its name from burials here of the many descendants of the younger sons of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II, who reigned as Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 – 1790, before he became Holy Roman Emperor.

Founders Crypt

Tombs of Holy Roman Emperor Matthias and his wife Anna of Tyrol, Holy Roman Empress; Credit – Von Welleschik – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6619836

Located under the Imperial Chapel, the Founders Crypt is the oldest part of the Imperial Crypt, dating from the original construction of the Capuchin Church. The Founders Crypt cannot be entered by visitors and is visible through a gate from the Leopold Crypt. It contains the two sarcophagi of the founders of the Capuchin Church.

Leopold’s Crypt

Leopold’s Crypt; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Leopold’s Crypt was built under the nave of the Capuchin Church beginning in 1657 by Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I following the edict of his father Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III that the burial place of the House of Habsburg would be at the Capuchin Church.

Children’s Columbarium

Children’s Columbarium; Credit – By Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada – Austria-00826 – Emperor Tomb, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66921927

In the 1960s, the Children’s Columbarium, twelve niches in the wall of Leopold’s Crypt, was built for the coffins of twelve young children. The coffins were originally in the Founders Crypt or Leopold’s Crypt.

  • Archduke Philipp August of Austria (1637 – 1639) – son of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III
  • Archduke Maximilian Thomas of Austria (born and died 1639) – son of Holy Emperor Ferdinand III
  • Archduchess Theresia Maria of Austria (1652 – 1653) – daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III
  • Archduke Ferdinand Josef of Austria (1657 – 1658) – son of Holy Emperor Ferdinand III
  • Archduke Ferdinand Wenzel of Austria (1667 – 1668) – son of Holy Emperor Leopold I
  • Archduke Johann Leopold of Austria (born and died 1670) – son of Holy Emperor Leopold I
  • Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (born and died 1672) – daughter of Holy Emperor Leopold I
  • Archduchess Anna Maria Sophia of Austria (born and died 1674) – daughter of Holy Emperor Leopold I
  • Archduchess Maria Josepha (1675 – 1676) – daughter of Holy Emperor Leopold I
  • Archduchess Christina of Austria (born and died 1679) – daughter of Holy Emperor Leopold I
  • Unnamed (born and died 1686) – son of Johann Wilhelm of Pfalz-Neuberg and Archduchess Maria Anna Josepha of Austria and grandson of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III
  • Archduchess Maria Margareta of Austria (1690 – 1691) – daughter of Holy Emperor Leopold I

Karl’s Crypt

Tomb of Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

What is now known as Karl’s Crypt was first built in 1710 by Holy Roman Emperor Joseph. In 1720, the crypt was enlarged on the orders of Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI. Karl VI’s famous tomb has a death’s head at each corner wearing one of the crowns of his major realms, the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Kingdom of Hungary, and the Archduchy of Austria.

Maria Theresa’s Crypt

Tomb of Maria Theresa and her husband with the tomb of their son Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II in the foreground; Credit – By Wotau – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 at, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21894136

A Note About Maria Theresa: Born Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, she was the second and eldest surviving child of Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI. Her only brother died several weeks before she was born and her two younger siblings were sisters. The fact that Maria Theresa’s father did not have a male heir caused many problems. Maria Theresa’s right to succeed to her father’s Habsburg territories in her own right was the cause of the eight-year-long War of the Austrian Succession. Upon her father’s death in 1740, Maria Theresa became the sovereign in her own right of all the Habsburg territories which included Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma. However, she was unable to become the sovereign of the Holy Roman Empire because she was female. The Habsburgs had been elected Holy Roman Emperors since 1438, but in 1742 Karl Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria and Prince-Elector of Bavaria from the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach was elected Holy Roman Emperor Karl VII. He died in 1745 and via a treaty Maria Theresa arranged for her husband Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine to be elected Holy Roman Emperor. Despite the snub, the formidable Maria Theresa wielded the real power and in reality, ruled the Holy Roman Empire. She is generally referred to by historians simply as Empress Maria Theresa and that is how she is referred to in this article. Maria Theresa and her husband had sixteen children. Eight of the couple’s children died in childhood and four of the eight died from smallpox.

Construction of the Maria Theresa Crypt started in 1754. It is located behind the Capuchin Church with its dome rising into the monastery courtyard.

Franz’s Crypt

Tomb of Holy Roman Emperor Franz II/Emperor Franz I of Austria; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Holy Roman Emperor Franz II = Emperor Franz I of Austria: Upon the death of his father Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II in 1792, Franz was elected the last Holy Roman Emperor and reigned as Holy Roman Emperor Franz I. Franz feared that Napoleon Bonaparte could take over his personal Habsburg territories within the Holy Roman Empire, so in 1804 he proclaimed himself Emperor Franz I of Austria and reigned until his death in 1835. Franz’s decision proved to be a wise one. Two years later, after Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of Austerlitz, the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved and lands that had been held by the Holy Roman Emperor were given to Napoleon’s allies creating the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Kingdom of Württemberg, and the Grand Duchy of Baden. Franz is referred to as Emperor Franz I of Austria in this article.

In 1824, Emperor Franz I of Austria built the octagonal Franz’s Crypt attaching it to the Maria Theresa Crypt. The crypt contains the tomb of Franz surrounded by the caskets of his four wives (two died in childbirth, one died of tuberculosis, and one survived him) in the crypt’s corners.

Tomb of Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, second wife of Emperor Franz I of Austria and the mother of his children. Maria Theresa died giving birth to her twelfth child who also died; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Ferdinand’s Crypt

Tomb of Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria; Credit – By Jebulon – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19158475

Ferdinand’s Crypt was built in 1842, along with the Tuscan Crypt, during the renovation of the monastery which is above the crypt. Only two sarcophagi, those of Emperor Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Maria Anna of Savoy, are visible, but 25% of the tombs in the Imperial Crypt are interred in the walls of Ferdinand’s Crypt.

Sarcophagi placed in the vault:

Interred in wall niches:

  • Archduchess Ludovica Elisabeth of Austria (1790 – 1791) – daughter of Emperor Franz I of Austria
  • Archduchess Karoline Leopoldine of Austria (1794 – 1795) – daughter of Emperor Franz I of Austria
  • Archduke Alexander Leopold of Austria (1772 – 1795) – son of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II
  • Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria (1780 – 1798) – daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II
  • Archduchess Karoline Louise of Austria (1795 – 1799) – daughter of Emperor Franz I of Austria
  • Luisa of Naples and Sicily, Grand Duchess of Tuscany (1773 – 1802), granddaughter of Empress Maria Theresa, first wife of Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany
  • Archduchess Amalie Therese of Austria (born and died 1807) – daughter of Emperor Franz I of Austria
  • Archduke Joseph Franz of Austria (1799 – 1807) – son of Emperor Franz I of Austria
  • Archduke Johann Nepomuk Karl of Austria (1805 – 1809) – son of Emperor Franz I of Austria
  • Archduchess Karoline Ferdinanda of Austria (1793 – 1802), daughter of Grand Duke Ferdinand III of Tuscany and granddaughter of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II
  • Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (1835 – 1840) – sister of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria
  • Archduchess Maria Karolina of Austria (1821 – 1844) – daughter of Archduke Rainer of Austria and granddaughter of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II
  • Archduchess Sophie Friederike of Austria (1855 – 1857) – daughter of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria
  • Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (1804 – 1858) – daughter of Emperor Franz I of Austria
  • Archduchess Maria Eleonore of Austria-Teschen (born and died 1864) – daughter of Archduke Karl Ferdinand of Austria-Teschen
  • Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony, Grand Duchess of Tuscany (1796 – 1865) – 2nd wife of Grand Duke Ferdinand III of Tuscany
  • Archduchess Maria Antoinetta of Austria (1858 – 1883) – daughter of Grand Duke Ferdinand IV of Tuscany
  • Archduchess Henriette Maria of Austria (1884 – 1886) – daughter of Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria
  • Archduke Rainer Salvator of Austria (1880 – 1889) – son of Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria
  • Archduchess Stephanie of Austria (1886 – 1890) – daughter of Archduke Friedrich of Austria, Duke of Teschen
  • Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria (1874 – 1891) – daughter of Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria
  • Archduke Ferdinand Salvator of Austria (1888 – 1891) – son of Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria
  • Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria (1839 – 1892) – son of Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany
  • Archduke Robert Ferdinand (1885 – 1895) – son of Grand Duke Ferdinand IV of Tuscany
  • Archduke Albrecht Salvator of Austria (1871 – 1896) – son of Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria
  • Archduchess Natalie of Austria (1884 – 1898) – daughter of Archduke Friedrich of Austria, Duke of Teschen
  • Archduke Leopold of Austria (1823 – 1898) – son of Archduke Rainer of Austria and grandson of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II
  • Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies, Grand Duchess of Tuscany (1814 – 1898) – 2nd wife of Grand Duke Leopold II of Tuscany
  • Maria Immaculata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Archduchess of Austria (1844 – 1899) – wife of Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria
  • Archduke Ernst of Austria (1824 – 1899) – son of Archduke Rainer of Austria and grandson of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II
  • Adelgunde of Bavaria, Duchess of Modena (1823 – 1914) – wife of Francesco V, Duke of Modena
  • Archduchess Marie Caroline of Austria-Teschen (1825 – 1915) – daughter of Archduke Karl, Duke of Teschen and wife of Archduke Rainer Ferdinand of Austria
  • Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria (1847 – 1915) – son of Grand Duke Leopold II of Tuscany
  • Archduke Joseph Ferdinand of Austria (1872 – 1942) – son of Grand Duke Ferdinand IV of Tuscany
  • Maria Theresa of Portugal, Archduchess of Austria (1855 – 1944) – 3rd wife of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, brother of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria
  • Archduke Leopold of Austria (1897 – 1958) – son of Archduke Leopold Salvator of Austria

Tuscan Crypt

Tuscan Crypt; Credit – By Welleschik – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6656990

The Tuscan Crypt was built in 1842 at the same time as the Ferdinand Vault. The vault takes its name from the many descendants of the younger sons of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II. Leopold reigned as Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 – 1790. He abdicated as Grand Duke of Tuscany in favor of his second son Ferdinando when he was elected Holy Roman Emperor.

New Crypt

New Crypt: Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The New Crypt was built under the monastery grounds from 1960 – 1962 to provide more space. The two most famous tombs in the New Vault stand directly across from each other: Empress Marie-Louise of France, daughter of Emperor Franz I of Austria and the second wife of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French and Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico, second son of Archduke Franz Karl and brother of Emperor Franz Joseph. Emperor Maximilian of Mexico was deposed and executed by a firing squad.

Franz Joseph’s Crypt

Left to Right: Tombs of Empress Elisabeth, Emperor Franz Joseph I, and Crown Prince Rudolf; Credit – By Bwag – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 at, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28243562

In 1908, Franz Joseph’s Crypt was built along with the adjacent Crypt Chapel in celebration of Emperor Franz Joseph’s sixty years on the throne. Currently, Franz Joseph, with a reign of 67 years and 355 days, is the sixth longest-reigning monarch in history. Along with Franz Joseph’s tomb, the crypt contains the tombs of his wife Elisabeth of Bavaria, known as Sissi, who was assassinated, and their only son Crown Prince Rudolf who died by suicide along with his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera at his Mayerling hunting lodge.

Crypt Chapel

Crypt Chapel; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The Crypt Chapel, where the most recent interments have occurred, was built in 1908 along with Franz Joseph’s Crypt. Zita of Bourbon-Parma, the wife of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, two of her sons Otto and Carl Ludwig, and Otto’s wife Regina of Saxe-Meiningen are buried here. There is a space reserved for Carl Ludwig’s widow Princesse Yolande de Ligne. The Crypt Chapel contains a memorial to Emperor Karl I, who has been beatified by the Roman Catholic Church and who is buried at the Church of Our Lady of Monte on the island of Madeira, Portugal. There is also a memorial to Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg. Both were assassinated at Sarajevo, an event that was one of the causes of World War I. Franz Ferdinand and his wife are buried at Artstetten Castle in Austria.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Kaisergruft – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaisergruft> [Accessed 22 December 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Kapuzinerkirche (Wien) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapuzinerkirche_(Wien)> [Accessed 22 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Capuchin Church, Vienna – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capuchin_Church,_Vienna> [Accessed 22 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Imperial Crypt – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Crypt> [Accessed 22 December 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2012. A Visit to the Kaisergruft (Imperial Crypt) in Vienna. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/austrian-imperial-burial-sites/a-visit-to-the-kaisergruft-imperial-crypt-in-vienna/> [Accessed 22 December 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2012. Burial Sites – House of Habsburg-Lorraine: Emperors of Austria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/austrian-imperial-burial-sites/house-of-habsburg-lorraine-emperors-of-austria/> [Accessed 22 December 2021].

Augustinerkirche (Augustinian Church) in Vienna, Austria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

The integration of the Augustinerkirche with the Hofburg Palace can be seen in this photo. The church is located below the church tower; Credit – By SchiDD – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37007074

The Augustinerkirche (Augustinian Church), which this writer has visited, is a Roman Catholic church located in Vienna, Austria, adjacent to the Hofburg Palace, the winter palace of the Habsburgs. Originally built as a separate building, the church became integrated with the Hofburg Palace as the palace expanded over the centuries. The church looks relatively inconspicuous from the outside but it has an impressive interior. The Augustinerkirche is most known for its Herzgruft (Heart Crypt) in the Loreto Chapel where silver urns containing the hearts of Habsburg family members are interred (see below).

Engraving of the image of the original Augustinerkirche (on the left) and the Hofburg Palace (on the right)

In 1327, Friedrich I, Duke of Austria founded a monastery with a church for the Augustinian order of monks. The church was built as a Gothic three-aisled hall church by the Bavarian builder Dietrich Ladtner of Pirna from 1330 – 1339 but it was not consecrated until 1349. In 1634, the Augustinerkirche became the imperial court parish church and remained so until the end of the monarchy in 1918. After the church was named the imperial court parish church, it was renovated in the Baroque style and a tower was added in 1652. During the reign of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, eighteen side altars were removed when the church was restored to its original Gothic style by Austrian architect Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg (link in German).

The main aisle of the Augustinerkirche; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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A Note About Two Habsburg Rulers

Empress Maria Theresa; Credit – Wikipedia

Empress Maria Theresa: Born Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, she was the second and eldest surviving child of Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI. Her only brother died several weeks before she was born and her two younger siblings were sisters. The fact that Maria Theresa’s father did not have a male heir caused many problems. Maria Theresa’s right to succeed to her father’s Habsburg territories in her own right was the cause of the eight-year-long War of the Austrian Succession. Upon her father’s death in 1740, Maria Theresa became the sovereign in her own right of all the Habsburg territories which included Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma. However, she was unable to become the sovereign of the Holy Roman Empire because she was female. The Habsburgs had been elected Holy Roman Emperors since 1438, but in 1742 Karl Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria and Prince-Elector of Bavaria from the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach was elected Holy Roman Emperor Karl VII. He died in 1745 and via a treaty, Maria Theresa arranged for her husband Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine to be elected Holy Roman Emperor. Despite the snub, the formidable Maria Theresa wielded the real power and in reality, ruled the Holy Roman Empire. She is generally referred to by historians simply as Empress Maria Theresa and that is how she is referred to in this article.

Emperor Franz I of Austria, formerly Holy Roman Emperor Franz II; Credit – Wikipedia

Holy Roman Emperor Franz II = Emperor Franz I of Austria: Upon the death of his father Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II in 1792, Franz was elected the last Holy Roman Emperor and reigned as Holy Roman Emperor Franz I. Franz feared that Napoleon Bonaparte could take over his personal Habsburg territories within the Holy Roman Empire, so in 1804 he proclaimed himself Emperor Franz I of Austria and reigned until he died in 1835. Franz’s decision proved to be a wise one. Two years later, after Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of Austerlitz, the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved and lands that had been held by the Holy Roman Emperor were given to Napoleon’s allies creating the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Kingdom of Württemberg, and the Grand Duchy of Baden. Franz is referred to as Emperor Franz I of Austria in this article.

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The High Altar

The high altar; Credit – Autor: Bwag – Vlastní dílo, CC BY-SA 3.0 at, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23347194

The current high altar was designed and made by German sculptor Andreas Halbig from 1857 – 1870. It was made from sandstone and made in the polychrome style, the decoration of architectural elements and sculpture in a variety of colors. The altar was originally made for the Votivkirche in Vienna but the architect of the Votivkirche rejected the altar because it would have prevented a view of the ambulatory, so the altar was installed in the Augustinerkirche in 1873. The altar shows Christ the King as ruler of the world, surrounded by angels and saints.

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The Altar Dedicated to Blessed Karl of Austria, the last Emperor of Austria

The altar dedicated to Blessed Karl of Austria in the Augustinerkirche; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

In 2004, a new side altar was dedicated to Blessed Karl of Austria. On October 3, 2004, Pope John Paul II beatified Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, and he is known as Blessed Karl of Austria. Beatification is the third of four steps toward sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church. On January 31, 2008, the Roman Catholic Church, after a 16-month investigation, formally recognized a second miracle attributed to Karl I which is required for his canonization as a saint. However, no word on his canonization has been forthcoming.

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The Cenotaph of Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria, Duchess of Teschen

Cenotaph of Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria (1742 – 1798), was the fifth of the sixteen children of Empress Maria Theresa and Francis I Stephen, Holy Roman Emperor. According to Empress Maria Theresa’s writings, Maria Christina was her favorite child. Allowed to marry for love, Maria Christina married Prince Albrecht of Saxony. The couple received the Duchy of Teschen, and Maria Christina and her husband were jointly appointed Governor of the Austrian Netherlands, serving from 1781 – 1789 and 1791 – 1792. Maria Christina’s last illness was a long one. The day before her death at the age of 56, she wrote a farewell letter to her husband in which she told him of her deep and lifelong love for him. After the death of his wife, her grieving husband Albrecht had an impressive cenotaph (empty tomb) built for Maria Christina, designed and sculpted by Italian neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova.

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Habsburg Weddings

The wedding of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and Princess Stéphanie of Belgium; Credit – Wikipedia

Information about the Augustinerkirche often says many Habsburg weddings took place there. In reality, many of these marriages were proxy marriages. A proxy marriage was a wedding in which one or both of the individuals being married are not physically present, usually being represented instead by other persons. It was very common during this time period for princesses to have a proxy marriage in their home country. The groom would usually be represented by one of the bride’s male relatives. Once the bride arrived in the groom’s home country, a larger religious ceremony was usually held.

For example, the proxy marriage of Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria, daughter of Empress Maria Theresa, and Louis-Auguste, Dauphin of France, the future Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI of France, was held at the Augustinerkirche in Vienna on April 19, 1770, with Maria Antonia’s brother Archduke Ferdinand of Austria standing in for Louis-Auguste, Dauphin of France. On May 16, 1770, Maria Antonia, now known by her French name Marie Antoinette, and Louis-Auguste were married in person in a grand ceremony held in the Chapel Royal at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France.

The weddings below were ceremonies where both the bride and groom were present in the Augustinerkirche. They were not proxy marriages. This is very likely an incomplete list.

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What is Separate Burial?

A separate burial is a form of partial burial in which internal organs are buried separately from the rest of the body. Separate burials of the heart, viscera (the intestines), and the body were common in the House of Habsburg starting with the death of Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans in 1654 until the death of Archduke Franz Karl in 1878. Ferdinand IV of the Romans (1633 – 1654), son of Holy Emperor Ferdinand III, had a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and requested that his heart be interred in the Loreto Chapel at the Augustinekirche in Vienna. This established the tradition of interring the hearts of members of the Habsburg family in a crypt alongside the heart of Ferdinand IV. Until then, the hearts of Habsburgs had mostly been buried with the body in the coffin at the Imperial Crypt in the nearby Capuchin Church in Vienna or in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna where the entrails of the Habsburgs were traditionally interred. With the death of Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans, it became traditional for the body to be interred in the Imperial Crypt in the Capuchin Church in Vienna, the heart to be placed in an urn in the Herzgruft, the Heart Crypt in the Loreto Chapel of the Augustinerkirche in Vienna, and the entrails to be placed in an urn in the Ducal Crypt of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna.

After the end of the monarchy in 1918, some members of the Habsburg family resumed the tradition of heart burial but not viscera burial. When Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, died in 1922, he was not allowed to be buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, and instead was buried at the Church of Our Lady of Monte on the island of Madeira in Portugal. His heart remained with his widow Empress Zita until it was interred in the Loreto Chapel of the Muri Monastery in Switzerland in 1971. When Empress Zita died in 1989, her body was buried in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna and her heart was interred with her husband’s heart in the Loreto Chapel of the Muri Monastery in Switzerland. Karl and Zita’s son Otto von Habsburg, the last Crown Prince of Austria, requested that his heart be buried in the crypt of the Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma in Hungary. His body was interred in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church. The body of Otto’s wife Regina of Saxe-Meiningen was also interred in the Imperial Crypt but she requested that her heart be interred in her family’s crypt at Veste Heldburg (link in German) in Heldburg, Germany.

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Herzgruft – Heart Crypt in the Loreto Chapel

Loreto Chapel, the metal door to the left of the altar leads to the Herzgruft (Heart Crypt; Credit – Wikipedia

The Herzgruft (Heart Crypt) in the Loreto Chapel has 54 silver urns containing the hearts of 54 members of the Habsburg family. The chapel is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Loreto. The women from the House of Habsburg prayed for the gift of children in the Loreto Chapel, and after giving birth, they offered prayers of thanksgiving in the chapel.

During the renovations of the Augustinerkirche by Austrian architect Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg (link in German), the original Loreto Chapel was demolished and a new one was built. A separate room in the new Loreto Chapel was set up for the heart urns. At the same time, the hearts of Anna of Tyrol, Holy Roman Empress, Holy Roman Emperor Matthias, and Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, originally interred in the royal monastery of the Poor Clares next to the Hofburg Palace, were transferred to the Loreto Chapel. The last Habsburg whose heart was interred at the Loreto Chapel was Archduke Franz Karl, son of Emperor Franz I of Austria and father of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, who died in 1878.

Urns with hearts in the Herzgruft (Heart Crypt); Credit – Autor: Gugerell – Vlastní dílo, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28367548

The current Loreto Chapel, located behind a wrought iron gate in the right aisle, adjacent to the high altar, was built in 1724 and is the successor to the original 1627 Loreto Chapel. Access to the heart crypt is by an iron door to the left of the altar in the Loreto Chapel. The heart crypt is a semicircular room with bare walls in which the urns are placed on two shelves side by side in the sequence of death dates. The heart urns are made of silver except for the gold urn of Holy Roman Emperor Matthias. The heart urn of Prince Napoleon II of France, son of Napoléon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French and his second wife Archduchess Maria Louise of Austria, daughter of Emperor Franz I of Austria, is usually decorated with a ribbon in the blue, white, and red colors of the French tricolor.

All but three of those whose hearts are interred in the Augustinerkirche are buried in the Imperial Crypt in the Capuchin Church in Vienna, a short distance from the Augustinekirche. The burial place of those three is noted below.

Note: Holy Roman Emperors were elected. The Habsburg Holy Roman Emperors were also the Kings of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia and sovereigns of Austria and other Habsburg territories.

The upper row of heart urns arranged in sequence of death dates, from left to right:

The lower row of heart urns arranged in sequence of death dates, from left to right:

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Augustinerkirche Wien. 2021. Augustinerkirche Wien. [online] Available at: <https://augustinerkirche.augustiner.at/> [Accessed 11 December 2021].
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  • Cs.wikipedia.org. 2021. Hrobka srdcí – Wikipedie. [online] Available at: <https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hrobka_srdc%C3%AD> [Accessed 11 December 2021].
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  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Loretokapelle (Augustinerkirche Wien) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loretokapelle_(Augustinerkirche_Wien)> [Accessed 11 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Augustinian Church, Vienna – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustinian_Church,_Vienna> [Accessed 11 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Herzgruft – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herzgruft_(Vienna)> [Accessed 11 December 2021].

Prince Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was located in today’s southern Italy. It included the island of Sicily and all of the Italian peninsula south of the Papal States. Ferdinando I, the first King of the Two Sicilies, had previously reigned over two kingdoms, as Ferdinando IV of the Kingdom of Naples and Ferdinando III of the Kingdom of Sicily. He had been deposed twice from the throne of Naples: once by the revolutionary Parthenopean Republic for six months in 1799 and again by Napoleon in 1805, before being restored in 1816 after the defeat of Napoleon. After the 1816 restoration, the two kingdoms were united into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia became a driving force behind the Italian unification movement along with Giuseppe Garibaldi, a general and nationalist, and Giuseppe Mazzini, a politician and journalist. Garibaldi conquered Naples and Sicily, the territories of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies. Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies was deposed, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ceased to exist, and its territory was incorporated into the Kingdom of Sardinia. Eventually, the Sardinian troops occupied the central territories of the Italian peninsula, except Rome and part of Papal States. With all the newly acquired land, Vittorio Emanuele II was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

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Prince Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta. source: Wikipedia

Prince Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta, was a younger half-brother of King Francesco II, the last reigning King of the Two Sicilies. Upon Francesco’s death in 1894, Alfonso became Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and pretender to the former throne.

Prince Alfonso Maria Giuseppe Alberto was born March 28, 1841 in Caserta, Two Sicilies, the third child of King Ferdinando II of the Two Sicilies and his second wife, Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria. Alfonso had 11 siblings:

Alfonso also had one elder half-sibling from his father’s first marriage to Maria Cristina of Savoy:

At the time of his birth, Alfonso was 4th in line to the throne of the Two Sicilies, preceded by his three elder brothers, Francesco, Luigi and Alberto. Upon their father’s death in May 1859, his eldest brother, Francesco, became the last reigning King of the Two Sicilies. Alfonso, alongside his two surviving elder brothers, fought on the front lines in an attempt to defeat Garibaldi’s forces, but were unsuccessful, and the Kingdom was overtaken. Along with his brothers, he left the country in February 1861, and would spend the rest of his life in exile.

Upon the death of his brother Luigi in 1886, Alfonso became heir presumptive to his eldest brother who had no male heirs. Thus, when Franceso II died on December 27, 1894, Alfonso became Pretender to the former throne of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. source: Wikipedia

On June 8, 1868, Alfonso married his cousin, Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. She was the daughter of Prince Francesco of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Trapani and Archduchess Maria Isabella of Austria, Princess of Tuscany. Alfonso and his wife were both grandchildren of King Franceso I of the Two Sicilies. Together they had 12 children:

Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta; source: Wikipedia

Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta died on May 26, 1934 in Cannes, France. He is buried in the Cimetière du Grand Jas in Cannes.

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Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, Duchess of Nassau

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, Duchess of Nassau; Credit – Wikipedia

Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia was the first wife of the future Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg. Born on May 26, 1826, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Elizabeth was the second of the five daughters of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia and Princess Charlotte of Württemberg (Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna). Her paternal grandparents were Paul I, Emperor of All Russia and his second wife Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg (Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia). Elizabeth’s maternal grandparents were Prince Paul of Württemberg and Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Elizabeth was named in honor of Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna of Russia (born Louise of Baden), the wife of her uncle Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia. Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna had died ten days before Elizabeth’s birth and was a close friend of Elizabeth’s mother.

Elizabeth had four sisters:

Mikhailovsky Palace in the nineteenth century with Mikhailovsky Square in the foreground; Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth grew up at the Mikhailovsky Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. Her mother closely supervised the education of her three surviving daughters. Their father Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich had a military career and he taught his daughters parade and military maneuvers, claiming that any of them would have been able to command a cavalry regiment.

In 1843, Adolphe, then the sovereign duke of the Duchy of Nassau, visited St. Petersburg, Russia for the first time and met Elizabeth. Adolphe’s stepmother Princess Pauline of Württemberg was Elizabeth’s maternal aunt. It was love at first sight and Adolphe and Elizabeth became betrothed. On January 31, 1844, 17-year-old Elizabeth married 26-year-old Adolphe in St. Petersburg. The newlyweds remained in Russia for a while before traveling to the Duchy of Nassau where they lived at Biebrich Castle in Wiesbaden, now in the German state of Hesse.

Elizabeth, now Duchess of Nassau, was happily married and very popular with the people of the Duchy of Nassau. The couple was delighted when Elizabeth soon became pregnant with their first child, but the happiness did not last. On January 28, 1845, at Biebrich Castle, after a very difficult labor, 18-year-old Elizabeth died giving birth to a daughter who did not survive the birth.

Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth; Credit – By Velvet – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=92972063

With the blessing of Elizabeth’s uncle Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, the grief-stricken Adolphe used Elizabeth’s dowry to build the Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth in Wiesbaden. Adolphe sent his court architect Philipp Hoffmann to Russia to study the architecture of Russian Orthodox churches. The church’s location on a hill was chosen by Adolphe himself so that he could always have a view of the church from his residence. The church was built from 1847 – 1855, and on May 25, 1855, it was dedicated to Saint Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist and Elizabeth’s patron saint. Shortly afterward, the coffin containing the remains of Elizabeth and her daughter was taken in a procession from St. Bonifatius Roman Catholic Church, its temporary burial place, to the Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth where it was interred in the crypt.

Tomb of Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, Duchess of Nassau; Credit – By Altera levatur  Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69833581

The Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth in Wiesbaden, now in the German state of Hesse, has two other royal burials. Two of the four children of Elizabeth’s first cousin Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia and his mistress and later his morganatic second wife Catherine Dolgorukov, Princess Yurievskaya are buried there: Prince George Alexandrovich Yurievsky (1872 – 1913) and Princess Olga Alexandrovna Yurievskaya (1874 – 1925).

In 1851, Adolphe married for a second time to Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau. They had five children, but only two lived to adulthood including his successor Wilhelm (Guillaume) IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg.  Since 1839. the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg had been united with the Netherlands and the King of the Netherlands was also the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. This rule continued until King Willem III of the Netherlands died in 1890. His successor was his daughter Wilhelmina, who could not inherit the throne of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg due to the Salic Law which prevented female succession. Through the Nassau Family Pact,  Adolph became the Grand Duke of Luxembourg in 1890.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Elisabeth Michailowna Romanowa – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Michailowna_Romanowa> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchess_Elizabeth_Mikhailovna_of_Russia> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. St. Elizabeth’s Church, Wiesbaden – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Elizabeth%27s_Church_(Wiesbaden)> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2015. Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/grand-duke-adolphe-of-luxembourg/> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2021. Élisabeth Mikhaïlovna de Russie — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89lisabeth_Mikha%C3%AFlovna_de_Russie> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2021. Елизавета Михайловна — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%95%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B0_%D0%9C%D0%B8%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B0> [Accessed 23 December 2021].

Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg was Head of the House of Württemberg, and pretender to the former throne, from 1939 until his death in 1975.

photo: By Atelier E. Breber, Berlin – Original publication: Published as a postcard in Europe.Immediate source: Private Collection – Wartenberg Trust, PD-US, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34113255

Prince Georg Philipp Albrecht Carl Maria Joseph Ludwig Lubertus Stanislaus Leopold of Württemberg was born in Stuttgart on November 14, 1893, the eldest son of Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg and Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria. He had six younger siblings:

  • Duke Albrecht Eugen (1895) – married Princess Nadezhda of Bulgaria, had issue
  • Duke Carl Alexander (1896) – unmarried
  • Duchess Maria Amalia (1897) – unmarried
  • Duchess Maria Theresa (1898) – unmarried
  • Duchess Maria Elisabeth (1899) -unmarried
  • Duchess Margarita Maria (1902) – unmarried

After attending the Eberhard-Ludwigs-Gymnasium in Stuttgart, Philipp Albrecht began studying law at the University of Tübingen. He left his studies after two semesters to join the Württemberg Army in 1912. He served in the Royal Dragoon Regiment No.25 during World War I, fighting on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. Following the November Revolution in 1918, which saw the end of the monarchy, he retired from military service and returned to his studies in Tübingen, eventually earning his doctorate in 1925.

Philipp Albrecht was married twice. His first wife was Archduchess Helena of Austria, Princess of Tuscany. She was the daughter of Archduke Peter Ferdinand of Austria and Princess Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Philipp Albrecht and Helena married in Altshausen on October 24, 1923. Sadly, Helena died just a week after giving birth to their only child:

  • Duchess Maria Christina (1924) – married Prince Georg Hartmann of Liechtenstein, had issue

Four years later, on August 1, 1928, Philipp Albrecht married Archduchess Rosa of Austria, Princess of Tuscany. Rosa was the younger sister of his first wife. Together they had six children:

  • Duchess Helene (1929) – married Federico Pallavicini, Marchese Pallavicini, had issue
  • Duke Ludwig Albrecht (1930) – married (1) Baroness Adelheid von Bodman, had issue; (2) Angelika Kiessig, had issue
  • Duchess Elisabeth (1933) – married Prince Antoine of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, had issue
  • Duchess Marie Therese (1934) – married Prince Henri d’Orléans, Count of Paris, had issue
  • Carl, Duke of Württemberg (1936) – married Princess Diane d’Orléans, had issue
  • Duchess Maria Antonia (1937) – unmarried

Despite the monarchy having been abolished, Philipp Albrecht and his family continued to live at the Crown Prince’s Palace in Stuttgart until 1934 when they were forced to leave after he refused to fly the Nazi Flag above his home. They moved to Altshausen, where he became more involved in the family’s business ventures. After his father died in 1939, he became head of the House of Württemberg and pretender to the former throne and took over the management of the family’s estates. He remained very highly regarded in Württemberg for the rest of his life, unlike many of his contemporaries in other German monarchies.

Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg died in Ravensburg on April 1, 1975. He is buried in the family crypt in Altshausen.

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg was heir presumptive to the throne of Württemberg for just a year before the monarchy was abolished in 1918. Three years later, upon the death of his distant cousin, the former King Wilhelm II Württemberg, he became Head of the House of Württemberg and pretender to the former throne.

Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg – source: Wikipedia

Albrecht Maria Alexander Philipp Joseph of Württemberg was born in Vienna on December 23, 1865, the eldest son of Duke Philipp of Württemberg and Archduchess Maria Teresa of Austria. He had four younger siblings:

Albrecht studied law at the University of Tübingen before beginning his military career. He joined the Württemberg Army in 1885 and also received training in the Prussian Army. Rising quickly through the ranks, Albrecht held numerous commands and became Commander-in-Chief of the 4th Army on the Western Front during World War I. He was considered one of the most skilled military leaders of the war. German Emperor Wilhelm II awarded him the German Order of Merit and appointed him Fieldmarshal in the Prussian Army.

Albrecht with his wife Margarete Sophie – source: Wikipedia

On January 24, 1893, in Vienna, Albrecht married Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria, the daughter of Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria and Princess Maria Annunciata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Margarete Sophie’s father was the younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico. Her brother was Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination in 1913 was a primary cause of World War I. As Albrecht was the heir-presumptive to the throne of Württemberg, the couple took up residence in the Crown Prince’s Palace in Stuttgart, where they had seven children:

Altshausen Castle. photo: Andreas Praefcke – Eigenes Werk own photograph, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=169884

On November 30, 1918, King Wilhelm II abdicated, ending the monarchy of Württemberg. At that time, the former King gave Albrecht and his family Altshausen Castle (link in German) as their primary residence. Just three years later, on October 2, 1921, the former King died and Albrecht became Head of the House of Württemberg and pretender to the former throne.

Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg died at Altshausen Castle in Althausen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany on October 31, 1939. He was buried in the family crypt at the Church of St. Michael, Althausen Castle.

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Fredrik I, King of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Frederik I, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Fredrik I was King of Sweden from 1720 until his death in 1751. However, he was also Prince Consort of Sweden from 1718 to 1720 and Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1730 until his death. He was born Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel on April 28, 1676, in Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in the German state of Hesse. Friedrich was the third but the eldest surviving of the twelve sons and the third but the eldest surviving of the seventeen children of Karl I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Maria Amalia of Courland. His paternal grandparents were Wilhelm VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg. His maternal grandparents were Jacob, Duke of Courland to Luise Charlotte of Brandenburg. Both his grandmothers were sisters and so his parents were first cousins.

Friedrich had sixteen siblings:

After completing his education at the University of Utrecht, Friedrich made the Grand Tour, traveling in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, and the German monarchies. He then embarked on a military career, leading the Hessian troops in the War of the Spanish Succession alongside the Dutch and the Holy Roman Empire troops.

Luise Dorothea of Brandenburg, Fredrik’s first wife; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 31, 1700, in Berlin, Electorate of Brandenburg, now in the German state of Brandenburg, Friedrich married his first cousin Luise Dorothea of Brandenburg, the only daughter of the future King in Prussia, Friedrich I, and his first wife Elisabeth Henriette of Hesse-Kassel. Luise Dorothea was sickly and died childless on December 23, 1705, aged 25. After the death of his first wife, Friedrich began to look for a second wife from Europe’s great royal houses. He had bigger ambitions than just being the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. He wanted to have influence in a larger monarchy. Friedrich discovered Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden. Her brother Karl XII, King of Sweden was unmarried and Ulrika Eleonora was regarded as a possible future heir to the Swedish throne. In 1708, Ulrika Eleonora’s elder sister Hedwig Sophia died from smallpox, leaving her only child eight-year-old Karl Friedrich as a possible heir to the Swedish throne. At the age of two, Karl Friedrich had become Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp upon the death of his father in battle.

Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden, Fredrik’s second wife; Credit – Wikipedia

As early as 1710, Hereditary Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel requested Ulrika Eleonora’s hand in marriage but their betrothal was not announced until January 23, 1714. The marriage was supported by her grandmother Hedwig Eleonora, who expected Ulrika Eleonora to move with her husband to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, thereby increasing the possibility that the young son of the deceased Hedwig Sophia, Karl Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, would become the heir to the Swedish throne. Ulrika Eleonora and Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel were married on March 24, 1715 in Stockholm, Sweden. Friedrich took the Swedish version of his name, Fredrik, and was granted the title Prince of Sweden and the style of His Royal Highness. Instead of moving to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, the couple remained in Sweden.

In 1718, Karl XII, King of Sweden invaded Norway by laying siege to Fredriksten Fortress. On December 11, 1718, while in the trenches close to the perimeter of Fredriksten Fortress, 36-year-old Karl XII was hit in the head by a projectile that entered the left side of his skull and exited on the right side of his skull, instantly killing him. Some historians claim Karl XII was assassinated instead of being hit by enemy fire, and that his brother-in-law Fredrik could have hired an assassin to kill Karl XII.

After Karl XII’s death, his only surviving sibling Ulrika Eleonora claimed the Swedish throne even though her nephew Karl Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp had the better claim by primogeniture. Ulrika Eleonora asserted that she was the closest surviving relative of her brother and was elected Queen of Sweden by the Riksdag, the Swedish legislature. She was crowned at Uppsala Cathedral on March 17, 1719.

Frederik I, King of Sweden in his coronation robes; Credit – Wikipedia

Ulrika Eleonora wanted to reign jointly with her husband Prince Fredrik as William III and Mary II had done in England but the Swedish nobility rejected the notion. Frederik increased his influence on his wife and in state affairs and then reached out to the most powerful men in Sweden who soon considered a change. Ulrika Eleonora wrote a letter to the Riksdag on February 29, 1720, informing its members of her desire to abdicate in favor of her husband on the condition that she should succeed him if he should die before her. The Riksdag confirmed the succession of Ulrika Eleonora’s husband and the condition of her abdication which granted her place as the heir to the Swedish throne until her death. On March 24, 1720, Prince Fredrik acceded to the Swedish throne as Fredrik I, King of Sweden and Ulrika Eleonora became Queen Consort. In 1730, Frederik’s father died and he became Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel but immediately appointed his younger brother Wilhelm Regent of Hesse-Kassel. The childless Frederik would be succeeded as Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel by his brother who would reign as Wilhelm VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel.

At the beginning of his 31-year-reign, Fredrik was an active monarch. However, after the nobility had regained some power during the wars with Russia, Fredrik was not so much powerless as uninterested in the affairs of state. The battle losses in the Great Northern War suffered by Frederik’s brother-in-law Karl XII, King of Sweden ended Sweden’s position as a major European power. Under Frederik’s reign, this had to be accepted. Sweden also had to cede land to Russia in the 1721 Treaty of Nystad. In 1723, Fredrik tried unsuccessfully to strengthen his royal authority but failed and thereafter, he never had much to do with politics. Fredrik did not even sign official documents, instead, a stamp of his signature was used. He devoted most of his time to hunting and his affairs. One lasting accomplishment was the institution of the three principal Swedish orders of chivalry: the Royal Order of the Seraphim, the Royal Order of the Sword, and the Royal Order of the Polar Star.

Frederik’s mistress Hedwig Taube; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1734, Swedish noblewoman Hedwig Taube (1714 – 1744) became Fredrik’s official mistress. She was given the title Countess of Hessenstein and bore Fredrik four children. Ulrika Eleonora expressed her disapproval to her close confidant Emerentia von Düben who convinced her never to display any public reaction to the affair because it would be beneath the queen’s dignity. Hedwig Taube died a week after the birth of her daughter Hedwig Amalia. She was originally buried at Vadsbro Church. At a later date, her son Karl Edvard had his mother’s remains transferred to Strängnäs Cathedral where she was interred next to her daughter Hedwig Amalia. After Hedwig Taube’s death, Fredrik took another official mistress, Swedish noblewoman Catharina Ebba Horn, who was given gave the title Countess. Catharina was Fredrik’s mistress for only three years, agreeing to leave her position after having received a great fortune and three estates.

Frederik’s sons by Hedwig Taube; Credit – Wikipedia

While both of his marriages were childless, Fredrik had four children with Hedwig Taube:

  • Fredrika Vilhelmina von Hessenstein (1732 – 1734), died in early childhood
  • Fredrik Vilhelm von Hessenstein (1735 – 1808), unmarried, had a career in the Swedish army
  • Karl Edvard von Hessenstein (1737 – 1769), unmarried, had a career in the Swedish army
  • Hedwig Amalia von Hessenstein (1744 – 1752), died in childhood

On November 24, 1741, at Wrangel Palace in Riddarholmen, Stockholm, Sweden, Ulrika Eleonora died from smallpox at the age of 53. She was buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden. Because Fredrik and Ulrika Eleonora had no children, Fredrik had no heir. This situation was eventually solved by Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia.

After the death of his first cousin Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp in 1739, Prince Adolf Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp became the administrator of the duchy for his cousin’s 11-year-old son Karl Peter Ulrich. Karl Peter Ulrich’s mother was the deceased Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia, the elder surviving daughter of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia. When his mother’s sister Elizabeth succeeded as Empress of Russia, she named her nephew Karl Peter Ulrich as her successor. Now called Peter, he married Adolf Friedrich’s niece Princess Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst. Later, he reigned briefly as Peter III, Emperor of All Russia until he was deposed by his wife who reigned as Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia.

In 1743, after the Russo-Swedish War (1741-1743) which ended in Sweden’s defeat, negotiations were held with Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia. She agreed to restore part of Finland to Sweden if her heir’s uncle, Adolf Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp, was made heir to the childless King Fredrik I of Sweden. Thereafter, Adolf Friedrich was known by the Swedish version of his name, Adolf Fredrik.

Sarcophagus of Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden and her husband Fredrik I, King of Sweden; Photo © Susan Flantzer

Fredrik I, King of Sweden survived his wife by ten years. After suffering several strokes, he died on March 25, 1751, aged 74, at Wrangel Palace in Riddarholmen, Stockholm, Sweden, and Adolf Frederik of Holstein-Gottorp succeeded to the Swedish throne. Fredrik was buried with his wife at Riddarholmen Church.

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Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Friedrich (Schweden) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_(Schweden)> [Accessed 15 September 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Frederick I of Sweden – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_I_of_Sweden> [Accessed 15 September 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I,_Landgrave_of_Hesse-Kassel> [Accessed 15 September 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/ulrika-eleanora-queen-of-sweden/> [Accessed 15 September 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Fredrik I – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredrik_I> [Accessed 15 September 2021].