| Revision as of 04:32, 17 May 2007 editWowaconia (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers13,122 editsm →Political career: fix prose← Previous edit | Revision as of 03:47, 20 May 2007 edit undoTfoxworth (talk | contribs)354 editsNo edit summaryNext edit → | ||
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| As a member of the European Parliament, Habsburg drew attention with some moral conservative opinions, such as when he compared the abortion drug ] with the ]. He also served as the Director General of the ]. | As a member of the European Parliament, Habsburg drew attention with some moral conservative opinions, such as when he compared the abortion drug ] with the ]. He also served as the Director General of the ]. | ||
| Facing intensive pressure from other parties, the Austrian People's Party did not put Habsburg on the ballot again in the ], he then ran unsuccessfully with his own list. | Facing intensive pressure from other parties, the Austrian People's Party did not put Habsburg on the ballot again in the ], in which then he then ran unsuccessfully with his own list. | ||
| In Austria Habsburg's name is closely connected with the so called ] scandal. The then Secretary General of the Paneuropean Movement, ], had misled funds from World Vision to the Paneuropean Movement. (World Vision Austria was dissolved due to irregularities in 1998, and its president, ] was given a suspended sentence of three years in jail in 2004, with an appeal pending). The main accusation against Habsburg was that he had not monitored his secretary general closely enough. | In Austria Habsburg's name is closely connected with the so called ] scandal. The then Secretary General of the Paneuropean Movement, ], had misled funds from World Vision to the Paneuropean Movement. (World Vision Austria was dissolved due to irregularities in 1998, and its president, ] was given a suspended sentence of three years in jail in 2004, with an appeal pending). The main accusation against Habsburg was that he had not monitored his secretary general closely enough. | ||
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| {{s-bef|rows=2|before=]</br></br></br><small>as King of Hungary</small></br>]</br></br><small>as King of Bohemia</small></br>]}} | {{s-bef|rows=2|before=]</br></br></br><small>as King of Hungary</small></br>]</br></br><small>as King of Bohemia</small></br>]}} | ||
| {{s-tul|title=]</br>]</br>]</br>]</br>]</br>]</br>]|years=]-|reason=Austro-Hungarian Empire abolished in ]}} | {{s-tul|title=]</br>]</br>]</br>]</br>]</br>]</br>]|years=]-|reason=Austro-Hungarian Empire abolished in ]}} | ||
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Revision as of 03:47, 20 May 2007
| Otto, Crown Prince of Austria | |
|---|---|
| Pretender | |
 | |
| Born | (1912-11-20) November 20, 1912 (age 112) |
| Regnal name claimed | Otto I (Austria, Bohemia)/ Otto II (Hungary) |
| Title(s) | Archduke and Crown Prince of Austria, Crown Prince of Hungary and Bohemia |
| Throne(s) claimed | Austria, Hungary |
| Pretend from | April 1, 1922 - present |
| Monarchy abolished | 1918 |
| Last monarch | Karl I |
| Connection with | Eldest son |
| Royal House | Habsburg |
| Father | Karl I |
| Mother | Zita of Bourbon-Parma |
| Spouse | Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen and Hildburghausen |
| Children | Andrea, Monika, Michaela, Gabriela, Walburga, Karl, Georg |
Otto von Habsburg (born 20 November, 1912 as Archduke Franz Joseph Otto Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xaver Felix Renatus Ludwig Gaetan Pius Ignatius of Austria) is the current head of the Habsburg family and the eldest son of Karl of Austria, the last Emperor of Austria and last King of Hungary, and his wife, Zita of Bourbon-Parma. He is a former member of the European Parliament for the CSU party and president of the International Paneuropean Union.
Otto lives in Bavaria in Germany, and is a German, Austrian, Croatian, and Hungarian citizen. Although his official name in Germany is Otto von Habsburg, he is referred to as Otto Habsburg-Lothringen by Austrian authorities. He is also often known as Archduke Otto of Austria, Crown Prince Otto of Austria, and in Hungary, simply as Habsburg Ottó.
Early life
Otto was born near Vienna in Reichenau an der Rax, Lower Austria.
In November 1916, Otto became Crown Prince of Austria and Hungary when his father, Archduke Karl, ascended to the throne. However, in 1918, at the end of the First World War, both monarchies were abolished, the Republics of Austria and Hungary founded instead, and the family were forced into exile. Hungary did become a kingdom again, but Karl was never to ascend the throne. Instead, Miklós Horthy ruled until 1944 as regent in the kingdom without a king.
Years in exile
Otto's family spent the following years in Switzerland and in the Portuguese island of Madeira, where Karl died prematurely in 1922, making Otto pretender to the throne at the age of ten. Meanwhile, the Austrian parliament had officially expelled the Habsburg dynasty and confiscated all the official property (Habsburgergesetz of 3 April 1919).
In 1935 Otto graduated from the Catholic University of Leuven, having studied social and political sciences.
Opposing Nazi government
Otto spent most of the war years in Washington, D.C. (1940 – 1944), after escaping from Austria to Portugal with a visa issued by the Portuguese consul in Bordeaux, Aristides Sousa Mendes. A fervent Austrian patriot, he opposed the Nazi Anschluss of Austria of 1938 and, sentenced to death by Hitler, spent the war years in America (Ironically, the codename for the operation carried out by the German army in the Anschluss was 'Otto'). After the war, he lived for some years in both France and Spain.
Political career
In 1961 Habsburg renounced all claims to the Austrian throne and was eventually allowed to return to his home country in 1966 (Austria had until the mid 1950s been officially neutral, staunchly republican and ill-disposed to welcome back the heir to a disgraced dynasty).
An early advocate of a unified Europe, Habsburg was president of the International Paneuropean Union from 1986 to 2004. He served from 1979 till 1999 as a Member of the European Parliament for the conservative CSU party, becoming the Senior Member of the supranational body. He is also a member of the Mont Pelerin Society.
As a member of the European Parliament, Habsburg drew attention with some moral conservative opinions, such as when he compared the abortion drug Mifegyne with the death penalty. He also served as the Director General of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization.
Facing intensive pressure from other parties, the Austrian People's Party did not put Habsburg on the ballot again in the 1999 European Elections, in which then he then ran unsuccessfully with his own list.
In Austria Habsburg's name is closely connected with the so called World Vision scandal. The then Secretary General of the Paneuropean Movement, Wolfgang Krones, had misled funds from World Vision to the Paneuropean Movement. (World Vision Austria was dissolved due to irregularities in 1998, and its president, Maria Taurer-Krones was given a suspended sentence of three years in jail in 2004, with an appeal pending). The main accusation against Habsburg was that he had not monitored his secretary general closely enough.
21st century
Recently Habsburg warned that Russia is becoming the biggest threat to Europe and compared the actions made by Putin to actions of Hitler.
The far-right Austrian weekly paper Zur Zeit published an interview in 2002, in which the following quote is attributed to Habsburg: “The Pentagon is now a Jewish institution as all key positions are occupied by Jews.” He further called Vladimir Putin a “National Socialist,” and accused then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of planning a genocide against all Arabs.
In December 2006, Habsburg observed that, "The catastrophe of September 11, 2001 struck more profoundly than any of us, whence a certain mutual incomprehension. Until then, the United States felt itself secure, persuaded of its power to bombard any enemy, without anyone being able to strike back. That sentiment vanished in an instant...Americans understand 'viscerally' for the first time the risks they face."
Miscellaneous
Main article: Denunciation of Pope John Paul II by Ian PaisleyHabsburg is alleged to have struck fellow MEP Ian Paisley. When Pope John Paul II gave a speech to the European Parliament in 1988, Paisley shouted at the Pope, "I renounce you as the Antichrist!" and held up a poster reading "Pope John Paul II Antichrist", whereupon he was excluded from the session and expelled from the room by other MEPs.
Family life
Habsburg has been married since 1951 to Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen and Hildburghausen. The couple have seven children and 22 grandchildren:
- Archduchess Andrea of Austria (1953). Married Hereditary Count Karl Eugen of Neipperg. They have three sons and two daughters.
- Archduchess Monika of Austria (1954). Married Luis Gonzaga de Casanova-Cárdenas y Barón, Duke of Santangelo, Marquess of Elche, Count of Lodosa and Grandee of Spain, who is a descendant of Infanta Doña Luisa Teresa of Spain, Duchess of Sessa and sister of Francisco de Asís, King-Consort of Spain. They have four sons.
- Archduchess Michaela of Austria (1954). Monika's twin sister. Married firstly Eric Teran d'Antin, and secondly Count Hubertus of Kageneck. She has two sons and a daughter from her first marriage. Twice divorced.
- Archduchess Gabriela of Austria (1956). Married Christian Meister in 1978, divorced in 1997. She has a son and two daughters.
- Archduchess Walburga of Austria (1958). Married Count Archibald Douglas, from the Swedish nobility. They have a son.
- Archduke Karl of Austria (born 11 January, 1961), the presumptive future head of the Habsburg family, married Baroness Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza (daughter of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza) in 1993. They have two daughters and a son. They separated amicably in 2003.
- Eleonore (1994-)
- Ferdinand Zvonimir (1997-)
- Gloria (1999-)
- Archduke Georg of Austria (1964). Married Duchess Eilika of Oldenburg. They have two daughters and a son.
- Zsófia (2001-)
- Ildikó (2002-)
- Károly-Konstantin (2004-)
Otto and his wife reside at the "Villa Austria" in Pöcking near the lake Starnberger See, Bavaria, Germany.
Sources
- http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl
- Der Standard (accessed on September 24, 2006)
- Lalanne, Dorothée (2006-12-06). "Otto de Habsbourg: Européen Avant Tout". Point de Vue (No.3046): page 46.
{{cite journal}}:|issue=has extra text (help);|pages=has extra text (help) - http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE7DC1630F935A25753C1A96E948260
- http://www.freepres.org/paisley.asp?paisley
- Gordon Brook-Shepherd Uncrowned Emperor - The Life and Times of Otto von Habsburg, Hambledon Continuum, London 2003
External links
- Erzherzog Dr. Otto von Habsburg (Autorisierte Ehrenseite)
- An essay on Republicanism vs Monarchism by Otto
- Video interview of Otto von Habsbourg (French) European NAvigator
| Otto von Habsburg House of Habsburg-LothringenBorn: 20 November 1912 | ||
| Titles in pretence | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byKarl I as King of Hungary Charles IV as King of Bohemia Charles III |
— TITULAR — Emperor of Austria King of Hungary King of Bohemia King of Croatia, Dalmatia, and Slavonia King of Galicia King of Lodomeria King of Illyria 1922- Reason for succession failure: Austro-Hungarian Empire abolished in 1918 |
Incumbent Heir: Archduke Karl |
- 1912 births
- Living people
- Non-ruling Austrian royalty
- Pretenders
- Claimant Kings of Jerusalem
- House of Habsburg-Lorraine
- Heirs apparent who never acceded
- German Roman Catholics
- Austrian Roman Catholics
- Hungarian Roman Catholics
- Knights of the Golden Fleece
- Knights of Malta
- Louvain alumni
- Members of the European Parliament