Emperor Karl I (1887-1922), Empress Zita ("The Last Empress") (1892-1989) and Family

[sjetajiem]

A new generation of descendants was born on March 4th 2008
Archduchess Zita had a great-grand-daughter Zita.
Zita is the first child of Archduke Carl Christian and archduchess Estelle of Austria.

Source: Chantal de Badts on Royaute 2

[Elsa M.]

An article in Portuguese, with several photos:

O Leme - Biografias - Zita de Habsburgo, a Imperatriz Coragem

[magnik]

I'm not quite sure when I should posted it so here you go
http://www.marian.edu/faith/Document...g%20Family.pdf

[MAfan]

A new thread about Archduchess Adelheid, the second child of Emperor Charles I and Empress Zita.
Does someone know something about her life?
I only know that she studied in Louvain with his brother Otto...

[JulieS]

Her biography on Wikipedia :

Archduchess Adelheid of Austria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[jdouce62]

Hello and Greetings from Western New York in the U.S.!

I am wondering if anyone would know if postal cards of the Empress Zita of Austria are available. Any assistance in this matter is appreciated. Thank you so much. This is a very interesting and worthwhile Forum!

John Doucette

[maria-olivia]

Yesterday I went to the officialHoly Mass at the Church Notre Dame du Sablon in Brussels. The Church received the relics of blessed Charles I., the last Emperor of Austria who died whe I was only 34 years old.(1922)
This relics will stay for always in the Church , so if you visit Brussels , you may venerate them.
I was very impressed ; form my place I could see Archiduke Rodolphe, the Emperor's youngest son (born in 1919) . Next to him his wife born Princess Anne Gabrielle of Wrede, the widow of the late Archiduc Charles-Louis, born Princesse Yolande de Ligne, Archiduc Carl Christian and his wife born Marie Astrid of Luxembourg, Count Rodolphe de Limbourg Stirum and his wife born Archduchess Marie Christine of Austria.

[MAfan]

Are there pictures of the Mass?

[maria-olivia]

I hope, I saw some members of the press . I asked a man I know ,: "I hope you will write an article about it". He said : "I hope they will give me room to write it.."
MAfan, your ex-avatar Carl-Christian spoke during the office..Perfect voice and wonderful french prononciation. As his uncle was so old , he thank all the people for coming some came from abroad.(Hungaria)

[MAfan]

From Hungary???And were other royals or nobles or members of the Family? I know that several Archdukes live in Belgium...

[maria-olivia]

They were there , but I don't know them all. Hungary was an example.
The most known is Archiduke Lorenz , he was not there because now he is member of the RF , and yesterday it was private. I did not saw his mother, perhaps she is ill as the Cardinal of luxemburg who had to celebrate the office..

[Bones]

I would have loved to have been there. I have the greatest respect and devotion for Emperor Charles. He, Benedict XV, Albert I and Empress Zita's brothers were the only people really devoted to ending the war peacefully. They should all get more attention and more praise for what they tried to do. They are the real heroes and not the greedy, vindictive politicians who pushed on until "total" victory and then sowed the seeds of hatred for another war in the future.

Emperor Charles (the blessed) was a great man and a great example to follow. I wish he could have regained his throne and kept Austria and Hungary out of German hands.

[MAfan]

I was looking for infos and pictures of the funerals of Empress Zita and her late Children, Archdukes Robert, Adelheid, Anna Eugenie, Charlotte, Elisabeth.
Can someone help me?
Thanks a lot in advance

[MAfan]

Both in Zita and Carl Ludwig's funerals, a lot of time passed between the death and the funeral: 18 days for the Empress, 32 for her son. Do you know why??
I know that the protocol stated that 9 days have to pass between the death and the funeral, but 18 or 32 are very long periods...

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by MAfan

Both in Zita and Carl Ludwig's funerals, a lot of time passed between the death and the funeral: 18 days for the Empress, 32 for her son. Do you know why??
I know that the protocol stated that 9 days have to pass between the death and the funeral, but 18 or 32 are very long periods...

In Zita's case it was her wish that the fueral should take place on the death anniversary of her husband.

[MBGGfvB]

That is such a wonderful sentiment. 'True' love that will transcend mortal life.

[grandlordbenji16]

i cant believe she actually spend 67 years of her life in mourning for him she must had love him very much .its sad like queen victoria who both loves their husband to death but was not permitted to enjoy a lifelong marriage full of love

[D'Arbanville]

The anti-nazi stance of the Habsburgs is a well know story, Otto, Zita and the family escaping the advancing Germans, etc. I wonder if there is any information, how Empress Zita reacted to the news that her daugter in law, Regina Saxe-Meiningen's father, Prince George was an NSDAP member since 1933.... Of course Regina couldn't have been responsible for her father, but I never heard anything about Zita's reaction previous to the marriage.... Any news on this?

[MAfan]

The only thing I know is that Zita listed some european Princesses that she thought to be suitable for Otto to marry, and that Regina was not one of them. But it was only due to she comes from a "minor" ex-regnant german family.
But I don't know anything about the relations between the Empress and her daughter-in-law, or about Zita's reactions to the engagement of Otto and Regina.

[claypoint2]

Here is a video of Karl and Zita's wedding day, reportedly one of the first royal wedding celebrations to be captured on video. I quote an account of the events, as told by Arturo E. Beeche of Eurohistory:

"The wedding day, October 21, 1911, was indeed memorable. Absent were the strict pomp and circumstance of the Viennese court, and instead witnesses recalled that the event seemed like a 'family party...such as one sees when the daughter of a local landowner marries.' Schoolchildren, in their nicest attire, lined the road from the train station to Schwarzau to greet the automobile transporting Emperor Franz Joseph, who was rather pleased by this greeting from among his youngest subjects.

"At the entrance to the Schloss Schwarzau Archduke Karl and the Duke of Madrid, as Head of the House of Bourbon, awaited the arrival of Emperor Franz Joseph. The Emperor was warmly greeted and quickly taken inside, where Dowager Duchess Maria-Antonia and Princess Zita greeted him. Franz Joseph gently kissed the hand of Maria-Antonia and instead of doing the same with Zita, he gave her a grandfatherly embrace. It was his way of welcoming the beautiful Bourbon princess into his family's fold.

"The wedding procession began soon afterwards. Archduke Karl walked between his mother, Archduchess Maria Josepha, and Emperor Franz Joseph. Zita followed, flanked by her own mother and by the Duke of Madrid.... Zita recalled: 'Don Jaime, the Duke of Madrid, who had unsuccessfully sought my hand in marriage, walked me to the altar. Proudly, he wore a superb Russian uniform, but my brother Sixtus deflated his ego when he asked don Jaime, "Pardon, but are you dressed for the circus?" What the very proper Duke of Madrid answered to this smart comment we do not know, but can easily imagine."


We have a chance to see the Duke of Madrid, among others, in the video (standing next to Karl at 0:30-0:35, close up at 1:06-1:07, and later on).... His uniform was over the top, but I can't help thinking that it was also very generous of him to walk Zita to the altar (when her father had died), especially given that he had courted her unsuccessfully. And the bride & groom look lovely & kind.

YouTube - Wedding Emperor Charles I of Austria & Zita / Hochzeit Kaiser Charles I von Österreich und Zita