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


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Which of Zita's sisters ended up in or was in a convent in France? I believe it was somewhere in the south and starts with an S but I may be mistaken. Been trying to find out but can't find any information on that.
 
Empress Zita actually had 3 sisters who were a benedictine nun at Solemnes, France: Princess Adelaide of Bourbon-Parma, Princess Fransesca of Bourbon-Parma and Princess Maria Antonia of Bourbon-Parma. Respectivaly no's 13, 16 and 20 of Duke Roberto's children.
 
thanks, Marengo. Does anyone here know of a connection they may have had to Argentina. I seem to recall someone telling me that one of Zita's sisters was distantly connected or related to some noble family in Argentina, possibly even a Dutch connection. And that she ended up in Solesmes where she still was in 1936.
 
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The only Dutch connection I can think of for the Bourbon-Parma family is that the nephew of Zita and her sisters (Duke Carlo Ugo of Parma) was married to HRH Princess Irene of The Netherlands, sister of the present Queen.
 
Harold said:
If I understand correctly, the Habsburgs who accepted the Republic were permitted to stay in Austria and retain their property. Karl and his family, however, had to leave Austria and lost their property. How did Karl, Zita, and the children survive? Did they have property and assets out of Austria on which they could draw? Did Austria ever return any property? Thanks.
Click to expand...

I am reading a book about them at the mo but I haven't got round to their life in exile yet. I think they had some savings account or whatever in Switzerland and some supporters of their regime were helping them out etc. Oh, also, I think, the emperor was hoping that Horthy would invite him to Budapest and let him carry on as the King of Hungary or something but Horthy never did.

One of my friends in Germany who is a lawyer also tells me that this property issue is in such a chaos because some of those properties that previously belonged to those aristocratic families and all were sold out to some wealthy people post their revolutions and then those that were owned by the Jews were confiscated by the Nazi government etc during the Hitler's regime etc, it is very difficult to identify who the most rightful owners of those properties are etc.
 
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I have moved the posts about Archduke Otto's carreer, nationality and titles to a new thread dedicated to the Archduke and his wife, which can be found here.

Now about how Zita survived and such, I believe she did receive help from relatives, the Spanish King helped her with the villa in the North of Spain, if I remember correctly.
 
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I wish that Emperor Karl could had more time to show how he could have managed as a good Kaiser. I think he could have been a great Emperor. Franz Josef was a very "professional" Emperor, but maybe Karl, helped by his wife, Zita could have become the true soul of Austria.

Vanesa.
 
A nice portrait of the Empress:

untitledrte.jpg


The family:

karlaustria1887-13.jpg
zita1892-10.jpg
 
When Austria proclaimed the Republic in 1919, the imperial family found refuge in Switzerland, but after a series of meetings between the winning countries of the War, it was decided that Portugal (a peripherical country) would be in better conditions for the exile. Thus the last emperor of Austria was sent to Madeira, a well-known island among the European royalty of the time.

Karl I arrived in Madeira on November 19th 1921, and the imperial couple set their residence in the "Vila Vitória". In January 1922, Empress Zita went to Switzerland, in order to bring the children to Madeira as well and then the family went to live at the "Quinta Gordon" (after renamed Quinta do Monte).

Although Karl I would live just a few months in Portugal, his simplicity and kindness would be remembered by the people of the island, since it was not rare to see the Emperor himself buying the newspaper, or the Empress going for bread.

Karl I died with pneumonia, on April 1st 1922, and he was buried in the Church of Nossa Senhora do Monte. Only his heart was taken by the Empress to Vienna. Then in 1968, a chapel (Capela do Imaculado Coração de Maria) was built to recieve the tomb, which bears the Latin inscription:


CAROLUS I, D.G. AUSTRIAS IMPERATOR BEREMIAE REX...
APOSTOLICAS REX HUGARIAE NOMINE IV. NATUS PERSENBERG XVII-VIII-MDCCCLXXXVII OBTIT MADEIRA ADORAUS SS.SACRAMENTEN PRAESENS DICENS «FIAT VOLUNTAS TUA»


Karl of Habsburg was known for his goodness and faith, and in 2004 he was beatified by Pope John Paul II. Among the testimonies gathered in the Positio Super Virtutibus, there are small episodes like the one stating that he saved the life of a man who was drowing in the Isonzo, or the chaplain, Rodolfo Spitzl, who saw the emperor personally taking care of a wonded soldier.
 
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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
 
flcty said:
hi geli,
thought you might want to visit the following link. it has more pictures of zita with her children.
Empress Zita of Austria (1892-1989) and her children

Anyone out there has any information about Zita's life prior marriage to karl?
Click to expand...
I was looking the last picture, and I could not recognize some persons...Can someone help me?
1st row: Yolande, Regina, Otto, Zita, Robert, Margherita, ?? (maybe Anna Eugenie)
2nd row: Carl Ludwig, Anna Gabriele, Rudolph, ?? (maybe Charlotte), ?? (maybe Heinrich), ?? (maybe Felix), ?? (maybe Elisabeth)

And in the second row of the second picture, are they Adelheid, Elisabeth, Charlotte and Felix?

Thanks
 
MAfan said:
I was looking the last picture, and I could not recognize some persons...Can someone help me?
1st row: Yolande, Regina, Otto, Zita, Robert, Margherita, ?? (maybe Anna Eugenie)
2nd row: Carl Ludwig, Anna Gabriele, Rudolph, ?? (maybe Charlotte), ?? (maybe Heinrich), ?? (maybe Felix), ?? (maybe Elisabeth)

And in the second row of the second picture, are they Adelheid, Elisabeth, Charlotte and Felix?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Yes the last woman in the first row is Archduchess Anna Eugenie
and in the second row
the woman in orrange is Archduchess Charlotte and the other Archduchess Elisabeth. Not sure about the men.
 
Do you know some good books about Emperor Karl I ?
 
Archduchess Adelheid (1914-1971)

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...
 
Empress Zita of Austria

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
 
Blessed Charles I, last Emperor of Austria

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.
 
Are there pictures of the Mass?
 
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)
 
From Hungary???And were other royals or nobles or members of the Family? I know that several Archdukes live in Belgium...
 
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..
 
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.
 
Funerals of Empress Zita and Children

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
 
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...
 
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