Archduke Leopold Franz of Austria
| Archduke Leopold Franz | |
|---|---|
| Reign | 21 January 1984 – 18 June 1993 |
| Predecessor | Archduke Gottfried |
| Successor | Archduke Sigismund |
| Born | 25 October 1942 Leutstetten, Starnberg, Bavaria, Nazi Germany |
| Died | 23 June 2021 (aged 78) |
| Spouse | Marta Perez Valverde
(m. 1993; div. 1998) |
| Issue | Archduke Sigismund, Grand Duke of Tuscany Archduke Guntram |
| Full name | |
| Leopold Franz Peter Ferdinand Maria Joseph Gottfried Georg Karl Otto Rudolf Michael | |
| House | Habsburg-Lorraine |
| Father | Archduke Gottfried of Austria |
| Mother | Princess Dorothea of Bavaria |
Archduke Leopold Franz of Austria (German: Leopold Franz Peter Ferdinand Maria Joseph Gottfried Georg Karl Otto Rudolf Michael, Erzherzog von Österreich, Prinz von Toskana) (born 25 October 1942 at Leutstetten in Starnberg, Bavaria[1] - died 23 June 2021[2]) was a member of the Tuscan line of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Outside of Austria and Hungary, which abolished and outlawed all titles of nobility with the Adelsaufhebungsgesetz in 1919, he may be referred by his titles Archduke of Austria, Prince of Hungary and Bohemia, Prince of Tuscany with the style His Imperial and Royal Highness.[1] Leopold Franz was the titular Grand Duke of Tuscany from 21 January 1984 to 18 June 1993.[1]
Biography[edit]
Leopold Franz was the eldest son of Archduke Gottfried of Austria and his wife Princess Dorothea of Bavaria.[1] He grew up on the estate of his mother's family, the House of Wittelsbach, at Schloss Leutstetten near Starnberg. In 1967 he received a degree in mechanical engineering in Munich.[3]
Leopold Franz married Laetitia de Belzunce d'Arenberg, eldest child and only daughter of Henri de Belzunce, marquis de Belzunce, a French nobleman, and his wife Marie-Thérèse de la Poëze d'Harambure, civilly on 19 June 1965 in St. Gilgen and religiously on 28 July 1965 in Menetou-Salon. Leopold Franz and Laetitia had two children together:[1]
- Archduke Sigismund Otto of Austria, Prince of Tuscany (born 21 April 1966 in Lausanne), married on 11 September 1999 in Kensington, Elyssa Juliet Edmonstone (born 11 September 1973 in Glasgow), daughter of Sir Archibald Bruce Charles Edmonstone, 7th Baronet, and Juliet Elizabeth Deakin. They have three children.
- Archduke Guntram Maria of Austria, Prince of Tuscany (born 21 July 1967 in Punta del Este), married on 13 April 1996 in Cuernavaca, Debora de Sola (born 21 January 1970 in San Salvador), daughter of Orlando de Sola and Marion Liebes. They have two children.
Leopold Franz and Laetitia were civilly divorced on 21 May 1981 at Salzburg.[1][4]
At the death of his father Gottfried, 21 January 1984, Leopold Franz succeeded as Head of the House of Habsburg-Tuscany (known as the House of Lorraine in Italy). Thenceforward he made many trips to Florence, Pisa, and other parts of Tuscany, increasing historical interest in the Lorraine family and deepening his knowledge of Italian.[3] On 16 March 1985 Leopold Franz made an official visit to Florence; he was received by Gianfranco Bartolini, President of the Region of Tuscany, who announced that 1986 would be the anno Lorena (year of Lorraine), dedicated to the Grand Dukes of Tuscany of the House of Lorraine. He participated in the Regatta of the Historical Marine Republics.[5] Leopold Franz was made an honorary citizen of Pisa by Sergio Cortopassi, Mayor of Pisa.[3][5] He was also an honorary citizen of Grosseto.[3]
On 18 June 1993 in a civil ceremony Leopold Franz married to Marta Julia Perez Valverde (born 13 March 1947 in San Salvador de Jujuy), an Argentinian-born[1] Viennese psychoanalyst. This union did not conform with the canon law of the Catholic Church (which regarded the marriage to Laetitia as still valid). On 12 April 1994 Leopold Franz renounced his rights to the Grand Ducal throne of Tuscany in favor of his elder son Sigismund, the current head of the House of Habsburg-Tuscany.[6][3] At the same time he also renounced his offices as Grand Master of the Order of Saint Stephen and Grand Master of the Order of Saint Joseph.[3] Leopold Franz and Marta divorced in 1998.[1]
On 23 June 2021 Leopold Franz died at Santa Fe, New Mexico.[3] He had had cancer for several years. A requiem mass was held for him 23 July 2021 in the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence.[5]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Almanach de Gotha (2018), 'Austria', Pages 42-86
- ↑ "Décès du Grand-duc Léopold III de Habsbourg-Toscane". www.monarchiesetdynastiesdumonde.com (in French). Retrieved 2021-06-28.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "Tuscan high prince Leopoldo Francesco d'Absburgo-Lorena passed away". Diplomat Magazine. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ↑ Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser XVI. Limburg an der Lahn: C. A. Starke. 2001. p. 103. ISBN 3-7980-0824-8..
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Ascani, Umberto (19 July 2021). "La scomparsa di Leopoldo d'Asburgo Lorena". La Nazione. Florence.
- ↑ Enache, Nicolas (1996). La Descendance de Marie-Thérèse de Habsbourg, reine de Hongrie et de Bohême. Paris: L’Intermédiaire des chercheurs et curieux. p. 121.
Further reading[edit]
Leonard, Sthe B. (30 June 2021). "Archduke Leopold Franz of Austria (1942-2021), Former Head of the Grand Ducal Tuscan Habsburgs". eurohistoryjournal.blogspot.com. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
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