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'Archduke Charles Stephen of Austria' (5 September 1860-7 April 1933) was a member of the House of Habsburg and an admiral in the Austro-Hungarian Navy.

Contents

Family

Military career

Candidate for Polish crown

Yachting

Estates

Honours

Notes

Bibliography

Family

Charles Stephen was the son of Karl Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria (son of Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen; 1818-1874) and of his wife Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria (1831-1903). He was born at Zidlochovice Castle (Gross Seelowitz), near Brno in Moravia. At his baptism he was given the names ''Karl Stephan Eugen Viktor Felix Maria''. Among his siblings were Queen Maria Theresia of Bavaria, Archduke Friedrich of Austria, Queen Maria Cristina of Spain, and Archduke Eugen of Austria.
On February 28, 1886 at Vienna Charles Stephen married Archduchess Maria Theresia of Austria (1862-1933). ^[1] She was the daughter of Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria and his wife Princess Immacolata of Bourbon-Sicily. The ceremony took place in the Hofburg and was witnessed by Cardinal Ganglbauer.
Charles Stephen and Maria Theresia had six children:

★ Archduchess Eleonora (1886-1974) married Alfons von Kloss.

★ Archduchess Renata (1888-1935) married Prince Hieronymus Radziwill.

★ Archduke Karl Albrecht (1881-1951).

★ Archduchess Mechthildis (1891-1966) married Prince Olgierd Czartoryski.

★ Archduke Leo Karl (1893-1939) married Maria-Klothilde von Thuillières Gfn von Montjoye-Vaufrey et de la Roche, had issue, among others Count Leo Stefan of Habsburg.

★ Archduke Wilhelm (1895-1948).

Military career

In 1879 Charles Stephen was commissioned as an ensign in the Austro-Hungarian Navy. In 1896 he retired from active duty. He continued, however, to be promoted; in 1911 he reached the rank of admiral. ^[2] In 1918 the Emperor Charles I put him in charge of the enquiry into the mutiny of the navy at Cattaro (now Kotor in Montenegro). Charles Stephen recommended a sweeping re-organisation of the navy and the appointment of Nicholas Horthy as commander-in-chief. ^[3]
Charles Stephen was an officer ''à la suite'' of the Imperial German Navy and proprietor of the 8th Austrian Infantry Regiment.

Candidate for Polish crown

On November 5, 1916 the German Emperor William II and the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria issued the Act of November 5th creating the Kingdom of Poland as an independent State with a hereditary monarchy. Charles Stephen was considered as a candidate to be regent and eventually king. ^[4]
At the time Charles Stephen was living at Żywiec. His chances were enhanced by the fact that he spoke fluent Polish. Two of his daughters were married to Polish princes belonging to the noble houses of Radziwill and Czartoryski. However as Charles Stephen was a member of the Imperial House of Austria he needed permission to become king from the head of the family, Emperor Charles I, who hesitated, having himself planned to assume the Polish crown.
After the end of World War I Charles Stephen continued to live at Żywiec. He died there in 1933.

Yachting

In addition to his professional career as a naval officer, Charles Stephen took an active interest in yachting. He was a flag officer of the Imperial and Royal Yacht Squadron. ^[5] His interest in yachting brought him to England on several occasions including in 1879 for the Royal Yacht Squadron Regatta, ^[6] in 1900, ^[7] and in 1911. ^[8] In 1892 he was made a member of the (British) Yacht Racing Association. ^[9] He purchased several British yachts including the ''Valkyrie'' from the Earl of Dunraven in 1892 ^[10] and the ''Ul'' from Ramage and Ferguson Limited in 1911. ^[11]

Estates

When Charles Stephen's uncle Archduke Albert, Duke of Teschen died in 1895, he and his brothers each inherited large estates. His largest properties were in Galicia especially at Saybusch (now Żywiec in Poland). Among the businesses operated here was the Żywiec Brewery which was nationalized by the Communists after World War II. Charles Stephen had a palace at Pola (now Pula in Croatia) and a winter palace in Lussin (now Lošinj. He also had a palace in Vienna in the Wiedner Hauptstrasse. ^[12]

Honours

Charles Stephen was a Bailiff and Grand Cross of Honour of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, and a Knight of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece, the Danish Order of the Elephant, the Swedish Order of the Seraphim, the Prussian Order of the Black Eagle, ^[13] and the Tuscan Order of Saint Stephen. ^[14] In 1916 he was named Protector of the Polish Academy of Learning in Krakow. ^[15]

Notes

1. "Marriage of an Archduke", ''The Times'' (March 1, 1886): 5.
2. Lawrence Sondhaus, ''The Naval Policy of Austria-Hungary, 1867-1918: Navalism, Industrial Development, and the Politics of Dualism'' (West Lafayette, Ind.: Purdue University Press, 1994), 135-136.
3. Sondhaus, 325-326.
4. "Will Crown Archduke as King of Poland", ''The New York Times'' (August 16, 1915): 1; Catherine Radziwill, ''The Austrian Court from Within'' (London: Cassell, 1916), 161; "Archduke Charles to Govern Poland", ''The New York Times'' (December 14, 1916): 6; "Imperial And Foreign News Items", ''The Times'' (May 17, 1917): 5; "The Meeting Of The Reichsrath", ''The Times'' (May 31, 1917): 5.
5. "The Pola Regatta", ''The Times'' (April 12, 1895): 8.
6. "Yachting", ''The Times'' (August 8, 1879): 11.
7. "Court Circular", ''The Times'' (June 30, 1900): 8.
8. "Court Circular", ''The Times'' (September 2, 1911): 9.
9. "Yacht Racing Association", ''The Times'' (January 21, 1892): 4.
10. "Court Circular", ''The Times'' (April 29, 1892): 9.
11. "Launch of a Royal Yacht", ''The Times'' (May 31, 1911): 12; ""Imperial Steam Yacht", ''The Times'' (July 26, 1911): 24.
12. Nellie Ryan, ''My Years at the Austrian Court'' (London: J. Lane, 1915), 76-77.
13. ''Almanach de Gotha'', 1910, p. 7.
14. Guy Stair Sainty, "The Sacred Military Order of Saint Stephen, Pope and Martyr"
15. "Three Archdukes Removed", ''The New York Times'' (September 22, 1916): 3

Bibliography

★ Ryan, Nellie. ''My Years at the Austrian Court''. London: J. Lane, 1915. The memoirs of an English governess in Charles Stephen's household.

★ Stefanovics, Glenn W. "Archduke Karl Stefan von Österreich-Teschen".