Heinrich von Österreich

Archduke Heinrich of Austria, whose full name was Heinrich Anton Maria Rainer Karl Gregor von Österreich, was born on May 9, 1828, in Milan, the capital of the then Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia. He belonged to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. His father was Archduke Rainer Joseph, who served as viceroy of Lombardy–Venetia and was a younger brother of Emperor Francis I of Austria. His mother, Maria Elisabeth Franziska of Savoy-Carignano, was a sister of King Charles Albert of Sardinia-Piedmont. Heinrich was the seventh of eight children. His siblings included Archduchess Adelheid, who became queen of Sardinia-Piedmont, as well as several brothers who likewise held senior military positions. Heinrich pursued a military career. For several years he was colonel of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, named after Archduke Charles, and later commanded the 14th Infantry Regiment. In 1859, holding the rank of major general, he was appointed brigade commander; in 1863 he was promoted to Feldmarschalleutnant, equivalent to lieutenant field marshal. As a young man, however, he once came into conflict with the court. In 1848, the twenty-year-old wrote a letter to a friend criticizing the political system. The letter became public with his full signature. Only the intervention of Archduchess Sophie saved him from serious consequences. In 1864, Heinrich took command of a division in Graz. There he met Leopoldine Hofmann, a commoner who was an actress at the city theater. A close relationship developed between them, soon becoming an open secret. When the Prussian-Austrian-Italian War broke out in 1866, Heinrich was assigned to the IX Army Corps as a divisional commander. He therefore had to leave Leopoldine for a time, but assured her that his intentions regarding marriage were serious. Heinrich took part in the entire campaign and fought, among other engagements, in the Battle of Custoza. For his service, he received the Military Merit Cross with war decoration. After the war, he returned to Graz. Because his relationship with Leopoldine had become publicly known, he was transferred to Brünn, where he was given command of the 4th Division. He arranged for Leopoldine to stay with his brother in Hütteldorf, now Vienna’s 14th district. The couple had to wait two years before they could marry. Finally, in 1868, Heinrich summoned Leopoldine to Bozen and married her on February 4 in his own private chapel. The court in Vienna regarded an archduke’s marriage to a commoner as unequal and recognized it as a morganatic marriage. Heinrich consequently lost his officer’s rank and the title of proprietor associated with the 62nd Infantry Regiment. His annual allowance of 40,000 gulden was also withdrawn. Heinrich and his wife were required to leave the territory of the monarchy. Together they purchased a small farm beside the River Etsch in South Tyrol. They worked the land themselves and lived in modest financial circumstances during these years. Leopoldine later recalled in a letter the period when she had worked as a singer for a small monthly income and even deciding whether to buy new shoes had been a difficult choice. Their exile ended in 1874, when Emperor Franz Joseph summoned Heinrich and forgave him. The archduke soon regained his military rank. In 1875, he was appointed proprietor of the 51st Infantry Regiment, and his archducal income was restored as well. Heinrich settled with his family in Bozen and withdrew largely from public life. Leopoldine was initially raised to the nobility. On January 5, 1878, she received the title of Baroness von Waideck. Their only daughter, Maria Raineria, who was born in 1872 and died in 1936, also inherited this rank. The family led a secluded life in Bozen. Heinrich’s final weeks were marked by a family wedding celebration. On November 21, 1891, he and his family attended in Vienna the wedding of Archduchess Luise of Austria-Tuscany and the Saxon crown prince, Friedrich August. Shortly afterward, Leopoldine first fell ill with influenza, followed by Heinrich on November 24. Both developed pneumonia. Leopoldine died on November 29, her forty-ninth birthday. Heinrich followed her the next day, November 30, 1891, in Vienna. The couple was buried in the family crypt in Bozen, beside Heinrich’s father, Archduke Rainer Joseph. Heinrich’s brother, Archduke Sigismund, also caught a cold during the funeral and died from the illness in December of the same year.