Helene von Österreich

Hélène of Habsburg-Tuscany was born on October 30, 1903, in Linz, Upper Austria, which at the time belonged to Austria-Hungary. She was an Austrian archduchess as well as a princess of Bohemia, Hungary, and Tuscany, and belonged to the Tuscan branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Her parents were Peter Ferdinand of Habsburg-Tuscany and his wife, Maria Christina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Hélène was the second of four children. Her siblings included Gottfried, Georg, and Rose-Marie. Four days after her birth, she was baptized in Linz; her first name also recalled Helena, the Roman empress. Hélène spent her childhood and youth within her extensive Habsburg family. Through her origins, she was connected to several European princely houses. She also held various court distinctions. Among other honors, she was a noble lady of the Austrian-Hungarian Order of the Starry Cross, a lady of the Order of Saint Elizabeth of the Kingdom of Bavaria, and an honorary lady of the Theresian Order. On October 24, 1923, Hélène married Philipp Albert of Württemberg at Altshausen Castle. He was the eldest son of Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg, and his wife, Archduchess Margarete of Habsburg-Lorraine. Through the marriage, Hélène became a member of the House of Württemberg. The union thus brought together two long-established European dynasties, the House of Habsburg-Lorraine and the House of Württemberg. The marriage produced one daughter. Marie Christine of Württemberg was born on September 2, 1924, in Tübingen. Hélène, however, died just six days after the birth, on September 8, 1924, also in Tübingen. She was not yet 21 years old. Her death occurred during the period of the Weimar Republic, after the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and the German monarchies had lost their former political position. Marie Christine remained Hélène and Philipp Albert’s only child. On September 23, 1948, she married Georg-Hartmann of Liechtenstein at Altshausen Castle. The couple had seven children. In 1928, Philipp Albert of Württemberg entered into a second marriage: he married Hélène’s younger sister, Rose-Marie of Habsburg-Tuscany. As a result, the family connection between the House of Württemberg and the House of Habsburg-Tuscany continued after Hélène’s death.