Stephan von Österreich

Archduke Stefan Franz Viktor of Austria, known as Stefan Palatine, was born on September 14, 1817, in Buda, and died on February 19, 1867, in Menton. He was an Austrian archduke and Hungarian royal prince, the last Palatine of Hungary from 1847 to 1848, and for a time commander-in-chief of the Hungarian Honvéd army. His father was Archduke Joseph Anton Johann of Austria, who held the office of Palatine of Hungary from 1796 until his death. His mother, Princess Hermine of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, was his father’s second wife. In addition to Stefan, their marriage produced his twin sister, Archduchess Hermine Amalia Maria, who later became abbess of a convent in Prague. His father’s third marriage, to Princess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg, produced several younger half-siblings, including Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska Maria, Archduke Joseph Karl Ludwig, and Archduchess Maria Henriette, who later became Queen of the Belgians. Stefan’s father had held the dignity of Palatine of Hungary for more than five decades. Although he governed the country’s affairs in accordance with imperial policy, he relied on prudent compromise rather than force. He also consistently treated the Hungarian nation with respect and esteem, and raised his son in the same spirit. In January 1847, Stefan was appointed royal governor of Hungary. In October of the same year, he also became hereditary lord lieutenant of Pest County. His great popularity helped lead the Hungarian Diet to elect him Palatine on November 12, 1847, following his father’s death on January 13 of that year. In this capacity, Stefan played an important role during the political upheavals of 1848. On March 15, he presented the address of the Hungarian Diet to the king. Two days later, as royal governor, he commissioned Count Lajos Batthyány to form Hungary’s first responsible government. Stefan thus initially stood at an important point of contact between the Habsburg court and Hungary’s political forces. In September 1848, the conflict between the Hungarian government and the Viennese court intensified. On September 15, at Batthyány’s proposal, the Diet asked Stefan to lead the Hungarian army against Josip Jelačić, the Croatian Ban. His appointment was intended above all to secure the loyalty of officers in the Hungarian army who were devoted to the dynasty. By then, however, the Viennese court was supporting Jelačić and preparing military action against the Hungarian government. In the assessment of the contemporary observer Károly Eötvös as presented in the article, the Viennese leadership sought to remove Stefan from the conflict without openly condemning him. At the same time, it wanted to preserve his credibility in the eyes of the Hungarian public so that he might later return as a mediator if necessary. He was therefore instructed first to conduct seemingly conciliatory negotiations with Jelačić, whose failure had already been anticipated, and then to return to Vienna. A meeting was scheduled to take place on September 21 at Lake Balaton. Jelačić was stationed with his army near Szemes and was moving along the southern shore of the lake toward Székesfehérvár. Stefan traveled from Balatonfüred aboard the steamship Kisfaludy. Because the water was too shallow, however, the ship could not dock. After several exchanges of messages, the meeting did not take place. A legend later spread in the surrounding area that Jelačić had shelled the ship and thereby prevented the negotiations. Stefan returned to Buda on September 22 and then secretly traveled to Vienna. Many Hungarians initially interpreted his departure as a flight. It later became known, however, that King Ferdinand V had ordered him to Vienna with immediate effect in a personal letter. On September 25, Stefan was forced to resign as Palatine and was banished to his mother’s estate at Schaumburg in Nassau. The Viennese court, particularly Archduchess Sophie and Field Marshal Windisch-Grätz, held him responsible for Hungary’s open revolt. Eötvös interpreted the punishment primarily as a diplomatic measure intended to preserve Stefan’s standing among the Hungarians. Nevertheless, in the Hungarian public imagination his departure remained associated with the image of a fugitive, an image also reflected in a contemporary satirical drawing. After withdrawing from political life, Stefan held no further public offices. He devoted himself to charitable activities, supported hospitals and schools, and became known for his mineral collection, which also attracted attention in scientific circles. His relationship with Emperor Franz Joseph improved in 1858, but throughout his exile Stefan was allowed to visit Austria only with imperial permission. He was unable to return to Hungary, his homeland, until his death. Stefan died of a serious lung disease. Legends also arose surrounding his death, including speculation that he may have committed suicide or been murdered. His body was taken back to Buda and buried near his father in the Palatine Crypt of the Royal Castle. The crypt was looted and damaged in the 1970s, but was later restored and reopened to visitors. During his exhumation in 1977, a forensic medical report concluded that the findings indicated a gunshot wound entering the body from the front and passing through the vest he was wearing, from a distance of more than one to 1.2 meters. Stefan was also physically distinctive. He was exceptionally thin and small, weighing only about 42 to 47 kilograms as an adult. Contemporary descriptions compared his slender hands and legs to those of a child. This unusual appearance further contributed to the striking memory of Hungary’s last Palatine.