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Franz Joseph, Prince of Dietrichstein (Franz Seraph Joseph Carl Johann Nepomuc Quirin; 28 April 1767 – 10 July 1854), was a German prince, member of the House of Dietrichstein, Major general, 8th Prince (Fürst) of Dietrichstein zu Nikolsburg, Count of Proskau-Leslie, Baron (Freiherr) of Hollenburg, Finkenstein and Thalberg.

Early life

Born in Nikolsburg, he was the third child and second (but eldest surviving) son of Karl Johann Baptist, 7th Prince of Dietrichstein, and Countess Maria Christina Josepha of Thun und Hohenstein (1738-1788), eldest daughter of Count Jan Josef Franz Anton of Thun-Hohenstein (1711-1778) and his wife, Countess Maria Christiana of Hohenzollern-Hechingen (1715-1749).

Biography

He was educated at Nikolsburg Castle by provost Jean du Four, an en-lightener and friend of his mother, who gave Franz Joseph an open mind and heart.

Once finished his studies, Franz Joseph began his military career in the engineer corps, in which he joined as a Lieutenant at the age of 20. In March 1788 he was promoted to the rank of Captain and in September 1789 he was appointed Major and adjutant of Albert of Saxony, Duke of Teschen.^[1] During the attack to the fortress of Valenciennes on 25 July 1793 on his own initiative, he assaulted the main enemy column and was among the firsts who fought fiercely, and then managed to defend his position with a rapìd procedure, significantly contributed with the rapid surrender of the fortress. For his performance, in 1796 he was named a Knight of the Military Order of Maria Theresa, and shortly after he was promoted to the rank of Major General and began a diplomatic career as an ambassador, working successively at the courts of Berlin, Munich and later in St. Petersburg, where he managed to convince Tsar Paul I of the necessity of his military aid against Napoleon.^[1]

Franz Joseph inherited the title of Prince of Dietrichstein after his father's death on 25 May 1808; as the owner of the wealthy Fideikommiss who belonged to his family after the death of Prince Gundacar (from the Hollenburg line) in 1690 and his own family domains (from the Nikolsburg branch), he also entered in the possession of the hereditary Erbamt, who allowed him to took place in official court ceremonies, like royal and imperial coronations.

As an Imperial-Royal Kämmerer and member of the Privy Council, he served in the Austrian Army as Major general and accorded in 1800 with the French General Jean Victor Marie Moreau the Parsdorf Ceasefire, which was formally signed in the town of Vaterstetten, which later came to an end with the Battle of Hohenlinden.

In 1809 he was appointed as Obersthofmeister of Archduke Francis Joseph Charles of Austria, later Duke of Modena, and in this function he acted as Hofkommissar in the enemy-occupied part of Galicia until the Congress of Vienna.

As a benefactor of the poor of the city of Vienna, he was made an honorary citizen. In 1815 he was appointed a member of the Academy of Sciences of Erfurt (Akademie gemeinnütziger Wissenschaften zu Erfurt).

As the owner of the district Neu-Ravensburg in the Württemberg Oberamt Wangen he was during 1815-1819 member of the assemblies of estates of the Kingdom of Württemberg and during 1820-1829 member of the Estates of Württemberg. The sale of the direct rule of Neu-Ravensburg to Württemberg was determined in July 1829, but he never resigned in person, but was represented by other members of the chamber.

Franz Joseph's political views can be described as liberal and progressive in his day. The prince led an unconventional, free lifestyle and sired several illegitimate children, including the famous pianist Sigismund Thalberg.

Marriage and issue

In Pavlovsk, Saint Petersburg on 16 July 1797, Franz Joseph married with Countess Alexandra Andrejevna Shuvalova (19 December 1775 – 10 November 1847), a daughter of the senator and writer Count Andrei Petrovich Shuvalov by his wife, Countess Ekaterina Petrovna Saltykova.^[2] The union, who proved to be extremely unhappy, only produced a son:^[3]^[4]

Joseph Franz (28 March 1798 – 10 July 1858), 9th Prince of Dietrichstein.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Franz Joseph, Prince of Dietrichstein

16. Ferdinand Joseph, 3rd Prince of Dietrichstein

8. Walther Franz Xaver Anton, 5th Prince of Dietrichstein

17. Maria Elisabeth of Eggenberg

4. Karl Maximilian, 6th Prince of Dietrichstein

18. Count Georg Christoph von Proskau

9. Countess Karolina Maximiliana von Proskau

19. Countess Marie Rosalie von Thurn-Valsassina-Como-Vercelli

2. Karl Johann Baptist, 7th Prince of Dietrichstein

20. Count Johann Ehrenreich Khevenhüller

10. Count Sigismund Frederick Khevenhüller-Aichelberg

21. Baroness Benigna Rosina zu Herberstein

5. Countess Maria Anna Josepha Khevenhüller-Aichelberg

22. Count Franz Andrä Orsini-Rosenberg

11. Countess Ernestine von Orsini-Rosenberg

23. Countess Amalie Theodora von Löwenstein-Wertheim

1. Franz Joseph, 8th Prince of Dietrichstein

24. Count Maximilian Thun-Hohenstein

12. Count Johann Franz Joseph Thun-Hohenstein

25. Princess Marie von und zu Liechtenstein

6. Count Johann Joseph Franz Thun-Hohenstein

26. Count Aloys Thomas Raimund von Harrach zu Rohrau und Thannhausen

13. Countess Maria Philippine Harrach zu Rohrau

27. Countess Maria Barbara of Sternberg

3. Countess Maria Christina Josepha Thun–Hohenstein

28. Philipp, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen

14. Count Hermann Friedrich von Hohenzollern-Hechingen

29. Markgrave Marie Sidonie von Baden-Rodemachern

7. Countess Marie Christine von Hohenzollern-Hechingen

30. Prince Franz Albrecht von Oettingen-Spielberg

15. Countess Josepha von Oettingen zu Spielberg

31. Baroness Johanna Margaretha von Schwendi

Notes

^ ^a ^b František Josef – 7. kníže Dietrichstein-Nikolsburg, hrabě Proskau-Leslie in: rmm.cz Archived 2016-03-15 at the Wayback Machine [retrieved 22 April 2015].
^ Marek, Miroslav. "Genealogy of the Shuvalov family". genealogy.euweb.cz. Retrieved 19 April 2015.^{[self-published source]}
^ Marek, Miroslav. "Genealogy of the House of Dietrichstein (Nikolsburg branch)". genealogy.euweb.cz. Retrieved 19 April 2015.^{[self-published source]}
^ "Alexandra Andreievna, Countess Schouvaloff : Genealogics".

References

Constantin von Wurzbach: Dietrichstein-Proskau-Leslie, Franz Joseph Johann Fürst, in: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich, 3. Band, Wien 1858.
Wolfgang von Wurzbach: Josef Kriehuber und die Wiener Gesellschaft seiner Zeit, vol. 2, Walter Krieg ed., 1957, p. 370.
Dietrichstein zu Nikolsburg Franz Josef Fürst. [In:] Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950 (ÖBL), vol. 1, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1957, p. 185.
Karl Otmar von Aretin: [Dietrichstein, Franz Fürst von]. [In:] Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB), vol. 3, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1957, p. 701 f. ( http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/0001/bsb00016319/images/index.html?seite=715 online).
Frank Raberg: Biographisches Handbuch der württembergischen Landtagsabgeordneten 1815–1933. On behalf of the Commission for Historical Geography in Baden-Württemberg. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2001, p. 143.