House of Habsburg

The House of Habsburg (/ˈhæpsbɜːrɡ/), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in English and also known as the House of Austria is one of the most prominent and important dynasties in European history. The house takes its name from Habsburg Castle, a fortress built in the 1020s in present-day Switzerland by Radbot of Klettgau, who named his fortress Habsburg. His grandson Otto II was the first to take the fortress name as his own, adding "Count of Habsburg" to his title. In 1273, Count Radbot's seventh-generation descendant Rudolph of Habsburg was elected King of the Romans. Taking advantage of the extinction of the Babenbergs and of his victory over Ottokar II of Bohemia at the battle on the Marchfeld in 1278, he appointed his sons as Dukes of Austria and moved the family's power base to Vienna, where the Habsburg dynasty gained the name of "House of Austria" and ruled until 1918.

In the 12th century, the Habsburgs became increasingly associated with the Staufer Emperors, participating in the imperial court and the Emperor's military expeditions; Werner II, Count of Habsburg died fighting for Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa in Italy. This association helped them to inherit many domains as the Staufers caused the extinction of many dynasties, some of which the Habsburgs were heirs to. In 1198, Rudolf II, Count of Habsburg fully dedicated the dynasty to the Staufer cause by joining the Ghibellines and funded the Staufer emperor Frederick II's war for the throne in 1211. Emperor Charles IV of Luxembourg was known to be fluent in Czech, French, German, Italian and Latin.

Royalty of the Habsburg dynasty

Habsburg-Spain | Habsburg-Laufenburg | Habsburg-Kyburg | Habsburg-Lorraine | Habsburg-Tuscany

Karl von Habsburg

Archduke - head and sovereign of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece

Karl von Habsburg (given names: Karl Thomas Robert Maria Franziskus Georg Bahnam; born 11 January 1961) is an Austrian politician and the head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, therefore being a claimant to the defunct Austro-Hungarian throne. As a citizen of the Republic of Austria, his legal name is Karl Habsburg-Lothringen. Karl is the son of Archduke Otto von Habsburg, Crown Prince of Austria and Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen, and the grandson of the last Austro-Hungarian emperor, Charles I. He is head and sovereign of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece. Karl von Habsburg served as a Member of the European Parliament for the Austrian People's Party (1996–1999). He is known for being Pro-European and is also an advocate for the Pan-European movement. Karl von Habsburg's career has focused on the issue of protecting cultural heritage from threats such as armed conflict and natural disasters. He was president of the cultural protection organization Blue Shield International from 2008 until August 2020.

Archduke
(born 1988) Christoph Henri Erzherzog von ÖsterreichChristoph Henri Alexander Maria Marcus d'Aviano Erzherzog von ÖsterreichArchduke Christoph Henri Alexander Maria Marcus d'Aviano Archduke of Austria