Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg

Who was Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg?

Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg, was the eldest son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, and his morganatic wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg. By definition of a morganatic marriage, he was excluded from the succession to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

He was born with the lesser rank and style of Serene Highness, but in 1917 was elevated to Highness.

Following the assassination of his parents in Sarajevo in 1914, which resulted in the outbreak of World War I, Prince Maximilian, his sister, Princess Sophie and their brother, Prince Ernst, were taken in by their father's brother-in-law and shooting partner Prince Jaroslav of Thun and Hohenstein.

In 1918 following the collapse of the Empire and the Monarchy, they were exiled from Czechoslovakia, losing their family home, Konopiště Castle and all their possessions. They took refuge in Vienna and Artstetten Castle. But in 1938, following the Anschluss they were arrested and deported by the Nazi Regime to Dachau concentration camp, where they spent most of the Nazi era. The reason for their imprisonment was that Duke Maximilian was one of the principal public opponents to the Anschluss. Following the collapse of the Third Reich and their release, Artstetten Castle was returned to the family.