Origins (Slovene:
Grad Turjak), 1689 engraving in
The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola The oldest member of the House of Auersperg known for certain is Engelbertus de Ursberch, who is documented as a witness in a deed of 1162 issued by
Herman, Duke of Carinthia at his residence in
St. Veit an der Glan. The family's ancestral seat was
Auersperg Castle (Slovene:
Grad Turjak; German:
Burg Auersperg), south of
Ljubljana. It was built in 1067 by one Conrad of Auersperg, according to an engraving on site. Above the engraving stands the original Auersperg coat of arms, displaying an
aurochs (German:
Auerochs, Slovene:
Tur). The family may trace its origins to the town of
Ursberg in
Swabia, and their ancestors probably settled in
Lower Carniola after
Otto the Great’s victory over the Hungarians at the
Battle of Lechfeld in 955. They held large estates from
Grosuplje in the north down to
Velike Lašče and
Ribnica in the south, rivalling the
Meinhardiner counts of
Götrz, the Carinthian
Ortenburg dynasty, and the
Patriarchs of Aquileia. In the mid-13th century, the
edelfrei branch of the Auersperg family died out and was succeeded by a
ministerial branch that retained the family's coat of arms, ancestral castle, and other estates.
Chamberlains of Carniola In the early 15th century, the Auerspergs acquired the office of hereditary
chamberlain (
Obersterblandkämmerer), previously held by the lords of Reitenburg (
Čretež). Herbard of Auersperg was the first member of the family to hold the office, inherited from the family of his mother, Elisabeth of Reitenburg (†1425), beginning in 1407. After Herbard's death, the office was inherited by his relative Engelhard of Auersperg (1404–1466), who owned Auersperg Castle. Engelhard and his brother Volkhard V of Auersperg (1401–1451) jointly inherited the estate and castle of Schönberg (
Šumberk) in Lower Carniola upon the death of their relative Johann II of Schönberg (†1443). The family subsequently split into two branches and divided their estates, with Engelhard's descendants retaining Auersperg Castle and Volkhard's descendants inheriting Schönberg. Pankraz II of Auersperg (1441–1496) succeeded his father Engelhard as chamberlain of Carniola, and was appointed captain of Möttling (
Metlika) in 1470. Pankraz's son Trojan of Auersperg (1495–1541) fought against the Ottomans at the
Siege of Vienna in 1529 and became
governor of Lower Austria in 1537. Trojan was responsible for restoring Auersperg Castle following extensive damage caused by an earthquake in 1511.
Lords of Schönberg Volkhard's sons (Johann III, Wilhelm II, Georg V) inherited Schönberg in the mid-15th century and established the so-called “Schönberg branch” of the family. They sided with
Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor in his rivalry against his brother,
Archduke Albert VI for control over Austria, and in return for their support, the emperor awarded them with the office of hereditary
marshal (
Erblandmarshall) in Carniola and the
Windic March in 1463. Wilhelm II of Auersperg (†1506) succeeded as head of the Schönberg branch and became governor (
Landeshauptmann) of Carniola in 1483. He had amassed such wealth in the second half of the 15th century that his contemporaries named him “the Rich,” and he was even able to lend money to the emperor. As Wilhelm remained without children, he raised his nephew Johann IV of Auersperg (†1529) as his heir. Johann was appointed governor of Carniola by
Maximilian I (later
Holy Roman Emperor) in 1501 and served in the
War of the League of Cambrai against the
Republic of Venice (1508–1516). Johann's son, Wolf Englebert of Auersperg (†1557), inherited Schönberg, and in 1538 he acquired the nearby Seisenberg Castle (
Žužemberk Castle) from King
Ferdinand I (later Holy Roman Emperor). Wolf Englebert's son,
Andreas von Auersperg (1556–1593), played a significant role in the military affairs of the empire and was called the “Carniolan Achilles” or “Turkish Terror” because of his military successes. In 1589 he was appointed commander of the
Croatian Military Frontier, and in 1593 he was one of the military commanders that led the victory at the
Battle of Sisak against the Ottoman Bosnian forces. The Schönberg branch died out in the generation after Andreas and its estates and titles passed to their relatives at Auersperg Castle.
Barons of Auersperg Herbard VIII von Auersperg (1528–1575) succeeded his father, Trojan, as chamberlain of Carniola. He became a renowned military leader in battles against the Ottomans and, in 1566, was appointed commanding general of the Croatian and Slavonian Military Frontier and governor of Carniola. In 1550 he was made imperial baron of the Holy Roman Empire (
Reichsfreiherr) in Vienna. He died in battle in 1575, and his severed head was brought to the Sultan in Istanbul as a trophy. The ransom for the release of Herbard's head, as well as for the release of his son, is said to have paid for the construction of the
Ferhat Pasha Mosque. Herbard's statue is exhibited in the Generals’ Hall (
Feldherrenhalle) of the
Museum of Military History in Vienna, which contains full-figure marble statues of Austria's best known and most distinguished generals. Christoph of Auersperg (1550–1592) succeeded his father, Herbard, as head of the barons of Auersperg as well as chamberlain and regent of Carniola. Christoph's sons inherited Schönberg Castle, as well as the office of hereditary marshall of Carniola, when the Schönberg branch of the Auersperg family died out. The family subsequently split into two branches and divided their estates, with Christoph's eldest son, Baron Herbard of Auersperg (1574–1618), retaining Auersperg Castle, whilst his younger son, Baron (later Count) Dietrich of Auersperg (1578–1634), inherited Schönberg. Dietrich converted from Protestantism to Catholicism in 1625, which was particularly consequential for the family given the extent of religious conflict in Europe at that time.
Counts of Auersperg Dietrich and his nephew Johann Andreas of Auersperg (1615–1664) were both raised to
imperial counts (
Reichsfreiherren) with the style “Well Born” (
Wohlgeboren) by
Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria at
Regensburg in 1630. Johann Andreas established the senior comital branch at Auersperg Castle, while Dietrich established the junior comital branch at Schönberg Castle, which was raised to princely status in the following generation. All members of the Auersperg family today descend from these two branches.
Sovereign princes of Auersperg Johann Weikhard of Auersperg (1615–1677) served as a court councillor in Vienna and took part in the peace negotiations at
Osnabrück that ultimately ended the
Thirty Years’ War with the
Peace of Westphalia. He was appointed tutor (
Hofmeister) of the heir to the throne,
Ferdinand IV with the ultimate aim of obtaining the Spanish crown for him, since the Spanish king did not have a son at that time. Following the election of Ferdinand IV to
King of the Romans in 1653, Johann Weikhard was raised to the rank of imperial prince of the Holy Roman Empire (
Reichsfürst) and to
imperial count palatine (
Großes Palatinat) with the style “High Born” (
Hochgeboren), heritable in
primogeniture. He was also granted the county of
Wels and was given
minting rights. In 1654 he was granted the
Silesian duchies of Münsterberg and Frankenstein and was conditionally admitted to the Council of Princes (
Fürstenrat) of the Imperial Diet with an individual vote (
Virilstimme). The following year he became head of the imperial court (
Obersthofmeister). Johann Weikhard secured an unconditional seat in the Council of Princes in 1664 by acquiring the
imperial estate of
Tengen, together with the associated
county of Nellenburg, from
Sigismund Francis, Archduke of Austria. Tengen was subsequently raised to a princely county (
gefürstete Grafschaft), and Johann Weikhard raised to princely count (
Gefürsteter Graf) at Tengen. He subsequently served as prime minister to
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor from 1665 to 1669.
Dukes of Gottschee Following the
Silesian Wars, Karl Joseph, 5th Prince of Auersperg (1720–1800) sold the duchies of Münsterberg and Frankenstein to the Prussian King
Friedrich Wilhelm II in 1791. In return,
Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor elevated the Auersperg-owned county of Gottschee in Carniola to the duchy of Gottschee (German:
Herzogtum Gottschee, Slovene:
Kočevska Vojvodina) and granted Karl Joseph the title of duke of Gottschee. In the same year, the title of prince of the Holy Roman Empire (
Reichsfürst) with the style “High Born” (
Hochgeboren) was extended to all of Karl Joseph's descendants. Over the next century, all of his agnatic descendants were referred to as
Fürst/Fürstin in official documents without exception. However, by the late 19th century, it became customary for cadets of the family to bear the title
Prinz/Prinzessin, whilst only the head of the princely house carried the title of
Fürst (as well as the ducal title). An exception was made, by agreement within the family, for the senior agnatic descendant of Prince Vincenz Nepomuk of Auersperg (1790–1863), who continued to carry the honorary title of
Fürst as head of the Tyrolean branch of the family (later called
Auersperg-Trautson). Johann Adam of Auersperg (1721–1795), the younger brother of Karl Joseph, 5th Prince of Auersperg, was raised to imperial prince (
Reichsfürst) in his own right and to imperial count palatine (
Großes Palatinat) by
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor in 1746. Johann Adam married Countess Katharina of Schönfeld (1728–1753), heir to her father's estates in Bohemia, which Johann inherited after her death. His second marriage was to
Maria Wilhelmina von Neipperg (1738–1775), mistress of Emperor Francis I. In 1777 Johann Adam acquired
Palais Auersperg, originally called Palais Rosenkavalier, which he transformed into one of the most important buildings in Vienna. In 1862,
Auerspergstraße in Vienna's
Innere Stadt was named after him. As Johann Adam's children predeceased him, his titles became extinct with his death in 1795. His properties were inherited by his nephew Count (later Prince) Karl Joseph Franz (1750–1822), the second son of his older brother.
Auersperg-Trautson Karl Joseph, 5th Prince of Auersperg married Countess Maria Josefa of
Trautson (1729–1794), whose father, Johann Wilhelm, 2nd Prince of Trautson (1700–1775) was the last male member of a prominent Tyrolean princely house. Their first son,
Wilhelm I, 6th Prince of Auersperg (1749–1822), inherited the Auersperg estates as head of the princely house, whilst their second son, Karl Joseph Franz, became sole heir to his maternal grandfather and therefore took the name
Auersperg-Trautson. Karl Joseph Franz distinguished himself as a successful military officer and was promoted to general and awarded the Knight's Cross of the
Military Order of Maria Theresa. As
lieutenant field marshal and commander of the Reserve Corps during the 1805 campaign, he was deceived by French
marshals Murat and
Lannes into believing that an armistice had been agreed and mistakenly allowed them to cross a bridge into Vienna. As a result of this military failure, he was court-martialed but ultimately pardoned and rehabilitated. Karl Joseph Franz remained without children and adopted his nephew, Prince Vincenz of Auersperg (1790–1812), a younger son of his elder brother, as his heir. Following a proposal by the Tyrolean state government in 1963, the head of the branch descended from Vincenz, Prince Eduard Karl (1917–2002), took the name
Auersperg-Trautson in recognition of the family's Tyrolean heritage as heirs of the princes of Trautson.
Mediatised princes of Auersperg Wilhelm I, 6th Prince of Auersperg lost his status as a territorial ruler upon the annexation of Tengen by the Grand Duchy of Baden, under the terms of the Treaty of the
Confederation of the Rhine in July 1806. The Holy Roman Empire was dissolved the following month. Wilhelm I subsequently sold his remaining rights to Tengen, as well as the estates that he continued to hold privately within the princely county, to Baden in 1811. As a mediatised house, the princes of Auersperg were entitled by the
Congress of Vienna to retain
equality of birth (
Ebenbutigkeit) with the reigning houses of Europe. In 1825 the German Diet recognised the style of “
Serene Highness” (
Durchlaucht) for the head of the princely house, Wilhelm II, 7th Prince of Auersperg, heritable in primogeniture. The same was also enacted in Austria. The style “Serene Highness” was eventually extended to all members of the princely house in 1869. (1814–1890) In 1837 Emperor
Ferdinand I established an order of precedence among the hereditary nobility of the Austrian Empire, which remained in place until the end of the Austrian monarchy. Below the reigning houses, it placed those princes that had held an individual vote in the Council of Princes as the most senior group, ordered by the date of their elevation to the princely rank. This placed Auersperg as the fifth most senior mediatised house, following the princely houses of
Arenberg,
Lobkowitz,
Salm and
Dietrichstein (†1864). The same order of precedence was established in Prussia. On the advent of the new constitutional era in 1861, Emperor
Franz Joseph I established a bicameral
Imperial Council (
Reichsrat) and appointed
Karl, 8th Prince of Auersperg (1814–1890) as the first president of the Austrian
House of Lords. Karl subsequently served as the first prime minister of the western part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (
Cisleithania), an office that was subsequently held by his brother
Prince Adolf of Auersperg (1821–1885). Adolf's son
Karl, 9th Prince of Auersperg (1859–1927) became vice-president of the Austrian House of Lords and leader of the
Constitutional Party from 1897 to 1907.
Auersperg-Breunner In the late 19th century, Karl, 9th Prince of Auersperg married Countess Eleonore of Breunner-Enkevoirt (1864–1920), whose father, Count August Johann of Breunner-Enkevoirt (1828–1894), was the last male member of a prominent Austrian noble family. The descendants of their first son, Prince Adolf of Auersperg (1886–1923), inherited the central princely Auersperg estates, while their second son, Prince Karl of Auersperg (later
Auersperg-Breunner) (1895–1960), inherited the Auersperg estates of
Wlaschim (
Vlašim) in Czechoslovakia and
Ainod (
Soteska) in Yugoslavia. In 1928 the younger Karl also inherited the former Breunner estates of
Zselíz in Czechoslovakia and Ganad in Hungary from his aunt, Countess Ernestine of Coudenhove (born Breunner-Enkevoirt), who did not have children of her own. The
Hungarian government subsequently authorised him to bear the name
Auersperg-Breunner in 1929 and confirmed his princely rank in 1940. In 1930 he acquired Wald Castle in Lower Austria. == Princes of Auersperg (1653–present) ==