( Learn how and when to remove this template message)įirst page of the February Patent of 1861 with the grand title of the emperor Empress Maria Theresa, on her right are the crowns of the Austrian Empire, Hungary, Bohemia and the coronet of the Archduchy of Austria. JSTOR ( August 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message). Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: "Grand title of the emperor of Austria" – news Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Ludwig Viktor died in 1919, that is, after the end of the Monarchy, in his adopted home of Salzburg, where he was laid to rest in Siezenheim Cemetery.This article needs additional citations for verification. In 1915 he was declared insane and placed under supervision. The archduke spent the rest of his life living in seclusion at Schloss Klessheim. The heir to the throne Franz Ferdinand has also been identified as one of the principal figures behind his banishment the former had never forgiven the emperor’s youngest brother for being one of the main opponents within the imperial family of his controversial morganatic marriage to Sophie, Countess Chotek. It is not known why Franz Joseph now suddenly dropped his brother after having tolerated his lifestyle for so many years. Outraged, he ordered his brother to leave Vienna immediately and retire to Schloss Klessheim’. This scandalous affair was reported to the Emperor – naturally in the most lurid colours. It was said that the archduke had had his ears boxed and been forced to take to his heels. This had occurred when the archduke made unwanted advances in a public baths for men, which ended in a punch-up, as Princess Fugger relates: ‘One fine day a real scandal came to pass, a brawl in a public baths. Eventually he became involved in a major scandal, resulting in his banishment from court. For a long time his lifestyle was tacitly tolerated. Ludwig Viktor made little attempt to hide his homosexuality. The reason given for this on the quiet were the archduke’s ‘unnatural inclinations’. However, officers stationed in Salzburg were soon forbidden to accept his invitations. He assumed the patronage of the Salzburg Society of Art, and threw large parties. Ludwig Viktor was very popular in Salzburg, and as a member of the imperial family became one of the leading lights of the city’s society. He also had a magnificent summer seat at Schloss Klessheim near Salzburg. Financially secure, he had at his disposal a principal residence in keeping with his status on Vienna’s Schwarzenbergplatz, designed by the leading architect Heinrich Ferstel. In particular his sister-in-law Empress Elisabeth accused him of causing strife in the family with his intrigues.Īs an archduke, Ludwig Viktor enjoyed many privileges. He was considered to be a difficult character: while he is described as extremely entertaining, with a gift for repartee, he was also feared for his sharp tongue. Even Franz Joseph, the otherwise invariably severe head of the family, saw himself as his youngest brother’s protector and tolerated Ludwig Viktor’s escapades. Within the family Ludwig Viktor assumed the role of an eccentric oddball. An example of this is provided by the memoirs of Princess Nora Fugger, who was generally very critical of the archduke’s personality without however openly referring to his inclinations: according to her, Ludwig Viktor was ‘completely different from his brothers, adept at neither military nor artistic matters, puny, unmanly, affected and of repellent appearance’. This is why most descriptions of Ludwig Viktor contain only more or less veiled hints about his sexual preferences. The press had to be extremely cautious when publishing reports about the imperial family. The reason why the obvious homosexuality of the emperor’s brother was not a matter of public knowledge can be found in the strict press censorship that prevailed at the time. Within his personal circle it was well known, but not spoken of openly in order to maintain a pretence of ‘morality’.
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