Archduke Géza of Austria

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Archduke Géza of Austria
Prince Imperial of Austria; Prince Royal of Hungary; Croatia, and Bohemia
Born (1940-11-14) 14 November 1940 (age 83)
Spouse Monika Decker
(m. 1965; div. 1991)
Elizabeth Jane Kunstadter
(m. 1991)
Issue Franz Ferdinand von Habsburg
Ferdinand Leopold von Habsburg
Maximilian Philip von Habsburg
Isabella Maria Luisa von Habsburg
Full name
German: Géza Ladislaus Euseb Gerhard Rafael Albert Maria
House Habsburg-Lorraine
Father Archduke Joseph Francis of Austria
Mother Princess Anna of Saxony

Archduke Géza of Austria, Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia (given names: Géza Ladislaus Euseb Gerhard Rafael Albert Maria; born 14 November 1940, in Budapest), in Austria and Hungary only known by law as Géza Habsburg-Lothringen,[1] is the son of Archduke Joseph Francis of Austria (1895–1957) and his wife Princess Anna of Saxony (1903–1976) thus he is a grandson of King Frederick Augustus III of Saxony and great-great grandson (on his father's mother's side) of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and his wife Elisabeth of Bavaria (Sissi). Géza is a Fabergé expert and has published many books and articles on the jewellers Peter Carl Fabergé and Victor Mayer. He is the curator of several major international Fabergé exhibitions.

Life

Monarchical styles of
Archduke Geza of Austria-Hungary
Wappen Kaisertum Österreich 1815 (Klein).png
Reference style His Imperial and Royal Highness
Spoken style Your Imperial and Royal Highness
Alternative style Sir

Géza attended universities in Fribourg and Bern, Switzerland; Munich, Germany; and Florence, Italy, before graduating as a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Fribourg in 1965.

In 1966 he joined the staff of Christie, Manson & Woods Auctioneers as Chairman, Switzerland, overseeing a network of offices throughout Europe. In 1980 he became Chairman of European Operations for the company. Later in his career, he served for four years as Chairman, New York and Geneva, of Habsburg Fine Art International Auctioneers. In both companies, he specialized in silver and gold, objects of vertu and Russian art. Since 1998, he has been based in New York. [2]

Géza von Habsburg is an internationally renowned author and leading authority on Fabergé. Much of his career has been devoted to organizing and curating exhibitions all over the world. He served as the curator and organizer for Fabergé, Jeweller to the Tsars (1986–87) at the Kunsthalle in Munich. Also, while a Board Member of the Fabergé Arts Foundation, he was Chief Curator of Fabergé, Imperial Court Jeweler (1993–94), which was shown in Saint Petersburg, Paris and London. He also served as Guest Curator of Fabergé in America, which toured five cities in the United States (1996–97).

As an educator, Géza von Habsburg served as an associate professor at the New York School of Interior Design, the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, and New York University. He is currently a lecturer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Some of his topics include "Princely Collections," "The Habsburgs as Collectors and Patrons of the Arts", and "Celebrated Habsburg Women".

Fluent in seven languages, Géza joined Fabergé Co. in 1994 as a consultant, spokesman and lecturer worldwide. He has written seven and co-written two books on Fabergé and related topics, as well as some 75 articles, which have been published in various art journals all over the world. In addition, he has been featured in a Russian film (1994), a Japanese film and two biographies for the Arts & Entertainment Network (A&E), all in association with Fabergé.

Géza has also been featured in the A&E documentary Treasures of the Habsburgs (1998), and in Habsburgs Today on the Romance Channel (1999).

Marriage and children

His first marriage, in 1965, was to Monika Decker (born 1939). Together, they had three sons before divorcing in 1991. Their sons are:

  • Franz Ferdinand (born 1967), married, firstly, Theresa João Manuel Carlos (born 3 Feb 1973) on 12 Jan 1995, and divorced in 2011; married, secondly, Leondra Lei Breeden (born 1982) in Cape Town.[3] Had issue:
    • Ana Monica (born 24 November 1995 in Tete, Mozambique) - with Theresa João Manuel Carlos
    • Philipp Paolo (born 9 September 1997 in Harare, Zimbabwe) - with Theresa João Manuel Carlos
    • Sofia Gabriele Louise (born 19 October 2014) - with Leondra Lei Breeden
  • Ferdinand Leopold Joseph (born 14 Jul 1969) who works for UNDP in Southern Sudan married Mary Nyanut Ring Machar (born 1 Jul 1969 in Wau, South Sudan) on 28 Aug 1999 in Nairobi, and had four children:[4]
    • Luisa Aluel von Habsburg (born 2000 in Nairobi)
    • László Rum von Habsburg (born 2002 in Nairobi)
    • Gisela Aluk von Habsburg (born 2004 in Nairobi)
    • Mátyás Malith von Habsburg (born 2009)
  • Maximilian Philip (b. 1974) a teacher at Oundle School. Married to Arabella Lucy Mary Stafford Northcote in August 2013, and had one child:
    • Charles Benedict István von Habsburg (born 28 August 2014)[5][6]

Archduke Géza and Monika Decker were divorced on 23 September 1991, and their marriage was annulled 6 July 1993.

His second marriage, in 1991, was to Elizabeth Jane Kunstadter (born 1957) produced a daughter:

  • Isabella Maria Luisa (born 24 September 1996 in New York)

Ancestry

Family of Archduke Géza of Austria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
16. Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8. Archduke Joseph Karl of Austria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
17. Duchess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4. Archduke Joseph August of Austria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
18. Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9. Princess Clotilde of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
19. Princess Clémentine of Orléans
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2. Archduke Joseph Francis of Austria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
20. Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10. Prince Leopold of Bavaria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
21. Archduchess Auguste Ferdinande of Austria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5. Princess Auguste of Bavaria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
22. Franz Joseph I of Austria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
11. Archduchess Gisela of Austria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
23. Elisabeth of Bavaria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1. Géza von Habsburg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
24. John of Saxony
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12. George of Saxony
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
25. Amalie Auguste of Bavaria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6. Frederick Augustus III of Saxony
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
26. Ferdinand II of Portugal
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
13. Maria Anna of Portugal
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
27. Maria II of Portugal
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3. Princess Anna of Saxony
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
28. Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
14. Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
29. Princess Marie Antoinette of the Two Sicilies
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
7. Archduchess Luise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
30. Charles III, Duke of Parma
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
15. Princess Alice of Bourbon-Parma
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
31. Princess Louise Marie Thérèse of France
 
 
 
 
 
 

References

  1. The Habsburg's titles are not recognised aymore in Austria or in Hungary, where he is referred to as Géza Habsburg, which is his legal name. (See Austrian nobility)
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. http://www.angelfire.com/realm/gotha/gotha/austria.html, "Austria"
  4. http://www.angelfire.com/realm/gotha/gotha/austria.html, "Austria"
  5. http://www.angelfire.com/realm/gotha/news/2013_1.htm, "Royal News of 2013"
  6. http://peeragenews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/charles-benedict-istvan-von-habsburg.html

External links

Archduke Géza of Austria
Cadet branch of the House of Lorraine
Born: 8 February 1933
Austro-Hungarian royalty
Preceded by
Archduke Istvan of Austria
Line of succession to the Austro-Hungarian throne
79th position
Succeeded by
Archduke Michael of Austria