The Imperial Court pompously ignored her and in public she was never allowed to sit next to her husband nor did she accompany him on foreign trips. In the surrounding area he had a park and ornamental gardens built.Īlthough the Emperor later softened up a bit and elevated Sophie Chotek to the level of a Duchess, it still wasn’t enough for her equalization. The Archduke furnished his residence with magnificent, antique furniture, a collection of Italian paintings, hunting trophies and an arsenal, which has no equivalent in Europe. From Konopiště to SarajevoĪfter many years of intrigue and troubles, Franz and Sophie and their three children lived happily on a few estates, in particular at the Konopiště Castle, which after renovation was transformed into one of the most elegant and most modern castles of the monarchy in that period. The wedding took place in 1900 in North Bohemia at the castle in Zákupy, however the only member of the imperial family, who attended the celebration, was Ferdinand's stepmother and her daughters. ![]() The surprised Emperor gave him a year to think it over, but nothing changed. All hell broke loose on the Imperial Court: The Archduchess immediately released Sophie, and the Emperor threatened that if those two happened to be serious, he would exclude their children from the right to the throne. One day, she found the heir’s medallion, and could not resist her curiosity - and inside she found a portrait of the ordinary Lady-in-waiting Sophie. She explained her frequent visits to the heir of the throne in the only way possible: Franz Ferdinand was interested in one of her daughters. Scandal erupted in 1898, when Sophie was the lady-in-waiting for the Archduchess Isabella. ![]() It is not surprising then that the two anxiously guarded their relationship. A perfect example of his willfulness, which drove the Emperor mad up until his death, was the choice of his wife.Īlthough Sophie Chotek was a member of the Czech aristocracy and her family tree extended all the way back to the 13th century, the heir to the throne was expected to marry a daughter of a king or prince, most definitely not a Countess. Successors to the throne usually can’t just do whatever they want, but Franz Ferdinand showed the Emperor more than once that he was his own man and threw the commands from the Imperial Palace to the wayside. Don't stick your nose into other people’s medallions! A turning point came in 1896, when his father died and Franz Ferdinand, from that moment on, found himself under great scrutiny: he became the heir to the Austro-Hungarian and Czech throne. Franz Ferdinand d’Este (1863-1914), belonged to the highest level of the European nobility in his time, was one of the richest men in Europe, traveled around the world and devoted himself to his greatest passion, hunting.
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