Pannonhalma Archabbey is one of the most spiritual sites in Hungary and is the most important historical building in the country. Prince Géza of Hungary commissioned the building of the Abbey in 997 AD for the community of monks living in the area. His son St Stephen, the first king of Hungary, was present during the sanctification of the initial building in 1002.
Otto Habsburg’s Hungarian Connections
Franz Joseph Otto Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xavier Felix Renatus Ludwig Gaetan Pius Ignatius van Habsburg-Lothringen had fond memories of the time he spent at the Pannonhalma Abbey as a student of the Benedictine Monks, who tutored him in preparation for his Matriculation Examination in Hungarian language, Hungarian history and Mathematics. He always acknowledged his strong Hungarian ties, and proudly admitted that he had three mother tongues, one of which was Hungarian. Pannonhalma Archabbey had a very special place in his heart.
In 1990 Otto Habsburg made an incognito trip to the abbey, where he placed flowers on the graves of his old mentors and teachers. His various visits to the Abbey are a testament to the strong spiritual ties and he had with the monks. The mutual respect and admiration was also evidenced by his appointment as an Honorary President of the Benedictine Student Council.
End of the Monarchy
Otto Habsburg was born in 1912 and became Crown Prince of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia when his father, Archduke Charles inherited the throne in 1916. His father was the last Austrian Emperor, Charles I of Austria and Charles IV King of Hungary up till 1918 when Republics replaced Monarchies, and he was forced to renounce his participation in state affairs, although he never did abdicate. Otto spent most of his life in exile with his family after their official property was confiscated, and the Habsburgs were banished from Austria in 1919. In 1921 Charles had hopes of reclaiming the Hungarian throne but he failed to win the support of Admiral Miklós Horty, who was the Regent and Head of State at the time. Subsequently, Hungary passed the Pragmatic Sanction act that dethroned the Habsburgs.
Life in Exile
During his years in exile Otto Habsburg lived on the Portuguese island of Madeira, and in Switzerland, Belgium, France and USA, although most of his formative years were spent in Spain, where his Catholic mother continued to prepare him for a future as a Catholic monarch. As heir to the throne he remained active in the 1930s in European and Austrian politics, promoting and gaining public support for Habsburg restoration. This came to an end after 1938 when the Nazis undertook a campaign of persecution and issued death sentences against Austrian monarchists, and charged Otto Habsburg with treason.
Support for European Integration
Otto Habsburg obtained his PhD degree in Political and Social Sciences from the university of Louvain in Belgium. He was an active member of the International Pan European Union, and became its Vice President in 1957 and later its President from 1973-2004. He served as a member of the European Parliament for the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (1979-1999). During his lifetime Otto Habsburg worked towards European integration, and vehemently opposed Nationalism. He was a staunch anti Nazi and anti Communist advocate, and was instrumental in organising the Pan-European picnic at the Hungarian-Austrian border. This event was one of the catalysts in the eventual fall of the Iron Curtain. After the fall of the communist regime he was a strong supporter of EU membership for Eastern European countries. He was also a well-known intellect who published several books on political and historical affairs.
End of an Era
Francisco Franco offered Otto Habsburg the crown of Spain, in 1961, which Otto gracefully declined. He felt that the Habsburg dynasty had been absent from the Spanish throne for too long, and recommended Juan Carlos instead.
In 1961 after many decades Otto Habsburg signed the controversial Habsburg laws, an agreement that forced members of the family to relinquish all kinds of privileges, and he renounced all intentions of reclaiming the Austrian throne. In 1966 after almost 40 years of exile he was finally allowed to return Austria.
He and his wife Regina, who died in 2010, had seven children. If Hungary were still a monarchy their oldest son, Charles Habsburg would in theory be the heir to the Hungarian throne, as Otto never renounced his Hungarian sovereignty. Their younger son George Habsburg is the President of the Hungarian Red Cross Society, and lives in Sóskút, near Budapest with his wife and three children.
Otto Habsburg is Laid to Rest
Otto Habsburg the great-grandson of Franz Josef I, King of Hungary and Emperor of Austria, was born in Austria in 1912 and died peacefully at his home in Pöcking, Bavaria at the age of 98, on the 4th July 2011. During the 13-day mourning period, his coffin was draped with the Habsburg flag decorated with the imperial-royal coat of arms of Austria and Hungary, in addition to the Habsburg coat of arms.
Otto Habsburg was laid to rest in Vienna, with the remains of his wife on the 16th July 2011, at the Capuchin Church Imperial Burial Crypt. This was preceded by a requiem mass as St Stephen’s Cathedral, which was attended by European Royalty, Heads of State and thousands of mourners. A further requiem mass was held at St Steven Basilica in Budapest on the 17th July 2011 where Otto Habsburg was honoured by Cardinal László Paskai. Later that evening, during a private ceremony at the Pannonhalma Archabbey, a mass was said in Latin, and the special urn holding the heart of Otto Habsburg was laid to rest, according to his wishes and Habsburg tradition.
Sources
04/07/2011 Otto Habsburg Has Died
04/07/2011 Habsburg Otto has Passed Away
08/07/2011 Almost an Emperor
13/07/2011 Habsburg Otto’s Heart Urn will be Placed at Pannonhalma on Sunday
Erika Gösi - I was born in Hungary, but I have lived abroad all my life where I was fortunate to have experienced many wonders of Africa and Australia, ...
