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Revision as of 18:36, 23 November 2013

Franz
Duke of Bavaria
2005 painting by Dieter Stein
Head of the House of Wittelsbach
Period8 July 1996 – present
PredecessorAlbrecht, Duke of Bavaria
Heir presumptivePrince Max, Duke in Bavaria
Born (1933-07-14) 14 July 1933 (age 91)
München, German Reich
HouseHouse of Wittelsbach
FatherAlbrecht, Duke of Bavaria
MotherCountess Maria Draskovich of Trakostjan
ReligionRoman Catholicism
Template:Bavarian Royal Family

Franz, Duke of Bavaria was born 14 July 1933, as Franz Bonaventura Adalbert Maria Prinz von Bayern, changing his official surname to "Herzog von Bayern" in 1996. Styled as His Royal Highness the Duke of Bavaria,[1] Franz is head of the House of Wittelsbach, the former ruling family of the Kingdom of Bavaria. His great-grandfather Ludwig III was the last King of Bavaria before being deposed in 1918.

Franz was born in Munich. During the Second World War, the Wittelsbach's were anti-Nazi. The family initially left Germany for Hungary, but were eventually arrested; Franz (aged eleven) spending time in several Nazi concentration camps including Oranienburg and Dachau. After the war, Franz studied at University of Munich and became a noted and passionate collector of modern art.

Franz succeeded as head of the House of Wittelsbach, and pretender to the Bavarian Throne, on the death of his father in 1996. He lives at the Nymphenburg Palace, formerly the summer palace of the Bavarian Kings.

Franz is also the current senior co-heir-general of King Charles I of England and Scotland, and thus as King Francis II is considered by Jacobites to be the legitimate heir of the Stuart kings of England, France, Scotland and Ireland.[2] "HRM [sic] the Duke generally does not comment on issues concerning his familiar [sic] relationship to the Royal House of Stuart", a spokesman told the media.[3]

Life

Franz was born on 14 July 1933 in Munich, the son of Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, and his morganatic wife, Countess Maria Draskovich of Trakostjan of the House of Drašković, an ancient Croatian noble family. On 18 May 1949, when Franz was sixteen, his grandfather Crown Prince Rupprecht recognised the marriage of Franz's parents as dynastic and Franz became a prince of Bavaria.[citation needed]

The Wittelsbach dynasty were opposed to the Nazi regime in Germany, and in 1939 Franz's father Albrecht took his family to Hungary. They lived in Budapest for four years before moving to their Castle at Sárvár in late 1943. In March 1944, Nazi Germany occupied Hungary, and on 6 October 1944, the entire family, including Franz (then aged eleven), were arrested. They were sent to a series of Nazi concentration camps including Oranienburg and Dachau. At the end of April 1945 they were liberated by the United States Third Army.[4]

After the war Franz received his high-school education at the Benedictine Abbey of Ettal. He then studied business management at the University of Munich and in Zurich. Franz developed a passion for collecting modern art; today many items from his private collection are on permanent loan to the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich.[5]

The Nymphenburg Palace

Franz lives in a wing of Nymphenburg Palace, the former summer residence of the kings of Bavaria, in Munich. His country retreat is Berg Castle and he occasionally uses the former royal castle at Berchtesgaden and Hohenschwangau Castle, both of which are housing family museums.[citation needed]

He speaks English, French, German, and Hungarian.[6]

Franz's 80th birthday party, in 2013, was held at the Schleissheim Palace near Munich. The party was attended by 2,500 of the "richest, most powerful and influential" people in Bavaria,[1] including the current Minister-President of Bavaria, Horst Seehofer (formerly President of the German Bundesrat).[7]

Titles and styles

Although his ancestors were Kings of Bavaria, Franz uses the titles "Duke of Bavaria, of Franconia and in Swabia; Count Palatine of the Rhine".[8] The prefix "His Royal Highness" is used,[1][9][10] but is a gesture of politeness and has no legal status in Germany.

Under German law royal titles are not recognised legally, but can be used as a part of a surname. Franz's surname at birth was Prinz von Bayern.[11] In 1996, after the death of his father, he changed his surname to Herzog von Bayern (German for 'Duke of Bavaria').[12]

Franz is the current Grand Master of the Royal Order of Saint George for the Defense of the Immaculate Conception.[13] He is also Grand Master of the Order of Saint Hubert and the Order of Queen Theresa (for Ladies).[13] He is a Hereditary Senator of the University of Munich[14] and an Honorary Member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities. He holds many honorary positions in civic and religious organisations in Bavaria. He supports charitable enterprises helping orphans in Romania.[15]

Succession rights

Franz has never married. The heir presumptive to the headship of the House of Wittelsbach is his brother Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria. Because Max has no sons, he is followed in the line of succession by his and Franz's first cousin Prince Luitpold.[16]

The Jacobite succession (which is not tied to the male line as the Bavaria/Wittlesbach succession is), would pass to Prince Max's eldest daughter: Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein.[4]

Franz is the current senior co-heir-general of King Charles I of England and Scotland, and thus as King Francis II is considered by Jacobites to be the legitimate heir of the Stuart kings of England, France, Scotland and Ireland.[2] It is not, however, a claim which he pursues; the president of his administration, Baron Marcus Bechtolsheim, stating: "really, he is very happy and satisfied with being the Duke of Bavaria."[2]

His link to the House of Stuart is follows:

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Franz, Duke of Bavaria.

Ancestry

Family of Franz von Bayern
16. Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria
8. Ludwig III of Bavaria
17. Archduchess Augusta of Austria
4. Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria
18. Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este
9. Archduchess Maria Theresia of Austria-Este
19. Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria
2. Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria
20. Maximilian Joseph, Duke in Bavaria
10. Karl-Theodor, Duke in Bavaria
21. Princess Ludovika of Bavaria
5. Duchess Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria
22. Miguel of Portugal
11. Infanta Maria Josepha of Portugal
23. Princess Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
1. Franz, Duke of Bavaria
24. Count Kelroly Draskovich of Trakostyán
12. Count Pál Draskovich of Trakostyán
25. Countess Erzsébet Batthyány
6. Count Dionys Draskovich of Trakostyán
26. Count Denes Festetics of Tolna
13. Countess Mária Festetics of Tolna
27. Countess Karolina Zichy
3. Countess Maria Draskovich of Trakostjan
28. William Albert, 1st Prince of Montenuovo
14. Alfred, 2nd Prince of Montenuovo
29. Countess Juliane Batthyány
7. Princess Juliana of Montenuovo
30. Ferdinand Bonaventura, 7th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau
15. Countess Francesa Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau
31. Princess Maria of Liechtenstein

Notes

  1. ^ a b c "The blue-blooded Bavarian Duke". the local.de. 25 July 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Alleyne, Richard (7 April 2008). "Act repeal could make Franz Herzog von Bayern new King of England and Scotland". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 June 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Walker, Tim, "Duke Francis of Bavaria given hope of claiming British throne", The Telegraph, 11 September 2011.
  4. ^ a b Hamilton, Tom (8 April 2008). "German Duke could claim Scots throne". The Daily Record. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  5. ^ Carla Schulz-Hoffmann and Peter-Klaus Schuster, Deutsche Kunst seit 1960 aus der Sammlung Prinz Franz von Bayern (München: Prestel-Verlag, 1985).
  6. ^ Francis II
  7. ^ "Party fit for a king". The Local.de. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  8. ^ Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Band 50, Fürstliche Häuser, Band IX, Limburg an der Lahn 1971, S. 7
  9. ^ Donaukurier. 20 November 2013 http://www.donaukurier.de/lokales/hilpoltstein/Hilpoltstein-Botschafter-des-Landkreises;art596,2845684. Retrieved 23 November 2013. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ Die Welt. 3 November 2013 http://www.welt.de/print/wams/muenchen/article121482925/Musikalisches-Geschlecht.html. Retrieved 23 November 2013. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ^ Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Band 50, Fürstliche Häuser Band IX. Limburg an der Lahn: C. A. Starke, 1971, page 7.
  12. ^ Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Band 141, Fürstliche Häuser Band XVIII. Limburg an der Lahn: C. A. Starke, 2007, page 2.
  13. ^ a b ICOC Dynastic orders 2006 register
  14. ^ The Jacobite Heritage
  15. ^ OIWW website http://oiww-history.blogspot.co.uk/2008/04/duke-of-bavaria-princess-and-oi-romania.html
  16. ^ Genealogie des Hauses Wittelsbach. München: Verwaltung des Herzogs von Bayern, 2000.

Bibliography

  • Adalbert, Prinz von Bayern. Die Wittelsbacher: Geschichte unserer Familie. München: Prestel, 1979.
  • McFerran, Noel S. (1 August 2005). "Francis II". The Jacobite Heritage. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
  • McFerran, Noel S. (22 November 2006). "The Royal Family, the Nazis, and the Second World War". The Jacobite Heritage. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
Franz von Bayern
Born: 14 July 1933
Titles in pretence
Preceded by — TITULAR —
King of Bavaria
8 July 1996 – present
Reason for succession failure:
Kingdom abolished in 1918 		Incumbent
Heir:
Duke Max
Jacobite succession
8 July 1996 – present

Template:Persondata

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