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Adapted from Otto von Habsburg, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for audio. This HearLore entry is also licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

— Ch. 1 · Imperial Birth And Exile —

Otto von Habsburg.

~5 min read · Ch. 1 of 7
Otto von Habsburg was born at Villa Wartholz in Reichenau an der Rax, Austria-Hungary on the 20th of November 1912. His full baptismal name included Franz Joseph Otto Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xaver Felix Renatus Ludwig Gaetan Pius Ignatius. This long list of names was chosen so he might reign as Franz Joseph II in the future. He became Crown Prince when his father Archduke Charles acceded to the throne in November 1916. The First World War ended in 1918 and the monarchies were abolished shortly after. The family was forced into exile in Madeira that same year. The Austrian parliament officially expelled the Habsburg dynasty via the Habsburg Law of the 3rd of April 1919. Charles was banned from ever returning to Austria again while Otto could only return if he renounced all claims to the throne. The family spent subsequent years in Switzerland before moving to the Portuguese island of Madeira where their father died in 1922. On his deathbed Empress Dowager Zita told nine-year-old Otto that he was now Emperor and King. They eventually relocated to the Basque town of Lekeitio where forty Spanish grandees bought them a villa.

Resistance Against Nazism

Otto denounced Nazism and strongly opposed the Anschluss in 1938. He requested Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg to resist Nazi Germany and offered to return from exile to take over the reins of government. Rudolf Hess ordered that Otto was to be executed immediately if caught by German forces. Adolf Hitler personally revoked the citizenship of Otto, his mother and his siblings in 1941. The imperial-royal family found themselves stateless as a result. He was listed on the Nazi Sonderfahndungsliste G.B. Special Search List Great Britain and served as the unofficial head of numerous resistance groups in Central Europe. These groups saw the resurgence of a Danube confederation as the only way for small states to exist between Germany and Russia. Many of these imperial resistance fighters were sent directly to concentration camps without trial and over 800 were executed by the Nazis. Karl Burian planned to blow up the Gestapo headquarters in Vienna while Dr. Heinrich Maier passed on plans for V-2 rockets to the Allies. Otto helped around 15,000 Austrians including thousands of Jews flee the country at the beginning of the Second World War.

European Integration Pioneer

In 1988 Pope John Paul II began a speech to the Parliament when Ian Paisley shouted and held up a poster reading Pope John Paul II Antichrist. Otto snatched Paisley's banner and along with other MEPs and security personnel roughed him up and ejected him head-first through the doors of the chamber. He was instrumental in organizing the Pan-European Picnic at the Hungary-Austria border on the 19th of August 1989. This event is considered a milestone in the collapse of Communist dictatorships in Europe. He set up an empty chair in the European Parliament to symbolize the absence of Eastern Bloc countries behind the Iron Curtain. The Pan-European Picnic took place at the Hungary-Austria border on the 19th of August 1989. Otto von Habsburg co-organized this event which accelerated the fall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe. The picnic served as a symbolic opening of the Iron Curtain for thousands of East Germans seeking freedom. It demonstrated the power of peaceful protest against authoritarian rule. Otto played a notable role in the revolutions of 1989 as

The Pan-European Picnic

a co-initiator of this gathering. He was a strong supporter of EU membership for Central and Eastern European countries including Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia. His efforts helped bring attention to the plight of those living under communist governments. The event remains a significant historical moment that changed the course of European history. On the 8th of May 1956 Otto was recognized as an Austrian citizen by the provincial government of Lower Austria. The Austrian Interior Ministry approved his declaration but required him to accept the name Dr. Otto Habsburg-Lothringen. This only entitled him to a passport valid in every country but Austria. He officially declared his loyalty to the Republic of Austria on the 5th of June 1961 but this statement was

Restoration Of Citizenship

ruled insufficient. In a declaration dated the 31st of May 1961 Otto renounced all claims to the Austrian throne and proclaimed himself a loyal citizen of the republic for purely practical reasons. The Austrian administrative court found on the 24th of May 1963 that his statement was legally sufficient. Upon his return to Austria he and his wife were issued a Certified Proof of Citizenship on the 20th of July 1965. It was only on the 1st of June 1966 after the People's Party won an outright majority in the national election that Otto was issued an Austrian passport. He finally visited his home country again on the 31st of October 1966 for the first time in 48 years. At the end of 1998 Habsburg was targeted by criticism because he compared allegations against his son Karl with Nazi persecution of Jews. His public advocacy for the weekly Junge Freiheit which was affiliated with the Neue Rechte met with significant opposition. In 2002 Habsburg said in an interview that US domestic policy was split between a Department of Defense filled with Jews and one by blacks. On the 2008

Controversial Public Statements

anniversary of the Anschluss he stated there is no country in Europe that has a better claim to be a victim of the Nazis than Austria. This received public protest, media criticism and disapproval voiced by Austrian politicians. Social Democratic Party Defence Minister Norbert Darabos called the remarks unacceptable and a veritable democratic-political scandal. He claimed that thousands listened to Hitler on the Heldenplatz while others were in prison waiting to be transported to Dachau near Munich. Otto died at the age of 98 on Monday the 4th of July 2011 at his home in Pöcking Germany. His spokeswoman reported that he died peacefully and without pain in his sleep. On the 5th of July his body was laid in repose in the Church of St. Ulrich near his home in Bavaria. A massive 13-day period of mourning started in several countries formerly part of Austria-Hungary. His

Death And Final Honors

coffin was draped with the Habsburg flag decorated with imperial-royal coats of arms of Austria and Hungary. In line with family tradition Otto von Habsburg was buried in the family's crypt in Vienna while his heart was buried in Pannonhalma Archabbey in Hungary. His funeral took place at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna on the 16th of July 2011. The guards of honour wore Austro-Hungarian uniforms during the service.

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Common questions

When and where was Otto von Habsburg born?

Otto von Habsburg was born at Villa Wartholz in Reichenau an der Rax, Austria-Hungary on the 20th of November 1912. His full baptismal name included Franz Joseph Otto Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xaver Felix Renatus Ludwig Gaetan Pius Ignatius.

Why did Otto von Habsburg renounce his claims to the throne?

Otto von Habsburg renounced all claims to the Austrian throne on the 31st of May 1961 for purely practical reasons to regain citizenship. The Austrian administrative court found this statement legally sufficient on the 24th of May 1963 allowing him to return home.

How did Otto von Habsburg contribute to the fall of communism in Europe?

Otto von Habsburg co-organized the Pan-European Picnic at the Hungary-Austria border on the 19th of August 1989 which accelerated the fall of communist regimes. This event served as a symbolic opening of the Iron Curtain for thousands of East Germans seeking freedom and is considered a milestone in European history.

What happened to Otto von Habsburg during World War II?

Adolf Hitler personally revoked the citizenship of Otto von Habsburg, his mother and his siblings in 1941 leaving them stateless. He helped around 15,000 Austrians including thousands of Jews flee the country while serving as an unofficial head of resistance groups in Central Europe.

When was Otto von Habsburg finally allowed to return to Austria after exile?

Otto von Habsburg visited his home country again on the 31st of October 1966 for the first time in 48 years after receiving an Austrian passport on the 1st of June 1966. His body was laid in repose in the Church of St. Ulrich near his home in Bavaria on the 5th of July 2011 following his death.

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