Archduke Géza of Austria

Archduke Géza
Born (1940-11-14) 14 November 1940
Spouse
Monika Decker
(m. 1965; div. 1991)

Elizabeth Jane Kunstadter
(m. 1991)
Issue Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Ferdinand Leopold
Archduke Maximilian Philip
Archduchess Isabella Maria Luisa
Full name
German: Géza Ladislaus Euseb Gerhard Rafael Albert Maria
House Habsburg-Lorraine
Father Archduke Joseph Francis of Austria
Mother Princess Anna Monika of Saxony
Austrian imperial family

Archduke Géza of Austria (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. Habsburg famously coined the term Fauxbergé.

Life

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 Networks (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), a business owner, investor and entrepreneur, married, firstly, Theresa João Manuel Carlos (born 3 Feb 1973) on 12 Jan 1995, and divorced in 2010; married, secondly, LeOntra (Lei) Breeden (born 31 May 1982), an American attorney and entrepreneur, on 18 May 2013, in Cape Town, South Africa,[3] where they now live.[4] Had issue:
    • Ana Monica von Habsburg (born 24 November 1995 in Tete, Mozambique) – with Theresa João Manuel Carlos
    • Philipp Paolo von Habsburg (born 9 September 1997 in Harare, Zimbabwe) – with Theresa João Manuel Carlos
    • Sofia Gabriela Louise von Habsburg (born 19 October 2014) in Cape Town, South Africa – with LeOntra (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 history 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

Notes

  1. ↑ The Habsburgs' 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. ↑ "Why European Royalty and Aristocrats are flocking to New York".
  3. ↑ "Netty Royal". www.nettyroyal.nl. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  4. 1 2 Theroff, Paul. "Austria". www.angelfire.com/realm/gotha/ (Paul Theroff’s Royal Genealogy Site).
  5. ↑ Theroff, Paul. ""Royal News of 2013"". www.angelfire.com/realm/gotha/ (Paul Theroff’s Royal Genealogy Site).
  6. ↑ Lundy, Darryl (20 September 2014). "Charles Benedict István von Habsburg-Lothringen (born 2014)". The Peerage.

References

  • faberge-exhibition
  • Lundy, Darryl (25 November 2004). "Géza Ladislaus Erzherzog von Österreich". thepeerage.com. p. 11195 § 111946.

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