Otto von Habsburg

Otto von Habsburg (referred to as Otto Habsburg-Lothringen by the Austrian government, although this is not his legal name, as he is a German citizen), sometimes known as Archduke Otto of Austria (Franz Josef Otto Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xavier Felix René Ludwig Gaetano Pius Ignazius von Habsburg), born November 20, 1912, is the current head of the Habsburg family and the eldest son of Karl, the last Emperor of Austria and the last King of Hungary, and Empress/Queen Zita.

Early life

Otto was born in Reichenau an der Rax, Lower Austria. In November 1916, Otto's father, Archduke Charles, on the death of his granduncle Franz Josef I, ascended to the throne and become Emperor Charles I of Austria and King Charles IV of Hungary while Otto himself, at the age of four, became Crown Prince of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. However, in 1918, at the end of the First World War, Karl had to abdicate, both monarchies were abolished, the Republics of Austria and Hungary founded instead, and the family were forced into exile. It should be noted that Hungary did become a kingdom again but that Karl was never to rule it. Instead Miklós Horthy ruled as a regent until the 1940s.

Related Topics:
Lower Austria - 1916 - Franz Josef I - The Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary - 1918 - First World War - Monarchies - Republic - Austria - Hungary - Miklós Horthy - 1940s

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