Duke Carl Alexander of Württemberg
Encyclopedia
Carl Alexander Herzog von Württemberg (Father Odo OSB) (12 March 1896, Stuttgart
– 27 December 1964, Altshausen
) was a member of the House of Württemberg
who became a Benedictine
monk. ("Herzog von Württemberg" is German for "Duke of Württemberg
.) During, and following, the Nazi era he provided aid to refugees, Jews, and prisoners of war, and was reported for these activities to the Nazi rulers of Germany.
and his wife, Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria
. He also had four younger sisters. He was taught at home, and attended high school after 1914.
In World War I
he fought on the Western Front and in Italy. Following the German Revolution of 1918–1919 he resigned, as captain, from active military service, and within a few months became a postulant at the Abbey of St. Martin
in Beuron
. He entered the novitiate in 1920 as "Brother Odo", taking vows in February 1921. His father succeeded a distant cousin as head of the House of Württemberg in October of that same year. Brother Odo was ordained a priest in 1926. In the summer of 1930, Father Odo was sent to the Abbey of St. Martin
, in Weingarten, not far from castle Altshausen. He held several offices in the monastery, and was active with Catholic youth organizations. In this position, and based also on his family's conservative Catholicism, he was involved in opposition to National Socialism as early as 1933, and was interrogated by the Gestapo
several times.
He left the abbey and traveled to Württemberg in 1934. The Nazis expelled Father Odo from Germany in 1936, and he took refuge in monasteries in Switzerland and Italy. In Switzerland, he founded International Catholic Refugees and traveled through Europe.
that the Duchess of Windsor had been sleeping with the German ambassador in London, Joachim von Ribbentrop
, had remained in constant contact with him, and had continued to leak secrets.
The historian and archivist of the House of Württemberg, Eberhard Fritz, believes that Claus von Stauffenberg's opposition to Adolf Hitler
may have been partly motivated by his relationship with the House of Württemberg. (Stauffenberg's father was the last Oberhofmarschall of the Kingdom of Württemberg
.) Stauffenberg was personally acquainted with Father Odo, and was well aware of pockets of resistance against the Nazis.
After the end of World War II
, Father Odo founded the "Central European Rehabilitation Association, Inc. (CERA), with the aim of providing war-torn Central Europe with food, clothing, medicine and other necessities. After CERA, having fulfilled its function, was dissolved, Father Odo returned to Germany in 1949 to the abbey of St. Bartholomew. He left the monastery in 1952 because of a heart condition, returning to the castle of his family in Altshausen. There he spent the last years of his life and was a refounder of the Yellow Hussars of Altshausen.
Father Odo was, by his express wish, buried in the cemetery of the Abbey of St. Martin
at Weingarten, Württemberg
.
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
– 27 December 1964, Altshausen
Altshausen
Altshausen is a small Swabian municipality near Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg, southern Germany.- Geography :Altshausen is situated in Upper Swabia, about 40 kilometers north of Lake Constance...
) was a member of the House of Württemberg
House of Württemberg
The Württemberg family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Württemberg. The House has its origins, according to recent research, probably in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty.-History:...
who became a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monk. ("Herzog von Württemberg" is German for "Duke of Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
.) During, and following, the Nazi era he provided aid to refugees, Jews, and prisoners of war, and was reported for these activities to the Nazi rulers of Germany.
Life
Carl Alexander was the third (and youngest) of the sons of Albrecht, Duke of WürttembergAlbrecht, Duke of Württemberg
Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg or Albrecht Herzog von Württemberg was a German Generalfeldmarschall and head of the Royal House of Württemberg...
and his wife, Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria
Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria
Archduchess Margarete Sophie Marie Annunciata Theresia Caroline Luise Josephe Johanna of Austria, full German name: Margarete Sophie Marie Annunciata Theresia Caroline Luise Josephe Johanna, Erzherzogin von Österreich was a member of...
. He also had four younger sisters. He was taught at home, and attended high school after 1914.
In World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he fought on the Western Front and in Italy. Following the German Revolution of 1918–1919 he resigned, as captain, from active military service, and within a few months became a postulant at the Abbey of St. Martin
Beuron Archabbey
Beuron Archabbey is a major house of the Benedictine Order located at Beuron in the upper Danube valley in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
in Beuron
Beuron
Beuron is a municipality in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Beuron is known for the Beuron Archabbey and the Beuron Art School for religious art.Beuron is divided into subdistricts :* Hausen im Donautal* Langenbrunn* Neidingen...
. He entered the novitiate in 1920 as "Brother Odo", taking vows in February 1921. His father succeeded a distant cousin as head of the House of Württemberg in October of that same year. Brother Odo was ordained a priest in 1926. In the summer of 1930, Father Odo was sent to the Abbey of St. Martin
Weingarten Abbey
Weingarten Abbey or St. Martin's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery on the Martinsberg in Weingarten near Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg .-First foundation:...
, in Weingarten, not far from castle Altshausen. He held several offices in the monastery, and was active with Catholic youth organizations. In this position, and based also on his family's conservative Catholicism, he was involved in opposition to National Socialism as early as 1933, and was interrogated by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
several times.
He left the abbey and traveled to Württemberg in 1934. The Nazis expelled Father Odo from Germany in 1936, and he took refuge in monasteries in Switzerland and Italy. In Switzerland, he founded International Catholic Refugees and traveled through Europe.
Emigration to the United States
In 1940, after the Swiss government informed him that it could not guarantee his safety, Father Odo decided to emigrate to the United States. Before leaving, he destroyed his personal papers, which consequently cannot be used to trace his activities in detail. From 1941 Father Odo lived in Washington, D. C., continuing his work with refugees, enabling Jews to emigrate from Germany and its conquered territories. From 1943 onward he was involved in the pastoral care of Germans in American prisoner of war camps. He convinced the Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
that the Duchess of Windsor had been sleeping with the German ambassador in London, Joachim von Ribbentrop
Joachim von Ribbentrop
Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop was Foreign Minister of Germany from 1938 until 1945. He was later hanged for war crimes after the Nuremberg Trials.-Early life:...
, had remained in constant contact with him, and had continued to leak secrets.
The historian and archivist of the House of Württemberg, Eberhard Fritz, believes that Claus von Stauffenberg's opposition to Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
may have been partly motivated by his relationship with the House of Württemberg. (Stauffenberg's father was the last Oberhofmarschall of the Kingdom of Württemberg
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg was a state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which came into existence in 1495...
.) Stauffenberg was personally acquainted with Father Odo, and was well aware of pockets of resistance against the Nazis.
After the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Father Odo founded the "Central European Rehabilitation Association, Inc. (CERA), with the aim of providing war-torn Central Europe with food, clothing, medicine and other necessities. After CERA, having fulfilled its function, was dissolved, Father Odo returned to Germany in 1949 to the abbey of St. Bartholomew. He left the monastery in 1952 because of a heart condition, returning to the castle of his family in Altshausen. There he spent the last years of his life and was a refounder of the Yellow Hussars of Altshausen.
Father Odo was, by his express wish, buried in the cemetery of the Abbey of St. Martin
Weingarten Abbey
Weingarten Abbey or St. Martin's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery on the Martinsberg in Weingarten near Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg .-First foundation:...
at Weingarten, Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
.