Joseph Ritter von Spaun after 1859 Joseph Freiherr von Spaun (Nov 11, 1788- Nov 25, 1865) was an Austrian nobleman, an Imperial and Royal Councillor, lottery director, and honorary citizen of Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 and Cieszyn

Cieszyn

Cieszyn is a border-town and the seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It has 36,109 inhabitants . Cieszyn lies on the Olza River, a tributary of the Oder river, opposite Český Těšín....

. He is best known for his friendship with the composer Franz Schubert

Franz Schubert

Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...

.

Family

Joseph von Spaun came from the Spaun family, originally of Swabian

Swabia

Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...

 origin first mentioned in documents from 1583-1593 among farmers and yarn spinners Bartholomäus Spaun. The family, originally from Deisenhausen

Deisenhausen

Deisenhausen is a municipality in the district of Günzburg in Bavaria in Germany....

 (Günzburg

Günzburg (district)

Günzburg is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Dillingen, Augsburg, Unterallgäu and Neu-Ulm, and by the state of Baden-Württemberg ....

) became wealthy in Linz

Linz

Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...

. He was the son of Franz Xaver Ritter von Spaun (1756-1804) a royal councillor and Imperial State

Imperial State

An Imperial State or Imperial Estate was an entity in the Holy Roman Empire with a vote in the Imperial Diet assemblies. Several territories of the Empire were not represented, while some officials were non-voting members; neither qualified as Imperial States.Rulers of Imperial States were...

 Syndic

Syndic

Syndic , a term applied in certain countries to an officer of government with varying powers, and secondly to a representative or delegate of a university, institution or other corporation, entrusted with special functions or powers.The meaning which underlies both applications is that of...

 in Upper Austria

Upper Austria

Upper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...

 and the widow Josepha Steyrer von Riedenburg (1757-1835). His brother was the historian and folklorist Anton Ritter von Spaun (1790-1849).

Spaun married Franziska Roner Edle von Ehrenwert (Jy 17 1795-Jan 31, 1890), daughter of landholder

Land tenure

Land tenure is the name given, particularly in common law systems, to the legal regime in which land is owned by an individual, who is said to "hold" the land . The sovereign monarch, known as The Crown, held land in its own right. All private owners are either its tenants or sub-tenants...

 and military captain Joseph Roner Edler von Ehrenwert on April 14 1828 in Vienna. The son of this union became Admiral Hermann von Spaun

Hermann von Spaun

Hermann Freiherr von Spaun was a admiral in the Austro-Hungarian Navy. He was the Commanders-in-Chief of the Austro-Hungarian Navy from December 1897 to October 1904.-Background:...

.

He was raised to the Austrian nobility on August 25 1859 (Adelsbrief on Nov. 2, 1859), and assumed the title Freiherr

Freiherr

The German titles Freiherr and Freifrau and Freiin are titles of nobility, used preceding a person's given name or, after 1919, before the surname...

 (baron).

Life

von Spaun studied law from 1806 to 1809 at Vienna University and entered the civil service. At the Vienna seminary he met Franz Schubert

Franz Schubert

Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...

, eight years younger than himself, and they developed a lifelong friendship. Spaun supported Schubert financially, enabling the young composer to attend the opera and theater. The patronage lasted to the end of Schubert's life, and Spaun hosted the very last Schubertiade

Schubertiade

A Schubertiade is an event held to celebrate the music of Franz Schubert.-History:During Schubert's lifetime, these events were generally informal, unadvertised gatherings, held at private homes...

 on January 28, 1828.

von Spaun was made an honorary citizen of Vienna on May 18, 1841.