Karel Schwarzenberg
Encyclopedia
Karel Schwarzenberg (ˈkarɛl ˈʃvartsn̩bɛrk) or Karel, Prince of Schwarzenberg (born Karl Johannes Nepomuk Joseph Norbert Friedrich Antonius Wratislaw Menas), 7. Fürst zu Schwarzenberg (Second Majorat
), Herzog von Krummau on 10 December 1937 in Prague
, Czechoslovakia
), is a politician of the Czech Republic, the leader of TOP 09
party and the current Minister of Foreign Affairs
of the country. He took office as Foreign Minister in July 2010, and also occupied the position from 2007 to 2009. Prince Schwarzenberg is a member of the high nobility of Bohemia
and also the current head of the House of Schwarzenberg
since 1979.
He is a former Senator
from Prague
. In May 2010, he was elected a member of the Chamber of Deputies
, gaining the largest number of Preference votes.
. He is also the 1,322nd Knight
of the Order of the Golden Fleece
of Austria.
Born in Prague, his family fled the country after the Communist coup d'état in 1948 and he grew up in Austria. In the 1960s, he was active in Austrian politics, and he became a leading voice against the communist rule of his native Bohemia after the Prague Spring
. He chaired the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
1984–1991.
The House of Schwarzenberg
originates in Franconia
, where the family still owns substantial property , but made Bohemia
their primary seat in the 17th century, also maintaining residences in Vienna
. The family had possessed fiefdoms in Bohemia already in the Middle Ages. It was one of the richest noble families of Bohemia and Austria-Hungary
, and one of the largest land owners of Bohemia. Karel Schwarzenberg and his parents had to leave the country after the Communist coup of 1948
, and emigrated to Austria, with Swiss citizenship. He studied law and forestry at the universities of Vienna
, Munich and Graz
. He has two sisters, Marie Eleonore von Bredow (born 1936) and Anna Maria Freifrau von Haxthausen (born 1946), and one brother, Dr. rer. oec. Friedrich Prinz von und zu Schwarzenberg (born 1940).
On 22 April 1967, Schwarzenberg married Countess Therese zu Hardegg auf Glatz und im Machlande (b. Vienna
, 17 February 1940) in Seefeld
, Lower Austria
. The marriage ended in divorce in 1988. The couple married for the second time on 25 July 2008. The marriage bore three children:
After the fall of the communist regime, he returned to Prague in 1990, although he still visits Austria, where part of his family lives. Karel Schwarzenberg holds both Swiss citizenship and Czech citizenship.
In the 1960s, Schwarzenberg was active in the conservative Austrian People's Party
and contributed to reforming the party before the Austrian legislative election, 1966
. Voices inside the party considered him a possible candidate for the position of Foreign Minister of Austria
, the position he would occupy in the Czech Republic decades later.
He soon became active in the resistance against the communist dictatorship in Czechoslovakia and became a prominent human rights advocate. From 1984 to 1991 he was chairman of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
, and in 1986 he founded the Dokumentationszentrum zur Förderung der unabhängigen tschechoslowakischen Literatur in Scheinfeld, Germany. In 1989, he accepted the European Human Rights Prize
on behalf of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights.
Prince Schwarzenberg is a longtime friend of Václav Havel
, and a member of the Forum 2000
foundation.
Between July 1990 and July 1992, Schwarzenberg was the Chancellor to Czechoslovak President Václav Havel.
In May 2005, he was expelled from Cuba
(together with German MP Arnold Vaatz), where he was due to meet dissidents opposed to the Cuban President Fidel Castro
.
Between 9 January 2007 and 9 May 2009, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
in Mirek Topolánek's second coalition government
. His nomination by the Green Party
caused a small controversy when President Václav Klaus
stated that he had strong links to Austria and so would not be able to defend national interests.
On 8 July 2008, he and the American Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice
signed an agreement on the United States's Missile shield program.
In the first half of 2009, Schwarzenberg was also the Council President
(Responsible national minister) of the European Union. Also in 2009, he and coalition colleague Miroslav Kalousek formed a new Czech political party TOP 09
, which they led to success in the general elections of 2010
, gaining 16% of the vote and representation in the Czech Parliament.
, his full name is Karl Johannes Nepomuk Josef Norbert Friedrich Antonius Wratislaw Mena Fürst zu Schwarzenberg. He is generally known as Karl zu Schwarzenberg in German and uses the Czech form of his name, Karel, in Czech.
He is the current 12th Prince of Schwarzenberg, through his adoption by Heinrich Schwarzenberg, the brother of the 11th Prince and last male member of the major Schwarzenberg line (First Majorat). Although Heinrich died before his brother Joseph III. (the 11th Prince), the adoption allowed him to succeed to the major Schwarzenberg line, and thus have the minor line he is part of (Second Majorat) united with the major line.
His name and style would be:
Schwarzenberg is also a regular attendant to the Trilateral Commission
and the Bilderberg meetings.
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Majorat
Majorat is the right of succession to property according to age . A majorat would be inherited by the oldest son, or if there was no son, the nearest relative. This law existed in some of the European countries and was designed to prevent the distribution of wealthy estates between many members of...
), Herzog von Krummau on 10 December 1937 in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
), is a politician of the Czech Republic, the leader of TOP 09
Tradition Responsibility Prosperity 09
TOP 09 is a fiscally conservative political party in the Czech Republic, led by Karel Schwarzenberg and noted for its support of the free market and the European Union, and condemnation of populism...
party and the current Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister of Foreign Affairs (Czech Republic)
The Minister of Foreign Affairs is the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and handles foreign policy of the Czech Republic.- Ministers of Foreign Affairs :...
of the country. He took office as Foreign Minister in July 2010, and also occupied the position from 2007 to 2009. Prince Schwarzenberg is a member of the high nobility of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and also the current head of the House of Schwarzenberg
House of Schwarzenberg
-History:The family was first mentioned in 1172. A branch of the Seinsheim family was created when Erkinger I of Seinsheim acquired the Franconian barony of Schwarzenberg, the castle Schwarzenberg and the title Baron of Schwarzenberg, in 1405–21. At this time, they also possessed some fiefdoms in...
since 1979.
He is a former Senator
Senate of the Czech Republic
The Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic , usually referred to as Senát, is the upper chamber of the Parliament of the Czech Republic...
from Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. In May 2010, he was elected a member of the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic
The Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of the Czech Republic. The seat of the Chamber of Deputies is situated in palaces in Malá Strana, Prague....
, gaining the largest number of Preference votes.
Background, education and personal life
Karel Schwarzenberg is the eldest son of Prince Karl VI of Schwarzenberg of the junior line and Princess Antonie von FürstenbergFürstenberg (princely family)
Fürstenberg is the name of a noble house in Germany, based primarily in southern Baden-Württemberg. The family derives its name from the fortified town of the line's founder, Count Heinrich von Fürstenberg, today part of Hüfingen...
. He is also the 1,322nd Knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
of the Order of the Golden Fleece
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
of Austria.
Born in Prague, his family fled the country after the Communist coup d'état in 1948 and he grew up in Austria. In the 1960s, he was active in Austrian politics, and he became a leading voice against the communist rule of his native Bohemia after the Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
. He chaired the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights was a self-governing group of non-governmental, not-for-profit organizations that act to protect human rights throughout Europe, North America and Central Asia...
1984–1991.
The House of Schwarzenberg
House of Schwarzenberg
-History:The family was first mentioned in 1172. A branch of the Seinsheim family was created when Erkinger I of Seinsheim acquired the Franconian barony of Schwarzenberg, the castle Schwarzenberg and the title Baron of Schwarzenberg, in 1405–21. At this time, they also possessed some fiefdoms in...
originates in Franconia
Franconia
Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Tauberfranken...
, where the family still owns substantial property , but made Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
their primary seat in the 17th century, also maintaining residences in 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...
. The family had possessed fiefdoms in Bohemia already in the Middle Ages. It was one of the richest noble families of Bohemia and Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, and one of the largest land owners of Bohemia. Karel Schwarzenberg and his parents had to leave the country after the Communist coup of 1948
Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948
The Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948 – in Communist historiography known as "Victorious February" – was an event late that February in which the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia, ushering in over four decades...
, and emigrated to Austria, with Swiss citizenship. He studied law and forestry at the universities of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
, Munich and Graz
University of Graz
The University of Graz , a university located in Graz, Austria, is the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria....
. He has two sisters, Marie Eleonore von Bredow (born 1936) and Anna Maria Freifrau von Haxthausen (born 1946), and one brother, Dr. rer. oec. Friedrich Prinz von und zu Schwarzenberg (born 1940).
On 22 April 1967, Schwarzenberg married Countess Therese zu Hardegg auf Glatz und im Machlande (b. 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...
, 17 February 1940) in Seefeld
Seefeld, Tirol
Seefeld in Tirol is a municipality of the Innsbruck-Land District in the Austrian state of Tyrol, located about northwest of Innsbruck. With more than one million overnight stays each year, it is one of the most popular Tyrolean tourist destinations especially for skiing in winter, but also for...
, Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
. The marriage ended in divorce in 1988. The couple married for the second time on 25 July 2008. The marriage bore three children:
- Johannes Nepomucenus Andreas Heinrich Joseph Karl Ferdinand Johannes Evangelist die Heiligen Drei Könige Achaz Michael Maria, Hereditary Prince of Schwarzenberg (b. Vienna, 13 December 1967), married on 20 March 2010 Diana Orgovanyi-Hanstein,granddaughter of Baroness Maximiliane von Berg and second cousin once removed of Archduchess Francesca of Austria .
- Princess Anna Carolina Antoinette Elisabeth Theresia Olga Adelheid Maria of Schwarzenberg (b. Vienna, 16 December 1968), married civilly in London on 28 July 1997 and religiously at MurauMurauMurau is the capital of the district of the same name in Styria, located along the Mur river. It has a population of 2,331.-History:The area was already settled in the Bronze Age and Roman time, for the first time document which mentioned Murau was in the year 1250.During the Second World War a...
on 6 September 1997 Peter Morgan (b. Wimbledon, LondonWimbledon, LondonWimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
, 10 April 1963), son of Arthur Morgan and wife Inga .
- Prince Karl Philipp Ernst Ferdinand Alwig Kilian of Schwarzenberg (b. Vienna, 12 May 1979) (Adopted by Austrian industrialist and politician Thomas PrinzhornThomas PrinzhornThomas Prinzhorn is an Austrian industrialist and politician of the national liberal party Alliance for the Future of Austria . A former member of parliament, he served as one of the three presidents of the Austrian Parliament from 1999 to 2006, first as 2nd president until 2002 and then as 3rd...
(who is, according to some sources, his natural father) by agreement 25 November 1987 and registered in Vienna 16 May 1988. On 20 March 1990 began using surname "Prinzhorn".), married at AltausseeAltausseeAltaussee is a small alpine Austrian village, nestled on the shores of the Altaussee lake, beneath the Loser Plateau. Occupying an area of 92 km², the village is home to 1,888 people. Altaussee is within the Salzkammergut region, in the state of Styria....
on 3 October 2009 Countess Anna Elisabeth Aline Henriette Maria Benedikta Stephanie Johanna Lidvine Walpurga Thekla von und zu Eltz (b. Vienna, 25 June 1982)
After the fall of the communist regime, he returned to Prague in 1990, although he still visits Austria, where part of his family lives. Karel Schwarzenberg holds both Swiss citizenship and Czech citizenship.
Career
Austrian People's Party
The Austrian People's Party is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Austria. A successor to the Christian Social Party of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is similar to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany in terms of ideology...
and contributed to reforming the party before the Austrian legislative election, 1966
Austrian legislative election, 1966
Parliamentary elections were held in Austria on 6 March 1966. The result was a victory for the Austrian People's Party, which won 85 of the 165 seats, allowing them to govern alone. Voter turnout was 93.8%.-Results:...
. Voices inside the party considered him a possible candidate for the position of Foreign Minister of Austria
Foreign Minister of Austria
The Foreign Minister of Austria is responsible for handling Austria's foreign policy.-Under the First Austrian Republic:* Victor Adler* Otto Bauer* Karl Renner* Michael Mayr* Johann Schober* Walter Breisky* Leopold Hennet* Alfred Grünberger...
, the position he would occupy in the Czech Republic decades later.
He soon became active in the resistance against the communist dictatorship in Czechoslovakia and became a prominent human rights advocate. From 1984 to 1991 he was chairman of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights was a self-governing group of non-governmental, not-for-profit organizations that act to protect human rights throughout Europe, North America and Central Asia...
, and in 1986 he founded the Dokumentationszentrum zur Förderung der unabhängigen tschechoslowakischen Literatur in Scheinfeld, Germany. In 1989, he accepted the European Human Rights Prize
European Human Rights Prize
The European Human Rights Prize, also known as the Council of Europe Human Rights Prize, is a human rights prize that is awarded by the Council of Europe in recognition of outstanding contributions to the cause of human rights as enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights.It was...
on behalf of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights.
Prince Schwarzenberg is a longtime friend of Václav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
, and a member of the Forum 2000
Forum 2000
Forum 2000 is a foundation and conference of the same name held in Prague, Czech Republic. The Forum 2000 Foundation was founded in 1996 as a joint initiative of the Czech President Václav Havel, Japanese philanthropist Yohei Sasakawa, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel. Mr...
foundation.
Between July 1990 and July 1992, Schwarzenberg was the Chancellor to Czechoslovak President Václav Havel.
In May 2005, he was expelled from Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
(together with German MP Arnold Vaatz), where he was due to meet dissidents opposed to the Cuban President Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
.
Between 9 January 2007 and 9 May 2009, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
Minister of Foreign Affairs (Czech Republic)
The Minister of Foreign Affairs is the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and handles foreign policy of the Czech Republic.- Ministers of Foreign Affairs :...
in Mirek Topolánek's second coalition government
Mirek Topolánek's Second Cabinet
The Government of the Czech Republic since January 9, 2007 was formed by a coalition of the victorious Civic Democratic Party with the small Christian and Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's Party and the Green Party...
. His nomination by the Green Party
Green Party (Czech Republic)
The Green Party is a political party in the Czech Republic.The party was founded in February 1990 but for a long time it struggled to obtain significant influence in Czech politics. In the 2002 legislative election the party received 2.4% of the vote...
caused a small controversy when President Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister .An economist, he is co-founder of the Civic Democratic Party, the Czech Republic's largest center-right political party. Klaus is a eurosceptic, but he reluctantly endorsed the Lisbon treaty as president of...
stated that he had strong links to Austria and so would not be able to defend national interests.
On 8 July 2008, he and the American Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
signed an agreement on the United States's Missile shield program.
In the first half of 2009, Schwarzenberg was also the Council President
Presidency of the Council of the European Union
The Presidency of the Council of the European Union is the responsibility for the functioning of the Council of the European Union that rotates between the member states of the European Union every six months. The presidency is not a single president but rather the task is undertaken by a national...
(Responsible national minister) of the European Union. Also in 2009, he and coalition colleague Miroslav Kalousek formed a new Czech political party TOP 09
Tradition Responsibility Prosperity 09
TOP 09 is a fiscally conservative political party in the Czech Republic, led by Karel Schwarzenberg and noted for its support of the free market and the European Union, and condemnation of populism...
, which they led to success in the general elections of 2010
Czech legislative election, 2010
A legislative election in the Czech Republic took place on 28–29 May 2010. The election had been expected to take place some time before the end of 2009 to elect the members of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic...
, gaining 16% of the vote and representation in the Czech Parliament.
Titles and names
A member of the high nobility of BohemiaBohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, his full name is Karl Johannes Nepomuk Josef Norbert Friedrich Antonius Wratislaw Mena Fürst zu Schwarzenberg. He is generally known as Karl zu Schwarzenberg in German and uses the Czech form of his name, Karel, in Czech.
He is the current 12th Prince of Schwarzenberg, through his adoption by Heinrich Schwarzenberg, the brother of the 11th Prince and last male member of the major Schwarzenberg line (First Majorat). Although Heinrich died before his brother Joseph III. (the 11th Prince), the adoption allowed him to succeed to the major Schwarzenberg line, and thus have the minor line he is part of (Second Majorat) united with the major line.
His name and style would be:
- His Serene Highness The Prince of Schwarzenberg, Count of SulzSulz am NeckarSulz am Neckar is a town in the district of Rottweil, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Neckar, 22 km north of Rottweil, and 19 km southeast of Freudenstadt....
, Princely Landgrave in KlettgauKlettgauKlettgau is a group of towns in the district of Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Landgraviat of Klettgau to 1812.There is a border crossing into Switzerland at Erzingen to Trasadingen in Schaffhausen canton....
, and Duke of Krumlov
Awards
- In 1989, he received together with Lech WałęsaLech WałęsaLech Wałęsa is a Polish politician, trade-union organizer, and human-rights activist. A charismatic leader, he co-founded Solidarity , the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland between 1990 and 95.Wałęsa was an electrician...
, later president of Poland, the Council of EuropeCouncil of EuropeThe Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
Human Rights Prize. - In 2003, he received the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk 3rd Class of the Czech Republic.
- He has also been a Knight of the Order of the Golden FleeceOrder of the Golden FleeceThe Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
(Austrian branch) since 1991. - In 2005, he received the Decoration for Services to the Republic of AustriaDecoration for Services to the Republic of AustriaThe Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria...
in Silver with Sash. - In 2008, he received the Grand Cross of the Federal Cross of Merit – BundesverdienstkreuzBundesverdienstkreuzThe Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
– of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Schwarzenberg is also a regular attendant to the Trilateral Commission
Trilateral Commission
The Trilateral Commission is a non-governmental, non-partisan discussion group founded by David Rockefeller in July 1973 to foster closer cooperation among the United States, Europe and Japan.-History:...
and the Bilderberg meetings.
Ancestry
External links
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