Radbot of Klettgau, Habsburg Castle and the Origins of the House of Habsburg

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Archduchy of Austria, Austrian Empire, Duke Friedrich IV of Austria, Habsburg Castle, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Empire, House of Habsburg, Kingdom of Bohemia, Kingdom of Croatia, Kingdom of Hungry, Radbot of Klettgau

Radbot, Count of Klettgau (c. 985 – 1045) was Graf (Count) of the county of Klettgau on the High Rhine in Swabia. Radbot was one of the progenitors of the Habsburg dynasty, and he chose to name his fortress Habsburg.

Radbot of Klettgau

Radbot was probably the second son of Lanzelin of Klettgau (son of Guntram, Count in Breisgau) and the younger brother of Bishop Werner I of Strasbourg. In 1010, he married Ida (before 979–1035), daughter of Duke Friedrich I of Upper Lorraine and Beatrice of the Franks, Beatrice was a daughter of Hugh the Great, Duke of the Franks and Count of Paris and Hedwig of Saxony, making her sister of Hugh Capét, King of the Franks and niece of Otto I the Great, Holy Roman Emperor.

Their son was named Werner I, Count of Habsburg.

Radbot built Habsburg Castle, and in 1027 established Muri Abbey, built up by Benedictine monks descending from Einsiedeln Abbey.

Radbot’s grandson, Otto II, was the first of the dynasty to take the fortress name as his own, adding “Count of Habsburg” to his title. In 1273, Count Radbot’s seventh-generation descendant Count Rudolph I of Habsburg was elected King of the Romans.

Taking advantage of the extinction of the Babenbergs and of his victory over King Ottokar II of Bohemia at the battle on the Marchfeld in 1278, he subsequently moved the family’s power base to Vienna, where the Habsburgs ruled until 1918.

Coat of arms of the Counts of Habsburg

The throne of the Holy Roman Empire was continuously occupied by the Habsburgs from 1440 until their extinction in the male line in 1740 and, after the death of Franz I, from 1765 the hyphenated House of Habsburg-Lorraine until its dissolution in 1806.

The House of Habsburg also produced kings of Bohemia, Hungary, Croatia, Spain, Portugal and Galicia-Lodomeria, with their respective colonies; rulers of several principalities in the Low Countries and Italy; and in the 19th century, emperors of Austria and of Austria-Hungary as well as one emperor of Mexico.

Habsburg Castle

Habsburg Castle is a medieval fortress located in what is now Habsburg, Switzerland, in the canton of Aargau, near the Aar River. At the time of its construction, the location was part of the Duchy of Swabia. Habsburg Castle is the original seat of the House of Habsburg, which became one of the leading imperial and royal dynasties in Europe. It is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

Habsburg Castle

History

The castle was built around 1020 by Count Radbot, of the nearby county of Klettgau in the Duchy of Swabia, and Werner, Bishop of Strasbourg. They had the castle erected 35 km southwest of Klettgau, on the Aar, the largest tributary of the High Rhine. It is believed that he named the castle after a hawk (Hawks Castle) seen sitting on its walls. Some historians and linguists believe the name may come from the Middle High German word hab/hap meaning ford, as it is located near a ford of the Aar River.

Habsburg Castle’s importance diminished after Radbot’s seventh generation descendant Rudolph moved the family’s power base to Austria in 1276. Habsburg Castle remained property of the House of Habsburg until 1415, when Duke Friedrich IV of Austria lost the canton of Aargau to the Swiss Confederacy.

The Privilegium Maius & The Archduchy of Austria

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Archduchess Anna of Austria, Archduchess of Austria, Archduchy of Austria, Archduke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV of Austria, Emperor Charles IV, Emperor Friedrich III, House of Habsburg, Privilegium maius, The Holy Roman Empire

The Privilegium Maius was a medieval document forged in 1358 or 1359 at the behest of Duke Rudolph IV of Austria (1358–65) of the House of Habsburg. It was essentially a modified version of the Privilegium Minus issued by Emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa in 1156, which had elevated the former March of Austria into a duchy. In a similar way, the Privilegium maius elevated the duchy of Austria into an Archduchy of Austria.

The privileges described in the document had great influence on the Austrian political landscape, and created a unique connection between the House of Habsburg and Austria.

Rudolph IV, Duke of Austria

Background

The House of Habsburg had gained rulership of the Duchy of Austria in 1282. Rudolph IV (1339–1365) attempted to restore the Habsburg influence on the European political scene by trying to build relations with Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV (of Luxembourg) and increasing the respect of the Austrian rulers.

However, Rudolph IV did not belong to the seven Imperial Prince-Electors, who—as dictated by the Golden Bull of 1356—had the power to choose the Emperor. In the same way Charles IV had made Prague the center of his rule, Rudolph IV did the same for Vienna, giving it special privileges, launching construction projects and founding the University of Vienna.

All this aimed at increasing the legitimacy and influence of the House and its Austrian lands. For this purpose, in the winter of 1358/1359, Rudolph IV ordered the creation of a forged document called Privilegium maius (“the greater privilege”).

Document

The Privilegium maius consists of five forged deeds, some of which purported to have been issued by Julius Caesar and Nero to the historic Roman province of Noricum, which was roughly coterminous with the modern Austrian borders. Though purposefully modeled on the Privilegium minus, the original of which “got lost” at the same time, the bundle was already identified as a fake by contemporaries such as the Italian scholar Petrarch.

In the Privilegium Maius, Rudolph IV declared Austria an “archduchy”, endowed with rights similar to those of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire such as:

Inseparability of the territory

Automatic inheritance of the first-born (primogeniture), later extended to female heirs in the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 in favour of Archduchess Maria Theresa.

Independent jurisdiction and legislature, without any possibility to appeal to the Emperor (privilegium de non evocando)

Permission to display certain symbols of rule
Rudolf also created the title Pfalzerzherzog (“Archduke Palatine”), similar to the Elector Palatine of the Rhine, the holder of an electoral vote.

The first Habsburg ruler who actually used the title of an archduke was Ernst of Iron, ruler of Inner Austria from 1406 to 1424. From the 15th century onward, all princes of the Habsburg dynasty were called Erzherzöge (Archduke).

Effects

Emperor Charles IV refused to confirm the Privilegium maius, along with the refusal to recognize the title, as did his immediate successors. However, Emperor Charles IV did accepted some claims. The discoverer of the forgery was his advisor, the poet and scholar Petrarch.

Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich III, Duke of Austria

However, Emperor Friedrich III, a scion of the House of Habsburg, having become Holy Roman Emperor, was able to confirm the document and made it part of imperial law, thus making fiction become fact.

From then on, the status as claimed by the document became widely accepted. Emperor Friedrich III also extended the Privilegium Maius by granting the power of ennoblement for his family as hereditary rulers of Austria (this power was normally reserved for the emperor). Thus, the act of confirmation by Emperor Friedrich III was what elevated the House of Habsburg to a special rank within the Empire.

The Privilegium Maius had great influence on the Austrian political landscape. The Habsburg Archduke arrogated an almost king-like position, and demonstrated this to outsiders through the usage of special insignia.

The Habsburgs gained a new foundation for their rule in these lands; in a way, the House of Habsburg and Austria became a single unit. The family subsequently published special editions of the documents, and forbade all discussion of their authenticity.

With the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the Privilegium maius finally lost its meaning. In 1852, it was proven a forgery by historian Wilhelm Wattenbach.

Although Emperor Friedrich III recognized Privilegium Maius, he himself used just “Duke of Austria”, never Archduke, until his death in 1493. The title was first granted to Friedrich III’s younger brother, Albrecht VI of Austria (died 1463), who used it at least from 1458.

In 1477, Emperor Friedrich III granted the title Archduke to his first cousin Sigismund of Austria, ruler of Further Austria. Emperor Friedrich III’s son and heir, the future Emperor Maximilian I, apparently only started to use the title after the death of his wife Mary of Burgundy in 1482, as Archduke never appears in documents issued jointly by Maximilian and Mary as rulers in the Low Countries (where Maximilian is still titled “Duke of Austria”). The title appears first in documents issued under the joint rule of Maximilian and Philipp (his under-age son) in the Low Countries.

Archduchess Anna of Austria, Queen of Spain

Archduke was initially borne by those dynasts who ruled a Habsburg territory, i.e., only by males and their consorts, appanages being commonly distributed to cadets. These “junior” archdukes did not thereby become independent hereditary rulers, since all territories remained vested in the Austrian crown.

Occasionally a territory might be combined with a separate gubernatorial mandate ruled by an Archducal cadet. From the 16th century onward, Archduke and its female form, Archduchess, came to be used by all the members of the House of Habsburg (e.g., Queen Marie Antoinette of France was born Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria.

The Privilegium maius: Creation of the Archduchy of Austria

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Archduchy of Austria, Duchy of Austria, Empire of Austria, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Holy Roman Empire, House of Habsburg, House of Habsburg-Lorraine, Privilegium maius, Rudolph IV of Austria

The Privilegium maius (“greater privilege”) was a medieval document forged in 1358 or 1359 at the behest of Duke Rudolf IV of Austria (1358–65) of the House of Habsburg. It was essentially a modified version of the Privilegium minus issued by Emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa in 1156 which had elevated the former March of Austria into a duchy. In a similar way, the Privilegium maius elevated the duchy into the Archduchy of Austria.

The privileges described in the document had great influence on the Austrian political landscape, and created a unique connection between the House of Habsburg and Austria.

Rudolf IV – Rudolfus Archidux Austriae – with archducal hat, painted about 1365

Background

The House of Habsburg had gained rulership of the Duchy of Austria in 1282. Rudolph IV (1339–1365) attempted to restore the Habsburg influence on the European political scene by trying to build relations with Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV of Luxembourg and increasing the respect of the Austrian rulers.

However, Rudolph IV did not belong to the seven Prince-electors, who—as dictated by the Golden Bull of 1356—had the power to choose the king. In the same way Charles IV had made Prague the center of his rule, Rudolph did the same for Vienna, giving it special privileges, launching construction projects and founding the University of Vienna. All this aimed at increasing the legitimacy and influence of the House and its Austrian lands. For this purpose, in the winter of 1358/1359, Rudolph IV ordered the creation of a forged document called Privilegium maius (“the greater privilege”).

The Document

The Privilegium maius consists of five forged deeds, some of which purported to have been issued by Julius Caesar and Nero to the historic Roman regnum Noricum province similar to the modern Austrian borders. Though purposefully modeled on the Privilegium minus, the original of which “got lost” at the same time, the bundle was already identified as a fake by contemporaries such as the Italian scholar Petrarch.

In the Privilegium maius, Rudolf IV declared Austria an “archduchy”, endowed with rights similar to those of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire such as:

* inseparability of the territory
* automatic inheritance of the first-born (primogeniture), later extended to female heirs in the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 in favour of Archduchess Maria Theresa
* independent jurisdiction and legislature, without any possibility to appeal to the Emperor (privilegium de non evocando)
* permission to display certain symbols of rule
Rudolf also created the title Pfalzerzherzog (“Archduke Palatine”), similar to the Elector Palatine of the Rhine, the holder of an electoral vote. The first Habsburg ruler who actually used the title of an archduke was Ernest of Iron, ruler of Inner Austria from 1406 to 1424. From the 15th century onward, all princes of the Habsburg dynasty were called Erzherzöge (Archduke).

Effects

Emperor Charles IV refused to confirm the Privilegium maius, the forgery being recognised by his advisor, the poet and scholar Petrarch. However, the Habsburg Friedrich V of Austria after his election as Holy Roman Emperor was able to grant himself permission to assume the archducal title, later again confirmed by his descendants Rudolf II and Charles VI. It did not, however, involve the electoral dignity itself and in 1519 Archduke Charles I had to borrow an enormous sum (almost 3 tonnes of gold) from Jacob Fugger to bribe the prince-electors to secure his succession as rex Romanorum (Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor) against his rival for the position, François I of France.

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, Count of Habsburg

The Privilegium maius had great influence on the Austrian political landscape. The Habsburg archduke arrogated an almost king-like position, and demonstrated this to outsiders through the usage of special insignia. The Habsburgs gained a new foundation for their rule in these lands; in a way, the House of Habsburg and Austria became a single unit. Thus, the forgery was a success. The family subsequently published special editions of the documents, and forbade all discussion of their authenticity.

With the creation of the Empire of Austria in 1804 and the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the Privilegium maius finally lost its meaning. Despite, the elevation of the Archduchy into an Empire, dynastic members of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine retained the title Archduke and Archduchess of Austria. In 1852, it was proven a forgery by historian Wilhelm Wattenbach.

Franz II, Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of Austria