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Archduke Carl Ludwig, 1918-2007
Son of Blessed Charles, U.S. Army Veteran, Fought at Normandy
A READER WAS kind enough to bring to my attention the recent death of His Imperial & Royal Highness, Archduke Carl Ludwig Maria Franz Joseph Michael Gabriel Antonius Robert Stephan Pius Gregor Ignatius Markus d’Aviano of Austria, one of the sons of Blessed Charles, the last (up to this point) Emperor of Austria, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Bohemia, etc. Carl Ludwig’s birth in 1918 was hailed with a 101-gun salute from the imperial field artillery, but the Habsburgs were soon overthrown by a republican element in Vienna and forced into exile. The Archduke studied at the University of Louvain until the outbreak of the Second World War, when the Habsburgs fled to the safety of Quebec.
There, the family were so poor they sometimes had to survive off a soup the Empress Zita cheerfully prepared from dandelions picked in the park. Carl Ludwig, however, was able to complete his studies at the Université Laval, the oldest university in Canada, before being allowed to join the United States Army in 1943. On June 6, 1944, he took part in the D-Day landings in Normandy, and later became aide-de-camp to the Comte de Hauteclocque, a general in the Free French Forces (later known as Maréchal Leclerc), and served with the Algerian spahis. He was discharged from the U.S. Army with the rank of Major in 1947, and in 1950 married Princess Yolande de Ligne.
The Archduke’s funeral was offered by the Papal Nuncio to Austria in the Stefansdom, the cathedral of Vienna. Among those gathered to pay their final respects were Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, and Prince Karl VII Schwarzenberg, the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs. Count Liederkerke represented the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, while the Belgian king was represented by his daughter Princess Astrid.
After the funeral Mass concluded, the Archduke’s coffin was processed through the streets, accompanied by family, clerics, knights and aristocrats, members of Austrian, Hungarian, and Czech traditionalist organizations, and university students. The destination was the church of the Capuchin Franciscans, in whose crypt the members of the imperial family are traditionally interred.
When they reach the Capuchin church, a member of the funeral party cries “Open!” and the Abbot inquires “Who are you? Who asks to enter?”
“We bear the remains of His Imperial & Royal Highness, Archduke Carl Ludwig Maria Franz Joseph Michael Gabriel Antonius Robert Stephan Pius Gregor Ignatius Markus d’Aviano of Austria!”
“We know him not,” the Abbot responds. “Who goes there?”
And again: “We bear the remains of His Imperial & Royal Highness, Archduke Carl Ludwig Maria Franz Joseph Michael Gabriel Antonius Robert Stephan Pius Gregor Ignatius Markus d’Aviano of Austria!”
“We know him not”. For the third time, the Abbot inquires, “Who goes there?”
“We bear the body of Carl Ludwig, our brother, a sinner like us all.” At that moment, the doors of the abbey swing open and the Abbot calls out “You may enter!”
Some soul was good enough to take a few brief videos at the funeral:
The procession into the Stefansdom.
The long line of representatives from traditionalist organizations in the various parts of the old Habsburg empire.
The Tantum ergo was sung to that splendid tune of Haydn’s, the Kaiserhymne.
Outside the Capuchin church, the old Imperial anthem itself is sung one last time as the ceremony at the doors is performed.
The doors open, and the body of the Archduke is laid to rest.
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Thanks for this beautiful post. One small correction: His Imperial & Royal Highness died on December 11, 2007, not 2008.
Thanks! It has been duly corrected.
Nice Mozart’s Requiem in the first video.
Yes, thank you for this post and for finding the YouTube videos. It was remarkable to be able to see this.
Andrew –
Thank you for this. I have always felt that the Habsburgs were treated very badly by history and yet they rebounded. May another Habsburg soon reign over their traditional lands and Carl rest in peace.
Harold
Herzlichen Dank! Herr Cusack.
Thanks much for a splendid post, which I have linked on my own blog
I’m just wondering:
Do all of you who support monarchies and the return of those monarchies that were suppressed, exiled, abolished (by force or by “law”), etc… do you also support the idea that the Papal States should be returned to the Papacy as the Patrimony of St. Peter?
Hello, latinmass1983.
If my comment about a Habsburg restoration hijacked this column in any way, I do apologize. Andrew’s column on the burial of a wonderful person with a truly heroic past and, apparently, a solid Christian outlook, was a wonderful and deserved tribute to Carl and to his equally heroic brother, Otto.
To address your question, I do not support any restoration by force, only by democratic choice. It’s more of a romantic fantasy really as I doubt any restoration will occur. (Though one can hope!) And, I think that neither the people of Central Italy nor, especially, the Papacy want a return of the Papal States.
Cheers!
Harold
Harold,
No, need to apologize at all.
I just asked because most people talk about monarchies, kings, queens, etc., but the Pope and the Papal States are ignored – That was not exactly a monarchy, but it seems to be somewhat related, I guess.
From a territory once under the House of Austria my farewell to the son of our ancient emperor. Sit tibi terra levis.
I’ve heard of the abbey-gate ceremony & also that it’s a romantic invention not practiced. The evidence seems unclear from here.
Beautiful and moving ceremony for the Archduke Carl Ludwig. Thank you very much for sharing these photos and footage. It is encouraging to see that the traditionalists have not been cowed the anti-monarchist spirit of the socialist government in Austria that has acted vindictively towards the Imperial House for so many years.
Stephen Stephanou
New York, NY
I am quite impressed with the views if this funeral. I was in Vienna with my parents when SKKM Kaiserin und Köning Zita had beeen buried, and for us Austrians in exile was that one and this funeral extremely touching. We should never forget our ties with our Imperial and Royal House as once said to SKKH Erzherzog Otto we shall be loyal to the House of Habsburg to the end of our days. And we shall never forget and forgive those who destroy that wonderful monarchy which was the balance of whole Europe for seven centuries till the hate promoted by those who were outstanding enemies of the Catholic Church, like Georges Clemenceau and David Lloyd George decides in spite of all peace efforts of Kaiser Karl, to destroy the magnificent monarchy. Thanks again.
I am quite impressed with the views if this funeral. I was in Vienna with my parents when SKKM Kaiserin und Königin Zita had beeen buried, and for us Austrians in exile was that one and this funeral extremely touching. We should never forget our ties with our Imperial and Royal House as once said to SKKH Erzherzog Otto we shall be loyal to the House of Habsburg until the end of our days. And we shall never forget and forgive those who destroy that wonderful monarchy which was the balance of whole Europe for seven centuries till the hate promoted by those who were outstanding enemies of the Catholic Church, like Georges Clemenceau and David Lloyd George, W. Wilson decided in spite of all peace efforts of Kaiser Karl, to destroy the magnificent monarchy. As HH Pope John Paul II had recognized when he beatifed our last Sovereign Emperor and King Karl von Habsburg Lothringen a year before he passed away. As a humble subject of the monarchy whose family belonged to a five centuries line of loyalty and some of us pais with our lives this deep sentiment in times of Hitler I give you again my Thanks again.
I understand that Austria is softening it’s stances on members of the monarchy.
On a somewhat related note, Archduke Otto was recently in Dijon to see the fulfilment of a lifelong dream: the return of La Toison d’Or to its original seat.
One comment to the gateway ceremony: Since it is a Capuchin friary, they do not have an abbot, they have a guardian instead.
On Austria’s softening towards the members of the Erzhaus: Do not bet on it. At the moment, politicians of our belovéd government are in very bad standing because of perpetual party squabbles. It would not do for the general public to remember that there is an alternative to what we are blessed with at the moment. Under our present constitution, a referendum is needed for massive constitutional changes. Such a referendum was promised in 1918/1919 (when the monarchy was dissolved). As far as I know, it never happened – always was postponed because it was “not politically opportune”. So, from a lawyers’ perspective the people never had a say in what sort of system they wanted to live in.
Can anyone advise me how I may obtain a CD or VCR of the Empress Zita’a Funeral Mass?
Glorious…thanks for the images. I had a chance to see the video of the Requiem mass of Her Imperial Highness Empress Zita(r.i.p.)…it was magnificent. I saw it when I was in seminary but I don’t know where the video came from or even where one could obtain a copy. I pray for the restoration of the Hapsburg monarchy everyday at mass.
Blessed Karl of Austria, pray for us…
Capuchin Franciscan Friars do not live in abbeys. They live in Friarys. Also, their superior is called a “Guardian”. Only monks have abbots.
“Nice Mozart’s Requiem in the first video.”
But why the [italic]Lachrymosa dies irae[/italic] as processional music?
Thanks very much for this post. I pray for the imperial family practically every day. I also pray for all Christian princes, lords, and knights, and I pray for the conversion of all peoples and of all of society in all its aspects to the Faith. Keep up the good work Mr. Cusack!
May he rest in peace. Thank you so much for the videos, they were very moving!
May he and his family rest in peace and dwell with God and His saints forever. And may monarchies – God’s gift to men – find favor again amongst all peoples.
Although not a Roman myself I believe the fall of the Hapsburg monarchy was a tragedy for all concerned in its former domains and indeed the whole of Europe.
Destroyed by a democratic US president/government which liked destroying European empires whilst expanding its own.