Zita of Bourbon-Parma 152546 225551082 2008-07-14T07:33:44Z Ghirlandajo 147410 /* Notes */ ru: by me: {{Infobox Monarch|royal|consort | name =Zita of Bourbon-Parma | title =Empress of Austria, Queen of Hungary | image =[[Image:Zita-hungary1916.jpg]] | caption = | consortreign =[[November 21]], [[1916]] - [[November 11]], [[1918]] | othertitles =Princess of Bourbon-Parma | spouse =[[Charles I of Austria|Charles I]] | issue =[[Otto von Habsburg|Otto]], [[Archduchess Adelheid of Austria|Adelheid]], [[Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este|Robert]], [[Felix Habsburg|Felix]], [[Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria (1918-2007)|Carl Ludwig]], [[Archduke Rudolf of Austria (b. 1919)|Rudolf]], [[Archduchess Charlotte of Austria|Charlotte]], Elisabeth | royal house =House of [[Bourbon-Parma]] | father =[[Robert I, Duke of Parma]] | mother =[[Maria Antonia of Portugal]] | date of birth =[[May 9]], [[1892]] | place of birth = Villa Pianore, [[Tuscany]] | date of death =[[March 14]], [[1989]] (age 96) | place of death =[[Zizers]], [[Switzerland]] |}} '''Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma''' (''Zita Maria delle Grazie Adelgonda Micaela Raffaela Gabriella Giuseppina Antonia Luisa Agnese''; [[May 9]] [[1892]] &ndash; [[March 14]] [[1989]]) was the wife of Emperor [[Charles I of Austria|Charles I]] of [[Empire of Austria|Austria]] and was the last Empress-consort of [[Austria]] and [[Queen consort|Queen-consort]] of [[Bohemia]] and [[Hungary]]. She descended from the royal families of [[France]], [[Portugal]] and [[Spain]]. Born as the seventeenth child of the dispossessed [[Robert I, Duke of Parma]], Zita married the then Archduke Charles of Austria in [[1911]]. Charles became [[heir presumptive]] to the Emperor [[Franz Joseph I|Franz Joseph I of Austria]] in [[1914]] after the [[Assassination in Sarajevo|assassination]] of his uncle [[Archduke Franz Ferdinand|Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria]], and acceded to the throne in [[1916]] after the old emperor's death. After the end of [[World War I]] in [[1918]], the Habsburgs were deposed when the new countries of [[German Austria|Austria]], [[Czechoslovakia]], [[Hungary]] and others were formed. Charles and Zita left for exile in [[Switzerland]], and later [[Madeira]] where Charles died in [[1922]]. After her husband's death, Zita and her son [[Otto von Habsburg|Otto]] served as the symbols of unity for the exiled dynasty. A devout [[Roman Catholicism|Catholic]], she raised a large family after being widowed at the age of 28, and remained faithful to the memory of her husband for the rest of her long life. ==Early life== [[Image:Empress Zita with her parents and siblings.jpg|right|thumb|270px| Zita, sitting on the far right, with her parents and seventeen of her siblings, 1906]] Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma was born at the Villa Pianore in the Italian Province of [[Lucca]], [[May 9]] [[1892]].<ref name = "Beeche">Beeche.</ref>{{rp|1}} The unusual name Zita was given her after a popular [[Zita|Italian Saint]] who had lived in [[Tuscany]] in the 13th century.<ref name = "Bogle">Bogle.</ref>{{rp|16}} She was the third daughter and fifth child of the deposed [[Robert I, Duke of Parma]] and his second wife, [[Maria Antonia of Portugal]], a daughter of king [[Miguel of Portugal]] and [[Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg]]. Zita's father had lost his throne as a result of the movement for [[Italian unification]] in [[1859]] when he was still a child.<ref name="Beeche"/>{{rp|1}} He fathered twelve children during his first marriage to [[Maria Pia of the Two Sicilies]] (six of whom were mentally retarded, and three of whom died young).<ref name="Beeche"/>{{rp|1}} Duke Robert became a widower in [[1882]], and two years later he married [[Infanta]] Maria Antonia of Portugal, Zita's mother.<ref name="Beeche"/>{{rp|1}} The second marriage produced a further twelve children. Zita was the 17th child among Duke Robert's 24 children. Robert moved his large family between Villa Pianore (a large property located between [[Pietrasanta]] and [[Viareggio]]) and his castle in Schwarzau in lower Austria.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd">Brook-Shepherd.</ref>{{rp|5-6}} It was mainly in these two residences that Zita spent her formative years. The family spent most of the year in Austria moving to Pianore in the Autumn and returning in the Sping.<ref name="Beeche"/>{{rp|2}} To move between them, they took a special [[train]] with sixteen coaches to accommodate the family and their belongings.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|7}} Zita and her siblings were raised to speak [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] and [[English language|English]]<ref name="Beeche"/>{{rp|2}} She recalled, "We grew up internationally. My father thought of himself first and foremost as a Frenchman, and spent a few weeks every year with the elder children at [[Chambord]], his main property on the [[Loire]]. I once asked him how we should describe ourselves. He replied, 'We are French princes who reigned in Italy.' In fact, of the twenty-four children only three including me, were actually born in Italy.<ref name="Beeche"/>{{rp|2}} At the age of ten, Zita was sent to a boarding school at Zanberg in [[Upper Bavaria]], where there was a strict regime of study and religious instruction.<ref name="Beeche"/>{{rp|3}} She was summoned home in the autumn of [[1907]] at the death of her father. Her maternal grandmother sent Zita and her sister Franziska to a [[convent]] on the [[Isle of Wight]] to complete her education.<ref name="Bogle"/>{{rp|19}} Brought up as devout Catholics, the Parma children regularly undertook good works for the poor. In Schwarzau the family turned surplus cloth into clothes. Zita and Franziska personally distributed food, clothing, and medicines to the needy in Pianore.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|7-8}} Three of Zita's sisters became [[nun]]s and, for a time, she considered following the same path.<ref name="Bogle"/>{{rp|20}} Zita went through a patch of poor health and was sent for the traditional cure at a European [[spa]] for two years.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|15}} ==Marriage== [[Image:Zitawed.jpg|right|thumb|150px|The wedding of Zita and Charles, [[21 October]], [[1911]]]] In the close vicinity of Schwarzau castle was the Villa Wartholz, residence of Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, Zita’s maternal aunt.<ref name="Beeche"/>{{rp|3}} She was the stepmother of [[Archduke Otto Franz of Austria|Archduke Otto]], who died in [[1906]], and the step-grandmother of [[Charles I of Austria|Archduke Charles of Austria-Este]], at that time second-in-line to the Austrian throne. The two daughters of Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria were Zita’s first cousins and Charles’ half-aunts. They had met as children but were kept apart for almost ten years, as each pursued their education. In [[1909]], his [[Dragoon]] regiment was stationed at [[Brandýs nad Labem|Brandeis on the Elbe]], from where he visited his aunt at [[Františkovy Lázně|Franzensbad]].<ref name="Beeche"/>{{rp|5}} It was during one of these visits that Charles and Zita became reacquainted.<ref name="Beeche"/>{{rp|5}} Charles was under pressure to marry ([[Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria|Franz Ferdinand]], his uncle and first-in-line, had married [[morganatic marriage|morganatically]], and his children were excluded from the throne) and Zita had a suitably royal genealogy.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|16}} Zita later recalled, "We were of course glad to meet again and became close friends. On my side feelings developed gradually over the next two years. He seemed to have made his mind up much more quickly, however, and became even more keen when, in the autumn of [[1910]], rumours spread about that I had got engaged to a distant Spanish relative, [[Jaime, Duke of Madrid|Don Jaime, the Duke of Madrid]]. On hearing this, the Archduke came down post haste from his regiment at Brandeis and sought out his grandmother, Archduchess Maria Theresa, who was also my aunt and the natural confidante in such matters. He asked if the rumor was true and when told it was not, he replied, 'Well, I had better hurry in any case or she will get engaged to someone else.'"<ref name="Beeche"/>{{rp|8}} Archduke Charles traveled to Villa Pianore and asked for Zita’s hand and, on [[June 13]], [[1911]], their engagement was announced at the Austrian court.<ref name="Beeche"/>{{rp|8}} Zita in later years recalled that after her engagement she had expressed to Charles her worries about the fate of the Austrian Empire and the challenges of the monarchy.<ref name="Beeche"/>{{rp|8}} Charles and Zita were married at the Schwarzau castle on [[October 21]], [[1911]]. Charles's great-uncle, the 81-year-old Emperor [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph]] attended and, relieved to see an heir make a suitable marriage, was in good spirits, even leading the toast at the wedding breakfast.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|19}} Archduchess Zita soon conceived a son, and [[Otto von Habsburg|Otto]] was born [[November 20]], [[1912]]. Seven more children would follow in the next decade. ==Wife of Heir to Austrian throne== At this time, Archduke Charles was in his twenties and did not expect to become emperor for some time, especially while Franz Ferdinand remained in good health. This changed on [[June 28]] [[1914]] when the heir and his wife [[Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg|Sophie]] were [[Assassination in Sarajevo|assassinated]] in [[Sarajevo]] by [[Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnian Serb]] nationalists. Charles and Zita received the news by telegram that day. She said of her husband, "Though it was a beautiful day, I saw his face go white in the sun.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|30}} In the [[World War I|war]] that followed, Charles was promoted to General in the Austrian army, taking command of the 20th Corps for an offensive in the [[Tyrol]].<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|36}} The war was personally difficult for Zita, as several of her brothers fought on opposing sides in the conflict ([[Felix of Bourbon-Parma|Prince Felix]] and [[René of Bourbon-Parma|Prince René]] had joined the Austrian army, while [[Sixtus of Bourbon-Parma|Prince Sixtus]] and [[Xavier, Duke of Parma|Prince Xavier]] lived in [[France]] before the war and enlisted in the [[Belgium|Belgian]] army.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|33}} Also her country of birth, Italy, joined the war against Austria in [[1915]], and so rumours of the 'Italian' Zita began to be mutterered. Even as late as [[1917]], The German ambassador in Vienna, Count Otto Wedel would write to Berlin saying "The Empress is descended from an Italian princely house... People do not entirely trust the Italian and her brood of relatives."<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|36}} At Franz Joseph's request, Zita and her children left their residence at Hetzendorf and moved into a suite of rooms at [[Schönbrunn Palace]]. Here, Zita spent many hours with the old emperor on both formal and informal occasions, where Franz Joseph confided in her his fears for the future.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|39}} Emperor Franz Joseph died of [[bronchitis]] and [[pneumonia]] at the age of 86 on [[November 21]], [[1916]]. "I remember the dear plump figure of Prince Lobkowitz going up to my husband," Zita later recounted, "and, with tears in his eyes, making the sign of the cross on Charles's forehead. As he did so he said, 'May God bless Your Majesty.' It was the first time we had heard the imperial title used to us."<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|41}} ==Empress== [[Image:Karlfamily.jpg|thumb|250px|right|King [[Charles I of Austria|Charles IV of Hungary]], with Zita and Crown Prince [[Otto von Habsburg|Otto]]. Coronation portrait [[Budapest]], [[1916]].]] Charles and Zita were crowned in [[Budapest]] on [[30 December]], [[1916]]. Following the coronation there was a banquet, but after that the festivities ended, as the emperor and empress thought it wrong to have prolonged celebrations during a time of war.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|55}} At the beginning of the reign, Charles was more often than not away from Vienna, so he had a telephone line installed from [[Baden,_Austria|Baden]] (where Charles's military headquarters were located) to the [[Hofburg]]. He called Zita several times a day whenever they were separated.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|60}} Zita had some influence on her husband and would discreetly attend audiences with the Prime Minister or military briefings,<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|50}} and she had a special interest in social policy. However, military matters were the sole domain of Charles. Energetic and strong willed, Zita accompanied her husband to the provinces and to the front, as well as occupying herself with charitable works and hospital visits to the war-wounded.<ref name="Beeche"/>{{rp|21}} ===The Sixtus Affair=== By now, the War was dragging on towards its fourth year, and Zita's brother [[Sixtus of Bourbon-Parma|Sixtus]], who served in the Belgian Army, was a main mover behind a plan for Austria-Hungary to make a separate peace with France. Charles initiated contact with the Prince via contacts in neutral [[Switzerland]], and Zita wrote a letter inviting him to Vienna. Zita's mother Maria Antonia delivered the letter personally.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|66}} Sixtus arrived with French-agreed conditions for talks — the restoration to France of [[Alsace-Lorraine]] (annexed by Germany after the [[Franco-Prussian War]] in [[1870]]); restoration of the independence of Belgium; independence for the kingdom of Serbia; and the handover of [[Constantinople]] to [[Russia]].<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|61}} Charles agreed, in principle, to the first three points and wrote a letter dated [[25 March]], [[1917]], to Sixtus giving "the secret and unofficial message that I will use all means and all my personal influence" to the President of France.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|72}} This attempt at dynastic diplomacy eventually foundered. Germany refused to negotiate over Alsace-Lorraine,<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|73}} and, seeing a Russian collapse on the horizon, was loath to give up the war.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|78}} Sixtus continued his efforts, even meeting with [[David Lloyd George|Lloyd George]] in [[London]] about Italy's territorial demands on Austria in the [[Treaty of London (1915)|Treaty of London]],<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|76}} but the Prime Minister could not persuade his generals to make peace with Austria.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|78}} Zita managed a personal achievement during this time by stopping the German plans to send airplanes to bomb the home of the [[Albert I of Belgium|King]] and [[Elisabeth of Bavaria (1876-1965)|Queen]] of Belgium on their [[name day]]s.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|74}} In April [[1918]], after the German-Russian [[Treaty of Brest-Litovsk]], Austrian Foreign Minister [[Count Ottokar Czernin]] made a speech attacking incoming French Prime Minister [[Georges Clemenceau]] as being the main obstacle to a peace favouring the [[Central Powers]].<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|92-93}} Clemenceau was incensed and, on finding Emperor Charles's [[March 24]], [[1917]] letter, had it published.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|95}} For a while, the life of Sixtus appeared to be in danger and there were fears that Germany might occupy Austria. Czernin persuaded Charles to send a 'Word of Honour' to Austria's allies saying that Sixtus had not been authorised to show the letter to the French Government, that Belgium had not been mentioned, and Clemenceau had lied about the mentioning of the Alsace.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|99}} Czernin had actually been in contact with the German Embassy throughout the whole crisis, and was attempting to persuade the emperor to step down because of the Affair. After this failed, Czernin resigned.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|102}}. ===End of Empire=== By this time, the war was closing in on the embattled emperor. A Union of Czech Deputies had already sworn an oath to a new Czechoslovak state independent of the Habsburg Empire on [[April 13]], [[1918]], the prestige of the German army had taken a severe blow at the [[Battle of Amiens]], and, on [[25 September]], [[1918]], [[Ferdinand I of Bulgaria|King Ferdinand]] of [[Bulgaria]] broke away from his allies in the Central Powers and sued for peace independently. Zita was with Charles when he received the telegram of Bulgaria's collapse. She remembered it "made it even more urgent to start peace talks with the Western Powers while there was still something to talk about.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|111}} On [[October 16]], the emperor issued a "People's Manifesto" proposing the empire be restructured on federal lines with each nationality gaining its own state. Instead, each nation broke away and the empire effectively dissolved.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|113-115}} Leaving behind their children at [[Gödöllő]], Charles and Zita travelled to the Schönbrunn Palace. By this time ministers had been appointed by the new state of "German-Austria", and by [[November 11]], together with the emperor's spokesmen, they prepared a manifesto for Charles to sign.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|121-130}} Zita, at first glance, mistook it for an abdication and made her famous statement "A sovereign can never abdicate. He can be deposed... All right. That is force. But abdicate — never, never, never! I would rather fall here at your side. Then there would be Otto. And even if all of us here were killed, there would still be other Habsburgs!"<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|130}} Charles gave his permission for the document to be published, and he, his family and the remnants of his court departed for the royal shooting lodge at [[Eckartsau]], close to the borders with Hungary and [[Slovakia]].<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|132}} The [[German Austria|Republic of German-Austria]] was pronounced the next day. ==Exile== [[Image:Charles , Zita nd her children.jpg|right|thumb|260px|Charles and Zita with their children in exile at Herstenstein, Switzerland, 1921]] After a difficult few months at Eckartsau, the Imperial Family received aid from an unxpected source. Prince Sixtus had met with King [[George V of the United Kingdom]] and appealed to him to help the Habsburgs. George was reportedly moved by the request (it being mere months since his cousin [[Nicholas II of Russia]] had been executed by revolutionaries) and promised "We will immediately do what is necessary."<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|137}} Several British Army officers were sent to help Charles, most notably Lieutenant-Colonel [[Edward Lisle Strutt]] (a grandson of [[Edward Strutt, 1st Baron Belper|Lord Belper]]).<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|139}} On [[March 19]], [[1919]], orders were received from the War Office to "get the Emperor out of Austria without delay". With some difficulty, Strutt managed to arrange a train to Switzerland, and enabling the emperor to leave the country with dignity and without him having to abdicate. Charles, Zita, their children and their household departed on [[24 March]].<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|141-146}} ===Hungary and exile in Madeira=== {{details|Attempts of Charles IV to return to the throne of Hungary}} The family's first home in exile was Wartegg Castle in [[Rorschach]], Switzerland, a property owned by the Bourbon-Parmas. However, the Swiss authorities, worried about the implication of the Habsburgs living near the Austrian border, compelled them to move to the western part of the country. The next month, therefore, found them moving to Villa Prangins, near [[Lake Geneva]], where they resumed a quiet family life.<ref name="Bogle"/>{{rp|20}} This abruptly ended in March [[1920]] when, after a period of instability in Hungary, [[Miklos Horthy]] was elected [[regent]]. Charles was still technically King (as Charles IV) but Horthy sent an emissary to Prangins advising him not to go to Hungary until the situation had calmed.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|153-156}} After the [[Trianon Treaty]] Horthy's ambition soon grew. Charles became concerned and requested the help of Colonel Strutt to get him into Hungary.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|153-156}} Charles twice attempted to regain control, once in March [[1921]] and again in October 1921. Both attempts failed, despite Zita's staunch support (she insisted on travelling with him on the final dramatic train journey to [[Budapest]]).<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|192}} Charles and Zita temporarily resided at Castle Tata, the home of [[Móric Esterházy|Count Esterházy]],<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|195}} until a suitable permanent exile could be found. [[Malta]] was mooted as a possibility, but was declined by [[George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston|Lord Curzon]], and French territory was ruled out due to the possibility of Zita's brothers intriguing on Charles's behalf.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|199}} Eventually, the Portuguese island of [[Madeira]] was chosen. On [[October 31]], [[1921]], the former imperial couple were taken by rail from [[Tihany]] to [[Baja, Hungary|Baja]] where the British [[Monitor (warship)|monitor]] ''HMS Glow-worm'' was waiting. They finally arrived at [[Funchal]] on [[November 19]].<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|200-207}} The children were being looked after at Wartegg Castle in Switzerland by Charles's step-grandmother Maria Theresa, although Zita managed to see them in [[Zurich]] when her son Robert needed an operation for [[appendicitis]].<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|210-211}} The children joined their parents in Madeira in February [[1922]]. ===Death of Charles=== Charles had been in poor health for some time. After going shopping on a chilly day in Funchal to buy toys for Carl Ludwig, he was struck by an attack of [[bronchitis]]. This rapidly worsened into [[pneumonia]], not helped by the inadequate medical care available. Several of the children and staff were also ill, and Zita (at the time eight months pregnant) helped nurse them all. Charles weakened and died on [[April 1]], his last words to his wife were "I love you so much."<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|214-215}} After his funeral, a witness said of Zita "This woman really is to be admired. She did not, for one second, lose her composure... she greeted the people on all sides and then spoke to those who had helped out with the funeral. They were all under her charm."<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|216}} Zita wore mourning black in Charles's memory throughout her 67 long years of widowhood.<ref name="Bogle"/>{{rp|151}} ==Widowhood== [[Image:Empress Zita in Leiquitio.jpg|right|thumb|290px|The Family in Belgium, standing in back : Felix, Adelheid, Rudolf and Elisabeth. Seated in front : Carl Ludwig, Otto, Chartlotte, Empress Zita and Robert]] After Charles's death, the former Austrian royal family were soon to move again. [[Alfonso XIII of Spain]] had approached the British Foreign Office via his ambassador in London, and they agreed to allow Zita and her seven (soon to be eight) children relocate to Spain. Alfonso duly sent the warship ''Infanta Isabel'' to Funchal and this took them to [[Cadiz]]. They were then escorted to the [[El Pardo|Pardo Palace]] in [[Madrid]], where shortly after her arrival Zita gave birth to a posthumous child, Archduchess Elisabeth.<ref name = "Harding">Harding.</ref>{{rp|274}} Alfonso XIII offered his exiled Habsburg relatives the use of Palacio Uribarren at [[Lekeitio]] in the [[Bay of Biscay]]. This appealed to Zita, who did not want to be a heavy burden to the state that harbored her.<ref name="Harding"/>{{rp|289}} For the next six years Zita settled in Lekeitio, where she got on with the job of raising and educating her children.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|219-220}} They lived with straitened finances, mainly living on income from private property in Austria, income from a vineyard in [[Johannisberg]], and voluntary collections. Other members of the exiled Habsburg dynasty, however, claimed much of this money, and there were regular petitions for help from former imperial officials.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|223-224}} ===Move to Belgium=== By [[1929]], several of the children were approaching the age to attend university and the family sought to move somewhere of a more congenial educational climate than Spain. That September, they moved to the Belgian village of [[Steenokkerzeel]] near Brussels, where they were closer to several members of their family.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|231}} Zita continued her political lobbying on behalf of the Habsburg family, even sounding out links with [[Benito Mussolini|Mussolini]]'s Italy.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|233-236}} There was even a possibility of a Habsburg restoration under the Austrian Chancellors [[Engelbert Dollfuss]] and [[Kurt Schuschnigg]], with Crown Prince Otto visiting Austria numerous times. These overtures were abruptly ended by the [[Anschluss|annexation]] of Austria by [[Nazi Germany]] in [[1938]].<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|240-265}} As exiles, the Habsburg family took the lead in [[Austrian resistance|resisting]] the Nazis in Austria, but this foundered because of opposition between [[monarchists]] and [[socialists]].<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|268-269}} ===Flight to America=== With the Nazi invasion of Belgium on [[May 10]] [[1940]], Zita and her family became war refugees. They narrowly missed being killed by a direct hit on the castle by German bombers and fled to Prince Xavier's French Castle in Bostz.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|271-272}} With the assumption of power by the collaborationist government of [[Philippe Petain]], the Habsburgs fled to the Spanish border, reaching it on [[May 18]]. They moved on to Portugal where the [[United States|U.S.]] Government granted the family exit visas on [[July 9]]. After a perilous journey they arrived in [[New York]] on [[July 27]], having family in Long Island and Newark, New Jersey.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|277}} The Austrian royal refugees eventually settled in [[Quebec]], which had the advantage of being French-speaking (the younger children were not yet fluent in English).<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|283}} As they were cut off from all European funds, finances were more stretched than ever. At one stage Zita was reduced to making salad and [[spinach]] dishes from [[dandelion]] leaves.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|284}} However, all her sons were active in the war effort. Otto promoted the dynasty's role in a post-war Europe and met regularly with [[Franklin Roosevelt]];<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|270-271}} Robert was the Habsburg representative in London;<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|285}} Carl Ludwig and Felix joined the [[United States Army]], serving with several American-raised relatives of the Mauerer line;<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|290}} Rudolf smuggled himself into Austria in the final days of the war to help organise the resistance.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|307}} In [[1945]] Empress Zita celebrated her birthday on the first day of peace, [[May 9]]. She was to spend the next two years touring the United States and [[Canada]] to raise funds for war-ravaged Austria and Hungary.<ref name="Bogle"/>{{rp|157}} ==Post-War== [[Image:Zitafamily1962.jpg|thumb|right|190px|Empress Zita of Austria surrounded by her eight children. Standing in the back from left to right Archdukes Carl Ludwig, Rudolf and Robert, in the middle Archducheses Adelheid, Elisabeth and Charlotte with Archduke Felix, in the forefront Empress Zita and Archduke Otto, 1962]] After a period of rest and recovery, Zita found herself regularly going back to Europe for the weddings of her children. She decided to move back to the continent full time, in [[1952]], to [[Luxembourg]], in order to look after her aging mother. Maria Antonia died at the age of 96 in [[1959]]. The bishop of [[Chur]] proposed to Zita that she move into a residence that he administered that was formerly a castle of the [[Jerome, 2nd Count de Salis|Counts de Salis]] at [[Zizers]], [[Graubünden]] in Switzerland. As the castle had enough space for visits from her large family, and nearby [[chapel]] (a necessity for the devoutly Catholic Zita), she accepted with ease.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|316}} Zita occupied her final years with her family. Although the restrictions on the Habsburgs entering Austria had been lifted, this only applied to those born after [[April 10]], [[1919]]. This meant Zita could not attend the funeral of her daughter Adelheid in 1972, which was painful for her.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|320}} She also involved herself in the efforts to have her deceased husband, the "peace emperor" [[canonization|canonised]]. In [[1982]], the restrictions were eased, and she returned to Austria after having been absent for six decades. Over the next few years, the empress made several visits to her former Austrian homeland, even appearing on Austrian [[television]].<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|322-323}} In a series of interviews with the Viennese [[tabloid]] newspaper ''[[Kronen Zeitung]]'', Zita expressed her belief that the deaths of [[Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria]] and his mistress [[Baroness Mary Vetsera]], at [[The Mayerling Incident|Mayerling]], in [[1889]], were not a double suicide, but rather murder by French or Austrian agents.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|320}} ===Death=== After a memorable 90th birthday, where she was surrounded by her now vast family, Zita's strong health began to fail. She developed inoperable [[cataract]]s in both eyes.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|326}} Her last big family gathering took place at [[Zizers]], in [[1987]], when her children and grandchildren joined in celebrating Empress Zita's 95th birthday.<ref name="Beeche"/>{{rp|24}} While visiting her daughter, in summer 1988, she developed pneumonia and spent most of the autumn and winter bedridden. Finally, she called Otto, in early March 1989, and told him she was dying. He and the rest of the family travelled to her bedside and took turns keeping her company until she died in the early hours of [[March 14]], [[1989]].<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|327-328}} She was 96 years old. <ref>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= Hapsburg Grandeur Is Dusted Off for Burial of 'Our Sister the Empress Zita' |url= |quote=Old Vienna dusted off its imperial finery today to lay to rest Austria's last Empress, paying a regal tribute to a woman who remained quietly true to her lost crown and to the late Emperor through seven decades of exile. For the first time since the 600-year Austro-Hungarian monarchy was dissolved in 1919, the ornate black imperial catafalque - borrowed from the Museum at Schonbrunn Palace -rolled past the old palaces and baroque temples of central Vienna to the imperial burial vault. There, under the Capuchin Church, Zita, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, was laid to rest among the richly decorated caskets of the Hapsburgs. |publisher=[[New York Times]] |date=April 2, 1989 |accessdate=2007-07-21 }}</ref> [[Image:Zita.jpg|thumb|left|150px|The tomb of Empress Zita (1892-1989)]] Her funeral was held in Vienna on [[April 1]]. The government allowed it to take place on Austrian soil providing the cost was borne by the Habsburgs themselves.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|329}} Zita's body was carried to the [[Imperial Crypt, Vienna|Kapuziner Crypt]] in the same funeral coach she had walked behind during the funeral of Emperor Franz Joseph in [[1916]]. It was attended by over 200 members of the Habsburg and Bourbon-Parma families, and the service had 6,000 attendees including leading politicians, state officials and international representatives, including a representative of [[Pope John Paul II]].<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{rp|329}} Following an ancient custom, the empress had asked that her heart, which was placed in an urn, stay behind at the monastery of [[Muri Abbey|Muri]], in Switzerland, where the emperor's heart had rested for decades. In doing so, Zita assured herself that, in death, she and her husband would remain by each other's side.<ref name="Beeche"/>{{rp|38}} ==Children== Charles I, Emperor of Austria and Zita of Bourbon-Parma had eight children: {| class="wikitable" ! Name || Birth || Death || Notes |- | Crown Prince '''[[Otto von Habsburg|Otto]]''' || [[November 20]] [[1912]]|| || married ([[1951]]) [[Regina, Crown Princess of Austria|Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen and Hildburghausen]] (b. [[January 6]] [[1925]]) and has seven children. |- | *Archduchess '''[[Archduchess Adelheid of Austria|Adelheid]]''' || [[January 3]] [[1914]] || [[October 2]] [[1971]] |- | *Archduke '''[[Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este|Robert]]''' || [[February 8]] [[1915]] || [[February 7]] [[1996]] || married ([[1953]]) [[Margherita, Archduchess of Austria-Este|Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta]] (b. [[April 7]] [[1930]]) and had five children. |- | *Archduke '''[[Archduke Felix of Austria|Felix]]''' || [[1916]] || || married ([[1952]]) Princess Anna Eugenie von Arenberg ([[1925]]) - ([[1997]]) and has seven children. |- | *Archduke '''[[Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria (1918-2007)|Carl Ludwig]]''' || [[March 10]] [[1918]] || [[December 11]] [[2007]] || married ([[1950]]) Princess Yolanda of [[Prince of Ligne|Ligne]] (b. [[May 6]] [[1923]]) and had four children. |- | *Archduke '''[[Archduke Rudolf of Austria (b. 1919)|Rudolf]]''' || [[September 5]] [[1919]] || || married ([[1953]]) Countess Xenia Tschernyschev-Besobrasoff (b. [[June 11]] [[1929]] d. [[September 20]] [[1968]]) and had four children. Married (secondly) ([[1971]]) Princess Anna Gabriele of Wrede (b. [[September 11]] [[1940]]) and has one child. |- | *Archduchess '''[[Archduchess Charlotte of Austria|Charlotte]]''' || [[March 1]] [[1921]] || [[July 23]] [[1989]] || married ([[1956]]) [[Duke Georg of Mecklenburg]] ({{OldStyleDate|5 October|1899|22 September}} - [[July 6]] [[1963]]). |- | *Archduchess '''Elisabeth''' || [[May 31]] [[1922]] || [[January 7]] [[1993]] || married ([[1949]]) Prince Heinrich of [[House of Liechtenstein|Liechtenstein]] ([[August 5]] [[1916]] - [[April 17]] [[1991]]) and had five children. |} ==Ancestry== {{ahnentafel top|width=100%}} {{ahnentafel-compact5 |style=font-size: 90%; line-height: 110%; |border=1 |boxstyle=padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0; |boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc; |boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9; |boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc; |boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc; |boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe; |1= 1. '''Zita of Bourbon-Parma''' |2= 2. [[Robert I, Duke of Parma]] |3= 3. [[Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal]] |4= 4. [[Charles III, Duke of Parma]] |5= 5. [[Louise Marie Thérèse of France|Princess Louise Marie Thérèse of France]] |6= 6. [[Miguel of Portugal]] |7= 7. [[Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg|Princess Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg]] |8= 8. [[Charles II, Duke of Parma]] |9= 9. [[Maria Teresa of Savoy]] |10= 10. [[Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry]] |11= 11. [[Caroline Ferdinande Louise, duchesse de Berry|Princess Caroline Ferdinande Louise of the Two Sicilies]] |12= 12. [[John VI of Portugal]] |13= 13. [[Charlotte of Spain|Infanta Charlotte of Spain]] |14= 14. [[Constantine, Hereditary Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg]] |15= 15. Princess Marie Agnes Henriette of Hohenlohe-Langenburg |16= 16. [[Louis of Etruria]] |17= 17. [[Maria Louisa of Spain (1782-1824)|Infanta Maria Louisa of Spain]] |18= 18. [[Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia]] |19= 19. [[Maria Theresia of Austria-Este (1773-1832)|Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este]] |20= 20. [[Charles X of France]] |21= 21. [[Marie Thérèse of Savoy|Princess Marie Thérèse of Savoy]] |22= 22. [[Francis I of the Two Sicilies]] |23= 23. [[Archduchess Maria Clementina of Austria]] |24= 24. [[Peter III of Portugal]] |25= 25. [[Maria I of Portugal]] |26= 26. [[Charles IV of Spain]] |27= 27. [[Maria Luisa of Parma|Princess Maria Luisa of Parma]] |28= 28. Karl V, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg |29= 29. Countess Sophie Luise of Windisch-Graetz |30= 30. Carl Ludwig III, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg |31= 31. Countess Amalie Henriette Charlotte of Solms-Baruth }}</center> {{ahnentafel bottom}} ==References== {{commons2|Empress Zita of Austria}} *Beeche, Arturo & McIntosh, David. (2005). ''Empress Zita of Austria, Queen of Hungary (1892-1989)'' Eurohistory. ASIN: B000F1PHOI *Bogle, James and Joanna. (1990). '' A Heart for Europe: The Lives of Emperor Charles and Empress Zita of Austria-Hungary'', Fowler Wright, 1990, ISBN 0-85244-173-8 *Brook-Shepherd, Gordon. (1991). ''The Last Empress - The Life and Times of Zita of Austria-Hungary 1893-1989''. Harper-Collins. ISBN 0-00-215861-2 *Harding, Bertita. (1939). ''Imperial Twilight: The Story of Karl and Zita of Hungary''. Bobbs-Merrill Company Publishers. ASIN: B000J0DDQO ===Notes=== {{reflist}} {{s-start}} {{s-hou|[[Bourbon-Parma|House of Bourbon-Parma]]|9 May|1892|14 March|1989|[[House of Bourbon]]}} {{s-roy|at-hu}} |- {{s-vac|rows=2|last=[[Elisabeth of Bavaria]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Empress of Austria]]|years=1916-1918}} {{s-non|rows=2|reason=Monarchy abolished}} |- {{s-ttl|title=Queen of [[List of Hungarian rulers|Hungary]] and [[Royal Consorts of Bohemia|Bohemia]]|years=1916-1918}} |- {{s-pre}} |- {{s-new|rows=2|reason=Monarchy abolished}} {{s-tul|title=[[Empress of Austria]]|years=1918-1922}} {{s-vac|rows=2|next=[[Regina, Crown Princess of Austria|Regina of Saxe-Meiningen]]}} |- {{s-tul|title=Queen of [[List of Hungarian rulers|Hungary]] and [[Royal Consorts of Bohemia|Bohemia]]|years=1918-1922}} {{s-end}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Bourbon-Parma, Zita of}} [[Category:1892 births]] [[Category:1989 deaths]] [[Category:Austrian royalty|Zita of Bourbon-Parma]] [[Category:Austrian empresses|Zita of Bourbon-Parma]] [[Category:House of Habsburg-Lorraine|Zita of Bourbon-Parma]] [[Category:House of Bourbon-Parma|Zita of Bourbon-Parma]] [[Category:Hungarian queens consort|Zita of Bourbon-Parma]] [[Category:Austrian Roman Catholics]] [[Category:Hungarian Roman Catholics]] [[Category:People from the Province of Lucca]] [[bg:Зита Бурбон-Пармска]] [[ca:Zita de Borbó-Parma]] [[cs:Zita Bourbonsko-Parmská]] [[da:Zita (kejserinde af Østrig)]] [[de:Zita von Bourbon-Parma]] [[et:Zita (Austria-Ungari)]] [[es:Zita de Borbón-Parma]] [[fr:Zita de Bourbon-Parme]] [[it:Zita di Borbone-Parma]] [[hu:Zita Bourbon–pármai hercegnő]] [[nl:Zita van Bourbon-Parma]] [[ja:ツィタ・フォン・ブルボン=パルマ]] [[no:Zita av Bourbon-Parma]] [[pl:Zyta Burbon-Parmeńska]] [[pt:Zita de Bourbon-Parma]] [[ro:Zita de Bourbon-Parma]] [[ru:Зита Бурбон-Пармская]] [[sk:Zita Bourbon-Parmská]] [[fi:Zita von Bourbon-Parma]] [[sv:Zita av Bourbon-Parma]] [[th:เจ้าหญิงซีต้าแห่งบูร์บอง-ปาร์มา]]