The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece was founded in 1429 by Philip III the Good, Duke of Burgundy, and was later inherited by the House of Habsburg. Following the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714), the Order split into two branches, a Spanish and an Austrian. Our guests travelled to the Hungarian capital with the eldest son of Otto von Habsburg, Karl, the head of the Austrian branch.
The members of the Order were welcomed by Director Gergely Prőhle, who gave a presentation on the activities and mission of the Foundation. Gergely Fejérdy, Deputy Scientific Director, described the collection in general, Szilveszter Dékány spoke about the photographic archive, Archivist Eszter Kardonné Fábry presented the diaries of the last Hungarian monarch’s family, and Bence Kocsev focused on a particular segment of our namesake’s network of contacts.
On behalf of the family, Karl von Habsburg thanked the Foundation for providing an overview and for the high-quality work it carries out. The members of the Knightly Orders, most of whom were here for the first time, toured our premises enthusiastically and examined the photographs and documents prepared for them at length.
The occasion was attended by several of Otto von Habsburg’s children and grandchildren; the Order members came from many European countries. The former European royal family and its descendants are still prominent pillars of the Order of the Golden Fleece: Otto von Habsburg himself became a member in 1916 and was its Grand Master (Sovereign) from 1922 to 2000. At the turn of the millennium, his son Karl took over this position from him.
Our Foundation preserves several documents relating to the former Crown Prince’s knighthood. It is clear from these that throughout his life, Otto von Habsburg remained faithful to the initial vocation of the organisation: to defend Christian values as its primary objective.
