Sophie Chotek
| Sophie | |
|---|---|
| Duchess of Hohenberg | |
 |
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| Spouse(s) | Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria |
| Issue | |
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Full name
Sophie Maria Josephine Albina Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin
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| Noble family | Chotek |
| Father | Count Bohuslaw Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin |
| Mother | Countess Wilhelmine Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau |
| Born |
1 March 1868 Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg |
| Died | 28 June 1914 (aged 46) (assassination) Sarajevo, Austria-Hungary |
| Buried | Artstetten Castle, Austria |
Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg (Czech: Žofie Marie Josefína Albína hraběnka Chotková z Chotkova a Vojnína; German: Sophie Maria Josephine Albina Gräfin Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin; 1 March 1868 – 28 June 1914), was the morganatic wife of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Their assassination in Sarajevo sparked a series of events that eventually led to World War I.
Sophie was born in Stuttgart as the fourth daughter of Count Bohuslav Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin, a Bohemian aristocrat, and his wife Countess Wilhelmine Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau.
As a young woman, Sophie became a lady-in-waiting to Archduchess Isabella, the wife of Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen, head of the Bohemian cadet branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.
It is unknown where Sophie first met Archduke Franz Ferdinand, although it may have been at a ball in Prague in 1894. Franz Ferdinand, who was stationed at a military garrison in Prague, paid frequent visits to Halbturn Castle, the home of Archduke Friedrich, and it was assumed that he had fallen in love with Friedrich's eldest daughter, Archduchess Marie Christine. When the liaison was discovered by Archduchess Isabella, herself only born into a mediatised family (the House of Croÿ), a scandal ensued.
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Wikipedia