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House of Koháry
House of Koháry
Country	Kingdom of Hungary; Archduchy of Austria
Founded	11th century
Founder	György Koháry
Final ruler	Ferenc József Koháry
Titles	Hungarian Counts; Austro-Hungarian Princes;
Dissolution	1826, upon the death of Ferenc József Koháry
Cadet branches	House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry (through female line)

The House of Koháry (Hungarian: Koháry-ház) was the name of an ancient and wealthy Hungarian noble family^[1] with seats at Csábrág and Szitnya (now Čabraď and Sitno Castle) and the palace of Szentantal (now Svätý Anton, Slovakia).

History

Origin

The origin of the family is in Zala County in Hungary. In 1470, a "Georg Koháry" is mentioned in the court of King Matthias I Corvinus.^[2] The first notable member of the family was Peter Koháry (1564–1629), who was rewarded as the Baron of Csábrág by Emperor Ferdinand II and became commander of the fortress of Érsekújvár. His son Stephan I Koháry (1616–1664) fought against the Turks and died in the battle of Léva.

Stephan (Istvan) Kohary (1616–1664)

Counts and generals

In 1685, Stephan II Koháry (1649–1731) became the first count in his family. He fought against the Ottoman Empire and the Kuruc. After his death, his fortune went to his nephew Andreas Koháry (1694–1757). All Kohárys had been officers and generals of the Habsburg emperors.

Stephan II Koháry (1649–1731)
Wolfgang Koháry (1654–1704)
Andreas Koháry (1694–1757)
Nikolaus Koháry (1721–1769)
Ignaz Josef Koháry (1726–1777)

Princely title

On 15 November 1815, the head of the house, Ferenc József Koháry (1760–1826), who served as the Hungarian Chancellor, was given the title of Fürst von Koháry (Prince of Koháry)^[3]^[4] by Emperor Francis I of Austria.^[5]

House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry

Upon the death of Ferenc József, his only surviving child, a daughter named Mária Antónia (1797–1862), was proclaimed "heiress of the name" (fíúsított). When she married in 1816 (January 2), her husband Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha took the name Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry. Among the descendants of Mária Antónia and Ferdinand are the last emperor of Austria (Charles I), the last four kings of Portugal (Pedro V, Luís I, Carlos I, Manuel II), and the last three tsars of Bulgaria (Ferdinand I, Boris III, Simeon II).

Ferenc József Koháry, first Prince von Koháry.
Maria Antonia Koháry, his daughter and heiress.
Princely arms

Notable members of the family

István Koháry (1649–1731)
Ferenc József Koháry, Fürst von Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya (1767–1826)
Maria Antonia Koháry (1797–1862)

Koháry palaces

The Kohárys belonged among the magnates of Hungary. Their holdings were calculated to be around 150,000 hectares, making Princess Maria Antonia Koháry one the richest heiresses in Europe at the time of her marriage to Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Čabraď castle, 1622 feoffed to Peter Koháry^[6]
Sitno Castle feoffed 1629 to Peter Koháry, destroyed 1703 during Rákóczi's War of Independence^[7]
palace of Svätý Anton^[8]
Ebenthal, Lower Austria, acquired 1722 by Count Andreas Koháry.
Walterskirchen castle near Poysdorf, Lower Austria, acquired 1733 by Count Andreas Koháry.
Dürnkrut, Austria, acquired 1779