Karl II of Silesia and Austria

## Karl II

Karl II (age 6)

**Archduke Karl II of Silesia and Austria, Prince of Irene** (8 December 1788 – 1 September 1794) was the eldest child of Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria, and Erika Irene-Aquitania, Princess of Irene. As a child, and for a time the eldest and only child of his mother, he was often doted upon by his happily-married parents. In 26 July 1801, his father died leaving his mother a widowed mother; as a result she isolated herself from her the memories of her late son and husband and left much of the funeral preparations to a mortician. In 1934, his mother remarried to Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, and he was passed off as the youngest son of his maternal uncle (who had despised his mother`s husband)—his paternal uncle who had despised him along with his father had him murdered at the young and tender age of sixteen, and he was appointed as the heir presumptive until they came of age. His spouse—Maria Boleyn, Duchess of Silesia—who was two years his senior mourned his unjustified death; she would later marry Grand Duke Albert of Russia and Greece—the couple naming their youngest son after the young sixteen-year-old assassinated Archduke. He was canonized as a Saint in the Imperial Roman Catholic Church of Irene as "**Karl the Martyr of Circumstances and Children**"—making him the only member of the extended Irene Imperial Family to hold this esteemed honor—his younger half-sisters only held medals and honors in the Imperial Irene Roman Catholic Church. The tale of his dishonorable killing is detailed in the book—*Legacy of Archduke Karl II of Silesia and Austria*—his killing was a subject of great speculation as many people described it as the move of a coward.

## Life

### **Early Life**

Archduke Karl II (known as *Charlie*) was born on 8 December 1778 at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, the center of the vastly powerful Habsburg Monarchy. As the eldest son of Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria, he was styled as "His Royal Highness, Archduke Karl II of Silesia and Austria", by his only wife, Erina Irene-Aquitania—making Karl both a Archduke and a Prince—these two ranks made him a primary source of Prussian court speculation. As Prussia, and Irene were allied against Austria, Prussia and Austria in particular being bitter enemies—the birth of the Archduke was widely despised by all three of the courts, as they considered him as simply a tool to use against each other. All three of the courts looked down on him—only his parents and godparents celebrated his birth with presents, cake, music, dancing, and paintings. He became heir presumptive to the throne of Irene upon his birth—raised isolated from other children, he was eventually allowed to interact with other children—he chose the young Maria Boleyn, Duchess of York, and a granddaughter of King George IV of York and Queen Isabella IV of York as his playmate—he enjoyed her company and was quite taken with her.

#### **Conflict with Royal Courts**

The three royal courts (Austrian, Irenian, and Prussia), who also despised the young Archduke Karl II—lobbied against him, demanding for his death—this horrified his parents who lobbied against his assassination; this brought him into conflict with the three royal courts who called for his head. In an effort to save the life of their beloved son, Queen Lupa (the favorite niece of Irene`s current-reigning Empress) offered her life in exchange for that of her godson`s—the apologetic High Empress politely refused her request and demanded the head of the young Archduke once more—Queen Lupa was eventually evacuated from Irene to Silesia after an assassination attempt was made on her life.

#### **Marriage**

The young Archduke had secretly courted Maria Boleyn for much of their early childhood—while his parents and younger half-sisters had not approved of his choice of bride, they considered Maria to be a wonderful person—to keep her from being harmed, Maria`s engagement to the young Archduke was kept a secret—in 1 September 1790, she married Karl II in the Augustinian Church, Vienna—he cut his hair and used face powder to make his face more paler as to disguise him from his would-be assassins—this disguise worked incredibly well for the duration of their married life. Their only child and single daughter, Archduchess Marianne of Austria—lived to see the end of her father`s reign and events from the time of his reign ending—she married a Scottish noble and moved from Austria to Scotland.

#### **Death**

When he was only sixteen-years-old, on 1 September 1794, he was ambushed and killed by a group of Austrian military officers and Prussian military officers led by his maternal and paternal uncles who despised him—they lit his body on fire, then poured acid on it, and finally dumped his remains in the river bed where he was recovered from in 1 September 1939—he was finally buried beside his parents in 2 September 1945 at the end of WW2 by the Austrian Government.

## Titles

### **Titles and styles**

* 8 December 1788 – 1 September 1791: *His Royal Highness* Archduke Karl II of Silesia and Austria
* 1 September 1791 – 1 September 1794: *His Royal Highness* The Duke of York

## Legacy

Karl`s assassination was likened by contemporaries to a "pouring of public outrage". He was an innocent boy—the circumstances of his death inherently tragic—in fact his assassination caused wide criticism of the Imperial Irene Court and the Prussian Royal Court. His own daughter, Archduchess Marianne of Austria personally arranged her engagement to a Scottish noble; Sir Hector Maclean, 7th Baronet—preparing to marry her husband later that year. Unfortunately, Sir Hector tragically passed and Marianne`s hand-in-marriage was given to his half-brother, Sir Fitzroy Maclean, 8th Baronet—she became his spouse following their marriage in 1794 when she was three-years-old.

Acclaimed Historian, Rupert Fitzroy Jones described Karl as a "bright" and "imaginative child"—the marriage of his daughter at three-years-old was a common thing that happened often in the European Courts at that time—so behavior such as betrothing a three-year-old to an eleven-year-old was a common thing.