Maximilian Egon II, Prince of Fürstenberg

Maximilian Egon II, Prince of Fürstenberg (13 October 1863 – 11 August 1941) was a German landowner, investor and nobleman who was the head of the House of Fürstenberg from 1896 to 1941.

Maximilian Egon II
Prince of Fürstenberg
Photograph of Max Egon II, 1890s
Head of the House of Fürstenberg
Tenure1896–1941
PredecessorKarl Egon IV
SuccessorKarl Egon V
BornMaximilian Egon Christian Karl Aloys Emil Leo Richard Anton
(1863-10-13)13 October 1863
Lány, Bohemia, Austrian Empire
Died11 August 1941(1941-08-11) (aged 77)
Heiligenberg Castle, Nazi Germany
SpouseCountess Irma von Schönborn-Buchheim
IssueKarl Egon V, Prince of Fürstenberg
Princess Leotina
Princess Anna
Prince Maximilian Egon
Prince Friedrich Eduard
Marie-Louise-Auguste von Almey
HouseFürstenberg
FatherPrince Maximilian Egon of Fürstenberg
MotherCountess Leontina von Khevenhüller-Metsch

Background

Born as Prince Maximilian Egon Christian Karl Aloys Emil Leo Richard Anton zu Fürstenberg, he was the son of Prince Maximilian Egon zu Fürstenberg and his wife, Countess Leontina von Khevenhüller-Metsch. He had a younger brother, born in 1867, named Prince Karl Emil Egon zu Fürstenberg.[1]

Life and career
Max Egon II. zu Fürstenberg medal, 1933

A close friend and adviser of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany,[2] Max of Fürstenberg inherited territorial titles in Prussia, Austria, Hungary, Württemberg and Baden, and by virtue of them had a seat in the House of Lords in each of the five states.[3] Until the First World War, he was vice-president of the Prussian House of Lords.[4]

His principal residence was at Donaueschingen, near the source of the Danube, where he owned a castle and great deer forests.[5] Emperor Wilhelm II frequently visited him there, and Max invariably accompanied the Emperor on his hunting expeditions and Norwegian trips. As well as his vast ancestral forests, he also owned coal mines, hotels and breweries.[6]

Although he was a member of the high Roman Catholic Uradel who had long stood aloof from party politics, after meeting Adolf Hitler and Ernst Roehm in November 1933, Max became enthusiastic about Hitler's leadership, commenting that "It was wonderful, to be able to meet such a great man".[2]

The same year, 1933, he joined the Nazi Party and the SA. In 1938, he was appointed to the rank of Standartenführer.[7]

Marriage and issue

By his marriage to Countess Irma von Schönborn-Buchheim, he had three sons and two daughters:[5]

  • Karl Egon V zu Fürstenberg (1891–1973)
  • Leontina zu Fürstenberg (1892–1979)
  • Anna zu Fürstenberg (1894–1928)
  • Maximilian Egon zu Fürstenberg (1896–1959)
  • Friedrich Eduard zu Fürstenberg (1898–1916)

He also had an illegitimate daughter, Marie-Louise-Auguste von Almey, by a liaison with Baroness Marguerite von Almey.

He died in 1941, during the Second World War, and was succeeded by his son, Karl Egon V (1891–1973).[7]

  • Photograph, 1897.
    Photograph, 1897.
  • Photograph, c. 1905.
    Photograph, c. 1905.
  • Portrait, by Philip de László, 1899.
    Portrait, by Philip de László, 1899.
  • Portrait, by Philip de László, 1899.
    Portrait, by Philip de László, 1899.
  • Portrait of his wife Irma, by Philip de László, 1899.
    Portrait of his wife Irma, by Philip de László, 1899.
  • Photograph and signature, 1913.
    Photograph and signature, 1913.
  • Portrait from the Market Hall of Freiburg.
    Portrait from the Market Hall of Freiburg.

Honours and awards

Citations
  1. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Fürstenberg" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 11 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 365–366, see page 366, third para. In 1909 there were two branches of the princely house of Fürstenberg: (1) the main branch, that of Fürstenberg-Donaueschingen, the head of which was Prince Maximilian Egon (b. 1863), who succeeded his cousin Karl Egon III. in 1896
  2. Eckart Conze, Monika Wienfort, eds., Adel und Moderne: Deutschland im europäischen Vergleich im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert, p. 136: "Es war herrlich, diesem einzig grossen Mann gegenueberstehen zu duerfen."
  3. Otte, T. G. (2014). July Crisis: The World's Descent into War, Summer 1914. Cambridge University Press. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-139-99332-6. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  4. Kohut, Thomas August (1991). Wilhelm II and the Germans: A Study in Leadership. Oxford University Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-19-506172-7. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  5. Röhl, John C. G. (2014). Kaiser Wilhelm II: A Concise Life. Cambridge University Press. pp. 28, 109, 111, 114, 121, 123, 136, 163. ISBN 978-1-107-07225-1. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  6. Rines 1920.
  7. John Kennedy, John E. James, eds., Almanach de Gotha 2004, Vol. 1, p. 508
  8. "Hofstaat: Seiner Majestät des Kaisers und Königs", Handbuch über den Königlich Preußischen Hof und Staat, Berlin, 1918, p. 11{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. "Rother Adler-orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (in German), Berlin, 1895, p. 10 – via hathitrust.org{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1902), "Großherzogliche Orden" pp. 68, 78
  11. "Ludewigs-orden", Großherzoglich Hessische Ordensliste (in German), Darmstadt: Staatsverlag, 1914, p. 6 – via hathitrst.org
  12. Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg (1896), "Königliche Orden" p. 28
  13. "Ritter-Orden", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1918, pp. 51, 57, retrieved 31 August 2021
  14. Handbuch über den Königlich Preußischen Hof und Staat fur das jahr 1908, p. 11
  15. Sveriges statskalender (in Swedish), 1915, p. 671, retrieved 2018-01-06 – via runeberg.org

General references
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