Obersthofmeister

Oberhofmeister of the Austrian King and Emperor (Grand Master of the Court) was the most important function at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor (until 1806) and the Emperor of Austria in Vienna (1804–1918). The Oberhofmeister acted as the direct head of the Imperial court and household and was as such very influential.

Position

As can be seen in the annual Hof- und Staats Handbuch,[1] the monarch's Obersthofmeister ranked directly behind the Royal family and above all other high nobility. The Obersthofmeister of the Monarch had his seat in the Hofburg in Vienna.

The tasks of His Majesty's Obersthofmeister's Office in Vienna included the administration of the castles and palaces used by the court, including construction work, the supervision of the k.k. Court theater (Hofburgtheater and Hofoper in Vienna), and especially the politically relevant planning of the ceremonial (e.g. speech and table arrangements, order of priority of the carriages) for formal appearances by the monarch and the preparation of invitations to the audience of the ruler. This position only ended upon the death of the Monarch or the Oberhofmeister himself.

When the unified Austrian Empire was reorganized into the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1867, a second Oberhofmeister was installed at the royal court in Budapest. An example of a very influential Oberhofmeister, is Alfred, 2nd Prince of Montenuovo (1908–1917), who had a strong influence over his cousin, the aging Franz Joseph I.

other use of the name Oberhofmeister

The monarch's wife, had her own court with an Oberhofmeisterin (or Senior Lady in Waiting). The Crown Prince and other long-standing Archdukes were also entitled to employees with the title of Oberhofmeister. This title also appeared at other princely courts and also at smaller dynasties in Germany. The office of Obersthofmeister gradually gained everywhere the importance of a state office, comparable to a cabinet minister.

List of the Obersthofmeisters of the Austrian King and Emperor in Vienna

See also

References
  1. "ÖNB-ALEX - Staatshandbuch". alex.onb.ac.at. Retrieved 2022-11-12.

Sources
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