ROYAL BANKRUPT

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 422, 1 May 1937, Page 2

ROYAL BANKRUPT

WAR LEADER PASSES Hapsburg Archduke Vienna, April 9.. Archduke Frederick Marie Albert William Charles of Hapsburg, Duke of Teschen and {cominander-inpchief of the Austro-Hungarian army during the World War, one of the five richest men in Europe before the war. died a bankrupt in his cas le at Mag-yar-Ovar, Hungary. Archduke Frederick, born in Gross Sselovitz in Moravia, was a grandchild of tthe Archduke Charles, who defeated Napoleon at Aspern and a nephew of the Archduke Albrecht who commanded ths Austrian army in Laly in 1886. By his wife, Princess Isabella Croy-Dulmen, he had six children.

AL his home began the love 10mince of Archduke Francis Ferdinand and Coun/tiss Chotek which ended with the assassination of both at Serajevo and sorted -the World War. At the beginning of the war Archduke Frederick; who was the senior general in Ithe Austro-G ungar ian Army, was appointed commander-in-chief by Emperor Franz Josef. Fred srick made Conrad von Hotzendorf tils chief of staff and gave him almost free rrin, never, seeking to himself credit due to Hotzendorf and his stafi;. Conscious of his own responsibility and confident in the strength of Hotzendorf’s. strategical ability he defended his. chief of staff with ail bis authority whenever a occurred or a campaign failed. Between von Hotzendorf and the German chief of staff, von Falk nhayn, Frederick always tried to be a conciliatory arbiter in their vehement disputes regarding future (actions' and the appointments to important positions. Frederick was the first field marshal ever appointed by Emperor Franz Josef, and he was also a field marshal of the German Empire. Aft r the war Archduke Frederick retired to his in Hungary, the remnant of a small private empire three-quarters of which had been ;6nfiaeat d by the post-war governments in Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Rumania. Here he lived the life of a simple country gentleman. For a fime his son, Archduke Albrecht,

as encouraged by the ambitious Archduchess Isabella ito claim the Hungarian crown. However, an irresls ible divorcee entered Albrecht’s life. H? married her, the divorced wife of a Hungarian nobleman, and removed himself even from 'the potential throne. He went .to Belgium and swore fidelity and in young Archduke O‘*o it Gi eenok^jsze• 1.

In spine of his simple life Frederick remained the grand si gneur. He did not discharge any of his employees; he paid until his bank account had been transformed into mortgages which compelled him to s ek an ar rangemen't wi h his creditors only a month:- before he died