The arms of the House of Esterházy
Esterházy von Galántha is an old Hungarian noble family, originating from modern Slovakia. Raised to Counts in 1626 after a rapid rise to power, the House divided into four lines in 1594 following the death of Baron Francis. The Elder line of Forchtenstein was raised to an Imperial Principality in 1712. The territories of Esterházy were located throughout the Kingdom of Hungary, especially in the Burgenland in modern Austria. Esterházy also acquired the Princely County of Edelstetten (in the Bavarian Circle of Germany, with a seat in the Bench of Secular Princes) and the Lordship of Gallingen (mediate to Baden). The House of Esterházy provided many ambassadors, military leaders, and patrons of the arts. The Esterházy's palace of Esterháza is often called the Hungarian Versailles due to its' size, magnificence and artistry.
Esterházy was originally a minor Baronial family in the southwest of modern Slovakia. The name Esterházy was first used by the family in the sixteenth Century, when Francis was made Baron of Galántha, an estate held by the family since 1421. After his death in 1598, his sons divided the house into three lineages, the Forchtenstein (Fraknó) line (which was the most significant), the Csesznek line, and the Zvolen (Zólyom) line. All three lines were raised to Counts by the Emperor in 1626. The Forchtenstein line quickly partitioned into elder and younger lines. The Elder line was raised to Imperial Princes in 1712. In 1804 the elder line was made immediate in the Holy Roman Empire, although two years later Esterházy was mediatised. In 1809 Prince Nicholas II Ferdinand rejected Napoleon Bonaparte's offer of the crown of Hungary, and instead raised a regiment to fight for Austria. Nicholas also bankrupted the until then very wealthy family through art collecting and an economic shock in Austria in 1811 and it took several generations to recover. In 1945, noble titles were abolished in Hungary.
Counts of Esterházy von Galántha, elder line of Forchtenstein (1626 - 1712)[]
|
Name |
Reign |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nicholas | 1626 - 1645 | |
| Paul | 1645 - 1712 | Raised to Imperial Prince in 1712 |
Imperial Princes of Esterházy von Galántha (1712 - 1945)[]
|
Name |
Reign |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Paul I | 1712 - 1713 | Raised from Count in 1712 |
| Michael | 1713 - 1721 | |
| Joseph Simon Anthony | 1721 | |
| Paul II Anthony | 1721 - 1762 | |
| Nicholas I the Magnificent | 1762 - 1790 | |
| Anthony | 1790 - 1794 | |
| Nicholas II Ferdinand | 1794 - 1833 | Immediate in the Holy Roman Empire 1804 - 1806. Rejected the Crown of Hungary in 1809 |
| Paul III Anthony | 1833 - 1866 | |
| Nicholas III Paul | 1866 - 1894 | |
| Paul IV Anthony Nicholas | 1894 - 1898 | |
| Nicholas IV Paul | 1898 - 1920 | |
| Paul V Maria Aloysius Anthony Nicholas Victor | 1920 - 1945 | Titles abolished in 1945 |