| Birth: | Aug. 21, 1858
Vienna
Vienna (Wien), Austria | | Death: | Jan. 30, 1889 | 
Hapsburg Royalty. Born the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth. He married sixteen year old Princess Stephanie of Belgium in 1881. The couple had only one daughter, Archduchess Elisabeth, born in 1883. In 1888 Rudolf met Baroness Marie Vetsera who was to become his mistress. In January 1889, Crown Prince Rudolf and the Baroness Marie Vetsera were staying at his hunting lodge Mayerling with a very few chosen guests. The couple was found dead in their room under mysterious circumstances. The body of the Crown Prince was removed to Vienna. Marie's presence was a scandal that official circles did their best to suppress. The accepted story was that Rudolf shot his mistress and then himself. Unfortunately for the official tale, the body of Marie did not show any trace of a bullet wound, but rather blunt trauma to the head. It was alleged that Rudolf's body too showed signs of violence. Lacerations on his hands could have easily have been used as evidence for defensive wounds and given weight to an alternate theory that Rudolf and Marie had been assassinated. It also appeared that the revolver used to kill Rudolf was not one owned by the Crown Prince, and that all six bullets were fired, unusual for a suicide. The last Austrian Empress, Zita, who died in 1989, once said she believed Rudolf had been the victim of an international political conspiracy and was murdered. The question is unresolved. (bio by: Iola)
Cause of death: Suicide
Search Amazon for Rudolf Habsburg | | | Burial:
Kapuzinergruft
Vienna
Vienna (Wien), Austria
Plot: Interred next to his parents |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Record added: Nov 28, 1999
Find A Grave Memorial# 7177 |
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(4.3 after 41 votes)
