Last heir to Austro-Hungarian empire dies
Otto von Habsburg, the eldest son of the last ruler of the Austro-Hungarian empire has passed away.
The Habsburgs may be the villains in my novel “The Forest Knights“, but they were a remarkable family dynasty and a major player in European politics well into the 20th century. Anyone brave enough to speak out against Nazi Germany in 1938 deserves a moment of repect.
“Otto von Habsburg was born in 1912, as the heir to the empire, but it collapsed at the end of World War I and the Habsburg family went into exile.
After World War II, Mr Habsburg became a champion of European unity during its Cold War division.
He served as a member of the European parliament for two decades. He is to be buried in the Austrian capital, Vienna.
Mr Habsburg only officially relinquished his claim to inherit the empire in 1961 and five years later was allowed to return to Austria for the first time since the family fled in 1919.
He was an opponent of the Nazis and spoke out against Germany’s annexation of Austria in 1938.”
Books by J. K. Swift
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