There are many legends assoicated with Prague, and I'll tell you about them as we visit certain places, but did you know there are also many legends and stories associated with castles? Since we just visited Konopiště, let me tell you a true romantic story...
The destiny of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his beautiful wife Žofie Chotková (Sophie von Chotkovato) is tightly bound to the history of Konopiště palace. Although they were a happy couple and were living in a happy and maybe even romantic marriage, their journey towards the marriage was not an easy one and resembles more a romantic novel than a real story.
Franz Ferdinant was a nephew of the emperor Franz Joseph and thus he was one of the most important men in the empire. On the other hand, Sophie was a daughter of an Austrian diplomat and a countess, and although her family tree was as rich as the one of the Hapsburg family, her family was not very wealthy and even they could not cope with the influence of the Hapsburg house.
(To be an eligible partner for a member of the Austro-Hungarian royal family, you had to be descended from the House of Hapsburg or from one of the ruling dynasties of Europe.)
Franz had first met Sophie at a dance in Prague in 1888. It is no wonder that a young archduke was charmed by Sophie. She was a very beautiful, slim, darkhaired and brown-eyed young lady with very aristocratic manners. What is more, she was educated, she loved reading, and was very entertaining. Franz and Sophie were secretly dating and then they fell into a deep love.
They both realized that a marriage would be very problematic, because according to social habits, Sophie was not an appropriate wife for Franz Ferdinand. Both lovers knew this very well and the archduke once wrote: "When today´s young people love someone, there will always be some small details found in the family tree of the beloved person, that would prohibit the marriage. This leads to the fact, that a husband and wife in our house are actually relatives twenty times. The result is that half of the children are stupid or idiotic."
The revelation of their secret relationship was a bit of coincidence, when Franz, in one of the quarrels, lost his nerves and yelled, "Žofie will be my wife!" Franz could not hide their relationship but he needed all his spiritual strength to tell it to the emperor and ask him for the marriage allowance. He was correct when he thought that the emperor would consider the marriage as a treason of the future throne successor.
Anyway, he wanted to marry Sophie at all cost – he was even willing to refuse the throne succession! The emperor gave him one year to reconsider his decision and if it would remain unchanged, he would agree. The emperor thought that it is only a passionate, short-term love. However, time did not weaken the strength of their secret love.
In 1899 Emperor Franz Josef agreed a deal with Franz Ferdinand. He was allowed to marry Sophie but it was stipulated that her descendants would not be allowed to succeed to the throne. It was also pointed out that Sophie would not be allowed to accompany her husband in the royal carriage nor could she sit by his side in the royal box.
The beloved couple married in 1900. Franz arrived in uniform and Sophie in a white atlas dress.
Sadly, Franz Josef did not attend the wedding. Nor did his brothers or their families. The only people of the royal family who went to the ceremony was Franz Ferdinand's stepmother, Maria Theresa, and her two daughters.
Over the next few years the couple had three children: Sophie (1901), Maximilian (1902) and Ernst (1904).
Although people expected that they would not be very happy, the opposite became the truth. They both loved each other deeply and were very happy, until they both died in the fatal assassination.
With children Sophie & Maximilian, 1904
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