Petting My Inner Monarchist

I just stumbled onto this blogpost on the funeral of Archduke Carl Ludwig Maria Franz Joseph Michael Gabriel Antonius Robert Stephan Pius Gregor Ignatius Markus d'Aviano, son of Blessed Charles, by the Grace of God, Emperor of Austria, Apostolic King of Hungary, of this name the Fourth, King of Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, and Galicia, Lodomeria, and Illyria; King of Jerusalem etc., Archduke of Austria; Grand Duke of Tuscany and Cracow, Duke of Lorraine and of Salzburg, of Styria, of Carinthia, of Carniola and of the Bukovina; Grand Prince of Transylvania; Margrave of Moravia; Duke of Upper and Lower Silesia, of Modena, Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla, of Auschwtiz and Zator, of Teschen, Friuli, Ragusa and Zara; Princely Count of Habsburg and Tyrol, of Kyburg, Gorizia and Gradisca; Prince of Trent and Brixen; Margrave of Upper and Lower Lusatia and in Istria; Count of Hohenems, Feldkirch, Bregenz, Sonnenberg, etc.; Lord of Trieste, of Cattaro, and in the Windic March; Grand Voivode (Grand Duke) of the Voivodship (Duchy) of Serbia etc. etc.

The funeral was held on December 2007. I like the fact that they kept this fine tradition, last performed for the funeral of Carl Ludwig's mother, Empress Zita:

"In 1989 Zita, the last empress of Austria and the last queen of Hungary died. The day of her funeral, 8,000 mourners filed out of Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral and fell in line behind the hearse drawn by six black horses. Two hours later the procession concluded at the Capuchin Church. There, in keeping with tradition, a member of the funeral party knocked on the door and a priest asked, “Who goes there?”

Zita’s titles were read aloud: “Zita, Queen of Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, Galicia. Queen of Jerusalem. Grand Duchess of Tuscany and Cracow . . .”

“I do not know her,” came the voice from within the crypt.

The funeral group knocked a second time. “Who goes there?”

“Empress Zita,” was the more simple reply. Still the door remained shut.

The mourners knocked yet a third time. “Who is there?”

“Zita, a poor sinner,” was the answer. That answer was the right answer and the procession was allowed to enter."

As I am not a rabid zealot for democracy, and considering the unjust circumstances surrounding the abolition of the House of Austria, let me conclude this post with hope for the restoration of the once-glorious Hapsburg monarchy.

Plus ultra!