Archduke Wilhelm Franz of Austria

1827–1894

Born: 21 Apr 1827, Vienna
Country of birth: Austrian Empire, today Austria
Died: 29 Jul 1894, Weikersdorf am Steinfelde

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Facts and their sources

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Birth21 Apr 1827, ViennaProbable1 source
TitleMember of the House of Lords (Austria), 1861Confirmed1 competing claim1 source
TitleGrand Master of the Teutonic Knights, 1863–1894Confirmed1 competing claim1 source
Death29 Jul 1894, Weikersdorf am SteinfeldeProbable1 source
ParentArchduke Charles, Duke of TeschenConfirmed1 source
ParentPrincess Henrietta of Nassau-WeilburgConfirmed1 source

A life in time

21 Apr 1827
Born · Vienna
Birth, Vienna
1861
Event · Member of the House of Lords (Austria)
Event
1863–1894
Event · Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights
Event
29 Jul 1894
Died · Weikersdorf am Steinfelde
Death, Weikersdorf am Steinfelde

What was it like?

The world around Vienna, 1827: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

Archduke was born around the same time as Franz Joseph I of Austria, Abdülaziz, and Eadweard Muybridge.

Known for

Titles held

Member of the House of Lords (Austria)1861
Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights1863–1894

Born around the same time

Franz Joseph I of Austria
1830 · Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary (1830-1916)
Abdülaziz
1830 · 32th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1861–1876)
Eadweard Muybridge
1830 · English-American photographer (1830–1904)
Hans von Bülow
1830 · German conductor and pianist (1830–1894)
Jules Verne
1828 · French writer (1828–1905)
Henrik Ibsen
1828 · Norwegian playwright and theatre director (1828–1906)

Fashion

Hairstyles and Straw Hats

In parts of the Ennstal region, women wore their hair in two braids wound around a large hair needle above the nape of the neck. They covered their heads with a wide-brimmed straw hat featuring black trim, which was pinned to their hair and often kept on all day, even during meals.

Infant Swaddling and Dress

Infants were kept in a swaddling pillow for several months to ensure they would grow straight, a practice that prevented them from moving or kicking. As young children, boys were dressed in the same types of garments as girls.

Music

Music in taverns and on streets

Ordinary people frequently enjoyed music in taverns where instruments like the violin, zither, guitar, and dulcimer were often available for visitors to play themselves. Public street musicians, such as harpists and hurdy-gurdy players, were also common fixtures of everyday life in the city.

Viennese waltz: A controversial partner dance

The Viennese waltz evolved from the regional Ländler dance and became a popular, albeit controversial, ballroom partner dance that allowed close physical contact between couples. During court balls, Archduke Ferdinand famously ordered that each waltz should last exactly eight minutes.

Getting around

Around 1830–1830

Steamship speed on the Danube

Steamboats revolutionized river travel, with the Vienna to Budapest route covered in just over 14 hours by 1830, compared to much longer times for traditional boats.

Slow post coach travel between towns

Travel by post coach was slow, with a journey from Linz to Steyr taking ten hours in 1829 for a distance of about 90 kilometers. Passengers paid one gulden and twelve kreuzers for the trip.

Daily life

Compulsory schooling and social control

Education was compulsory for children aged 6 to 12, but country schools often operated only half the year so children could work, and crowded classrooms sometimes forced half-day schooling. Curriculum emphasized religious instruction over reading, writing, and arithmetic to ensure students learned their station in society.

Cooking without stoves or ovens

Cooking was performed on an open fire without a stove or oven, meaning roasted dishes and cakes were not part of the standard menu. All household tasks were carried out by human or animal muscle power without the aid of machines.

Food

Around 1816–1824

Price of Beef in Vienna

In Vienna, beef cost 7 Kreuzer per pound during this period, though prices fluctuated depending on the harvest and other circumstances.

Refreshing drinks and ice for everyone

While the wealthy enjoyed fruit ice cream in cafes, the common population could only access it starting in the 1860s, when street vendors sold portions served in cups and spoons made of edible hard dough. During hot summers, poor women who could not afford wine frequently drank water mixed with vinegar for refreshment.

Prices and wages

Around 1825–1825

Salaries in 1825

In 1825, a clerk with neat handwriting earned 200 gulden annually, while teachers at a secondary school in Graz received between 450 and 800 gulden.

Around 1834–1834

Food prices in 1834

In 1834, a 4-pound loaf of bread cost 30 kreuzer, while one pound of pork cost 27 kreuzer and veal 22 kreuzer.

Work

Agricultural work dominated the empire

Over 70% of the population worked in agriculture, where family life and work were inseparable. Household servants, known as Gesinde, were typically young people between 15 and 30 who lived and worked on farms.

Innovative methods for timber transport

Woodcutters lived in simple huts made of rough trunks and bark, moving from site to site with their tools. To create a sled path in winter, they used a "water cat" device to pour water on the forest slide, which froze into a smooth ice track for transporting logs.

During their lifetime

1831
Cholera epidemic of 1831
A cholera epidemic struck the area around Vienna in 1831, causing significant mortality and leading to systematic expansions of the sewage system.
1837
First steam railway in 1837
The first steam railway line in the empire opened in 1837, connecting Vienna to Deutsch-Wagram and marking a new era for travel.
1848
Abolition of serfdom in 1848
The law for the final abolition of serfdom was passed on September 7, 1848, ending a feudal system that had existed for over 1,000 years.
1848
Revolution of 1848 in Vienna
On March 13, 1848, revolution broke out in Vienna, resulting in the overthrow of Metternich and the granting of press freedom and a constitution.
1854
First mountain railway opens in 1854
In 1854, the first mountain railway in the world was opened, connecting Vienna to the Semmering pass.
1858
New silver florin introduced in 1858
In 1858, a new silver florin became the official currency in Austria, replacing the previous Convention currency.

Family

Parents

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.