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{{Short description|Czech noble family}}
{{redirects|Kinský||Kinský (surname)}}
{{expand Czech|date=March 2024}}
{{Royal house|
|surname =Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau
|coat of arms = Arms of the House of Kinsky.svg 
|caption = Arms of the House of Kinsky
|country = [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemia]]<br />[[Holy Roman Empire]]<br />[[Austrian Empire]]<br />[[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian empire]]
|titles = [[Imperial Count]]s <br /> [[Princes of the Holy Roman Empire]] (honorary, one branch) <br /> [[List of princes of Austria-Hungary#Kinski|Austro-Hungarian Princes]]
|title = 
|founder = 
|current head = Karl, 12th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau
|founding year = {{start date and age|1237}}
}}

The '''House of Kinsky''' (formerly '''Vchynští''', sg. ''Vchynský'' in [[Czech language|Czech]]; later (in modern Czech) '''Kinští''', sg. ''Kinský''; {{langx|de|Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau}}) is a prominent [[Europe]]an [[nobility|noble family]] originating in the [[Kingdom of Bohemia]]. During the [[Thirty Years' War]], the Kinsky family rose from minor nobles to [[Graf|comital]] rank (1628) and later [[Prince of the Holy Roman Empire|princely]] status (1747) under the rule of the [[Habsburgs]]. The family, recorded in the ''[[Almanach de Gotha]]'', is considered to have been one of the most illustrious in the [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian Empire]].



== Rise ==
The first factual mention of an ancestor of this clan dates back to 1237, during the reign of the [[Přemyslid dynasty|Přemyslid]] king [[Wenceslaus I of Bohemia]]. Over the next three centuries they were only minor nobles with estates in northwestern Bohemia, around the village of [[Vchynice]] ({{langx|de|Wchinitz}}) near [[Litoměřice]]. Holding of Vchynice manor was confirmed by the [[House of Habsburg|Habsburg]] emperor [[Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor|Rudolf II]] in 1596 and in 1611 one of the family's members, Radslav Vchynský of Vchynice the Elder, [[ennoblement|ennobled]] as lord ({{langx|cs|pán}}), became a member of the [[Diet of Bohemia]] (''zemský sněm'').

The rise of the family to prominence began in the turbulent era of religious conflicts between Catholics and Protestants which finally led to the cataclysm for Bohemia in the [[Thirty Years' War]]: Radslav's nephew, the royal official [[Vilém Kinský]], took part in the [[Protestantism|Protestant]] revolt against Emperor [[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand II]], which culminated in the 1618 [[Defenestrations of Prague|Defenestration of Prague]]. Vilém was among the nobles who, without success, offered the Bohemian crown to the [[House of Wettin|Wettin]] elector [[John George I, Elector of Saxony|John George I of Saxony]]. After the loss of Czech independence in 1620 ([[Battle of White Mountain]]), when the majority of local Protestant aristocracy was banished and their possessions expropriated in favour of nobility faithful to the [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] House of Habsburg, he retained his possessions and was even elevated to the rank of a [[Count]] (''Graf'') in 1628. Through his marriage with Alžběta (Elisabeth) [[House of Trčka of Lípa|Trčka of Lípa]], he was a brother-in-law of the Imperial generalissimo [[Albrecht von Wallenstein]], with whom he was assassinated at [[Cheb]] in 1634.

A branch of the family was elevated to [[Princes of the Holy Roman Empire]] by Empress [[Maria Theresa]] in 1747. Many members of the family served in high diplomatic or military positions in the [[Habsburg monarchy]] and subsequently in the [[Austrian Empire]].

== Confiscation and restoration ==
After [[World War II]], estates of the princely ([[Choceň]]) branch of the family were confiscated under the [[Beneš decrees|Decree of the President of Republic]], as the late Prince [[Ulrich, 10th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Ulrich]] (1893–1938) was reproached for his declared [[Germans in Czechoslovakia (1918–1938)|German]] nationality and active collaboration with the [[Sudeten German Party]]. Estates of the other branches, [[Kostelec nad Orlicí|Kostelec]] and [[Chlumec nad Cidlinou|Chlumec]], which had been confiscated by the Nazis during the [[German occupation of Czechoslovakia|German occupation]], were returned after 1945 but confiscated again, this time by the ruling [[Communist Party of Czechoslovakia|Communist Party]] in 1948. After the [[Velvet Revolution]] and the fall of Communism, several possessions – for example, [[Karlova Koruna Chateau]] and [[Kost Castle]] – were returned to the family.

From 2003, the senior member of the princely branch, Prince Ulrich's son [[Franz Ulrich, 11th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Franz Ulrich]],<ref name="ghda521">''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser'' XV, C.A. Starke Verlag, 1997, p.521. German.</ref> sued the [[Czech Republic]] for return of the properties confiscated in 1945 only because, he maintained, the confiscation implicitly labeled his family as historical traitors against Czechoslovakia and as willful [[Collaborationism|collaborators]] during the Nazi occupation. The Kinsky family has denied such charges, arguing that Prince Franz Ulrich was just two years old at the time of his father's death and that he and his mother, Princess Kinsky (''née'' Baroness Mathilde von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen — whose family reputedly plotted against [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]]), had left the occupied country and went into exile in [[Argentina]] shortly afterwards.

According to a 2005 judgement by the [[Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic]], at least the expropriations enacted before the [[History of Czechoslovakia (1948–1989)|Communist coup d'état]] (1948) are valid. Prince Franz Ulrich died in 2009 in [[Buenos Aires]] after a brief illness and was survived by his widow, ''née'' Countess Lena Hutten-Czapska. He left as heir to his title, properties and pending claims against the Czech state, his son Karl ("Charlie") and three grandchildren.

==Notable members==
[[File:Prague Palace Kinsky CoA.jpg|thumb|Princely Arms of the Kinsky family at [[Kinský Palace (Prague)|Kinsky Palace]] in [[Old Town Square]], [[Prague]]]]

=== Heads of the princely family  ===
{{Tree list}}
* '''[[Wenceslaus Norbert, Count of Kinsky|Wenceslaus]]''', Count 1687–1719 (1642–1719)
** '''[[Stephan Wilhelm, 1st Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Stephan Wilhelm]]''', 1st Prince 1747–1749 (1679–1749), ''fourth surviving son''
*** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''[[Philip Franz Joseph, 2nd Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Philip Franz Joseph]]''', 2nd Prince 1749–1752 (1726–1752)
** {{Tree list/final branch}} ''[[Philip Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Count Philipp-Joseph Franz]] (1700–1749), fifth surviving son''
*** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''[[Franz de Paula Ulrich, 3rd Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Franz de Paula Ulrich]]''', 3rd Prince 1752–1792 (1726–1792)
**** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''[[Joseph, 4th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Joseph]]''', 4th Prince 1792–1798 (1751–1798)
***** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''[[Ferdinand, 5th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Ferdinand]]''', 5th Prince 1798–1812 (1781–1812)
****** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''[[Rudolf, 6th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Rudolf]]''', 6th Prince 1812–1836 (1802–1836)
******* {{Tree list/final branch}} '''[[Ferdinand Bonaventura, 7th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Ferdinand Bonaventura]]''', 7th Prince 1836–1904 (1834–1904)
******** '''[[Karl, 8th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Karl]]''', 8th Prince 1904–1919 (1858–1919)
******** '''[[Rudolf, 9th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Rudolf]]''', 9th Prince 1919–1930 (1859–1930)
******** {{Tree list/final branch}} ''[[Ferdinand Vincent, Count of Kinsky|Count Ferdinand Vincent]] (1866–1916)''
********* '''[[Ulrich, 10th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Ulrich]]''', 10th Prince 1930–1938 (1892–1938)
********** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''[[Franz Ulrich, 11th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Franz Ulrich]]''', 11th Prince 1938–2009 (1936–2009)
*********** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''Karl''', 12th Prince 2009–present (born 1967)
************ Count Wenzel Ferdinand (born 2002)
************ Count Maximilian Benedikt (born 2006)
************ {{Tree list/final branch}} Count Stephan Wilhelm (born 2008)
********* {{Tree list/final branch}} ''two younger sons with male heirs surviving''
{{Tree list/end}}

===Distinguished relatives===
* [[Francis, Count of Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau]] (1634–1699), High Chancellor of Bohemia
* [[Francis Ferdinand, Count of Kinsky]] (1678–1741), Bohemian chancellor 
* [[Philip Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau]] (1700–1749), Bohemian chancellor
* [[Joseph, Count Kinsky]] (1731–1804), Field Marshal in Imperial service 
* [[Franz Joseph, Count Kinsky]] (1739–1805), Imperial General in the [[French Revolutionary Wars]].
* [[Countess Franziska Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau]] (1813–1881), princess consort of [[Liechtenstein]]
* [[Bertha von Suttner]] (1843–1914), ''née'' Countess Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau, pacifist
*[[Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg]] wife of Franz Ferdinard

* [[Marie, Princess of Liechtenstein|Countess Marie Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau]] (1940–2021), princess consort of [[Liechtenstein]]

==Residences==
Like many of the aristocratic families of the Habsburg monarchy, the Kinskys were great landowners and patrons of the arts. They employed (between 1713 and 1716) the celebrated architect [[Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt]] to build their residence [[Palais Kinsky]] in [[Vienna]], which remained in the family's ownership until 1987. In addition to this home, from the 18th century the family also owned the vast [[baroque]] Kinsky Palace in [[Old Town Square]], [[Prague]]. Another family home was [[Choceň Chateau]], a medieval Bohemian [[fortress]] rebuilt in the [[neo-Gothic]] style in the 19th century. All of these homes were filled with priceless treasures and artifacts. The family lost most of its property in 1945 by confiscation in Czechoslovakia, but after 1990, [[Karlova Koruna Chateau]] and [[Kost Castle]] were restituted to the family. The Kinskys also own [[Burg Heidenreichstein]] in Lower Austria, which they inherited.
<gallery>
File:Haus zur steinernen Glocke UND Palais Kinsky.jpg|[[Kinský Palace (Prague)|Kinsky Palace]], Prague
File:Palais Kinsky Vienna June 2006 103.jpg|[[Palais Kinsky]], Vienna
File:Chlumec - Karlova koruna.jpg|[[Karlova Koruna Chateau]], Bohemia
File:Wasserburg Heidenreichstein Sommer.JPG|[[Burg Heidenreichstein]], Lower Austria
</gallery>

==Support of Beethoven==
As a patron of the arts, along with Archduke Rudolf and Prince [[Joseph Franz von Lobkowitz|Joseph Lobkowitz]], [[Ferdinand, 5th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau|Ferdinand Kinsky]] contributed 1800 fl. to a yearly salary of 4000 [[South German gulden|florin]] for [[Ludwig van Beethoven]]. Ferdinand arranged his share to be paid on as a pension until Beethoven died in March 1827.

==Stud farms==
In 1723, Emperor [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles VI]] ordered the Kinsky family to develop their stud farms and breed horses of such quality as to provide superior mounts for the officers of the elite [[cavalry regiments]] of the empire. In 1776, the quality of the Kinsky horses was further improved by bloodstock from [[England]].

In 1838, Count [[Oktavian Kinsky]] expanded still further the Kinsky studs, famous throughout [[Europe]] for their high equine quality, known as the [[Kinsky horse]].

==See also==
* [[Kinski (disambiguation)]]
* [[List of princes of Austria-Hungary]]

==Sources==
* {{cite book |title= Sága rodu Kinských (Saga of the Kinsky Family)|last= Richter|first= Karel|year= 1995|publisher= [s.n.]|location= Chlumec|language = cs}}
* {{cite book |title= Velké postavy rodu Kinských (Great Figures of the Kinsky Family)|last= Brož|first= Ivan|year= 1997|publisher= Petrklíč|location= Praha|isbn= 80-7229-052-5|language = cs}}
* {{cite book|title= Dějiny rodu Kinských (History of the Kinsky Family)|last= Valenta|first= Aleš|year= 2004|publisher= Veduta|location= Praha|isbn= 80-86829-05-7|language= cs|url= https://archive.org/details/dejinyrodukinsky0000vale|url-access= registration}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|House of Kinsky}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090724165752/http://knize-kinsky.cz/eng/ The Truth About Family Kinsky] {{in lang|cs|en}} – dynastic history and proprietary quarrels with CR from the family point of view
* {{cite web |last=Marek |first=Miroslav |url=http://genealogy.euweb.cz/bohemia/kinski1.html |title= Kinsky Family tree |publisher= Genealogy EU}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinsky, House of}}
[[Category:House of Kinsky| ]]
[[Category:History of Prague]]
[[Category:13th-century establishments in Bohemia]]
[[Category:1230s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:1237 establishments in Europe]]