Family history

Throughout the Middle Ages it was only possible for members of established nobility to serve at royal courts and thus gain power and influence within the country. But this rigid social order started to change at the end of the Middle Ages and it was suddenly the moment for members of all classes to rise through the ranks. Hard work and efficiency often combined with ruthlessness increasingly enabled men from simple patronage to embark on astonishing careers for themselves. Their experiences in economic and administrative fields proved greatly advantageous to them; after all, the financial needs of the princely courts in the late Middle Ages were constantly on the increase.

And Balthasar Eggenberger was also one of this new, up and coming breed of men. After the death of his father, he received a handsome sum of money and continued carrying out the trading and money transactions, which were so economically profitable. Emperor Friedrich III, who often resided in Graz, appointed Balthasar Master of the Mint of Graz, Ljubljana and St. Veit an der Glan. This key position at the head of the imperial financial system helped him - although not always legally - to amass great wealth. By order of the Emperor, he began to mint debased penny coins, the notorious "Schinderlings", which finally resulted in heavy inflation in the Austrian lands - a period of rapid currency depreciation, which was tantamount to national bankruptcy. To avoid threatening recriminations, Balthasar fled to Venice with his amassed wealth, but was once again appointed Master of the Mint in Graz by the Emperor on his return.

When his relationship with Friedrich III appeared to be heading towards a crisis, he changed sides and entered into the service of Friedrich's most ardent opponent, the Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus, as Oberkammergraf (the highest official of the Hungarian mint domains). Matthias Corvinus also elevated him to the rank of nobleman. The new coat of arms of the Eggenberg family - three ravens holding a crown - can probably even be traced to Covinus (corvus is Latin for raven). Despite this meteoric rise, Balthasar spent his last days in the dungeon of Graz Castle. The reason for his imprisonment and the circumstances surrounding his death in 1493 still remain unexplained to this day.

After Balthasar's death, generations of the Eggenberg dynasty established themselves as citizens and merchants in Graz and Southern Styria in the sixteenth century without breaking through barriers of their social class or entering into the public sphere. A significant figure in the Eggenberg family was General Ruprecht von Eggenberg († 1611) from the Ehrenhausen line whose victories against the Turks resulted in the rise of the whole family and its being raised to barony.

However, it was solely due to its most extra-ordinary and successful family member, General Ruprecht's young cousin, Hans Ulrich, from Graz, that the Eggenberg family achieved true importance.

After Balthasar's death, generations of the Eggenberg dynasty established themselves as citizens and merchants in Graz and Southern Styria in the sixteenth century without breaking through barriers of their social class or entering into the public sphere. A significant figure in the Eggenberg family was General Ruprecht von Eggenberg († 1611) from the Ehrenhausen line whose victories against the Turks resulted in the rise of the whole family and its being raised to barony.
However, it was solely due to its most extra-ordinary and successful family member, General Ruprecht's young cousin, Hans Ulrich, from Graz, that the Eggenberg family achieved true importance.

Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg was born in the June of 1568 in Graz and had a Protestant upbringing, however, little is known about his childhood and youth. In 1583 he travelled to Tübingen, the heartland of German Protestantism, to study at the renowned Protestant university, Tübinger Stift, where he received a profound education. The intellectual dimensions of this education were to later form the basis of the complex programmatic orientations of his new residence.

After completing his studies, he embarked on the Grand Tour, a long educational journey undertaken by young noblemen of the period, which took him through the Netherlands, Spain and Italy. After the death of his father in 1594, he returned to Graz to take over the safeguarding and administration of his estate and then soon began his career at the Court of Archduke Ferdinand in Graz. To be able to serve at court he had had to convert to the Catholic faith and subsequently also supported the strict counter-reformatory policies of his master. Hans Ulrich's influence became ever stronger at the Inner Austrian court due to interventions by the Archduchess Maria, Ferdinand's mother. Although ten years his senior, Eggenberg soon became Ferdinand's closest friend and confidant, a relationship that was to last all his life.

Archduke Ferdinand was elected Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor of the German Nation in 1619. In his positions as the President of the Privy Council and Lord Chamberlain to his new Emperor, Hans Ulrich, the son of a mercantile family from Graz, had risen to become one of the most significant and influential statesmen of his time during the period of the Thirty Year's War. It is said that between the years of 1619 to 1634 Ferdinand II never made one single significant political decision without seeking the advice of his friend Hans Ulrich, who remained loyal to him throughout the whole of this highly confusing and turbulent period and also throughout the rest of his life.

The grateful Emperor rewarded his loyal advisor by bestowing on him the highest honours and ranks of the realm. In 1598 he was awarded the title of baron and in 1628 he became Duke of Krumau, after having been honoured with the Golden Fleece in 1620. Eggenberg reached the pinnacle of his career in 1625 when he was appointed Governor of Inner Austria by the Emperor. Hans Ulrich would now reign with absolute power throughout the Inner Austrian patrimonial lands (the duchies of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola) in lieu of the Emperor in respect of matters pertaining to politics, the law and the military. This was a singular distinction for someone with no family ties to the archducal house. He would also remain the sole appointee ever to this Inner Austrian post. This office also prompted him to commission the conversion of the old castle at Eggenberg into a new and glorious residence to appropriately represent his new status, but he died of severe gout in October 1634 before the palace was completed. Alongside his four daughters, Prince Hans Ulrich also produced a male heir to the Eggenberg dynasty, Johann Anton.

As an imperial minister he had skilfully succeeded in guiding his master to the throne despite facing numerous dangers and constant upheavals during these times of great change. He slowly and consistently worked on his ideas of "empire", which he saw as a strengthened central Imperial power, at the expense of the feudal interests of the old noble families and the desire for autonomy of the princes of the realm. This way he became one of the major architects of the absolutist Habsburg state, which was to dominate and shape the century to come.

Johann Anton soon became well-known as the epitome of the noble grand seigneur, due to his intellectual aptitudes, his talent for languages and his urbanity. He was given his first politically important assignment by Ferdinand III in 1637, which allowed him to step out of the shadow of his famous father. After a year of preparation, he undertook a delicate diplomatic mission in 1638 to the papal court in Rome, in order to inform Pope Urban VIII of the Emperor’s ascension to the throne.  He handled his assignment with bravura, making a great stir and attracting the admiration of Roman citizens with two spectacular entrances into the Eternal City. Following various differences of opinion, he was finally able to bring his diplomatic mission to a successful conclusion.

One of Johann Anton I’s important objectives was to attain Reichsstandschaft (a special prerogative of membership in the Imperial diet), something which his father, Hans Ulrich had sought in vain. In 1647 the Emperor granted him the opportunity to purchase the princely county of Gradisca, including the city of Aquileia. In acquiring the county, the Eggenbergs now held lands within the Empire, ensuring them a seat and a vote in the College of Princes at the Imperial Diet. Johann Anton would not live to see the introduction of his house to the Imperial Diet at Regensburg. He died unexpectedly in March 1649. His widow, Princess Anna Maria, née Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, was assigned the custodianship of the estates inherited by their two sons, Johann Christian and Johann Seyfried.

As the unexpected death of their father Johann Anton I had left the family with no valid last will and testament, both sons started to disagree over the division of the estate and a long inheritance quarrel ensued. Finally they agreed upon an equal partition of the estate. Johann Christian received the Bohemian countries with the residence in Krumau and Johann Seyfried decided to take the Inner Austrian territories with the new residence in Graz. Gradisca was ruled by both brothers.

Johann Seyfried turned his attention to the magnificent decoration of the Inner Austrian estates he had inherited and especially to the completion of the palace residence in Graz. It was during his rule that the first sumptuous and elaborate furnishings and interiors were created and the first gardens established at Eggenberg Palace. Johann Seyfried’ s most important task by far must, however, have been when he played host to the bride of Emperor Leopold I in 1673. He spared absolutely no expense in order to fittingly receive the Imperial wedding party and he was also known to be a generous patron of the arts. While his brother Christian proved to be an exemplary householder who knew how to increase his property in Krumau, Johann Seyfried had seemingly not inherited the financial and economic talents of his family. In just a few decades he succeeded in ruining himself almost completely, only being able to save himself from bankruptcy after selling off various estates and due to his close connections with the Emperor and the imperial family.

After the death of Johann Christian, he became the “sole heir” of the Eggenberg fortune and also received the income from the Bohemian countries, which greatly relieved the pressures of his financial situation. Johann Seyfried died in December 1713, aged 69, at Waldstein Palace to the north of Graz. He, too, was interred in the Prince’s family crypt at the Minorite Convent in Graz.

Maria Elenora was twice widowed and rather old when she entered into her third marriage with Johann Leopold Count Herberstein (1712-1789) in 1740. Maria Elenora, the last Princess Eggenberg, and her young husband Johann Leopold Count Herberstein were responsible for commissioning extensive restoration and conversion work to the Palace and City Palais, which started in 1754. During renovations, the Bel Étage in Eggenberg was redesigned in the new Rococo style of the mid-eighteenth century, and has remained almost unchanged to the present day, and the gardens were completely relandscaped to reflect the French taste of the period.

After renovations had been completed, another Imperial visit - namely a Court journey by Franz Stephan and Maria Theresa to Innsbruck - marked the ceremonial and splendid inauguration of the residence and gardens in 1765. At the age of 80 Maria Eleonora died in September 1774 in Graz and her husband became the "sole heir" to the estate. The last bearer of the name "Eggenberg", her younger sister Maria Theresia, was also to die just two months later. Thus, the most famous dynasty in Styria had finally come to an end.

Johann Leopold Count Herberstein, who had been married to Maria Eleonora von Eggenberg, died in 1789. It was during this time that the last major conversions to the palace were carried out. As the couple died without issue, ownership of Eggenberg Palace reverted to the main branch of the Herberstein family whose main residence was in Silesia at the time - in the dominion of Grafenort (Goržanow), which now lies in the South of Poland.

In 1810 Eggenberg Palace was in the possession of Johann Hieronymus Count Herberstein (1772-1847) and his wife Marie Henriette. During the 19th century, the Palace was only occupied for a few weeks in the year. As a cosmopolitan and art lover, Johann Hieronymus, who called himself "Jérôme" because it was fashionable at the time in aristocratic circles to give oneself a French name, only ever resided in Eggenberg for a short period of time. He described the Palace as a significant monument, which he was to maintain, yet to which he desired to make no new changes. However, he clearly recognised the architectural value of the house and its fittings. On request, select guests were able to visit the palace as a "national monument" and were shown around by the castellan.

Jérôme Herberstein's main passion in life was, however, gardening. He had the former Baroque formal garden in Eggenberg completely redesigned to capture the style of an English landscape garden.

His son, Johann Heinrich Count Herberstein (1804-1881), did, on the other hand, enjoy spending time in Eggenberg. However, his influence was also restricted to the gardens at Eggenberg Palace, thus the rooms in the Bel Étage in Eggenberg remained almost completely unchanged up until the sale of the Palace to the Province of Styria in January 1939.