Seldom do we come across passports of such notable nobility in the present day. Presented here is the Austrian passport belonging to Archduke Franz Salvator of Austria-Tuscany from the House of Habsburg-Lothringen. It stands as a genuine treasure in the history of Austrian passports.

Archduke Franz Salvator of Austria-Tuscany (1927-2012)

The Archduke was born in 1927 at Schloß Wallsee, the family home his father inherited from his mother, Archduchess Marie Valerie, herself the youngest daughter of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria (1830-1916).

In 1962, Archduke Franz Salvator married Princess Anne Amelie of Schönburg-Waldenburg. Princess Anne Amelie’s sisters are Princess Stephanie, who is married to Count Ludwig von Waldburg zu Wolfegg u. Waldsee, Princess Luise, who is married to Prince Andreas of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Prince Andreas is the last surviving son of Princess Margarita of Greece, who was the eldest sister of the Duke of Edinburgh.

Archduchess Anne Amelie died early, before her thirty-first year. Her husband remained a widower for the next fourteen years, marrying secondly in 1980 Hedwig von Lichem-Löwenburg (1938-2000).

Archduke Franz Salvator and his second wife had two daughters: Margaretha (b. 1981), married since 2001 to Andreas Baumgartner (b. 1977); and Marie-Valerie (b. 1982), who in 2005 married Martin Josef Wagner (b. 1982). His daughters gave the Archduke four grandchildren, all with the last name Habsburg-Lothringen.

The parents of Archduke Franz Salvator, who for many years managed the estate at Schloß Wallsee, also had three other children: Archduchess Theresa (b. 1931), widow of Prince Rasso of Bavaria; Archduchess Maria Immakulata (b. 1933), widow of Count Reinhart von un su Hoensbroech; and Archduke Carl Salvator (b. 1936), married since 1970 to Baroness Wedith Wenzl von Sternbach (b. 1943).

Princess Gisela of Saxony (née Bavaria) is a niece of the late Archduke Franz Salvator, while Margravine Valerie of Baden is his first cousin.

Archduke Franz Salvator of Austria-Tuscany was the eldest son of Archduke Theodor Salvator (1899-1978) and of his wife Maria Theresa, née Countess Waldburg zu Zeil u. Trauchburg (1901-1967). He died on 13 February 2012.

The Passport

This travel document, identified as Series-A with the serial number 425,156, was granted to Franz Salvador Habsburg-Lothringen. Comprising 48 pages, this document is richly adorned with various stamps and visas. Notably, the passport number is recorded as XI – 545/49, portraying the 22-year-old Archduke as a student.

Dated August 10th, 1949, the passport was officially issued in Amstetten and remained valid for five years. Notably, this travel document showcases an assortment of intriguing visas affixed over time.

In 1949, just four years after the end of WWII, an exit visa was still required to leave Austria. This visa we see on page five for travel to Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Further countries/visas are from Switzerland, France, Belgium (including Congo), Germany, Spain, Italy, Niger, Sudan, Colombia, Morocco, Algeria (with a special stamp for the Hoggar mountains), Tunisia, South Africa, Egypt

Especially notable are the French for French West Africa and French Equatorial Africa visas and six visas by the Allied Military Government of Occupied Territories (AMGOT), all with AMG revenue stamps.

And finally, there is a green registration card with his data attached to the passport, which was in use from Aug 10, 1949, until May 6, 1954 (last stamp).

What a fantastic and well-traveled passport for an Archduke, and a member of the noble House of Habsburg!

ℹ️ Passport History, Collectibles and Travel History explained by Expert, Author & Collector Tom Topol. ➡️ Ask me anything!
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