Chotek family

The Chotek family was an old and influential Czech noble family in the Kingdom of Bohemia, whose members occupied many important positions within the Holy Roman Empire and later in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The family is first documented in the 14th century when Miloslav, his wife Wele and their son Wenlynus are mentioned as masters of the Chockov estate near Radnice in the Plzeň Region.

The uninterrupted lineage of the family starts with Otto Chotek of Chockov and Liblín.

On 6 February 1702, Václav Antonín Chotek of Chotkov and Vojnín was elevated to the rank of Bohemian lord (Czech: páni).

After the death of Johann Nepomuk Rudolf Chotek von Chotkov und Vojnín in 1824, the family split into four main branches created by his surviving sons: The best known member of the family was Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, the morganatic wife of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, as his and her assassination sparked World War I.