Doña Blanca de Borbón, Infantin von Spanien, ihr vollständiger Name Doña Blanca de Castilla Maria de la Concepcion Teresa Francisca d'Assisi Margarita Juana Beatriz Carlota Luisa Fernanda Adelgunda Elvira Ildefonsa Regina Josefa Micaela Gabriela Rafaela de Borbón y Borbón (* 7. September 1868 in Graz, Österreich; † 25. Oktober 1949 in Viareggio, Italien) war eine spanische Prinzessin und durch Heirat Erzherzogin von Österreich-Toskana.
Das Hortensia-Diadem war ein legendäres Schmuckstück, das der französische Kaiser Napoleon Bonaparte in einer Pariser Juwelierwerkstätte als Hochzeitsgeschenk für seine Stieftochter Hortense de Beauharnais anfertigen liess.
Hortense war die Tochter des hingerichteten französischen Revolutionsgenerals Alexandre de Beauharnais. Dieser hatte sich schon früh von seiner Frau Josephine getrennt, die 1796 in zweiter Ehe Napoleon heiratete und acht Jahre später neben ihrem Mann in Paris zur Kaiserin gekrönt wurde. Auch nach der der Trennung von Josephine hatte Napoleon viel für seine Stieftochter übrig.
Hortense de Beauharnais, heiratete Bonapartes Bruder Ludwig und wurde so von 1806 bis 1810 Königin von Holland. Damit erlangte das Hortense Diadem in Holland Kronjuwelen Status.
Nachdem Hortense 1837 in der Schweiz gestorben war, kam das berühmte Diadem in den Besitz der italienischen Linie des Hauses Habsburg-Lothringen. Das prächtige Geschmeide bestand aus 300 Karat schweren Brillanten, die in Goldblätter und Hortensien Blumen eingefasst waren.
Das Diadem hatte
1908 dem vor Kriegsausbruch verstorbene Erzherzog Leopold Rainer gehört, der es dem Erzherzog Leopold
Salvator geschenkt hat.
1900 hatte der Hojuwelier Köchert das Schmuckstück
mit 65,000 Florin bewertet, dem gegenwärtig ein Betrag (1937) von 300,000 bis 400,000
entspricht.
Erzherzog Leopold Salvator von Österrich Tosakana der mit der spanischen Prinzessin Blanca de Borbon verheiratet war.
Die erzherzogliche Familie hatte das
Diadem, als sie Mitte 1919 Oesterreich verließ, um sich nach Spanien zu begeben, mit
andern Wertsachen in Wien zurückgelassen. Es
befand sich seit Sommer 1919 in Verwahrung
des
früheren Hauslehrer der Familie, der besonderes Vertrauen genoß. Das Diadem war
im November 1919 von der Firma Omnia
gegen ein Darlehen von 3'3 Millionen in der
Hauptanstalt des Dorotheums in Wien ver
pfändet worden..
Weil das Hortensia Diadem bei einem Hauslehrer in Österreich versteckt war, damit es nicht von der Republik konfiziert werden konnte, sollte der ehemalige Marineoffizier J. Korwin unbemerkt nach Spanien holen.
Korwin und ein Geschäftspartner kommen dabei auf die Idee, sich den Familienschmuck zur Finanzierung von Export-Import-Gschäften mit Sigmund Bosels Omnia "auszuborgen".
Das Diadem wird für einen Kredit im Wiener Dorotheum verpfändet, die Omnia bekommt den Pfandschein die die Hand.
Als der Schwindel auffliegt, schrillen bei den rechtmäßigen Eigentümern des Diadems in Spanien die Alarmglocken. Der Familienschmuck liegt schutzlos in einem Pfandleihhaus in Österreich.
Erzherzog Leopold Salvators Sohn, Rainer schaltet Polizeipräsident Schober ein und macht ihm klar, dass sich das Diadem unrechtmäßigerweise im Dorothuem befindet. Schober sorgt dafür, dass das Schmuckstück geperrt und nicht verstiegert werden dar. In der Zwisschenzeit versucht die Erzherzogsfamilie, das nötige Gold usammenzukratzen um das Diadem auszulösen.
Als der damlige Dorotheum-Direktor Hallama aber in den Sommerurlaub geht, wird das Diadem am 7. Juli 1920, "unabsichtlich" in eine Versteigerung eingebracht und günstig an einen Unbekannten zugeschlagen.
Die Polizei leitet Ermittlungen ein, die zur Vermutung führen, dass Bosel das Schmuckstück über einen Strohmann ersteigert hat.
Den Beweis dafür findet man aber nicht, die Affäre verschwindet in der Versenkung. Das Hortensia-Diadem bleibt wie vom Erdboden verschluckt.
Erzherzogin Blanka, trug da prächtige, große Diamant Diadem, bei der Hochzeit von Kaiserin Zita und Kaiser Karl von Österreich, dies war wohl das letzte öffentliche Ereignis, das sie zu sehen bekam.
An der Hüfte ist eine Bordüre aus Diamanten drappiert, ein Diamant Diadem, ohne Rahmen, nach unten verlaufend, das später ihre Schwiegertochter, Prinzessin Ileana von Rumänien trug.
Ihr 3. Sohn Anton Maria Franz Leopold Blanka Karl Joseph Ignatius Raphael Michael Margareta Nicetas 1901–1987 Kaiserlicher Prinz, Erzherzog von Österreich, Königlicher Prinz von Ungarn, Königlicher Prinz von Toskana heiratete im Jahr 1931, Ileana Prinzessin von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Prinzessin von Rumänien.
Doña Blanca de Borbón, Infanta of Spain, her full name Doña Blanca de Castilla Maria de la Concepcion Teresa Francisca d'Assisi Margarita Juana Beatriz Carlota Luisa Fernanda Adelgunda Elvira Ildefonsa Regina Josefa Micaela Gabriela Rafaela de Borbón y Borbón (* 7. September 1868 in Graz, Austria; † 25 October 1949 in Viareggio, Italy) was a Spanish princess and by marriage Archduchess of Austria-Tuscany.
The Hortensia diadem was a legendary piece of jewellery, which the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte had odered in a Parisian jeweller's workshop, probably Nidot, as a wedding present for his stepdaughter Hortense de Beauharnais.
Hortense was the daughter of the executed French revolutionary general Alexandre de Beauharnais. He had separated early from his wife Josephine, who married Napoleon 1796 in a second marriage. Eight years later she was crowned empress in Paris together with her husband. Even after the separation from Josephine Napoleon had a lot of love for his stepdaughter.
Hortense de Beauharnais, married Bonaparte's brother Ludwig and became queen of the Netherlands, from 1806 until 1810. By this the Hortense diadem achieved crown jewel status in Holland.
After Hortense died in Switzerland in 1837, the famous tiara came into the possession of the Italian line of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. The magnificent jewellery consisted of 300 carat diamonds set in gold leaf and hydrangea flowers.
The tiara had belonged to Archduke Leopold Rainer, who died before the outbreak of war in 1908, and who gave it to Archduke Leopold Salvator as a gift. In 1900, the imperial court jeweller Köchert had valued the piece at 65,000 florins, which currently (1937) corresponds to an amount of 300,000 to 400,000 florins.
Archduke Leopold Salvator of Austrian Tuscany was married to the Spanish Princess Blanca de Borbon, see above in the picture.
The archducal family had left the tiara in Vienna with other valuables when they left Austria in mid 1919 to go to Spain. Since the summer of 1919 it had been in the custody of the family's former tutor, who enjoyed special trust. The tiara had been pledged by the company Omnia in November 1919 in exchange for a loan of 3'3 million in the main institution of the Dorotheum in Vienna.
Because the Hortensia tiara was hidden with a tutor in Austria, so that it could not be confiscated by the Republic, the former naval officer J. Korwin was to bring it to Spain unnoticed.
Korwin and a business partner came up with the idea of "borrowing" the family jewellery to finance export-import transactions with Sigmund Bosel's Omnia.
The tiara is pawned for a loan at the Vienna Dorotheum, the Omnia is given the pawn ticket that the hand.
When the swindle is revealed, the alarm bells ring for the rightful owners of the tiara in Spain. The family jewellery lies unprotected in a pawnbroker's shop in Austria.
Archduke Leopold Salvator's son, Rainer calls in Police Commissioner Schober and makes it clear to him that the tiara is illegally in the Dorotheum. Schober makes sure that the jewellery is locked up and not increased in value. In the meantime, the archduke's family tries to scrape together the necessary gold to redeem the tiara.
However, when the Dorotheum director Hallama goes on summer holiday, the tiara is "unintentionally" put up for auction on 7th July 1920 and is sold at a low price to an unknown person.
The police initiate investigations which lead to the suspicion that Bosel bought the tiara through a straw man.
However, no evidence is found and the affair disappears into thin air. The Hortensia tiara seems to have disappeared and was never seen.
Nobody had an idee, how it was looking, the Archduchess wore it on the wedding of Empress Zita and Emperor Karl of Austria, this was probably the last public event which it was seen.
A sprig Hortenses in diamonds was found in a monastyr, which was given from Queen Hortense, so we could have an impression how the details of the tiara probably was.
In the press of this days...
A former captain of the Austrian Imperial army. J. von Korwin, has been sentenced to a year’s imprisonment in connection with the mysterious disappearance of famous and historical jewel, the so-called Hortense diadem. The trial was a sensation in Vienna, not only because the jewel itself was of great historical interest and of great value, but because the people involved were famous. The owner of the jewel was the late Archduke Leopold Salvator, who left Austria after the 1918 collapse, and settled in Spain. One of the people who tried to buy it was the once famous banker, Sigismund Bosel. while the chief witness was the Archduchess Blanca, the widow of the late Archduke Leopold Salvator, whose diary, written in French, was produced in court. From the evidence of the Archduchess Blanca, it appeared that her family never Intended to sell the jewel. The diadem was a present of Napoleon I. to his step-daughter. Hortense Beauharnais (the daughter Josephine Beauharnais, Napoleon’s first wife) who later on married Louis Bonaparte, King of the Netherlands. Her third son was Napoleon 111., Emperor of France.
From Queen Hortense’s possession the jewel passed into the hands of the Tuscany branch of the Habsburgs. The evidence of the witnesses showed that when the Austrian Revolution broke out. the Archduchess Blanca became frightened, because she had read a book about the French Revolution and had come to the conclusion that “if there is a revolution, we must fly the country.” The family, therefore, tried to send the jewel out of the country, if possible, to Spain. In 1920 Captain Korwin volunteered to do so, and the Arch, duke gave him a letter, on the basis of which his trusted man in Vienna, who kept the diadem in hiding, handed over ' the jewel. In his diary, the Archduke said that he merely asked Korwin to smuggle the jewel into Spain, while Korwin said that he was told to dis¦ pose of it. He. therefore, pawned r in a shop at Dorotheum. It then disappeared.
Empress Josephine is pictured on the right side above, for an impression of such an enormous tiara, with an tiara of ears of wheat, which was arranged like the Hortense Tiara.
