Oberhofmeister of the Austrian King and Emperor (Grand Master of the Court) was the most important function at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor (until 1806) and the Emperor of Austria in Vienna (1804–1918). The Oberhofmeister acted as the direct head of the imperial court and household and was as such very influential.
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Position
As can be seen in the annual Hof- und Staats Handbuch, the monarch's Obersthofmeister ranked directly behind the royal family and above all other high nobility. The Obersthofmeister of the monarch had his seat in the Hofburg in Vienna.
The tasks of His Majesty's Obersthofmeister's Office in Vienna included the administration of the castles and palaces used by the court, including construction work, the supervision of the k.k. Court theater (Hofburgtheater and Hofoper in Vienna), and especially the politically relevant planning of the ceremonial (e.g. speech and table arrangements, order of priority of the carriages) for formal appearances by the monarch and the preparation of invitations to the audience of the ruler. This position only ended upon the death of the monarch or the Oberhofmeister himself.
When the unified Austrian Empire was reorganized into the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1867, a second Oberhofmeister was installed at the royal court in Budapest. An example of a very influential Oberhofmeister is Alfred, 2nd Prince of Montenuovo (1908–1917), who had a strong influence over his cousin, the aging Franz Joseph I.
Other use of the name Oberhofmeister
The monarch's wife, had her own court with an Oberhofmeisterin (or senior lady-in-waiting). The crown prince and other long-standing archdukes were also entitled to employees with the title of Oberhofmeister. This title also appeared at other princely courts and also at smaller dynasties in Germany. The office of Obersthofmeister gradually gained everywhere the importance of a state office, comparable to a cabinet minister.
List of the Obersthofmeisters of the Austrian king and emperor in Vienna
1619–1625 Prince Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg
1625–1626 Gundaker, Prince of Liechtenstein
1626–1637 Leonard Helfrid, Count of Meggau
1637–1650 Count Maximilian von und zu Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg
1650–1655 Prince Maximilian of Dietrichstein
1655–1657 Johann Weikhard of Auersperg
1657–1665 John Ferdinand, Count of Porcia
1665–1674 Wenzel Eusebius, Prince of Lobkowicz
1675–1682 Count Johann Maximilian von Lamberg
1683-1683 Albert, Count of Zinzendorf and Pottendorf
1683–1698 Ferdinand Joseph, Prince of Dietrichstein
1699–1705 Ferdinand Bonaventura von Harrach
1705–1709 Charles Theodore, Prince of Salm
1709–1711 Prince Johann Leopold von Trautson, Count von Falkenstein
1711–1721 Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein
1721–1724 Prince Johann Leopold von Trautson, Graf von Falkenstein
1724–1747 Sigmund Rudolph, Count of Sinzendorf and Thannhausen