Morganatische Ehe#
Morganatic Marriage, up to the beginning of the 20th century, legally valid marriage between a male member of a sovereign, princely or noble house and a woman of lesser birth or rank. In the House of Habsburg the offspring of such marriages were excluded from succession. Examples were Archduke Ferdinand II (who married Philippine Welser), Archduke Johann (Anna Plochl), and Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir apparent to the Habsburg throne (Countess Sophie Chotek).