Editing Zita of Bourbon-Parma (section)

==Marriage==
[[File:Zitawed.jpg|thumb|upright|The wedding of Zita and Charles, 21 October 1911]]
In the close vicinity of Schwarzau castle was the [[Villa Wartholz]], residence of [[Infanta Maria Theresa of Portugal|Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria]], Zita's maternal aunt.<ref name="Beeche"/>{{Rp|3}} She was the stepmother of [[Archduke Otto Franz of Austria|Archduke Otto]], who died in 1906, and the step-grandmother of [[Charles I of Austria|Archduke Charles of Austria-Este]], at that time second-in-line to the Austrian throne. The two daughters of Archduchess Maria Theresa were Zita's first cousins and Charles' half-aunts. They had met as children but did not see one another for almost ten years, as each pursued their education. In 1909, his [[Dragoon]] regiment was stationed at [[Brandýs nad Labem]], from where he visited his aunt at [[Františkovy Lázně]].<ref name="Beeche"/>{{Rp|5}} It was during one of these visits that Charles and Zita became reacquainted.<ref name="Beeche"/>{{Rp|5}} Charles was under pressure to marry ([[Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria|Franz Ferdinand]], his uncle and first-in-line, had married [[morganatically]], and his children were excluded from the throne) and Zita had a suitably royal genealogy.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{Rp|16}} Zita later recalled:
{{cquote|We were of course glad to meet again and became close friends. On my side feelings developed gradually over the next two years. He seemed to have made his mind up much more quickly, however, and became even more keen when, in the autumn of 1910, rumours spread about that I had got engaged to a distant Spanish relative, [[Jaime, Duke of Madrid|Don Jaime, the Duke of Madrid]]. On hearing this, the Archduke came down post haste from his regiment at Brandýs and sought out his grandmother, [[Infanta Maria Theresa of Portugal|Archduchess Maria Theresa]], who was also my aunt and the natural confidante in such matters. He asked if the rumor was true and when told it was not, he replied, "Well, I had better hurry in any case or she will get engaged to someone else."<ref name="Beeche"/>{{Rp|8}}}}

Archduke Charles traveled to Villa Pianore and asked for Zita's hand and, on 13 June 1911, their engagement was announced at the Austrian court.<ref name="Beeche"/>{{Rp|8}} Zita in later years recalled that after her engagement she had expressed to Charles her worries about the fate of the Austrian Empire and the challenges of the monarchy.<ref name="Beeche"/>{{Rp|8}} Charles and Zita were married at the Schwarzau castle on 21 October 1911. Charles's great-uncle, the 81-year-old [[Emperor Franz Joseph I]], attended the wedding. He was relieved to see an heir make a suitable marriage, and was in good spirits, even leading the toast at the wedding breakfast.<ref name="Brook-Shepherd"/>{{Rp|19}} Archduchess Zita soon conceived a son, and [[Otto von Habsburg|Otto]] was born on 20 November 1912. Seven more children followed in the next decade.