FCO issues checklist for Brits planning a move abroad Now with London are very keen to promote their latest campaign: The “Living Abroad”. More in “Consular Corner” in The Supplement Supplement...... Volume 12 Issue 10
Business Name Serving the British October 2013 Community in Vienna
The BCA News.
Inside Wine, Schmid and Pillichsdorf The BBBCCCAAA News The Annual Kellergassenfest – BCA, ABICS and Friends out in Force!
By Wolfgang Geissler Section 1 3 21
I must confess, I did
hope for a great Calendar & Programme
turnout on this glorious
late summer afternoon Section 2 22 34
on Saturday, 7th Classified September, but I did
not expect this: 46 Theatre News followed my invitation Stefan Schmid to enjoy Stefan Important Information Schmid’s hospitality
in his “Sitting Room WEIN-Shop Contact Details Stefan Schmid during his introduction. of the Grüner Fridays from 9am to Audience listens interested and enjoys the Veltliner ”! 7pm 1030 Wien, Announcements privacy of “our” marquee. Barichgasse 4 More in The Supplement
Wiesenfest in RAINER’S WALKING TOUR IN SEPTEMBER By Wolfgang Geissler Aspern th uesday, 10 September, By Wolfgang Geissler T Rainer organised exclusively “Donaustadt-my town” read the for BCA and ABICS members
inscription on the T-shirts for sale and possibly one of the most certainly Donaustadt or rather Aspern informative tour so far. 22 was “my town” on a cold and blustery members were offered a th evening, Friday, 20 September, when history lesson about the first it hosted this year’s “Wiesenfest”. Bob defeat Napoleon’s by the hand and Mo Haigh had organised two of Archduke Karl of Austria in tables for a joint BCA/ABICS crew, 1809 in Aspern, then a tour of who valiantly appeared dressed in the compact but interesting Lederhosen and Dirndl. Needless to museum followed by a visit of say, Beer and Schnaps flowed the adjacent magnificent St. unremittingly! Martin’s Church and finally a meal at “Rob’s Bierheurigen
zum Löwen von Aspern”. Rainer’s Group in front of the Lion of Aspern
More in The Supplement The India of the Maharaja By Wolfgang Geissler Organised by the Austro-British Society and sponsored by “Demmer’s Teehaus” we paid a visit to this impressive exhibition on Schallaburg in Lower Austria, followed by lunch at the Mostbaron in Zeillern to finish up at the Mostelleria-Edeldestillerie Josef Farthofer in 3362 Öhling Only one of the four ladies is Austrian! (World Champion out of 2400 entries with his Vodka). More in The Supplement More in The Supplement
Schallaburg The BCA News. and The Supplement. No. 16 1030 Wien, Barichgasse 8/19 Tel: (01) 699 199 717 43 email: [email protected]
www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
IMPRESSUM The BCA NewsNews.... The Supplement. The monthly Journal for The British Community Association of Vienna Serving the British Community in Vienna since 2001 www.bca-vienna.com ______Chairman: Steve Read [email protected]
Editor: Wolfgang Geissler BCA Publicity (Editorial, Programme, Public Relations & Advertising) [email protected]
BCA Event Coordinator
If you wish to organise an event or regular activity or inform us of an English language/British event that may be of interest to the membership please contact Maureen (Mo) Haigh: [email protected]
BCA Publicity
If you have items to sell, are in search of information, wish to publish an article or photographs please contact Wolfgang Geissler: [email protected]
BCA Membership
For questions relating to membership fees, directory entries or to introduce a new member please contact Jennie Ratcliffe: [email protected]
If paying for your Membership by Netbanking please put your Full Name in Purpose Column. Unicredit Bank Austria: Account Number 01364707800 BLZ 12000 IBAN: AT31 1100 0013 6470 7800 BIC: BKAUATWW. The fees are as follows: Single €10 / Couple/Family € 20 Circulation: Over 160 copies (September 2013)
Editor’s Note We welcome contributions to The Supplement. If you want to publish an article or a photo report please send them to me at [email protected]. Please send Photographs as jpgs.
The copy deadline for contributions as well as programme events for the November edition is Saturday, 28th October.
Volume 12 Issue 10 2 October 2013 Section www.bca-vienna.com 1 The BCA News
Calendar & Programme
Pages 3-21 October 2013
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
30 September 1 October 2 3 4 5 6 170th Walking Pub Night Walking Sailing on the Anniversary Group Group Alte Donau Wiener Männergesan gsverein
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Walking Walking Group Group Sailing on the Alte Donau
Expat Center
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Walking Walking Sailing on the Group Group. Alte Donau
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Walking Sailing on the Walking Group Alte Donau Nationalfeier - End of Group (Last Day this tag Summertime
Season)
Schloss Laxenburg
Coffee Morning 28 29 30 31 1 November 2 November 3 November Walking Walking Group Group Allerheiligen/ Allerseelen/ All Saints All Souls
If it snows in October, the winter will be mild. Schneit es im Oktober gleich, wird der Winter weich.
Volume 12 Issue 10 3 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
PUBLIC HOHOLIDAYSLIDAYS OCTOBER
TH SATURDAY, 26 OCTOBER (NATIONAL HOLIDAY)
What’s on in October?
Pub Night Tuesday, Flanagan’s Irish 1st October at Flanagan’s Irish Pub Pub 7 pm Schwarzenbergstra FIRST TUESDAY EVERY MONTH!!! sse 1-3 Vienna, 1st district Tram D, 2 to New Members Welcome! Schwarzenbergerpl atz, U1, U2, U4 Karlsplatz This is the BCA 's Shop Window! A chance for members to bring along friends and for new arrivals to try out the BCA. If you are able to attend it is a great way to catch up with old friends and to greet new friends. Meet in the “Post Office”, to the left as you enter. This month’s hosts: Nadine Glaser.
Please note that ALL the following events are ALWAYS for BCA members and their guests unless otherwise indicated!
Volume 12 Issue 10 4 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
I would like to remind you all that the Wiener Maenner Gesang Verein will be holding our 170 Year Anniversary Concert at 11.00 on Sunday 6th October in the Vienna Musikverein.
Volume 12 Issue 10 5 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Supported by the lady singers from Moedling and the young singers from Percholdtsdorf choirs, and with the Rzeszow Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by our Choirmaster Antal Barnas, our programme will include Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Bruckner’s Helgoland, and Wagner’s Pilgrim Chorus from the opera Tannhaeuser.
These works were originally dedicated to, or given first perfomances by, the WMGV Choir, as were others by Brahms, Richard Strauss, etc. The most famous is the Blue Danube, which was actually composed for the Choir by Johann Strauss, the original manuscript remaining one of our prize possessions.
A succession of gifted musicians have been WMGV Choirmasters, numerous music CDs have been recorded, and over the years the Choir has made many international tours, to Australia, Japan, Hongkong, Malaysia, Cyprus, Sweden, Holland, Germany and the USA, while quite we recently visited China, and we are looking forward to Florida in 2014.
Tickets for the Oct 06 Concert are selling well, but good seats are certainly still available at prices around 40€ to 60 €, and can be ordered from the WMGV Ticket Office (01 5057362) directly, or can be provided at a small discount via your undersigned contact Jim Rogers.
Please see the flyer attached for more information, and thanks for your attention !
Have a nice day, Jim Rogers. [email protected]
Open to all. Not organised by the BCA
Volume 12 Issue 10 6 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Thursday Expat Center 46 tram from th 10 October Dr. Karl Renner 6pm – 8pm PERSONAL INVITATION Ring to Auerspergstraße “The Vienna Review Salon at the Expat Center Vienna” Or U2 Rathaus.
1010 Vienna, Schmerlingplatz 3 (corner of Bartensteingasse)
Selected journalists from the Vienna Review will be talking about some of their current stories in a relaxed, club-style atmosphere. Light refreshments will be served, with background piano jazz by Mr. Benjamin Kubaczek.
Moderation: Prof. Dardis McNamee, The Vienna Review
On behalf of the Vienna Business Agency and the Vienna Review, we are looking forward to having you join us, and kindly ask you to register by e-mail to [email protected]
by Tuesday, 08th October 2013.
Open to all. Not organised by the BCA
Volume 12 Issue 10 7 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Kokoschka in photographs
The Leopold Museum dedicates to Oskar Kokoschka an exhibition that focuses on photographs from his life for the first time.
Oskar Kokoschka and Olga Palkovska, London 1939, photo: Trude Fleischmann
Sven Simon, Oskar Kokoschka and Konrad Adenauer drinking schnapps in front of the portrait of Adenauer, Cadenabbia, 1966
Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980) was one of the most important Austrian artists of the 20th century. He numbers amongst the main protagonists of the Modern era. His works are world-famous. One little known fact is that Kokoschka's life and creative work is documented in an extensive series of photos. From the artist's estate, which is located in the Vienna University for Applied Arts, the Leopold Museum has created the exhibition "Kokoschka. Das Ich im Brennpunkt": unique photos and whole photographic series are directly compared against the works of the artist.
The exhibition presents, for example, some of the famous portraits of Kokoschka, the creation of which can be traced in detail through photos of the portrait sittings. Some of the photographs were taken by renowned photographers. Anonymous snapshots are also amongst the images. The photos placed alongside Kokoschka's paintings and graphics to provide additional information.
Kokoschka. Das Ich im Brennpunkt 4 October 2013 – 27 January 2014
Leopold Museum Museumsplatz 1 1070 Wien www.leopoldmuseum.org
Open to all. Not organised by the BCA
Volume 12 Issue 10 8 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
200 years of Verdi and Wagner
Birthdays must be celebrated. Especially the 200th, like those of both composers born in 1813, Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi. Vienna's opera houses place a strong emphasis on this in their programmes. The Jewish Museum is presenting a Wagner exhibition. And at the Music Film Festival, their works can be enjoyed in the open air.
Cosima and Richard Wagner
Giuseppe Verdi
The Vienna State Opera is presenting many Verdi operas in the second half of 2013: La Traviata, Otello, Nabucco, Simon Boccanegra (with Thomas Hampson), Aida, Don Carlo (with Ramón Vargas) and Un ballo in mascera, as well as a Verdi gala. Tristan and Isolde by Wagner will be presented - his version of the medieval material about love and love-death revolutionised the music world.
In honour of Wagner, the Theater an der Wien is presenting Verdi's Attila in July 2013. The humorous New Year's Eve programme, ArriveVerdi in the Vienna Chamber Opera will end the Wagner-Verdi anniversary year in a tongue-in-cheek manner.
In the Vienna Volksoper, musicals and ballet will be on the stage, many in German language, in addition to opera and operetta. From 16 November, Verdi's Il Trovator will be presented in the original Italian version.
At the Music Film Festival at City Hall in the summer, Wagner and Verdi will be emphasised: Wagner's entire Ring will be shown and there will be a classic each week by Verdi, or even rarities, such as Nabucco, Rigoletto, I Masnadieri and his Requiem.
Wagner exhibitions
For the Wagner anniversary year, the Jewish Museum Vienna is showing the critical exhibition "Euphoria and Unease. Jewish Vienna and Richard Wagner" from 24 September 2013. Wagner established himself as an anti-Semitic leading figure within the German speaking public, on the one hand, while having an enormous influence on his time and his posterity through his musical works, on the other hand.
Verdi, Wagner and Vienna
The Italian composer, Giuseppe Verdi, travelled to Vienna on his first foreign journey in 1843, where he conducted the first performance of one of his operas (Nabucco) outside of his home country in the Käntnertortheater, which was an important opera house at that time. By the way, the musicians that he considered to be progressive were the Vienna Philharmonic, which was founded at that time. In 1875, Verdi directed Aida and the Requiem in Vienna.
Volume 12 Issue 10 9 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
In 1857, the first Richard Wagner opera that was performed in its entirety in a suburban theatre in Vienna was Tannhäuser. One year later, Lohengrin came out at the Hofoper [Court Opera]. Empress Elisabeth was also present at an acclaimed concert in the Musikverein in 1862. Wagner rehearsed Tannhäuser (Viennese version) and Lohengrin himself in 1875. He then conducted the latter once in 1876.
Guided tour "Do you love Wagner? And Verdi?"
Wagner left behind numerous trails in Vienna, Verdi just a few. The guided city walk offers you an entertaining way to get to know the two musicians.
Open to all. Not organised by the BCA
Hollywood in Vienna
The universe and intergalactic spheres are the topic of the film music gala "Hollywood in Vienna" on 3 and 4 October at the Wiener Konzerthaus. The journey "On to New Worlds" continues with "A Tribute to James Horner", star guest and creator of famous film melodies such as "Avatar" and "Titanic".
The ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna (RSO) and Oscar prize-winner James Horner, composer of many great Hollywood melodies, send the audience "On to New Worlds". On board Star Trek and Apollo 13, listeners go on a musical journey to the universe, where all sorts of aliens are to be encountered in the sounds of Gattaca, Artificial Intelligence and Independence Day.
A Tribute to James Horner The Best of Horner Medley starts with the music to Avatar and und visualizes the fascination of the moon Pandora. A Beautiful Mind explores the depths of the human psyche; in Legends of the Fall, the listener can dream of rural idyll, and in Braveheart follow the fighter on his path to freedom. The journey comes to an end on board the sinking Titanic.
These highlights from the oeuvre of James Horner are performed by the RSO Wien under the direction of David Newman. James Horner himself will also stand at the conductor’s desk.
At the festive close of the gala, James Horner will receive the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award 2013. This award is one in a series of other important prizes: including two Oscars, seven Oscar nominations and two Golden Globes.
Actor Gedeon Burkhard presents.
Volume 12 Issue 10 10 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Hollywood in Vienna 2013 3 October 2013, 7.30 pm (pre-premiere) 4 October 2013, 7.30 pm (gala with prize-giving) www.hollywoodinvienna.com
Vienna Konzerthaus (Wiener Konzerthaus) Lothringerstraße 1030 Wien www.konzerthaus.at
+43 1 242 002
Open to all. Not organised by the BCA
Volume 12 Issue 10 11 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Warm regards Aleksandra Cofala
OSR Development Office International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis Austria - Schlossplatz 1, 2361 Laxenburg
Tel +43-2236-807-436 Fax +43-2236-713-13
Open to all. Not organised by the BCA
Volume 12 Issue 10 12 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Thursday 24th October Coffee Morning From To obtain details 10 am like address, This month's coffee morning, directions etc. please contact: organised Handy Numbers by are 0676 6503641 susanmeltonhill@ Cath Kinney & Susan Melton-Hill, gmail.com is at (Susan) and
Cath Kinney’s home 0680 1323195 cathkinney@hot which is Modenapark in the 3rd district. mail.com (Cath). We would prefer if those who would like to come could please phone or email either of us to let us know. Handy Numbers are 0676 6503641 [email protected] (Susan) and
0680 1323195 [email protected] (Cath).
Please do contact either of us if you need more information (address, directions etc.).
Volume 12 Issue 10 13 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Arts and Crafts Club
Amateur artist and craftsperson, Sue Cornish-Hughes, is offering BCCCAAA members the opportunity to form an informal Arts and Crafts Club from her home in the 9th District.
Her initial idea is that the club will be held once a month between September and May, during the hours 10-14.00 with no costs other than for any materials we might buy, and for a coffee fund.
The types of art and craft will be open ended but drawing, painting, handcrafts, sewing, cooking, etc could be included.
! Until May 2014 !
You only have to drop in and bring your project, soup and bread lunch is provided.
Email or phone for directions and confirmation of date and time. Sue Cornish-Hughes [email protected] 06765504331
Volume 12 Issue 10 14 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Scottish Country Dancing Classes
Volume 12 Issue 10 15 October 2013
www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Book Group
If you would like to attend, please Email Susan on [email protected] for details contact Any new people interested in joining please contact Susan on me about date and venue! 01 87 777 87
Volume 12 Issue 10 16 October 2013
www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Forward Diary
Saturday, U3, U4, S-Bahn 14th BCA Christmas Party and Dinner Landstraße - Wien December Mitte 7 pm This year’s BBBCCCAAA Christmas Party and Dinner Then on foot th 400 metres or 5 Saturday, 14 December 2013 minutes walk 7pm across Invalidenstraße will be organised for the BBBCCCAAA by then in a south- easterly direction Jennie Ratcliffe along the right hand and side of Landstraßer will be held at Hauptstraße until Sünnhof.
Turn right into it and you are there! Grand Hotel Mercure Biedermeier Wien Landstrasser Hauptstrasse 28 1030 WIEN . €30, for members, €35, for non
members
Volume 12 Issue 10 17 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Saturday, 23rd Rainer’s Walking Tour in November Start will be at exactly 1:30 p.m. November 1.30 pm at the station of 5 pm the tram 71 and 6 next to the main gate (Tor 2) of the cemetery. The Central Cemetery and its famous Church Please be there at 1:15 pm. Guided tour in English, the place of departure can easily be reached by public transport.
You will at least see three attractions:
- The unique Art Nouveau main gate (Tor 2) (constructed in 1905 by the very talented architect Max Hegele)
- The “Old Arcades” in the style of Neo-Renaissance (recently restored excellently) plus the Honorary Graves, especially of the composers.
- The monumental Cemetery Church .The most beautiful part of the building is the central dome with 21,000 mosaic pieces).
Start will be at exactly 1:30 p.m. at the station of the tram 71 and 6 next to the main gate (Tor 2) of the cemetery. Please be there at 1:15 pm.
Late Lunch at about 3:45 p.m. in the restaurant Vindobona (at Simmeringer Hauptstrasse 343, tel. 01/768 91 01).
Contribution: 5 €.
If interested please contact Dr.Rainer Zimmermann by November 16th Tel 0699 1 777 00 39 or email [email protected]
Volume 12 Issue 10 18 October 2013
www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Church dedicated to Saint Charles Borromäus
Volume 12 Issue 10 19 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Saturday, U1 to 30th UNWG Festival-Bazaar Kaisermühlen/Vie November nna International From 10am to 5 pm
UNWG Festival-Bazaar
Open to all. Not organised by the BCA
Volume 12 Issue 10 20 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Activities & Notices
Scottish Country Dancing Classes
Scottish Country dancing will restart every Wednesday evening from mid-September. Annual subs are 40€pp, including membership of RCSD headquarters in Edinburgh More information can be found on their website: www.rscdsvienna.org
Weekday Walks
Walks take place Mondays and Wednesdays come rain or shine and always start at the same place – 38a bus stop Armbrustergasse at 9.30am. The Monday walk is traditionally longer and tougher but both walks do require stamina! The walks end in a café for a well deserved drink. All welcome. Contacts Valerie 3709324, Sandra 3288452 or Gaye (Wednesday’s only) 3288167.
Sailing on the Alte Donau
The Vienna International Sailing Club invites BCA members to a joint evening of social sailing on Thursday evenings from 5:30 pm, at Segelschule Hofbauer near the UN on An der oberen Alten Donau (weather permitting). We will continue with Thursday evenings as long as possible. As long as possible means until the clocks change (last Thursday 24 October) unless it becomes impossibly dark by 6:30 pm. . For further information, visit the VISC web site www.visc.at, which includes a map of the location, or contact Andrew Parker [email protected]
Please note that these sessions are organized by the VISC, not the BCA!
Book Group We meet every month.
Anyone keen to join us please get in touch with Susan Dennis-Gabriel
Email Susan on [email protected] for details or phone 01 87 777 87
Volume 12 Issue 10 21 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News Section 2 Classified, Theatre News, Important Information, Contact Details, Announcements
Pages 22-34
Classified Only BCA Members may advertise!
The BBBCCCA News has made every attempt to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information provided. However, the information is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. The BBBCCCA News does not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained within these pages. Caveat Emptor always applies! The BBBCCCA News does not endorse, sponsor or guarantee any such listing or any of the information, advice, goods, services or other resources that may be mentioned or made accessible through these listings. No warranty of any kind is made as to the accuracy of such listings, the suitability of such goods and services or the qualifications of the companies or individuals who may have submitted such material. The BBBCCCA News does not endorse or sponsor, and is not affiliated with, the advertisers or providers of such information, advice, goods, services or other resources. WG
The British Corner Shop
http://www.BritishCornerShop.co.uk
is an online supermarket for expats.
All BBBCCCAAA members can now shop online for over 8,000 branded British food, drink, toiletries and household products, all of which can be delivered to your doorstep.
How? - Every time you place an online order you simply use the exclusive BBBCCCAAA 10% 'Discount Code’:
Code: BCAVIENNA0613
22/11//12
Volume 12 Issue 10 22 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Dear BCA Members,
I'm a member of the BCA who has been writwritinging for TheThe Vienna Review for almost two years now, and have become one of the paper's regular Contributing Writers.
Right now, the paper is looking for investors and I wonder if it would be possible for you to forward the message below to the BCA mailing list? Even if only one or two BCA members were to rreact,eact, this would bebe terrific in the current financial climate.
I hope this is not too much to ask and look forward to your reaction!
Kind regards,
Roxanne Powell
CALL FOR INVESTORS
THE VIENNA REVIEW is calling for investors to expand its activities. The Vienna Review is Austria's only English-language paper. With a geographical coverage centred on Vienna, but also including Austria and Central Europe, it is divided in three main sections:
NEWS VIENNA REVIEW OF Vienna ‘Grätzel’ and scenes of News Features BOOKS city life Novels, essays, science, Restaurant and Night Life Lifestyle & Trends history, politics reviews Science & Tech CULTURE & CITY LIFE Guide to Austrian wines Business & Media Arts features (visual art and Events calendar Commentary design, music, theatre, opera,
film)
The Vienna Review appears monthly and is available at public newsstands, in coffee houses, bookshops, and leading hotels. It has currently a circulation of 15,000 in print – equal to that of the Austrian circulation of the German weekly Die Zeit, with a very similar readership profile – and double that online, thus an estimated growing readership of some 40,000. In August 2011, it entered a joint venture with the Falter Verlag (Vienna), the highly regarded publisher of the Viennese city weekly Falter, with a Corporate Publishing division that produces guidebooks, special sections and supplements, as well as more mainstream books of public affairs and fiction. However as a moderate sized house, it currently doesn't have the financial resources for the further development of this English-language newspaper – in particular expansion of its coverage and more focused marketing activities that will enable the paper to reach Vienna’s very substantial English-speaking international community. The Vienna Review is therefore looking for investors who share its progressive ethos, and would like to see the paper continue to grow and thrive as part of an open, vibrant, cosmopolitan cultural life in Vienna. Please address any expressions of interest to the editor in chief: Prof. Dardis McNamee Editor in Chief and Publisher Vienna Review Publishing GmbH Marc-Aurel-Straße 9 1011 Vienna T: +43 1/536 60-610 M: +43 676 628 6429 [email protected] www.viennareview.net 22.09.2013
Volume 12 Issue 10 23 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
BCA Member Dr. Rowitha Kirk wishes to place the following advertisement
BARGAIN: Mrs M. WECERA (0699 11894495) would like to sell 6 ROYAL WORCESTER PLATES (King Arthur plate) with gold edge - as well as 6 ROYAL WORCESTER PLATES (scenes with ducks), also with gold edge, 35 Euros each. Please contact her directly. 22.09.2013
New BCA Member Bill Carr is looking for an Apartment. Short term Lease.
Basic facts: Me: 64, professional (UN), non-smoker, single (in Vienna), no car, no pets, bicycle - pretty quiet - even if I do say so myself.
Unfortunately no landlord references as I'm living in a friend's apartment in Vienna and I am a home owner in the UK.
Apartment: Essentials: Furnished, within reasonable public transport distance from UN. No shared facilities. Somewhere to put bike.
Required: Now until March (mid-end) 2014.
Preferences: minimum: separate bedroom and living, kitchen areas; Districts 21, 22 (just because I know that side of the Danube a little) near something green. Good Internet access etc. < 30 mins to VIC.
Contact: Bill Carr [email protected] or (01) 2600- 22522; Handy: +4368183474418 or +447538237748
22.09.2013
Volume 12 Issue 10 24 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
New BCA Member, Nicola Stumpf, wishes to place the following advertisment
Nicola Stumpf
Born in England, Nicki came to Vienna in 1992 to dance with the Vienna State Opera ballet. In 2002 she successfully completed the Authentic Pilates course in New York under the instruction of Romana Kryanowska. Nicki travelled for two years teaching as a freelance instructor in numerous studios in New York, London and Sydney and now teaches in Vienna.
What is Pilates?
The Pilates Method is an exercise system developed by the legendary trainer Joseph H Pilates which focuses on strength and flexibility for the entire body. It is a series of controlled rhythmic movements performed on uniquely designed exercise equipment that has been reshaping bodies and renewing lives for over 75 years.
Pilates is a progressive exercise system that reshapes your body by teaching you to use it in a unique manner. The abdomen, lower back and buttocks are used as a power centre, enabling the rest of the body to move more fluidly. Some of the results include superior abdominal strength, exceptional flexibility, long lean defined muscles, improved posture, a uniformly developed body, and most significantly the combined power of the mind and body. Who can benefit from Pilates?
The Pilates method is for anyone who desires a stronger, There are some spaces well toned, more supple body without building bulk. It appeals to all ages and levels of fitness because of its proven available on Tuesdays @ 10:30 effectiveness. It’s gentle enough for sufferers of back pain, in my matwork class in the 7th yet challenging enough for Olympic athletes.
district. Many medical professionals recommend Pilates as a form of rehabilitation and preventative medicine. The non impact controlled exercises help heal injuries while building strength and flexibility to prevent further injury from Please contact me for more occurring.
information or to book your free The authentic Pilates method of body conditioning leaves trial class! you refreshed and alert, with a feeling of physical and mental well – being. Tangible effects become apparent within 10 0676 312 1973 or sessions, your posture will improve, your body’s strength and flexibility will improve and your new energy will [email protected] surprise you! 24.09.2013
Volume 12 Issue 10 25 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Theatre –News
DEAR LIAR adapted by Jerome Kilty from the correspondence of Bernard Shaw and Mrs Patrick Campbell 9 Sept – 19 Oct 2013
9 Sept – 19 Oct 2013
SYNOPSIS
Jerome Kilty’s Dear Liar marks the very beginning of the 50-year success story that is Vienna’s English Theatre. In 1963 founder Ruth Brinkmann gave her debut as Mrs Patrick Campbell, directed by her husband, co-founder Franz Schafranek, in the Palais Erzherzog Karl in the heart of Vienna. More than any other piece, this show has played a major part in the theatre’s history and thus provides the perfect opening production for the Jubilee Season.
Dear Liar is based upon the enthralling 40-year correspondence between dramatist, Bernard Shaw and legendary actress, Beatrice Stella Campbell known to all as Mrs Patrick Campbell; the letters that hurtled between the pair chronicle the intriguing relationship between these two fascinating and head-strong personalities. Stella and Joey – as the actress fondly called Shaw – are constantly at odds with one another, chiding, wounding, obstinate, cheeky, rude and even downright foolish; and yet, this verbal warfare never diminished their passionate affection for one another. To this day, Shaw’s and Campbell’s “love affair on paper” remains deeply moving.
Volume 12 Issue 10 26 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Agatha Christie’s WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION
4 Nov – 21 Dec 2013
4 Nov – 21 Dec 2013
Ticket sales from 7 Oct 2013
SYNOPSIS
Leonard Vole, an attractive and charming man, is accused of murdering an elderly lady although he protests his innocence. However, all the evidence points towards his guilt, even the motive is there as Leonard is, unexpectedly, heir to her fortune. And yet, although it all seems so cut and dried, experienced barrister, Sir Wilfrid Robarts, shows interest in the case and takes it on, convinced of his client’s innocence and that a conviction is no foregone conclusion.
The play is full of surprising twists and unexpected pieces of circumstantial evidence all of which keep the cunning old fox on his toes. Disaster threatens as the evidence of his number one witness, Vole’s wife, is demolished and she is suddenly a witness for the prosecution. This is not the only coup de théâtre, however, in this spectacular courtroom case which became world-famous through the 1953 Billy Wilder film with Sir Charles Laughton as Sir Wilfred and Marlene Dietrich as the inscrutable Mrs Vole. Agatha Christie at her dazzling best!
“A walloping success.” – Herald Tribune “Packs plenty of surprise in its cargo of suspense.” – Daily Mirror
Witness for the Prosecution © 1953 Agatha Christie Limited. All Rights Reserved. AGATHA CHRISTIE is a registered trade mark of Agatha Christie Limited in the UK and/or elsewhere. All Rights Reserved.
Vienna‘s English Theatre | Josefsgasse 12 | A-1080 Wien | Tel +43-1-402 12 60-0 | Fax +43-1-405 41 21 121 (+43-1-402 12 60-40) E-Mail: [email protected] Web: http://www.englishtheatre.at
Volume 12 Issue 10 27 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Welcome to Open House Theatre Company, Vienna's new English-speaking theatre!
Alan Burgon, Eric Lomas and Paul Elsbacher: Founders of Open House Theatre Company.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
December 1 - December 23, 2013
The timeless tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve, each showing him the wrongs of his ways and warning him to take Christmas into his heart. We bring this classic story to life in a vibrant new adaptation by Alan Burgon (who also directs) and Ticket Sale starts West-end legend John Harwood returns to Vienna October 7, 2013 to portray Scrooge. Join us to celebrate the festive Creative Team season, Dickens-style!
Pictures Continuing the International Theatre's tradition of Tickets staging this Christmas classic, this years' production will mark the 30 year anniversary of A Christmas
Volume 12 Issue 10 28 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Carol in Vienna, after it was first produced in the winter of 1983 at the old theatre in Porzellangasse.
Production Details: Performances daily from December 1 - December 23, 2013 Curtain: 7.30 pm Additional matinees on December 14 & 21 at 4.00 pm No performances on December 5 & 8
Location: KIP - Theater im Cafè Prückel Biberstraße 2 1010 Wien Public Transport: U3 Stubentor S-Bahn Wien Mitte Trams 1 & 2 Buses 1A & 74A
Volume 12 Issue 10 29 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Vienna theatre project presents
Tick, Tick Boom !
Theater Drachengasse 30. September – 12. Oktober 2013 Di-Sa um 20 Uhr
Jetzt Karten reservieren
One Act Pop/Rock Musical by Jonathan Larson Austrian Premiere
A musical look at the courage it takes to follow your dreams. The musical is Jonathan Larson’s autobiographical tale of a young composer on the brink of turning 30 and falling into oblivion. The show takes you on the playwright/composer's journey that led to the Broadway blockbuster RENT. His girlfriend wants to get married and move out of © Vienna theatre project the city, his best friend is making big bucks on Madison Avenue, and yet Jon is still waiting on tables and trying to write the great American musical. This compelling story of personal discovery is presented as a rock musical filled with instantly appealing melodies and a unique blend of musical theatre styles. Everyone will love this youthful, endearing and thoughtful piece, and will surely embrace the universal ideal of holding onto your dreams through life's most difficult challenges.
Director: Joanna Godwin-Seidl Music Director, Piano: Birgit Zach Produktion, Stage Manager: Silke Müllner Sponsoring, PR: Chistina Koeppl
Drums: Franz Hofferer Guitar: Roman Schwendt Starring: Kieran Brown, Alan Burgon, Nina Weiss © Vienna theatre project Licence: Josef Weinberger Musikverlage Wien http://www.viennatheatreproject.com
Volume 12 Issue 10 30 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
An English Lovers Christmas Show
Viva las Christmas
Theater Drachengasse 2. – 21. Dezember 2013 Di-Sa um 20 Uhr
Jetzt Karten reservieren
Take a break from holiday stress with a visit to sunny Las Christmas where the tables are hot, women are cool, and life is easy ... no, the women are hot, the tables are easy... no, life is cool, the women are eas... It's an English Lovers Christmas show. Book early! The first drink is free.
With: Anne Weiner, Bronwynn Mertz-Penzinger, Dennis Kozeluh, Jacob Banigan, Jim Libby, Kathy Tanner, Michael Smulik Improvised Music by Klaus Erharter, Belush © Theater Drachengasse Korenyi Improvised Lighting by Gordana Crnko
http://www.english-lovers.com
Volume 12 Issue 10 31 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
ALL BRITISH CITIZENS WHO ARE NEWCOMERS TO AUSTRIA PLEASE READ
Citizens of the European Union and Switzerland have the right to take residence in Austria, if they
• work as employed or self-employed persons • or have a sufficient health-insurance and sufficient financial means • or are students or pupils at a university or school (and have a sufficient health insurance and sufficient means).
Before January 1, 2006 they only had to register (with the Meldezettel). Citizens of the EU and Switzerland who come to Austria after January 1, 2006 and intend to stay longer than three months, have to apply at the Municipal Department for Immigration, Citizenship and Registry Offices (MD 35) for a document called "Anmeldebescheinigung". This is a documentation for their right of residence. If they came before January 1, 2006 and registered, they do not need this paper.
For their spouses, civil partners, children, parents and parents in law, who are not EU-citizens or Swiss, they have to apply for a document called "Aufenthaltskarte", which is issued for 10 years.
Where to get the „Anmeldebescheinigung“?
Magistratsabteilung 35 (MA 35) Einwanderung, Staatsbürgerschaft, Standesamt - Dienststellenleitung the Municipal Department for Immigration, Citizenship and Registry Offices (MD 35) Address and contact 1200 Wien, Dresdner Straße 93, Block C Homepage http://www.wien.gv.at/verwaltung/personenwesen/ E-Mail [email protected] Servicenummer +43 1 4000 3535 Fax +43 1 4000 99350
Volume 12 Issue 10 32 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Contact Details
British Embassy Vienna The UK diplomatic presence in Austria consists of three missions - the British Embassy, the UK Mission to the United Nations and the UK Delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The missions are co-located in Vienna. Please visit the individual web pages for information. See full profile and all contact details
British Embassy Telephone +43 (1) 716130 Jauresgasse 12 1030 Vienna Fax (Chancery) +(43) (1) 71613 2999 Austria Fax (Commercial) +(43) (1) 71613 6900
Email [email protected] Fax (Management) +(43) (1) 71613 2900
Email (Consular) Fax (Consular) +(43) (1) 71613 5900 [email protected] Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
Emergency Telephone Numbers
European Emergency Number 112 Fire (Feuerwehr) 122 Police (Polizei) 133 Ambulance (Rettung) 144 Poison Antidote Service 01 406 4343 Medical Emergency / Foreign Service Board 01 310 24 63
Doctor’s Telephone Service
Monday – Friday (7am – 7pm) 1771 After hours. Sat. Sun. (Notarzt) 141 Pharmacy Service (Apotheken-Bereitschaft) 550
Volume 12 Issue 10 33 October 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News
Announcements to Members
Sign-up List for Regular BBBCCCAAA Events, 2013 If you are willing to volunteer for one of these events during 2013 please contact [email protected]
Pub Night Coffee Morning Restaurant Evening October Nadine Glaser Cath Kinney & Susan 2013 Melton-Hill ?
November Mo & Bob Haigh Alice Rutherford & Kate Connolly & 2013 Mary Geissler Irene Schlegelmilch
December Ursula Perry Sue Cornish-Hughes BBBCCCAAA Christmas 2013 Dinner & Party
January 2014 ? ? ?
Volume 12 Issue 10 34 October 2013 The Supplement. The BCA News No. 16 October 2013
RAINER’S WALKING TOUR IN SEPTEMBER By The fighting at Aspern-Essling cost the Wolfgang Geissler French around 23,000 casualties (7,000 Wine, Schmid and killed, 16,000 wounded) while the Austrians suffered around 23,300 (6,200 Pillichsdorf killed/missing, 16,300 wounded, and 800 By Wolfgang Geissler captured). Consolidating his position on Lobau, Napoleon awaited reinforcements. It took this time two trips with Stefan’s famous tractor Having won his nation's first major victory and trailer to get us to the Kellergasse, where we were over the French in a decade, Archduke seated in a large marquee, especially reserved for us! Charles failed to follow up on his success. The following few pictures should suffice to illustrate Conversely, for Napoleon, Aspern- Essling this happy afternoon and evening in Stefan Schmid’s marked his first major defeat in the field. “Sitting room of the Grüner Veltliner” Having allowed his army to recover, Dr. Rainer Zimmermann Napoleon again crossed the riv er in July and scored a decisive victory over Archduke Charles at Wagram. Most of the houses in Aspern were burnt to the ground, while others were badly damaged by gunfire, b oth canon and small arms. St. Martin’s Church, where the fighting was the most bitter, was burnt out. ABICS member Joan Stewart Graham tells a joke Inside St. Martin’s Church
Dr. Rainer Zimmermann
Tia from Tennessee says “Hi!” It is true: Visitors from Happy Faces at Rob’s Scotland, who flew in Bierheurigen especially ! Rainer explains Wiesenfest in Aspern The India of the Maharaja By Wolfgang Geissler By Wolfgang Geissler To prove that Viennese
not only imbibe copious
Schallaburg, Mostheuriger amounts of wine but also
(brilliant Apple and Pear beer (in the International
Most) and a Quality Beer Drinking League
Distillery, where we tasted we are number two after our way through excellent the Czechs!) needed to spirits, as the picture will look no further than the show! Aspern Wiesenfest! Maharaja and It is pleasing to see that Maharani our English friends enjoy
Josef V. Oliver Stadlbauer also the finer art of Farthofer, says Cheers! knocking down the Mostelleria frothy golden liquid! Bill clearly knows what to do! >>>>
The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 2
Wiesenfest in Aspern continued from previous page
Consular Corner
FCO issues checklist for Brits planning a move abroad
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has issued a warning to British nationals who are considering a move abroad, advising Bill, Günter and Bob. Bill holding body and soul Why has only Bob got a pint? together them to plan for the unexpected before they move to a new destination.
Foreign & Commonwealth Office Minister Mark Simmonds said:
The appeal of warmer climates and
experiencing different countries and cultures is strong for many British citizens. We want to pave the way for our expatriates View towards the stage to have the best experience possible when they move abroad. My little SatNav (a cautionary tale) Submitted by Steve Read I have a little SatNav, it sits there in my car Our consular staff across the world has dealt a Satnav is a driver's friend, it tells you where you are. with a high number of British expats I have a little SatNav, I've had it all my life requiring assistance for financial issues – it's better than the normal ones, my SatNav is my wife whether as a result of a house purchase It gives me full instructions, especially how to drive gone wrong, having inadequate funds to pay "it's thirty miles an hour", it says "you're doing thirty five" for medical bills or experiencing some other
It tells me when to stop and start, and when to use the brake misfortune that has resulted in financial and tells me that it's never ever safe to overtake hardship.
It tells me when a light is red, and when it goes to green it seems to know instinctively, just when to intervene It’s important to do your homework so that you are well informed about your new It lists the vehicles just in front, and all those to the rear environment before you travel. We have put and taking this into account, it specifies my gear. together a checklist (below) to help people I'm sure no other driver has so helpful a device prepare fully before travelling abroad. Take for when we leave and lock the car, it still gives its advice a look at www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice for country-specific information. It fills me up with counselling, each journey's pretty fraught so why don't I exchange it, and get a quieter sort? FCO staff last year helped a number of Ah well, you see, it cleans the house, makes sure I'm properly fed, British expatriates with a variety of issues, it washes all my shirts and things, and keeps me warm in bed! with many people facing heavy fines, Despite all these advantages and my tendency to scoff, financial ruin or finding themselves on the I only wish that now and then, I could turn the bugger off. wrong side of the law because they were not fully prepared. The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 3
Consular Corner 2 These cases involved issues such as property disputes, bankruptcy caused by changes in personal circumstances, pension complications and unexpected health issues. A recent FCO report* also suggests that high hospitalization and death rates occur in areas where large numbers of elderly British nationals reside, notably in Europe and South East Asia.
For those considering joining the 6 million British nationals currently living abroad, the FCO has put together a checklist to ensure a smooth transition into expat life and beyond:
Top 10 Tips for Moving or Retiring Abroad
1. Do your homework – Research your destination, visit forums and expat community resources to help get a feel for the area. 2. Read up on local laws and customs – Familiarize yourself with local regulations and customs, don’t get caught out because you haven’t done your research. The FCO’s Know Before You Go page on gov.uk has more information. 3. Don’t rush into buying abroad – Take time to visit the area and other properties nearby, don’t be rushed into decision and ensure you are familiar with local protocol. 4. Seek independent legal advice – Don’t feel under pressure to use your property developer’s or estate agent’s contacts, check out the gov.uk website for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s English-speaking lawyers lists on¸ https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth- office/series/list-of-lawyers – it is vital that your legal advisor understands the law in the country you intend to move to. 5. Plan for your health – Once you permanently leave the UK you are no longer entitled to medical treatment under the NHS or via a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Be sure to take out health insurance and if you are staying within the European Economic Area (EEA), read up on the S1 form (previously known as the E121 form). For more useful information visit the NHS moving abroad page on; http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/movingabroad/Pages/Introducti on.aspx 6. Consider your long-term financial requirements – Read up on the impact moving overseas may have on any benefits or retirement income received. Be realistic about your living costs overseas; don’t assume they will be the same as at home. Do you have a plan B if things go wrong? Visit our state pension abroad page for more details on https://www.gov.uk/state-pension-if-you-retire-abroad 7. Read up on tax regulations – Be sure to research the taxes on¸ http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/incometax/tax-leave-uk.htm that will be applicable to you in your new home (as well as back in the UK) once you have moved abroad. 8. Know the costs – Don’t forget to take into account exchange rates and potential financial implications of moving overseas. 9. Tell us you’re leaving – You need to notify the Social Security Office, HM Revenue & Customs and the Department of Work & Pensions that you are moving overseas, as well as your GP. For a full list of who to contact, visit our retiring abroad page on https://www.gov.uk/moving-or-retiring-abroad The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 4
Consular Corner 3
10. Integrate – An essential part of a successful move abroad is integrating into the local community. Try not to isolate yourself and do make an effort to learn the local language, this will play an important role in helping you settle in to your new home.
The FCO has developed a video on; http://fcotravel.buyassociation.co.uk/ containing advice to help British nationals plan a move abroad.
A representative of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be providing advice to people who are considering living abroad at an event (27-29 September) at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre. See here: http://www.aplaceinthesun.com/exhibition/visitorinfo.aspx
If you have any enquiries for FCO consular staff before you go or while abroad you can now ask questions via the FCO’s new Twitter service @FCOtravel . Questions are answered 9am – 6pm BST, Monday – Friday and FCO staff aim to respond within 30 minutes. This service adds to the ways that British people travelling or living overseas can already get in touch with the FCO: by emailing the travel advice team or contacting local consular staff.
You can also keep up-to-date with the latest FCO travel advice by signing up to the FCO’s Facebook and Twitter feeds: www.facebook.com/fcotravel or @fcotravel
Further information If you would like further information please contact 0207 478 7840 or [email protected]
*Information taken from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/british-behaviour-abroad-report-2013
About the Know Before You Go Campaign The Know Before You Go campaign targets a number of audiences, from gap year students to package holidaymakers; sports fans to older travellers and people visiting friends and family abroad. The campaign works with around 600 travel industry partners to communicate its messages. For more information visit our Know Before You Go page on; https://www.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo
Next month we will have a new and hopefully interesting topic for you.
Your Vienna Consular Team
The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 5
The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 6
Travel News
The following items are with kind permission from Flights ABICS NEWSLETTER September 2013
British Airways will reduce their Vienna London flights from 5 per day to 4 per day from 27 th October. They now have an “app” which can give you a Boarding Card on your Handy (Mobile).
The BCA News
Austrian Airlines change to their winter timetable on October 27 th , but they will still have 3 flights each way per day . .
The BCA News
Ryanair schedules will change for the winter season around November5 th , when in particular the Thursday Edinburgh, Liverpool and Birmingham flights from Bratislava will all cease, though the Tuesday and Saturday flights continue. A big point in Ryanair's favour recently is that they have stopped charging for Debit Card payments, and only charge 2% for credit cards – which isn't a lot when fares can be as low as 40€, ie a charge of just 80 cents. Their charges for hold baggage (15kg) reduce from 20€ to 15€ on 1 st October. The BCA News
Trains & Trams & Ferries
Britain .
Edinburgh Trams. The most recent estimate for completion of construction and the start of non public running of the trams was this September, but Christmas now looks more likely, after workmen damaged concrete sleepers on a 500m stretch near Haymarket. They were drilling to remove previously faulty concrete and damaged the sleepers, such that an extra 3 months remedial work is now estimated. And so the job rolls on!! but trams are actually running (on test) on the short section near the airport, while overhead wire installation on the whole 18km route is scheduled to be completed in October.
Senior Railcards (for over 60s) have risen in price from £26 to £30, but still worth having if you travel much in Britain.
ScotRail travel for the over 55s (their Club 55 offer) has been reinstated for the quieter autumn period from 1 st September to 30 th November, so that once again return travel The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 7 anywhere in Scotland – including Carlisle and Berwick on Tweed – can be purchased for just £19 for a monthly ticket. A further discount is also available for Senior Railcard holders (£17), and these tickets can now be booked on line.
Heritage Rail We were amazed to learn that there are 108 Heritage Rail lines in Britain (and Northern Ireland). They are spread right across the country so that avid rail buffs can never be far from their hobby (or is it a passion?). The furthest north is the Keith and Dufftown in Speyside known locally as "the Whisky Line". There are also 31 railway museums available for your delectation. The BCA News
Austria .
Westbahn have increased their mid week service to/from Salzburg by 1 extra train per day on three days per week, with the addition, from 2nd September, of a 13:40 hrs service from Vienna and a 13:48 hrs from Salzburg on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. They have also announced that the 2 small western end stations of Taxham and Freilassing will no longer be served, from 2 nd September.
The BCA NeNeNewsNe wswsws
Austrian Items
Vienna International Radio seems to be going fairly well – as our only English radio programme, if you discount FM4. They are broadcasting 24/7 via the internet on http://vienna radio.at/player/ from the Radisson Blue Hotel. During the night and much of the weekend the programme is generally streamed from USA stations, but there is significant local content during weekdays, interspersed with quite large amounts of music. Paul Hollingdale is the prime mover of this internet radio station. He did have a trial period a few months ago through the local radio station Superfly, but he has now managed to get a full programme by using cheaper internet sources. There is now of course lots of British radio available over the internet, and many of us have a bedside Internet Radio Player, which can be purchased from all electronics stores from about 70€ upwards.
Opern Passage renovation HAS BEEN completed in Sept. Take a look at the 70m mural there. UK Items
Two new UK motoring laws which came into force during August make it an offence to hog the middle lane on motorways and to tailgate. The penalty for getting caught doing either of these offences is a £100 on the spot fine.
The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 8
BT has announced the ending (from Sept 16 th ) of their free email service @btinternet.com – though it will still be very much available to those who pay! They have also announced the ending of their dial up (narrow band) Internet service, though most of us hadn't realised anyone was still on this 56kb/sec supply any more, but we remember it well from the old days.
David Hope
Joke of the Month No. 14
The "world's funniest joke" is a term used by Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire in 2002 to summarize one of the results of his research . For his experiment, named LaughLab , he created a website where people could rate and submit jokes. Purposes of the research included discovering the joke that had the widest appeal and understanding among different cultures , demographics and countries.The History Channel eventually hosted a special on the subject.The winning joke, (presented in last month’s Supplement ) which was later found to be based on a 1951 Goon Show sketch by Spike Milligan , was submitted by Gurpal Gosal of Manchester :
The second place finisher and early leader was this joke, submitted by Geoff Anandappa of Blackpool:
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson were going camping. They pitched their tent under the stars and went to sleep. Sometime in the middle of the night Holmes woke Watson up and said: "Watson, look up at the sky, and tell me what you see." Watson replied: "I see millions and millions of stars." Holmes said: "And what do you deduce from that?" Watson replied: "Well, if there are millions of stars, and if even a few of those have planets, it’s quite likely there are some planets like Earth out there. And if there are a few planets like Earth out there, there might also be life." And Holmes said: "Watson, you idiot, it means that somebody stole our tent."
While this was the top joke in the UK :
A woman gets on a bus with her baby. The bus driver says: "That's the ugliest baby that I've ever seen. Ugh!" The woman goes to the rear of the bus and sits down, fuming. She says to a man next to her: "The driver just insulted me!" The man says: "You go right up there and tell him off – go ahead, I'll hold your monkey for you."
The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 9
Until December 2013 I intend to provide our British (and maybe also Austrian?) members of the BBBCCCA with a selection of, so I hope, interesting historical information, relevant to the appropriate month, about their host country Austria. I call it: This Month in Austrian History.
Wolfgang Geissler THIS MONTH IN AUSTRIAN HISTOHISTORYRY
OCTOBER
12 th October1576 Rudolf II succeeds Maximilian II as Holy Roman Emperor
Rudolf II
King of Germany ( King of the Romans ) Reign 27 October 1575–1612 Coronation 1 November 1575, Regensburg Predecessor Maximilian II Successor Matthias King of Hungary and Croatia Reign 1572–1608 Coronation 25 September 1572, Pressburg Predecessor Maximilian II Successor Matthias King of Bohemia Reign 1576–1611 Coronation 22 September 1575, Prague Predecessor Maximilian II The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 10
Successor Matthias Holy Roman Emperor ; Archduke of Austria Reign 12 October 1576 – 20 January 1612 Predecessor Maximilian II Successor Matthias
House House of Habsburg Father Maximilian II Mother Maria of Spain 18 July 1552 Born Vienna , Austria 20 January 1612 (aged 59) Died Prague , Bohemia Burial St. Vitus Cathedral , Prague Religion Roman Catholicism
Rudolf II (July 18, 1552 – January 20, Rudolf's legacy has traditionally been 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576– viewed in three ways: [1] an ineffectual ruler 1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as whose mistakes led directly to the Thirty Rudolf I , 1572–1608), King of Bohemia Years' War ; a great and influential patron (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of of Northern Mannerist art; and a devotee Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of of occult arts and learning which helped the House of Habsburg . seed the scientific revolution.
Archduke Rudolf
Rudolf was born in Vienna on 18 July 1552. He was the eldest son and successor of Maximilian II , Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , and King of Hungary and Croatia ; his mother was Maria of Spain , a daughter of Charles V and Isabella of Portugal . The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 11
Rudolf spent eight formative years, from age 11 to 19 (1563–1571), in Spain, at the court of his maternal uncle Phillip II . After his return to Vienna, his father was concerned about Rudolf's aloof and stiff manner, typical of the more conservative Spanish court, rather than the more relaxed and open Austrian court; but his Spanish mother saw in him courtliness and refinement. Rudolf would remain for the rest of his life reserved, secretive, and largely a homebody who did not like to travel or even partake in the daily affairs of state. He was more intrigued by occult learning such as astrology and alchemy, which was mainstream in the Renaissance period, and had a wide variety of personal hobbies such as horses, clocks, collecting rarities, and being a patron of the arts. He suffered from periodic bouts of "melancholy " (depression), which was common in the Habsburg line. These became worse with age, and were manifested by a withdrawal from the world and its affairs into his private interests.
Like his contemporary, Elizabeth I of England , Rudolf dangled himself as a prize in a string of diplomatic negotiations for marriages, but never in fact married. It has been proposed by A. L. Rowse that he was homosexual . During his periods of self imposed isolation, Rudolf reportedly had affairs with his court chamberlain, Wolfgang von Rumpf, and a series of valets. One of these, Philip Lang, ruled him for years and was hated by those seeking favour with the emperor. Rudolf was known, in addition, to have had a succession of affairs with women, some of whom claimed to have been impregnated by him. He had several illegitimate children with his mistress Catherina Strada. Their eldest son, Don Julius Caesar d´Austria, was likely born between 1584 and 1586 and received an education and opportunities for political and social prominence from his father. In 1607, Rudolf sent Julius to live at the Bohemian Český Krumlov (in the modern day Czech Republic ) castle, which Rudolf purchased from the last of the House of Rosenberg ( Peter Vok/Wok von Rosenberg ) after he fell into financial ruin. Julius lived at Český Krumlov when in 1608 he reportedly abused and murdered a local barber's daughter, who had been living in the castle, and then disfigured her body. Rudolf condemned his son's act and suggested that he should be imprisoned for the rest of his life. However, Julius died in 1609 after showing signs of schizophrenia , refusing to bathe, and living in squalor; his death was apparently caused by an ulcer that ruptured. [4]
Many artworks commissioned by Rudolf are unusually erotic. The emperor was the subject of a whispering campaign by his enemies in his family and the Church in the years before he was deposed. Sexual allegations may well have formed a part of the campaign against him.
Historians have traditionally blamed Rudolf's preoccupation with the arts, occult sciences, and other personal interests as the reason for the political disasters of his reign. More recently historians have re evaluated this view and see his patronage of the arts and occult sciences as a triumph and key part of the Renaissance, while his political failures are seen as a legitimate attempt to create a unified Christian empire, which was undermined by the realities of religious, political and intellectual disintegrations of the time. The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 12
Engraving by Aegidius Sadeler (1603) Although raised in his uncle's Catholic court in Spain, Rudolf was tolerant of Protestantism and other religions including Judaism. He largely withdrew from Catholic observances, even in death denying last sacramental rites. He had little attachment to Protestants either, except as counter weight to repressive Papal policies. He put his primary support behind conciliarists , irenicists and humanists . When the papacy instigated the Counter Reformation , using agents sent to his court, Rudolf backed those who he thought were the most neutral in the debate, not taking a side or trying to effect restraint, thus leading to political chaos and threatening to provoke civil war.
His conflict with the Ottoman Turks was the final cause of his undoing. Unwilling to compromise with the Turks, and stubbornly determined that he could unify all of Christendom with a new Crusade , he started a long and indecisive war with the Turks in 1593. This war lasted till 1606, and was known as " The Long War ". By 1604 his Hungarian subjects were exhausted by the war and revolted, led by Stephen Bocskay . In 1605 Rudolf was forced by his other family members to cede control of Hungarian affairs to his younger brother Archduke Matthias . Matthias by 1606 forged a difficult peace with the Hungarian rebels ( Peace of Vienna ) and the Turks ( Peace of Zsitvatorok ). Rudolf was angry with his brother's concessions, which he saw as giving away too much in order to further Matthias' hold on power. So Rudolf prepared to start a new war with the Turks. But Matthias rallied support from the disaffected Hungarians and forced Rudolf to give up the crowns of Hungary, Austria, and Moravia to him. Matthias imprisoned Georg Keglević who was the Commander in chief , General , Vice Ban of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia and since 1602 Baron in Transylvania , but soon left him free again. At that time the Principality of Transylvania was a fully autonomous, but only semi independent state under the nominal suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire , where it was the time of the Sultanate of Women . At the same time, seeing a moment of royal weakness, Bohemian Protestants demanded greater religious liberty, which Rudolf granted in the Letter of Majesty in 1609. However the Bohemians continued to press for further freedoms and Rudolf used his army to repress them. The Bohemian Protestants appealed to Matthias for help, whose army then held Rudolf prisoner in his castle in Prague, until 1611, when Rudolf was forced to cede the crown of Bohemia to his brother. The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 13
The Crown of Rudolf II later became the imperial crown of the Austrian Empire .
Rudolf died in 1612, nine months after he event known as the Defenestration of had been stripped of all effective power by Prague , the Protestant Bohemians, in his younger brother, except the empty title defence of the rights granted them in the of Holy Roman Emperor, to which Letter of Majesty , began the Thirty Years' Matthias was elected five months later. He War (1618–1648). died unmarried. In May 1618 with the
Patron of arts Rudolf moved the Habsburg capital from Vienna to Prague in 1583. Rudolf loved collecting paintings, and was often reported to sit and stare in rapture at a new work for hours on end. He spared no expense in acquiring great past masterworks, such as those of Dürer and Brueghel . He was also patron to some of the best contemporary artists, who mainly produced new works in the Northern Mannerist style, such as Bartholomeus Spranger , Hans von Aachen , Giambologna , Giuseppe Arcimboldo , Aegidius Sadeler , Roelant Savery , and Adrian de Vries , as well as commissioning works from Italians like Veronese . Rudolf's collections were the most impressive in the Europe of his day, and the greatest collection of Northern Mannerist art ever assembled.
Rudolf's love of collecting went far beyond paintings and sculptures. He commissioned decorative objects of all kinds and in particular mechanical moving devices. Ceremonial swords and musical instruments, clocks, water works, astrolabes, compasses, telescopes and other scientific instruments, were all produced for him by some of the best craftsmen in Europe.
He patronized natural philosophers such as the botanist Charles de l'Ecluse , and the astronomers Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler both attended his court. Tycho Brahe developed the Rudolfine tables (finished by Kepler, after Brahe's death), the first comprehensive table of data of the movements of the planets. As mentioned before, Rudolf also attracted some of the best scientific instrument makers of the time, such as Jost Buergi, The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 14
Erasmus Habermel and Hans Christoph Schissler. They had direct contact with the court astronomers and, through the financial support of the court, they were economically independent to develop scientific instruments and manufacturing techniques.
Rudolf painted as Vertumnus , Roman God of the seasons, by Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1590–1). Rudolf greatly appreciated the work. The poetess Elizabeth Jane Weston , a writer of neo Latin poetry, was also part of his court and wrote numerous odes to him.
Rudolf kept a menagerie of exotic animals, botanical gardens, and Europe's most extensive "cabinet of curiosities " ( Kunstkammer ) incorporating "the three kingdoms of nature and the works of man". It was housed at Prague Castle , where between 1587 and 1605 he built the northern wing to house his growing collections.
Rudolf was even alleged by one person to have owned the Voynich manuscript , a codex whose author and purpose, as well as the language and script and posited cipher remain unidentified to this day. According to hearsay passed on in a letter written by Johannes Marcus Marci in 1665, Rudolf was said to have acquired the manuscript at some unspecified time for 600 gold ducats . No evidence in support of this single piece of hearsay has ever been discovered.
By 1597, the collection occupied three rooms of the incomplete northern wing. When building was completed in 1605, the collection was moved to the dedicated Kunstkammer . Naturalia (minerals and gemstones ) were arranged in a 37 cabinet display that had three vaulted chambers in front, each about 5.5 metres wide by 3 metres high and 60 metres long, connected to a main chamber 33 metres long. Large uncut gemstones were held in strong boxes. [10]
Rudolf's Kunstkammer was not a typical "cabinet of curiosities" a haphazard collection of unrelated specimens. Rather, the Rudolfine Kunstkammer was systematically arranged in an encyclopaedic fashion. In addition, Rudolf II employed his polyglot court physician, Anselmus Boetius de Boodt ( c. 1550–1632), to curate the collection. De Boodt was an avid mineral collector. He travelled widely on collecting trips to the mining regions of Germany, Bohemia and Silesia , often accompanied by his Bohemian naturalist friend, Thaddaeus Hagecius . Between 1607 and 1611, de Boodt catalogued the Kunstkammer , and in 1609 he The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 15 published Gemmarum et Lapidum , one of the finest mineralogical treatises of the 17th century.
As was customary at the time, the collection was private, but friends of the Emperor , artists, and professional scholars were allowed to study it. The collection became an invaluable research tool during the flowering of 17th century European philosophy , the " Age of Reason ".
Rudolf's successors did not appreciate the collection and the Kunstkammer gradually fell into disarray. Some 50 years after its establishment, most of the collection was packed into wooden crates and moved to Vienna . The collection remaining at Prague was looted during the last year of the Thirty Years War , by Swedish troops who sacked Prague Castle on 26 July 1648, also taking the best of the paintings, many of which later passed to the Orléans Collection after the death of Christina of Sweden . In 1782, the remainder of the collection was sold piecemeal to private parties by Joseph II . One of the surviving items from the Kunstkammer is a "fine chair" looted by the Swedes in 1648 and now owned by the Earl of Radnor at Longford Castle, United Kingdom; others survive in museums.
Occult sciences
Holy Roman Emperor
Coats of arms
Astrology and alchemy were mainstream science in Renaissance Prague , and Rudolf was a firm devotee of both. His lifelong quest was to find the Philosopher's Stone and Rudolf spared no expense in bringing Europe's best alchemists to court, such as Edward Kelley and John Dee . Rudolf even performed his own experiments in a private alchemy laboratory. When Rudolf was a prince, Nostradamus prepared a horoscope which was dedicated to him as 'Prince and King'.
Rudolf gave Prague a mystical reputation that persists in part to this day, with Alchemists' Alley on the grounds of Prague Castle a popular visiting place.
Rudolf is also the ruler in many of the legends of the Golem of Prague , either because of or simply adding to his occult reputation The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 16
20 th October 1740 Maria Theresa became ruler of Austria, Hungary & Bohemia
Maria Theresa
The Empress in 1759, by Martin van Meytens Predecessor Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor Successor Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor Holy Roman Empress consort ; Queen consort of Germany 13 September 1745 – Tenure 18 August 1765 Queen of Hungary and Croatia ; Archduchess of Austria Reign 20 October 1740 – 29 November 1780 Coronation 25 June 1741 Queen of Bohemia 20 October 1740 – 1741 Reign 1743 – 29 November 1780 Coronation 12 May 1743 Spouse Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor Issue Children of Maria Theresa [show]
Full name Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina House House of Habsburg Father Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor Mother Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick Wolfenbüttel 13 May 1717 Born Hofburg Palace , Vienna 29 November 1780 (aged 63) Died Hofburg Palace, Vienna Burial Imperial Crypt , Vienna Signature
Religion Roman Catholic
The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 17
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina ( German : Maria Theresia ; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg . She was the sovereign of Austria , Hungary , Croatia , Bohemia , Mantua , Milan , Lodomeria and Galicia , the Austrian Netherlands and Parma . By marriage, she was Duchess of Lorraine , Grand Duchess of Tuscany and Holy Roman Empress .
She started her 40 year reign when her father, Emperor Charles VI , died in October 1740. Charles VI paved the way for her accession with the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 and spent his entire reign securing it. Upon the death of her father, Saxony , Prussia , Bavaria , and France all repudiated the sanction they had recognised during his lifetime. Prussia proceeded to invade the affluent Habsburg province of Silesia , sparking a nine year conflict known as the War of the Austrian Succession . Maria Theresa would later unsuccessfully try to reconquer Silesia during the Seven Years' War .
Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor , had sixteen children, including Queen Marie Antoinette of France, Queen Maria Carolina of Naples, Duchess Maria Amalia of Parma and two Holy Roman Emperors, Joseph II and Leopold II . Though she was expected to cede power to Francis and Joseph, both of whom were officially her co rulers in Austria and Bohemia, Maria Theresa was the absolute sovereign who ruled by the counsel of her advisers. She criticised and disapproved of many of Joseph's actions. Although she is considered to have been intellectually inferior to both Joseph and Leopold, Maria Theresa understood the importance of her public persona and was able to simultaneously evoke both esteem and affection from her subjects.
Maria Theresa promulgated financial and educational reforms, with the assistance of Count Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz and Gerard van Swieten , promoted commerce and the development of agriculture, and reorganised Austria's ramshackle military, all of which strengthened Austria's international standing. However, she refused to allow religious toleration and contemporary travellers thought her regime was bigoted and superstitious. As a young monarch who fought two dynastic wars, she believed that her cause should be the cause of her subjects, but in her later years she would believe that their cause must be hers.
Early life and background The second and eldest surviving child of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick Wolfenbüttel , Archduchess Maria Theresa was born early in the morning of 13 May 1717, at the Hofburg Palace , Vienna , shortly after the death of her elder brother, Archduke Leopold, and was baptised on that same evening. The dowager empresses, her aunt Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick Lüneburg and grandmother Eleonor Magdalene of the Palatinate Neuburg , were her godmothers. [10] Most descriptions of her baptism stress that the infant was carried ahead of her cousins, Archduchesses Maria Josepha and Maria Amalia , the daughters of Charles VI's elder brother and predecessor, Joseph I , before the eyes of Joseph's widow, Empress Wilhelmine Amalia. It was clear that Maria Theresa would outrank them, even though their grandfather, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I , had his sons sign the Mutual Pact of Succession , which gave precedence to the daughters of the elder brother. Her father was the only surviving male member of the House of Habsburg and hoped for a son who would prevent the extinction of his dynasty and succeed him. Thus, the birth of Maria Theresa was a great disappointment to him and the people of Vienna; Charles never managed to overcome this feeling. The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 18
Archduchess Maria Theresa in 1729, by Andreas Möller . The flowers which she carries in the uplifted folds of her dress represent her fertility and expectations to bear children in adulthood. Maria Theresa replaced Maria Josepha as heiress presumptive to the Habsburg realms the moment she was born; Charles VI had issued the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 which had placed his nieces behind his own daughters in the line of succession. Charles sought the other European powers' approval for disinheriting his nieces. They exacted harsh terms: in the Treaty of Vienna (1731) , Great Britain demanded that Austria abolish the Ostend Company in return for its recognition of the Pragmatic Sanction. In total, Great Britain , France , Saxony Poland , United Provinces , Spain , Venice , States of the Church , Prussia , Russia , Denmark , Savoy Sardinia , Bavaria and the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire recognised the sanction. France, Spain, Saxony Poland, Bavaria and Prussia later reneged.
Little more than a year after her birth, Maria Theresa was joined by a sister, Maria Anna , and another one, named Maria Amalia, was born in 1724. The portraits of the imperial family show that Maria Theresa resembled Elisabeth Christine and Maria Anna. The Prussian ambassador noted that she had large blue eyes, fair hair with a slight tinge of red, a wide mouth and a notably strong body. Neither her parents nor her grandparents were closely related to each other, making Maria Theresa one of few members of the House of Habsburg who were not inbred.
Maria Theresa was a serious and reserved child who enjoyed singing and archery. She was barred from horse riding by her father, but she would later learn the basics for the sake of her Hungarian coronation ceremony . The imperial family staged opera productions, often conducted by Charles VI, in which she relished participating. Her education was overseen by Jesuits . Contemporaries thought her Latin to be quite good, but in all else, the Jesuits did not educate her well. Her spelling and punctuation were unconventional and she lacked the formal manner and speech which had characterized her Habsburg predecessors. Maria Theresa developed a close relationship with Countess Marie Karoline von Fuchs Mollard , who taught her etiquette. She was educated in drawing, painting, music and dancing – the disciplines which would have prepared her for the role of queen consort . Her father allowed her to attend meetings of the council from the age of 14 but never discussed the affairs of state with her. Even though he had spent the last decades of his life securing Maria Theresa's inheritance, Charles always expected a son and never prepared his daughter for her future role as sovereign. The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 19
Marriage
Maria Theresa and Francis Stephen at their wedding breakfast , by Martin van Meytens . The question of Maria Theresa's marriage was raised early in her childhood. She was first engaged to be married to Leopold Clement of Lorraine , who was supposed to visit Vienna and meet the Archduchess in 1723. However, news reached Vienna that he had died of smallpox .
Leopold Clement's younger brother, Francis Stephen , was invited to Vienna. Even though Francis Stephen was his favourite candidate for Maria Theresa's hand, the Emperor considered other possibilities. Religious differences prevented him from arranging his daughter's marriage to the Calvinist prince Frederick of Prussia . In 1725, he betrothed her to Charles of Spain and her sister, Maria Anna, to Philip of Spain . However, other European powers compelled him to renounce the pact he had made with the Dowager Queen of Spain, Elisabeth Farnese , as the marriage of heirs to the thrones of Spain and Austria would have destroyed the European balance of power . Maria Theresa, who had become close to Francis Stephen, was relieved.
Francis Stephen remained at the imperial court until 1729, when he ascended the throne of Lorraine, but was not formally promised Maria Theresa's hand until 31 January 1736, during the War of the Polish Succession . Louis XV of France demanded that Maria Theresa's fiancé surrender his ancestral Duchy of Lorraine to accommodate his father in law, Stanisław Leszczyński , who had been deposed as King of Poland. Francis Stephen was to receive the Grand Duchy of Tuscany upon the death of childless Grand Duke Gian Gastone de' Medici . The couple was married on 12 February 1736.
The Duchess of Lorraine's love for her husband was strong and possessive. The letters she sent to him shortly before their marriage expressed her eagerness to see him; his letters, on the other hand, were stereotyped and formal. She was very jealous of her husband and his infidelity was the greatest problem of their marriage, with Maria Wilhelmina, Princess of Auersperg , as his best known mistress.
Upon Gian Gastone's death on 9 July 1737, Francis Stephen ceded Lorraine and became Grand Duke of Tuscany. In 1738, Charles VI sent the young couple to make their formal entry into Tuscany. A triumphal arch was erected at the Porta Galla in celebration, where it remains today. Their stay in Florence was brief. Charles VI soon recalled them, as he feared he might die while his heiress was miles away in Tuscany. In the summer of 1738, Austria suffered defeats during the ongoing Russo Turkish War . The Turks reversed Austrian gains in Serbia , Wallachia and Bosnia . The Viennese rioted at the cost of the war. Francis Stephen was popularly despised, as he was thought to be a cowardly French spy. The war was concluded the next year with the Treaty of Belgrade . The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 20
Accession
Maria Theresa's procession through the Graben , 22 November 1740. The pregnant queen is on way to hear High Mass at St. Stephen's Cathedral before receiving homage. Charles VI died on 20 October 1740, probably of mushroom poisoning. He had ignored the advice of Prince Eugene of Savoy who had urged him to concentrate on filling the treasury and equipping the army rather than on acquiring signatures of fellow monarchs. The Emperor, who spent his entire reign securing the Pragmatic Sanction, left Austria in an impoverished state, bankrupted by the recent Turkish war and the War of the Polish Succession ; the treasury contained only 100,000 florins , which were claimed by his widow. The army numbered only 80,000 men, most of whom had not been paid in months; they were nevertheless remarkably loyal and devoted to their new sovereign.
Maria Theresa found herself in a difficult situation. She did not know enough about matters of state and she was unaware of the weakness of her father's ministers. She decided to rely on her father's advice to retain his councillors and defer to her husband, whom she considered to be more experienced, on other matters. Both decisions, though natural, would prove to be unfortunate. Ten years later, Maria Theresa bitterly recalled in her Political Testament the circumstances under which she had ascended: "I found myself without money, without credit, without army, without experience and knowledge of my own and finally, also without any counsel because each one of them at first wanted to wait and see how things would develop."
She dismissed the possibility that other countries might try to seize her territories and immediately started ensuring the imperial dignity for herself; since a woman could not be elected Holy Roman Empress , Maria Theresa wanted to secure the imperial office for her husband. However, Francis Stephen did not possess enough land or rank within the Holy Roman Empire. In order to make him eligible for the imperial throne and to enable him to vote in the imperial elections as elector of Bohemia (which she couldn't due to her gender), Maria Theresa made Francis Stephen co ruler of the Austrian and Bohemian lands on 21 November 1740. However, it took more than a year for the Diet of Hungary to accept Francis Stephen as co ruler. Despite her love for him and his position as co ruler, Maria Theresa never allowed her husband to decide about matters of state and often dismissed him from council meetings when they disagreed.
The first display of the new queen's authority was the formal act of homage of the Lower Austrian Estates to her on 22 November 1740. It was an elaborate public event which served as a formal recognition and legitimation of her accession. The oath of fealty to Maria Theresa was taken on the same day in Hofburg.
War of the Austrian Succession "She has, as you well know, a terrible hatred for France, with which nation it is most difficult for her to keep on good terms, but she controls this passion except when she The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 21 thinks to her advantage to display it. She detests Your Majesty, but acknowledges your ability. She cannot forget the loss of Silesia, nor her grief over the soldiers she lost in wars with you." Prussian ambassador's letter to Frederick the Second of Prussia .
Maria Theresa being crowned Queen of Hungary, St. Martin's Cathedral , Pressburg . Immediately after her accession, a number of European sovereigns who had recognised Maria Theresa as heiress broke their promises; Queen Elisabeth of Spain and Elector Charles Albert of Bavaria , married to Maria Theresa's deprived cousin Maria Amalia and supported by Empress Wilhelmine Amalia, wanted portions of her inheritance. Maria Theresa secured the recognition of King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia , who hadn't accepted the Pragmatic Sanction during her father's lifetime, in November 1740.
In December, King Frederick II of Prussia invaded the Duchy of Silesia and requested that Maria Theresa cede it, threatening to join her enemies if she refused. Maria Theresa decided to fight for the mineral rich province. Frederick even offered a compromise: he would defend Maria Theresa's rights if she agreed to cede him at least a part of Silesia. Francis Stephen was inclined to consider such an arrangement, but the Queen and her advisers were not, fearing that any violation of the Pragmatic Sanction would invalidate the entire document. Maria Theresa's firmness soon assured Francis Stephen that they should fight for Silesia and she was confident that she would retain "the jewel of the House of Austria". The invasion of Silesia by Frederick was the start of a lifelong enmity; she referred to him as "that evil man".
As Austria was short of experienced military commanders, Maria Theresa released Marshall Neipperg , who had been imprisoned by her father for his poor performance in the Turkish War. Neipperg took command of the Austrian troops in March. The Austrians suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Mollwitz in April 1741. France drew up a plan to partition Austria between Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Spain. Marshall Belle Isle joined Frederick at Olmütz. Vienna was in a panic, as none of Maria Theresa's advisors expected France to betray them. Francis Stephen urged Maria Theresa to reach a rapprochement with Prussia, as did Great Britain. Maria Theresa reluctantly agreed to negotiations.
Contrary to all expectations, a significant amount of support for the young Queen came from Hungary. Her coronation as king of Hungary took place in St. Martin's Cathedral , Pressburg The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 22 on 25 June 1741 after she had spent months honing the equestrian skills necessary for the ceremony and negotiating with the Diet . By July, attempts at conciliation had completely collapsed. Maria Theresa's ally, the Elector of Saxony, now became her enemy and George II declared the Electorate of Brunswick Lüneburg to be neutral. The Queen was once again in need of help from Hungary. In order to obtain it, she granted favours to the Hungarian noblemen and flattered them without conceding to all of their demands. She had already won their support when she appeared in Pressburg in September 1741, hoping to persuade the Diet to call a mass conscription and recognise Francis Stephen as co ruler. Upon achieving both goals, she showed her gift for theatrical displays by triumphantly holding her son and heir, Joseph , before the Diet, thereby gaining sympathy of the noblemen.
In 1741, the Austrian authorities informed Maria Theresa that Bohemian populace would prefer Charles Albert to her as sovereign. Maria Theresa, desperate and burdened by pregnancy, wrote plaintively to her sister: "I don't know if a town will remain to me for my delivery." She bitterly vowed to spare nothing and no one to defend her kingdom when she wrote to the Bohemian chancellor, Count Philip Kinsky : "My mind is made up. We must put everything at stake to save Bohemia." On 26 October, the Elector of Bavaria captured Prague and declared himself King of Bohemia . Maria Theresa, then in Hungary, wept on learning of the loss of Bohemia. Charles Albert was unanimously elected Holy Roman Emperor on 24 January 1742. The Archduchess, who regarded the election as a catastrophe, caught her enemies unprepared by insisting on a winter campaign; the same day he was elected emperor, Austrian troops under Ludwig Andreas von Khevenhüller captured Munich , Charles Albert's capital.
The Treaty of Breslau of June 1742 ended hostilities between Austria and Prussia. The Archduchess soon made the recovery of Bohemia her priority. French troops fled Bohemia in the winter of the same year. On 12 May 1743, Maria Theresa had herself crowned Queen of Bohemia in St. Vitus Cathedral .
Prussia became anxious at Austrian advances on the Rhine frontier, and Frederick sacked Prague in August 1744. The French plans fell apart when Charles Albert died in January 1745. The French overran the Austrian Netherlands in May.
Francis Stephen was elected Holy Roman Emperor on 13 September 1745. Prussia recognised Francis as emperor, and Maria Theresa once again recognised the loss of Silesia by the Treaty of Breslau in December 1745. The war dragged on for another three years, with fighting in northern Italy and the Austrian Netherlands. The Treaty of Aix La Chapelle , which concluded the eight year conflict, recognised Prussia's possession of Silesia and Maria Theresa ceded the Duchy of Parma to Philip of Spain.
Seven Years' War
The battle of Kolin, 1757 The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 23
Frederick of Prussia's invasion of Saxony in August 1756 began the Seven Years' War . Empress Maria Theresa and Kaunitz wished to exit the war with possession of Silesia. Austria was aligned with France and Russia; Great Britain with Prussia and Portugal. Giving Austria huge subsidies came back to haunt France. It could not bolster defences in New France ; the British easily captured Louisbourg in 1758, and went on to conquer all of New France.
Maximilian von Browne commanded the Austrian troops. Following the indecisive Battle of Lobositz in 1756, he was replaced by Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine , Maria Theresa's brother in law. Frederick was startled by Lobositz; he eventually re grouped for another attack in June 1757. The Battle of Kolin that followed was a decisive victory for Austria. Frederick lost one third of his troops, and before the battle was over, he had fled the scene.
Maria Theresa openly bemoaned French losses in 1758. France, having secured the Anglo Hanoverian neutrality for the rest of the conflict, in September 1757, lost it in January of the next year. France suffered a crushing defeat at Krefeld that June. French forces withdrew to the Rhine.
In 1759, peace negotiations at The Hague came to nothing. The series of Franco Austrian losses were reversed until, in 1762, the Empress Elizabeth of Russia died. Her successor Peter III greatly admired Frederick, and at once withdrew Russia's support from the French coalition. Prussia proceeded to kick the Austrians out of Saxony, and the French out of Hesse Kassel . Naturally, it was feared that Frederick would now invade Austria and France, and they capitulated. The peace treaties, Hubertusburg and Paris , exacted harsh terms on France, as it was forced to relinquish most of her American colonies. For Austria, though, it was status quo ante bellum .
Family life
Maria Theresa with her family, 1754, by Martin van Meytens. Over the course of twenty years, Maria Theresa gave birth to sixteen children, thirteen of whom survived infancy. The first child, Maria Elisabeth (1737–1740), was born a little less than a year after the wedding. Again, the child's gender caused great disappointment and so would the births of Maria Anna , the eldest surviving child, and Maria Carolina (1740–1741). While fighting to preserve her inheritance, Maria Theresa gave birth to a son named after Saint Joseph , to whom she had repeatedly prayed for a male child during the pregnancy. Maria Theresa's favourite child, Maria Christina , was born on her 25th birthday, four days before the defeat of the Austrian army in Chotusitz . Five more children were born during the The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 24 war: Maria Elisabeth , Charles , Maria Amalia , Leopold and Maria Carolina (1748–1748). During this period, there was no rest for Maria Theresa during pregnancies or around the births; the war and child bearing were carried on simultaneously. Five children were born during the peace between the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War : Maria Johanna , Maria Josepha , Maria Carolina , Ferdinand and Maria Antonia . She delivered her last child, Maximilian Francis , during the Seven Years' War, aged 39. Maria Theresa asserted that, had she not been almost always pregnant, she would have gone into battle herself.
Maria Theresa's mother, Empress Elisabeth Christine, died in 1750. Four years later, Maria Theresa's governess, Marie Karoline von Fuchs Mollard, died. The Empress showed her gratitude to Countess Fuchs by having her buried in the Imperial Crypt along with the members of the imperial family.
Shortly after giving birth to the younger children, Maria Theresa was confronted with the task of marrying off the elder ones. She led the marriage negotiations along with the campaigns of her wars and the duties of state. She treated her children with affection but used them as pawns in dynastic games and sacrificed their happiness for the benefit of the state. A devoted but self conscious mother, she wrote to all of her children at least once a week and believed herself entitled to exercise authority over her children regardless of their age and rank.
The dowager empress with family, 1776, by Heinrich Füger Following her fiftieth birthday in May 1767, Maria Theresa contracted smallpox from her daughter in law, Maria Josepha of Bavaria . She survived, but the new empress did not. Maria Theresa then forced her daughter, Archduchess Maria Josepha, to pray with her in the Imperial Crypt next to the unsealed tomb of Empress Maria Josepha. The Archduchess started showing smallpox rash two days after visiting the crypt and soon died. Maria Carolina was to replace her as the pre determined bride of King Ferdinand IV of Naples . Maria Theresa blamed herself for her daughter's death for the rest of her life because, at the time, the concept of an extended incubation period was largely unknown and it was believed that Maria Josepha had caught smallpox from the body of the late empress.
In April 1770, Maria Theresa's youngest daughter, Maria Antonia, married Louis , Dauphin of France , by proxy in Vienna. Maria Antonia's education was neglected, and when the French showed an interest in her, her mother went about educating her as best she could about the court of Versailles and the French. Maria Theresa kept up a fortnightly correspondence with Maria Antonia, now called Marie Antoinette, in which she often reproached her for laziness and frivolity and scolded her for failing to conceive a child. The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 25
Maria Theresa was not just critical of Marie Antoinette. She disliked Leopold's reserve and often blamed him for being cold. She criticised Maria Carolina for her political activities, Ferdinand for his lack of organisation, and Maria Amalia for her poor French and haughtiness. The only child she did not constantly scold was Maria Christina, who enjoyed her mother's complete confidence, though she failed to please her mother in one aspect she did not produce any surviving children.
One of Maria Theresa's greatest wishes was to have as many grandchildren as possible, but she had only about two dozen at the time of her death, of which all the eldest surviving daughters were named after her, with the exception of Caroline of Parma, her eldest granddaughter by Maria Amalia.
Issue Children of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Maria Theresa of Austria Name Portrait Lifespan Notes
5 February Maria Elisabeth 1737 died in childhood; no issue. 6 June 1740
6 October 1738 Maria Anna 9 died unmarried; no issue. November 1789
12 January 1740 Maria Carolina died in childhood; no issue. 25 January 1741
succeeded his father in the Imperial title but was co ruler 13 March Joseph II with his mother in the Austrian domains until her death 1741 Holy Roman in 1780; married firstly on 6 October 1760 to Princess 20 February Emperor Isabella of Parma and secondly on 23 January 1765 to 1790 Princess Maria Josepha of Bavaria . No surviving issue.
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designated Duchess of Teschen in occasion of her 13 May marriage and later with her husband jointly Governor of Maria Christina 1742 the Austrian Netherlands; married on 7 January 1766 to Duchess of Teschen 24 June Prince Albert of Saxony, Duke of Teschen ; no surviving 1798 issue.
13 August 1743 Maria Elisabeth 22 died unmarried; no issue. September 1808
1 February 1745 Charles Joseph died of smallpox; no issue. 18 January 1761
26 February married on 19 July 1769 to Ferdinand, Duke of Parma Maria Amalia 1746 (1751–1802); had issue. 9 June 1804
5 May 1747 Leopold II married on 5 August 1765 to Infanta Maria Louisa of Holy Roman 1 March Spain (1745–1792); had issue. Emperor 1792
17 September 1748 Maria Carolina died immediately after being baptized; no issue. 17 September 1748
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4 February 1750 Maria Johanna 23 died of smallpox; no issue. December 1762
19 March 1751 Maria Josepha died of smallpox; no issue. 15 October 1767
13 August 1752 married on 12 May 1768 to King Ferdinand IV of Naples Maria Carolina 7 and Sicily (1751–1825); had issue. September 1814
1 June 1754 married on 15 October 1771 to Maria Beatrice Ricciarda Ferdinand 24 d'Este , heiress of Breisgau and of Modena ; had issue December (Austria Este ). 1806
2 November married on 16 May 1770 to King Louis XVI of France Maria Antonia 1755 (1754–1793); had issue (line extinct.) 16 October 1793
8 December 1756 Maximilian Francis Archbishop Elector of Cologne ; no issue. 27 July 1801
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Religious views and policies
Maria Theresa and her family celebrating Saint Nicholas , by Archduchess Maria Christina , in 1762. The painting depicts the bourgeois cosiness of the imperial family's home. Like all members of the House of Habsburg , Maria Theresa was a Roman Catholic , and a devout one as well. She believed that religious unity was necessary for a peaceful public life and explicitly rejected the idea of religious toleration . However, she never allowed the Church to interfere with what she considered to be prerogatives of a monarch and kept Rome at arm's length. She controlled the selection of archbishops, bishops and abbots.
Her approach to religious piety differed from the approach of her predecessors, as she was influenced by Jansenist ideas. The empress actively supported conversion to Roman Catholicism by securing pensions to the converts. She tolerated Greek Catholics and emphasised their equal status with Roman Catholics.
Besides her devotion to Christianity, she was widely known for her ascetic lifestyle, especially during her 15 year long widowhood.
Jesuits Her relationship with the Jesuits was complex. Members of this order educated her, served as her confessors, and supervised the religious education of her eldest son. The Jesuits were powerful and influential in the early years of Maria Theresa's reign. However, the queen's ministers convinced her that the order posed a danger to her monarchical authority. Not without much hesitation and regret, she issued a decree which removed them from all the institutions of the monarchy, and carried it out thoroughly. She forbade the publication of Pope Clement XIII 's bull which was in favour of the Jesuits and promptly confiscated their property when Pope Clement XIV suppressed the order.
Jews and Protestants Though she eventually gave up trying to convert her non Catholic subjects to Roman Catholicism, Maria Theresa regarded both the Jews and Protestants as dangerous to the state and actively tried to suppress them. The empress was probably the most anti Semitic monarch of her time, having inherited the traditional prejudices of her ancestors and acquired new ones. This was a product of deep religious devotion and was not kept secret in her time. In 1777, she wrote of the Jews: "I know of no greater plague than this race, which on account of its deceit, usury and avarice is driving my subjects into beggary. Therefore as far as possible, the Jews are to be kept away and avoided."
She imposed extremely harsh taxes on her Jewish subjects and, in December 1744, proposed expelling the Jews from her hereditary dominions to her ministers. Her first intention was to expel all Jews by 1 January, but having accepted the advice of her ministers who were The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 29 concerned by the number of future expellees, had them expelled by June. She also transferred Protestants from Austria to Transylvania and cut down the number of religious holidays and monastic orders. In 1777, she abandoned the idea of expelling Moravian Protestants after Joseph, who was opposed to her intentions, threatened to abdicate as emperor and co ruler. Finally, she was forced to grant them some toleration by allowing them to worship privately. Joseph regarded his mother's religious policies as "unjust, impious, impossible, harmful and ridiculous".
In the third decade of her reign, influenced by her Jewish courtier Abraham Mendel Theben , Maria Theresa issued edicts which offered some state protection to her Jewish subjects. She forbade the forcible conversion of Jewish children to Christianity in 1762. In 1763, she forbade Catholic clergy from extracting surplice fees from her Jewish subjects. In 1764, she ordered the release of those Jews who had been jailed for a blood libel in the village of Orkuta. Notwithstanding her strong dislike of Judaism, Maria Theresa supported Jewish commercial and industrial activity.
Reforms
Maria Theresa in 1762, by Jean-Étienne Liotard . Maria Theresa was as conservative in manners of state as in those of religion, but implemented significant reforms to strengthen Austria's military and bureaucratic efficiency. She employed Count Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz , who modernised the empire by creating a standing army of 108,000 men, paid for with 14 million gulden extracted from each crown land. The central government was responsible for the army, although Haugwitz instituted taxation of the nobility, who never before had to pay taxes. Maria Theresa oversaw the unification of the Austrian and Bohemian chancellories in May 1749.
Maria Theresa doubled the state revenue between 1754 and 1764, though her attempt to tax clergy and nobility was only partially successful. These financial reforms greatly improved the economy. The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 30
In 1760, Maria Theresa created the council of state, composed of the state chancellor, three members of the high nobility and three knights, which served as a committee of experienced people who advised her. The council of state lacked executive or legislative authority, but nevertheless showed the difference between the forms of government employed by Frederick II of Prussia. Unlike the latter, Maria Theresa was not an autocrat who acted as her own minister. Prussia would adopt this form of government only after 1807.
Medicine Gerard van Swieten , whom Maria Theresa had recruited following the death of her sister, Archduchess Maria Anna, founded the Vienna General Hospital , revamped Austria's educational system and served as the Empress's personal physician. After calling in van Swieten, Maria Theresa asked him to study the problem of infant mortality in Austria. Following his recommendation, she made a decree that autopsies would be mandatory for all hospital deaths in the city of Graz, Austria's second largest city. This law – still in effect today – combined with the relatively stable population of Graz, resulted in one of the most important and complete autopsy records in the world. Her decision to have her children inoculated after the smallpox epidemic of 1767 was responsible for changing Austrian physicians' negative view of inoculation. The empress herself inaugurated inoculation in Austria by hosting a dinner for the first sixty five inoculated children in Schönbrunn Palace , waiting on the children herself.
Civil rights Among other reforms was the Codex Theresianus , begun in 1752 and finished in 1766, that defined civil rights. In 1776, Austria outlawed witch burnings and torture. It was later reintroduced, but the progressive nature of these reforms remains noted. Much unlike Joseph, but with the support of religious authorities, Maria Theresa was opposed to the abolition of torture. Born and raised between Baroque and Rococo eras, she found it hard to fit into the intellectual sphere of the Enlightenment , which is why she only slowly followed humanitarian reforms on the continent.
Church
"She is most unusually ambitious and hopes to make the House of Austria more renowned than it has ever been." – Prussian ambassador's letter to Frederick II of Prussia . "That woman's achievements are those of a great man." – The writings of Frederick II of Prussia. Main reforms concerning the Roman Catholic Church were initiated and carried out under Maria Theresa, while the reforms under her son concerned their non Catholic subjects. The ecclesiastic policies of Maria Theresa, like those of her devout predecessors, were based on primacy of government control in the relations between the Church and the State, but not of organization of the Church. Maria Theresa banned the creation of new burial grounds without the prior permission of the government, thus deploring the wasteful and unhygienic burial customs. The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 31
Education Aware of the inadequacy of bureaucracy in Austria and, in order to improve it, Maria Theresa reformed education in 1775. In a new school system based on the Prussian one, all children of both genders from the ages of six to twelve had to attend school. Education reform was met with hostility from many villages; Maria Theresa crushed the dissent by ordering the arrest of all those opposed. Although the idea had merit, the reforms were not as successful as they were expected to be; in some parts of Austria, half of the population was illiterate well into the 19th century.
The empress permitted non Catholics to attend university and allowed the introduction of secular subjects (such as law), which influenced the decline of theology as the main foundation of university education.
Late reign
Maria Theresa as a widow in 1773, by Anton von Maron . Peace holds the olive crown above her head, reaffirming Maria Theresa's monarchical status. This was the last commissioned state portrait of Maria Theresa. Emperor Francis I died on 18 August 1765, while he and the court were in Innsbruck celebrating the wedding of his second son, Leopold. Maria Theresa was devastated. Their eldest son, Joseph, became Holy Roman Emperor. Maria Theresa abandoned all ornamentation, had her hair cut short, painted her rooms black and dressed in mourning for the rest of her life. She completely withdrew from court life, public events, and theater. Throughout her widowhood, she spent the whole August and the eighteenth of each month alone in her chamber, which negatively affected her mental health. She described her state of mind shortly after Francis's death: "I hardly know myself now, for I have become like an animal with no true life or reasoning power."
Upon his accession to the imperial throne, Joseph ruled less land than his father had in 1740. Believing that the emperor must possess enough land to maintain the Empire's integrity, The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 32
Maria Theresa, who was used to being assisted in the administration of her vast realms, declared Joseph to be her new co ruler on 17 September 1765. From then on, mother and son had frequent ideological disagreements. The 22 million gulden that Joseph inherited from his father was injected into the treasury. Maria Theresa had another loss in February 1766 when Haugwitz died. She gave her son absolute control over the military following the death of Count Leopold Joseph von Daun .
According to Robert A. Kann, Maria Theresa was a monarch of above average qualifications but intellectually inferior to Joseph and Leopold. He asserts that she nevertheless possessed qualities appreciated in a monarch: warm heart, practical mind, firm determination and sound perception. Most importantly, she was ready to recognise the mental superiority of some of her advisers and to give way to a superior mind while enjoying support of her ministers even if their ideas differed from her own. Joseph, however, was never able to establish rapport with the same advisers, even though their philosophy of government was closer to Joseph's than to Maria Theresa's.
The relationship between Maria Theresa and Joseph was not without warmth but was complicated and their personalities clashed. Despite his intellect, Maria Theresa's force of personality often made Joseph cower. Sometimes, she openly admired his talents and achievements, but criticised him behind his back. She wrote: "We never see each other except at dinner ... His temper gets worse every day ... Please burn this letter ... I just try to avoid public scandal." In another letter, also addressed to Joseph's companion, she complained: "He avoids me ... I am the only person in his way and so I am an obstruction and a burden ... Abdication alone can remedy matters."
After much contemplation, she chose not to abdicate. Joseph himself often threatened to resign as co regent and emperor, but he, too, was induced not to do so. Her threats of abdication were rarely taken seriously; Maria Theresa believed that her recovery from smallpox in 1767 was a sign that God wished her to reign until death. It was in Joseph's interest that she remained sovereign, for he often blamed her for his failures and thus avoided taking on responsibilities of a monarch.
Joseph and Prince Kaunitz arranged the First Partition of Poland despite Maria Theresa's protestations. Her sense of justice pushed her to reject the idea of partition, which would hurt the Polish people . The duo argued that it was too late to abort now. Besides, Maria Theresa herself agreed with the partition when she realised that Frederick II of Prussia and Catherine II of Russia would do it with or without Austrian participation. Maria Theresa claimed and eventually took Galicia and Lodomeria , a province claimed by Hungarian monarchs since the 13th century; in the words of Frederick, "the more she cried, the more she took". The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 33
Death and legacy
Maria Theresa and her husband are interred in the double tomb which she had inscribed as a widow.
"She never bothers about her health, but relies entirely upon her vigorous body for strength and endurance. She is warm blooded and, even in the middle of winter, often sits by an open window ... Her physician scolds her dreadfully about this, but she only laughs at him." Prussian ambassador's letter to Frederick the Second of Prussia , c. 1748. It is unlikely that Maria Theresa ever completely recovered from the smallpox attack in 1767, as 18th century writers asserted. She suffered from shortness of breath , fatigue, cough , distress, necrophobia and insomnia . She later developed edema .
The empress fell ill on 24 November 1780, ostensibly of a chill. Her physician Dr. Störk thought her condition serious. By 28 November, she asked for the last rites , and the next day, at about nine o'clock in the evening, she died surrounded by her remaining children. With her, the House of Habsburg died out and was replaced by the House of Habsburg Lorraine . Joseph, already co sovereign of the Habsburg dominions, succeeded her.
Maria Theresa left a revitalised empire that influenced the rest of Europe throughout the 19th century. Her descendants followed her example and continued reforming the empire. The acquisition of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria gave the empire an even more multinational character that would ultimately lead to its destruction. Her introduction of compulsory schooling, as a means of Germanisation , eventually triggered the revival of Czech culture.
The empress is buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna next to her husband in a coffin she had inscribed during her lifetime. The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 34
Full title
Her title after the death of her husband was:
Maria Theresa, by the Grace of God , Dowager Empress of the Romans, Queen of Hungary, of Bohemia, of Dalmatia, of Croatia, of Slavonia, of Galicia, of Lodomeria, etc.; Archduchess of Austria; Duchess of Burgundy, of Styria, of Carinthia and of Carniola; Grand Princess of Transylvania; Margravine of Moravia; Duchess of Brabant, of Limburg, of Luxemburg, of Guelders, of Württemberg, of Upper and Lower Silesia, of Milan, of Mantua, of Parma, of Piacenza, of Guastalla, of Auschwitz and of Zator; Princess of Swabia; Princely Countess of Habsburg, of Flanders, of Tyrol, of Hennegau, of Kyburg, of Gorizia and of Gradisca; Margravine of Burgau, of Upper and Lower Lusatia; Countess of Namur; Lady of the Wendish Mark and of Mechlin; Dowager Duchess of Lorraine and Bar, Dowager Grand Duchess of Tuscany.
11 th October 1746 The Battle of Rocoux
Battle of Rocoux Part of the War of the Austrian Succession
The Battle of Roucoux, 1746 Date 11 October 1746 Rocourt , Prince Bishopric of Liège , Holy Location Roman Empire Result Decisive French victory Belligerents Habsburg Empire Great Britain France Hanover Dutch Republic Commanders and leaders Charles of Lorraine John Ligonier Maurice de Saxe Prince of Waldeck Strength The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 35
80 97,000 120,000 Casualties and losses 4,000 5,000 dead 3,000 captured 3,500 30 cannon
War of the Austrian Succession
• Mollwitz • Chotusitz • Sahay • Prague • Dettingen • Pfaffenhofen • Fontenoy • Melle • Hohenfriedberg • Ghent • Soor • Hennersdorf • Kesselsdorf • Brussels • Rocoux • Lauffeld • Bergen op Zoom • Maastricht
• ITALY • SEA BATTLES • NORTH AMERICA • JACOBITE RISING OF 1745 • SOUTH ASIA
The Battle of Rocoux (11 October 1746) was a French victory over an allied Austrian , British , Hanoveran and Dutch army in Rocourt (or Rocoux), outside Liège during War of the Austrian Succession .
The French army was commanded by Marshall Saxe and the army of the Pragmatic Allies by Prince Charles of Lorraine of Austria and the British General Sir John Ligonier . Saxe had nearly completed his campaign to take Flanders and was threatening to invade the Netherlands . The allies took up a position next to Liège with the Dutch under Waldeck on the left from Liège to Rocoux, the British and Hanoverians in the center and the Austrians on the right almost to the River Jaar.
The French main attack went against the Dutch portion on the left of the allied line between Liege and Rocoux. Heavily outnumbering the Dutch, the French defeated them on the third assault. [9] The Dutch were forced to withdraw behind the British and Hannoverian lines. In the face of a general French advance the allied line began to give way. The Austrians on the allied right were not engaged and made no attempt to take the initiative and advance against the French left flank. Lingonier's cavalry and some British, Hanoverian and Dutch infantry formed a rear guard that held off the French as the army withdrew. The French were victorious, although the allied army escaped from destruction. The French captured Liège.
This was the second great victory of three for Saxe, after Fontenoy and prior to Lauffeld . The French were victorious, immediately capturing Liège and breaking Austrian control over the Austrian Netherlands for the remainder of the war.
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18 th October 1748 Treaty of Aix la Chapelle ends War of Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The Battle of Fontenoy by Pierre L'Enfant . Oil on canvas. 16 December 1740 – 18 October 1748 Date (7 years, 10 months and 2 days) Location Europe, North America and India Treaty of Aix la Chapelle
Result • Maria Theresa retains the Austrian throne
Prussian control of Silesia confirmed. Territorial Duchies of Parma , Piacenza and changes Guastalla restored to the Spanish Bourbons . Belligerents Kingdom of France Habsburg Monarchy Kingdom of Prussia Great Britain Kingdom of Spain Hanover Bavaria (1741–45) Dutch Republic Saxony (1741–42) Saxony (1743–45) Sicily Kingdom of Naples Sardinia Republic of Genoa Russia (1741–43, 1748) Sweden (1741–43) Commanders and leaders Louis XV of France Maria Theresa Francis I, Holy • Maurice de Roman Emperor Saxe • Duc de Broglie • Ludwig Khevenhüller Frederick II • Charles Alexander • Otto von • Leopold I of The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 37
Anhalt Dessau Traun • Leopold II Maximilian George II
Philip V of Spain • Duke of Cumberland • Infante Philip • Thomas • Count de Mathews Gages Prince of Waldeck Emperor Charles VII Frederick Augustus Charles Emil II Lewenhaupt • Count Rutowsky
Charles Emmanuel III Peter Lacy
The War of the Austrian Succession (1740–48) – including King George's War in North America, the War of Jenkins' Ear (which formally began on 23 October 1739), the First Carnatic War in India, and the First and Second Silesian Wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg .
The war began under the pretext that Maria Theresa was ineligible to succeed to the Habsburg thrones of her father, Charles VI , because Salic law precluded royal inheritance by a woman—though in reality this was a convenient excuse put forward by Prussia and France to challenge Habsburg power. Austria was supported by Great Britain and the Dutch Republic , the traditional enemies of France, as well as the Kingdom of Sardinia and Saxony . France and Prussia were allied with the Electorate of Bavaria .
Spain, already at war with Britain over colonies and trade beginning in 1739, entered the war on the Continent to re establish its influence in northern Italy, further reversing an Austrian dominance over the Italian peninsula that had been achieved at Spain's expense as a consequence of that country's own war of succession earlier in the 18th century.
The war ended with the Treaty of Aix la Chapelle in 1748. The most enduring military historical interest and importance of the war lies in the struggle of Prussia and the Habsburg monarchs for the region of Silesia .
16 th October 1757 Austrian troops occupy Berlin
1757 Berlin raid Part of the Seven Years' War Date 16 October 1757 Location Berlin , Prussia Result Prussian ransom payment of 250,000 The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 38
thalers to the Holy Roman Empire Belligerents Holy Roman Empire Kingdom of Prussia Commanders and leaders Count Hadik General Rotzow Strength 5,100 strong raiding party (including troops 5,521 strong Berlin assigned to guard supply garrison bases)
The 1757 Berlin raid took place during the Seven Years' War . Cavalrymen of the Holy Roman Empire attacked and briefly occupied Berlin , the capital of Prussia .
Background After the War of the Austrian Succession , traditional European alliances fell apart and were replaced by an Anglo Prussian pact and a Franco Austrian alliance. Known as the Diplomatic Revolution , these events caused the Seven Years' War. Frederick II , King of Prussia and bitter rival of the Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa of Austria , invaded Silesia in 1756 but suffered his first defeat at Kolin on June 18. In the aftermath of the battle, however, Frederick neglected to protect the approach to his capital, Berlin.
Battle Austrian commanders noticed this flaw, and Prince Charles of Lorraine , commander of Austrian troops facing Frederick's main army, dispatched Hungarian cavalry officer Count András Hadik and a force of about 5,100 men, mostly Croat or Hungarian hussars, to capture the city. However, to guard his main base at Elsterwerda, Hadik left behind enough troops that his raiding party was outnumbered by the unsuspecting Berlin garrison. [citation needed ]
On October 16, Hadik and his raiding force arrived outside of Berlin. Although the Prussian defenders were surprised, they refused Hadik's surrender demands. Hadik promptly attacked the city gates, entering the city. The city's military governor, General Rotzow, believed that his forces were outnumbered and spirited the Royal Family to Spandau , while Hadik demanded that the city council pay a ransom of 225,000 thalers and a dozen pairs of gloves for the Empress. The ransom was paid, but Hadik left the city hurriedly when he realized that a significant Prussian force under the Prince of Anhalt Dessau was marching toward Berlin in an attempt to intercept him.
The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 39
9th October 1760 – Raid on Berlin
Raid on Berlin Part of the Seven Years' War
Russians and Austrians devaste the Zeughaus Arsenal in Berlin, October 1760 Date October 1760 Location Berlin , Prussia Result Berlin occupied for four days Belligerents Austria Prussia Russia Commanders and leaders Friedrich Wilhelm Count von Lacy von Seydlitz Gottlieb Heinrich Eugene Wurttemberg Totleben General Hulsen Strength 35,600 in Total 28,000 18,000 Austrians 17,600 Russians
The Raid on Berlin took place in October 1760 during the Seven Years' War when Austrian and Russian forces occupied the Prussian capital of Berlin for several days. After raising money from the city, and with the approach of further Prussian reinforcements, the occupiers withdrew. There were later allegations that the Russian commander Count Tottleben had received a personal bribe from the Prussians to spare the city, and he was subsequently tried and found guilty of being a spy .
The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 40
Background After a series of successes over Prussian forces in 1759, the following year proved to be a disappointment for the Allies as their invasion of Silesia had stalled, in spite of their overwhelming manpower, and they had been defeated at the Battle of Liegnitz in August 1760. However, the Prussian capital, Berlin had been left vulnerable by Frederick II decision to concentrate his forces in Silesia. This led to France suggest that Russia could make a lightning raid on Berlin, the Prussian capital.
A smaller Austrian raid had briefly occupied the city in October 1757. The plan drawn up by the allies envisaged a feint towards Guben by the main army, which would allow a force under Heinrich Tottleben to detach itself and hurry northwards to strike at Berlin. This would be followed a separate Austrian force under Count von Lacy . Large numbers of cossacks and light cavalry were to take part in the raid to give it added speed.
Occupation
Approach Tottleben led a vanguard of 5,600 Russians which crossed the River Oder and attempted to take the city by a coup de main on 5 October. This attempt to surprise the city failed in the face of unexpected opposition. The Governor of the city, General Hans Friedrich von Rochow wanted to withdraw in the face of the Russian threat, but the Prussian cavalry commander Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz recovering from his wounds in the city, rallied the 2,000 defenders and managed to drive them back from the city gates.
Having received word of the danger to Berlin, Prince Eugene of Württemberg led his troops back from fighting the Swedes in Pomerania while a contingent from Saxony also arrived, boosting the defenders to around 18,000. The arrival of Lacy's Austrians, however, swung the balance in favour of the Allies. The Austrians occupied Potsdam and Charlottenburg and in the face of these superior forces the Prussian defenders were forced to abandon the city and retreat to nearby Spandau .
Occupation
Charlottenburg Palace was taken over by the occupiers. On 9 October the City Council decided to surrender the city formally to the Russians rather than the Austrians, as Austria was Prussia's bitterest enemy. The Russians immediately made a demand for 4 million Thalers in exchange for the protection of private property . A prominent merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky took over the negotiations on behalf of Berlin, and was able to persuade Tottleben to reduce the levy to 1.5 million Thalers. Meanwhile the Austrians had forced their way into the city and occupied large parts of it.
The Austrians were keener to extract revenge on the city because of Prussian behaviour in occupied Saxony and on Austrian territory. The Russians, concerned about improving their The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 41 international reputation, generally acted with greater restraint and emphasised respect towards the inhabitants.
Several areas of the city were ransacked by the occupiers, and several royal palaces were burnt. Around 18,000 muskets and 143 cannons were seized. Austrian and Russian Battle flags , captured during fighting, were retaken and around 1,200 prisoners of war were released.
Withdrawal A rumour that Frederick II was marching to the rescue of Berlin with his superior forces prompted the commanders to withdraw from the city as they had completed their major objectives. The occupiers withdrew from the city on 12 October, with the national contingents heading in separate directions. The Austrians under Lacy headed towards Saxony while the Russians rejoined their main army in the vicinity of Frankfurt .
Once he had realised that Berlin had now been abandoned by the enemy, Frederick halted his rescue attempt and turned back to concentrate on Silesia and Saxony.
Aftermath Frederick was furious at the failure of his local forces and the inhabitants to actively resist the invaders. However, despite the loss of prestige, the raid was not especially significant for the military. In the wake of the occupation, the Prussians under Frederick fought, and narrowly won, the Battle of Torgau . Tottleben was later accused of being a Prussian spy, and was sentenced to death only to receive a pardon from Catherine the Great .
In early 1762 Berlin came under the threat of more permanent and decisive occupation, but Frederick was spared by the so called Miracle of the House of Brandenburg .
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24 th October 1795 3rd partition of Poland, between Austria, Prussia & Russia
The Third Partition of Poland (1795) was the last in a series of the Partitions of Poland of the land of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth among Prussia , the Austrian Empire , and the Russian Empire which effectively ended Polish Lithuanian national sovereignty until 1918.
17 th October 1797 Peace of Campo Formio
Treaty of Campo Formio, (Oct. 17, 1797), a peace settlement between France and Austria , signed at Campo Formio (now Campoformido, Italy ), a village in Venezia Giulia southwest of Udine , following the defeat of Austria in Napoleon Bonaparte’s first Italian campaign.
The treaty preserved most of the French conquests and marked the completion of Napoleon’s victory over the First Coalition. The Cisalpine and Ligurian republics in northern Italy were established under French influence, and France gained Venice’s Ionian Islands in the Adriatic Sea . In compensation for loss of possessions in Lombardy , Napoleon gave Austria the Venetian territory east of the Adige River, including Istria , Dalmatia , and the city of Venice . This act marked the end of 1,100 years of Venetian independence. Austria gave up its Belgian provinces to France and also agreed, pending ratification at a congress of the estates of the empire, that France could annex the territory it occupied on the left bank of the Rhine River from Basel to Andernach, including Mainz. In return, France promised to use its influence to help Austria obtain Salzburg and part of Bavaria . It was secretly agreed that Prussia , a former ally of Austria, was to receive no territorial compensation. Of the original anti-French coalition, only Britain remained hostile to France after the conclusion of this treaty; Prussia had made peace in March 1795 after the effectuation of the Third Partition of Poland in January 1795.
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14 th October 1805 Battle of Elchingen, France defeats Austria
Battle of Elchingen Part of the War of the Third Coalition
The battlefield in front of the monastery of Elchingen Date 14 October 1805 Location Elchingen , present day Germany Result French victory Belligerents French Empire Austrian Empire Commanders and leaders Michel Ney Johann Riesch Units involved VI Corps (Grande Riesch's Corps Armée) Strength 20,000 8,000 Casualties and losses 854 6,000
The Battle of Elchingen , fought on 14 October 1805, saw French forces under Michel Ney rout an Austrian corps led by Johann Sigismund Riesch . This defeat led to a large part of the Austrian army being invested in the fortress of Ulm by the army of Emperor Napoleon I of France while other formations fled to the east. Soon afterward, the Austrians trapped in Ulm surrendered and the French mopped up most of the remaining Austrians forces, bringing the Ulm Campaign to a close.
In late September and early October 1805, Napoleon carried out a gigantic envelopment of the Austrian army in Bavaria led by Karl Mack von Lieberich . While the Austrian army lay near Ulm, south of the Danube River, the French army marched west on the north side of the river. Then Napoleon's troops crossed the river east of Ulm, cutting the Austrian retreat route to Vienna . Finally waking up to his danger, Mack tried to break out on the north side of the river, but a lone French division blocked his first attempt.
Realizing that his enemies might escape the trap, Napoleon ordered Ney to cross to the north bank of the river. Ney's larger corps attacked Riesch's corps at Elchingen on the north bank. The French captured the heights and drove the Austrian soldiers west toward Ulm, forcing The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 44 many of them to surrender. While a body of Austrians remained at large on the north bank, the near destruction of Riesch's command meant that the bulk of Mack's army was hopelessly surrounded in Ulm.
On 8 September, the army of Feldmarschall Leutnant Karl Mack and Feldmarschall Leutnant Archduke Ferdinand of Austria Este crossed the Inn River and invaded the Electorate of Bavaria . Mack planned to establish 88 battalions and 148 squadrons on the Lech River near Augsburg by the end of October. Though called upon to join Austria against France, Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of Bavaria instead withdrew his army north to the Main River in accordance with his secret alliance with France.
Karl Mack von Leiberich changed the strategic plan By 12 September when the Austrians occupied Munich , Mack changed his mind and discarded his earlier plan. He decided to concentrate his army farther west on the Iller River so he could counterattack any French invasion coming through the Black Forest . As part of his new strategy, Feldmarschall Leutnant Franjo Jelačić (also Franz Jellacic) was ordered to move from Feldmarschall Leutnant Archduke John's Army of the Tyrol to Lake Constance . Mack expected to have 50,000 to 55,000 troops in position near Ulm by the end of September. Jellačić would hold the left flank with 11,000 soldiers while Feldmarschall Leutnant Michael von Kienmayer 12,000 man corps watched the Bavarians from Ingolstadt . However, the change of plans threw the Austrian army's supply system into disarray. As the weather turned bad, sickness and desertion began to diminish the army's numbers. The nominal army commander, Archduke Ferdinand and Mack's chief of staff General Major Anton Mayer von Heldensfeld both insisted that the army halt at the Lech as originally planned. By the end of September, relations between Mack and Ferdinand became so poor that all communication between the two was done in writing. The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 45
Battle of Gunzburg strategic map, situation morning 9 October 1805 Ferdinand and Mayer appealed to Emperor Francis II . The emperor sought the advice of Feldmarschall Archduke Charles (the Victor of Aspern in 1809!), who commanded the Army of Italy, and was warned that Mack was making a strategic blunder. Even so, the emperor backed Mack to the hilt and relieved Mayer of his post.
Mack's army began to assemble on the Iller. On 24 and 25 September, Napoleon launched the Grande Armée across the Rhine River to open the Ulm Campaign . While Marshal Joachim Murat 's Cavalry Corps and Marshal Jean Lannes 's V Corps advanced directly east toward Ulm, the bulk of Napoleon's army passed to the north of the Austrian army. Marshal Jean Baptiste Bernadotte 's I Corps , General of Division Auguste Marmont 's II Corps , Marshal Louis Davout 's III Corps , Marshal Nicolas Soult 's IV Corps , and Marshal Ney's VI Corps wheeled east, then southeast, then south. On 5 October, Kienmayer reported that the French were in Ansbach , to the north of the Danube. Two days later, the French crossed the Danube on a broad front, moving south.
At this time Mack's army was divided into four corps. Jellačić had 15,000 troops in 16 infantry battalions, six jäger companies, and six cavalry squadrons to the south of Ulm. Feldmarschall Leutnant Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg commanded 28 battalions and 30 squadrons at Ulm. Feldmarschall Leutnant Franz von Werneck had 30 battalions and 24 squadrons near Günzburg . Kienmayer's command near Ingolstadt consisted of 19 battalions and 34 squadrons. Unwisely, Mack decided to defend Ulm, instead of trying to escape the approaching French army.
Mack reacted by sending Feldmarschall Leutnant Franz Xavier Auffenberg with only 6,000 men to stop the French. Murat and Lannes crushed the hapless Auffenberg at the Battle of Wertingen , inflicting losses of 400 killed and wounded on the Austrians and capturing 2,900 soldiers and six cannons. The next day, General of Division Jean Pierre Firmin Malher 's VI corps division attacked General Major Konstantin Ghilian Karl d'Aspré 's 7,000 troops in the Battle of Günzburg . The Austrians suffered 2,000 casualties while the French lost 700 soldiers. The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 46
Pierre Dupont Napoleon placed Davout and Bernadotte at Munich to guard against General Mikhail Kutuzov 's Russian army and Kienmayer's troops. The emperor sent Soult west to Memmingen , south of Ulm. Murat, Lannes, Ney, Marmont, and the Imperial Guard moved directly west toward Ulm. At this time, Ney's corps was still on the north bank. On 11 October, when Murat ordered Ney to bring his corps to the south bank, Ney furiously protested but was overruled. In consequence, Mack and Prince Schwarzenberg with 25,000 troops fell upon General of Division Pierre Dupont's solitary division in the Battle of Haslach Jungingen that day. Dupont's 5,350 infantry, supported by General of Division Jacques Louis François Delaistre de Tilly 's 2,169 cavalry fought the Austrians to a standstill. Dupont's force was mauled, losing 2,400 casualties, plus 11 guns and 2 eagles captured. Austrian losses numbered 4,100 killed, wounded, and captured.
More important, Mack was wounded in the fight and, with his force, "tamely returned to Ulm that night." On 12 October Mack reorganized his army into four corps under Schwarzenberg, Werneck, Jellačić, and Feldmarschall Leutnant Riesch. The units were organized similar to the French corps, except that Mack constantly shuffled the component units. That day, Mack issued a flurry of orders, each set countermanding the previous instructions. In sum, he ordered Jellačić to march south to the Tyrol, Schwarzenberg to hold Ulm, and Werneck to move to Heidenheim an der Brenz followed by General Major Johann Ludwig Alexius von Loudon 's division of Riesch's corps. This was followed by a council of war at which Mack decided to send Riesch along the Danube to destroy all the bridges. In one speculative account, the real reason Mack sent Jellačić to the Tyrol was to get rid of Mayer, who led a brigade. Historian Frederick Kagan surmised that Mack was either confused or he deliberately scattered his army to give it a better chance to escape. In any case, Mack soon issued a new set of orders which were similar to the last set. Riesch set out with his command on the 13th, marching on water logged roads in the direction of Elchingen.
On 13 October several French corps marched west on the south side of the Danube. Napoleon still hoped to encircle Mack's forces south of the river. He seemed unaware of the possibility that the Austrians could get away on the north bank. That day, Napoleon heard from Ney that only Dupont's division and some cavalry occupied the north bank in force. The French emperor ordered Ney and Marshal Joachim Murat to shift their forces to the north side of the river the next day. Also on the 13th, Soult wiped out General Major Karl Spangen von Uyternesse's brigade in the Battle of Memmingen , capturing 4,600 men at the cost of 16 casualties. The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 47
French attack
Battle of Elchingen from an engraving by Johann Lorenz Rugendas (1775-1826). French infantry storm the abbey while dragoons chase fleeing Austrians. Dupont was already north of the Danube with Tilly's horsemen. Ney planned to have Loison's men attack across a partly dismantled bridge directly south of Riesch's position. As soon as the bridge was secure, Murat would send cavalry across to help. Meanwhile, Malher would cross the Danube further east and then sweep west along the north bank. At 8:00 am, Ney sent the elite companies of Villatte's brigade across the bridge where they overpowered the bridge guard. French engineers quickly repaired the span so that when Riesch sent two battalions to interfere, they were driven back by a growing body of French reinforcements.
Villatte's brigade assaulted the main Austrian position, supported by Colbert's cavalry and ten cannons. Led personally by Ney, the 6th Light rapidly captured the Elchingen Abbey and all of Ober Elchingen except a brickworks. The 39th Line was driven back by Austrian cavalry, but Loison brought up Roguet's brigade to help. The 69th Line helped roll Riesch's men back into the Grosser Forest. Threatened by Malher from the east and Dupont from the northeast, Riesch began pulling back. Colonel Charles, comte Lefebvre Desnouettes 's 18th Dragoons broke an Austrian square after it was softened up by musketry from the 76th Line. Colonel Auguste Jean Gabriel de Caulaincourt 's 19th Dragoons also joined the pursuit. A final cavalry charge by the Austrians was checked by Roguet's brigade, then counter charged by Colbert's horsemen.
Results
Archduke Ferdinand The French admitted losing 56 officers and 737 men killed or wounded. They captured 4,000 Austrians and 4 cannon. Austrian killed and wounded may have been as high as 2,000. [23]
Riesch's survivors retreated to Ulm where they were trapped with Mack. On 14 October Archduke Ferdinand took flight from the city with a cavalry regiment. At this time, large The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 48 portions of the Austrian army remained outside Napoleon's net. Mack capitulated with 23,500 troops and 60 cannons in the Battle of Ulm on October 20.
In several clashes over the next few days, Murat's pursuit mopped up most of Werneck's corps and other fleeing units. The French clashed with Feldmarschall Leutnant Prince of Hohenzollern Hechingen's division at Langenau on 16 October. The next day, Murat and Dupont cut General Major Rudolf Sinzendorf's brigade to pieces at Herbrechtingen , capturing 2,500 Austrians. On 18 October, Murat and Ney forced Werneck to capitulate with 15,000 soldiers and 28 artillery pieces at Trochtelfingen . Only Archduke Ferdinand, Prince Hohenzollern, Schwarzenberg, Feldmarschall Leutnant Ignaz Gyulai and 12 squadrons of cavalry escaped into Bohemia . Far to the south, the French eliminated another fragment of the shattered Austrian army when Jellacic surrendered 4,000 men to Marshal Pierre Augereau 's 15,000 man VII Corps at Dornbirn on 13 November. In 1808 Napoleon bestowed the title, the Duke of Elchingen upon Ney as a reward for his victory.
6th October 1879 The Austro German Dual Alliance
The young German Empire created in 1871 enjoyed cordial relations with Russia but feared that France might someday forge an alliance with one or more Great Powers in the quest to recover Alsace Lorraine. Austria Hungary enjoyed cordial relations with France but feared Russian expansion in the Balkans, a fear that became magnified by the Russo Turkish War of 1877. After Bismarck mediated successfully between Russia and Austria at the Congress of Berlin, he negotiated the following treaty of alliance with Austria Hungary. It became the cornerstone of Germany’s diplomatic campaign to keep France isolated.
6th October 1908 Austria annexes Bosnia & Herzegovina
The Bosnian Crisis of 1908–1909, also known as the Annexation crisis , or the First Balkan Crisis , erupted into public view when on 6 October 1908, Austria Hungary announced the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina . Russia , the Ottoman Empire , Britain, Italy, Serbia, Montenegro, Germany and France took an interest in these events. In April 1909 the Treaty of Berlin was amended to accept the new status quo bringing the crisis to an end. The crisis permanently damaged relations between Austria Hungary on the one hand and Russia and the Kingdom of Serbia on the other. The annexation and reactions to the annexation were contributing causes of World War I .
Buchlau Bargain The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 49
Buchlau castle
Exchange of letters On 2 July 1908, Russian Foreign Minister Alexander Izvolsky wrote to Austro Hungarian Foreign Minister Alois Aehrenthal and proposed a discussion of reciprocal changes to the 1878 Treaty of Berlin in favour of the Russian interest in the Straits of Constantinople and Austro Hungarian interests in the annexation of Bosnia Herzegovina and the Sanjak of Novibazar . On 14 July Aehrenthal responded with guarded acceptance of the proposed discussion. On 10 September, after long and complex discussions within Austria Hungary, Aehrenthal outlined a slightly different bargain to Izvolsky. In exchange for a friendly Russian attitude in the event Austria Hungary annexed Bosnia Herzegovina, Austria Hungary would then withdraw its troops from the Sanjak. The letter then went on to offer to discuss, as a separate matter, the Straits question on a friendly basis.
Meeting at Buchlau On 16 September, Izvolsky and Aehrenthal met face to face at Buchlau . No minutes were taken during these private meetings which lasted a total of six hours. Izvolsky accepted the responsibility to write up the conclusions of the meeting and forward them to Aehrenthal. On 21 September Aehrenthal wrote to Izvolsky asking for this document to which Izvolsky replied two days later that the document had been sent to the Czar for approval. This document, if it ever existed, has never been produced.
Aehrenthal’s version of the agreement By Aehrenthal’s account given by Albertini, Izvolsky agreed that Russia would maintain "a friendly and benevolent attitude" if Austria Hungary were to annex Bosnia Herzegovina. Reciprocally, Austria Hungary, should Russia move to open “the Straits to single ships of war” would maintain a benevolent attitude. The two agreed that a likely consequence of the annexation was Bulgaria would declare its independence from the Ottoman Empire. Austria Hungary would offer no territorial concessions to Serbia or Montenegro, but if they supported the annexation then Austria Hungary would not oppose Serbian expansion in the Balkans, and support the Russian demand to revise Article 29 of the Treaty of Berlin which restricted Montenegrin sovereignty. The parties agreed "these changes could receive sanction after negotiation with the Porte and the Powers", but "there would be no more talk of Bosnia Herzegovina". Annexation would probably take place at the beginning of October. The original of Aehrenthal’s account has not been found and so historians have had to make do with an undated office copy of the document.
Izvolsky’s version On 30 September, Austria Hungary informed Izvolsky, who was in Paris at the time, that the annexation would take place on 7 October. On 4 October, Izvolsky prepared a report at the The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 50 request of the British Ambassador to France, Bertie . Izvolsky stated that his position was that annexation was a matter to be settled between the signatories to the Treaty of Berlin. With the compensation of Austro Hungarian withdrawal from the Sanjak of Novibazar, Russia would not consider the annexation as reason to go to war, but Russia and other governments would insist on changes to the Treaty favorable to themselves, including opening the Straits, Bulgarian independence, territorial concessions to Serbia, and abolition of restrictions on Montenegrin sovereignty under article 29. Bertie told British Foreign Minister Grey that he felt Izvolsky was not being completely honest.
Annexation On 5 October, Bulgaria declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire. On 6 October, Emperor Franz Joseph announced to the people of Bosnia Herzegovina his intention to give them an autonomous and constitutional regime and the provinces were annexed. On 7 October, Austria Hungary announced its withdrawal from the Sanjak of Novibazar. Bulgarian independence and the Bosnian annexation were not countenanced by the Treaty of Berlin and set off a flurry of diplomatic protests and discussions.
Protests and compensations Serbia mobilized its army and on 7 October the Serbian Crown Council demanded that the annexation be reversed or, failing that, Serbia should receive compensation, which it defined on 25 October as a strip of land across the northern most portion of the Sanjak of Novibazar. In the end these demands were rejected, although Serbia later took control of the Sanjak.
Ottoman Empire
Left Ottoman caricature on the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the ironic title: "Advance of civilization in Bosnia and Herzegovina" The Ottoman Empire protested Bulgaria's declaration of independence with more vigor than the annexation of Bosnia Herzegovina, which it had no practical prospects of governing. A boycott of Austro Hungarian goods however did occur, inflicting commercial losses on Austria Hungary. On 20 February, Austria Hungary settled the matter and received Ottoman acquiescence to the annexation in return for ₤2.2 million . Bulgarian independence could not be reversed.
France, Britain, Russia and Italy The annexation and Bulgarian declaration were viewed as violations of the Treaty of Berlin. France, Britain, Russia and Italy therefore were in favor of a conference to consider the matter. German opposition and complex diplomatic maneuvering as to the location, nature and preconditions of the conference delayed and ultimately scuttled it. Instead, the Powers reached agreement on amendments to the Treaty through consultations between capitals. The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 51
Italy expected compensations in the Italia Irredenta's territories ruled by Austria Hungary in exchange for its recognition of the annexation of Bosnia Herzegovina, as it was agreed upon in the Triple Alliance treaties with Austria Hungary. However this didn't happen and this became one of the reasons for Italy to break its alliance with Austria Hungary in 1915. The mutual compensation clause was first included in art. 1 from the Italian Austrian agreement added to the 1887 version of the Triple Alliance treaty, then reproduced in art.7 of the 1891 version of the Triple Alliance treaty and finally in art.7 of the 1909 and of 5 December 1912 versions of the same treaty.
Russia and Serbia back down British opposition to amending the Treaty of Berlin with respects to the Straits left Russia empty handed and therefore Izvolsky and the Czar regarded the annexation and Aehrenthal's maneuvers as made in bad faith. Cognizant of Aehrenthal's heritage, Izvolsky exploded making the remark:
"The dirty Jew has deceived me. He lied to me, he bamboozled me, that frightful Jew." To bring Izvolsky to heel, Austria Hungary threatened to release and then ultimately began leaking documents, in which, over the course of the previous 30 years, Russia had agreed that Austria Hungary had a free hand to do as it liked with Bosnia Herzegovina and the Sanjak of Novibazar. These documents were an embarrassment to Russia, especially with regards to its relations with Serbia. Czar Nicholas II wrote to Emperor Franz Joseph and accused Austria Hungary of betraying a confidence and relations between the two countries were permanently damaged. Under Germany’s advice, Austria Hungary kept in confidence the 2 July and 23 September correspondence from Izvolsky to Aehrenthal and these were a continued threat to Izvolsky’s position if Russia did not firmly and publicly accept amendment of Article 25 of the Treaty of Berlin to accept the annexation. On 22 March, Germany put Russia on the spot, demanding that Russia give a clear and unequivocal "yes" or "no" as to whether it committed to accept this amendment. Failure to give a positive reply would cause Germany to withdraw from the diplomatic discussions "and let things take their course". Under such pressure, Izvolsky caved and advised the cabinet to accept the amendment of Article 25 for fear that otherwise Austria would be free to act against Serbia. The cabinet agreed. On 23 March the Czar accepted the decision and communicated the decision to German Ambassador to Russia Portales. Britain however was not quite ready to acquiesce and stated that it would do so only once "the Serbian question had been settled in a pacific manner." France fell in line behind Britain.
On 26 March, Austria Hungary provided Britain with the negotiated text of Serbia’s March declaration committing Serbia to accept the annexation. It ran:
"Serbia recognizes that she has not been injured in her right by the fait accompli created in Bosnia Herzegovina and that consequently she will conform to such decision as the Powers shall take in regard to Article 25 of the Treaty of Berlin. Submitting to the advice of the Great Powers, Serbia undertakes already now to abandon the attitude of protest and opposition which she has maintained in regard to the annexation since last autumn and undertakes further to change the course of her present policy towards Austria Hungary to live henceforward with the latter on a footing of good neighborliness. Conformable to these declarations and confident of the pacific intentions of Austria Hungary, Serbia will reduce her army to the position of spring 1908 as regards its organization, its distribution and its effectives. She will disarm and disband her volunteers and bands and will prevent the formation of new units of irregulars on its territories." The next day Austria Hungary asked for Britain’s firm assurance that once the negotiations with Serbia were complete, Britain would accept the amendment of Article 25. Without such assurance Austria Hungary stated it would break off negotiations with Serbia. Later that day The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 52
Austria Hungary decided to partially mobilize its armed forces. On 28 March Britain committed as requested. On 31 March Serbia made its formal declaration of acceptance to Austria Hungary representing a complete Serbian climb down. The crisis was over. The Great Powers signed the amendments to the Treaty of Berlin in the various capitals from 7 April to 19 April.
A little over a year later, as a result of this diplomatic defeat, Izvolsky was demoted and made ambassador to France. He was permanently embittered against Aehrenthal and the Central Powers. The Russian Diplomat and newspaperman de Schelking relates Izvolsky's political downfall: "In the Salons of Petrograd he" (Izvolsky) "was given the Sobriquet 'Prince of the Bosphorous'. In his conceit Iswolsky could not see he was being mocked."
18th October 1913 Austria Hungary demands that Serbia leaves Albania
Austria Hungary , acting on its own without consultation with the other "Great Powers", delivered an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia , demanding that Serbian troops be withdrawn within eight days from the territory set aside for Albania by the Great Powers. The Serbians withdrew on October 25.
24th October 1917 Battle at Caporetto
Battle of Caporetto Part of the Italian Front ( World War I )
Battle of Caporetto and Italian retreat. Date 24 October – 12 November 1917 Caporetto , Austria Hungary (present day Slovenia ) Location 46°12′52″N 13°38′33″E 46.21444°N 13.64250°ECoordinates : 46°12′52″N 13°38′33″E46.21444°N 13.64250°E Result Central Powers victory Belligerents The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 53
Austria Hungary Italy German Empire Commanders and leaders Svetozar Boroević Luigi Cadorna Otto von Below Luigi Capello Strength 350,000 soldiers [1] 400,000 soldiers [1] 2,213 artillery 2,200 artillery Casualties and losses 10,000 dead, 70,000 dead or [2] 30,000 wounded, wounded [2] 265,000 captured
The Battle of Caporetto (also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo or the Battle of Karfreit as it was known by the Central Powers ), took place from 24 October to 19 November 1917, near the town of Kobarid (now in Slovenia ), on the Austro Italian front of World War I . The battle was named after the Italian name of the town of Kobarid (known as Karfreit in German).
Austro Hungarian forces, reinforced by German units, were able to break into the Italian front line and rout the Italian army, which had practically no mobile reserves. The battle was a demonstration of the effectiveness of the use of stormtroopers and the infiltration tactics developed in part by Oskar von Hutier . The use of poison gas by the Germans played a key role in the collapse of the Italian Second Army.
Battle
The Isonzo river, location of the initial attacks at Kobarid (Caporetto). The Austrian offensive began at approximately 02:00 on 24 October 1917. Due to the inclement weather that morning, particularly the mist, the Italians were caught by complete surprise. The battle opened with a German artillery barrage, poison gas , and smoke, and was followed by an all out assault against the Italian lines. The Italians had outdated gas masks, gave no counter fire and had given the Germans all the weather information they needed over their radio. The defensive line of the Italian Second Army was breached between the IV and XXVII Corps almost immediately. The German forces made extensive use of flamethrowers and hand grenades as a part of their infiltration tactics , and were able to tear gaping holes in the Italian line, especially in the Italian strongholds on Mount Matajur and the Kolovrat Range . By the end of the first night, von Below's men had advanced a remarkable 25 km (16 mi). German and Austro Hungarian attacks from either side of von Below's central column were less effective, however. The Italian Army had been able to repel the majority of these attacks, but the success of von Below's central thrust threw the entire Italian Army into disarray. Forces had to be moved along the Italian front in an attempt to stem von Below's The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 54 breakout, but this only weakened other points along the line and invited further attacks. At this point, the entire Italian position on the Tagliamento River was under threat.
2nd army commander Luigi Capello was Italy's best general but was bedridden with fever while still retaining command. Realizing his forces were ill prepared for this attack and were being routed, Capello requested permission to withdraw back to the Tagliamento. He was overruled by Cadorna, however, who believed that the Italian force could regroup and hold out against the attackers. Finally, on 30 October, Cadorna ordered the majority of the Italian force to retreat to the other side of the river. It took the Italians four full days to cross the river, and by this time the German and Austro Hungarian armies were on their heels. By 2 November, a German division had established a bridgehead on the Tagliamento. About this time, however, the rapid success of the attack caught up with them. The German and Austro Hungarian supply lines were stretched to breaking point, and as a result, they were not able to launch another concerted attack. Cadorna took advantage of this to retreat further, and by 10 November had established a position on the Piave River .
Failures of German Logistics Even before the battle, Germany was struggling to feed and supply its armies in the field. Erwin Rommel , who, as a junior officer, won the Pour le Mérite for his exploits in the battle, often bemoaned the demands placed upon his "poorly fed troops". The Allied blockade of the German Empire, which the Kaiserliche Marine had been unable to break, was responsible for food shortages and widespread malnutrition in Germany and the Central Powers in general. When inadequate provisioning was combined with the gruelling night marches preceding the battle of Caporetto (Kobarid), a heavy toll was extracted from the German and Austro Hungarian forces. Despite these logistical problems, the initial assault was extremely successful. However, as the area controlled by the combined Central Powers forces expanded, an already limited logistical capacity was overstrained. By the time the attack reached the Piave, the soldiers of the Central Powers were running low on supplies and were feeling the physical effects of exhaustion. As the Italians began to counter the pressure put on them by the Central Powers, the German forces lost all momentum and were once again caught up in another round of attrition warfare .
Aftermath Italian losses were enormous: 10,000 were killed, 30,000 wounded and 265,000 were taken prisoner – morale was so low among the Italian troops, mainly due to Cadorna's harsh disciplinary regime, that most of these surrendered willingly. Furthermore, roughly 3,000 guns, 3,000 machine guns and 2,000 mortars were captured, along with an untold amount of stores and equipment. Rommel, then an Oberleutnant, captured 1,500 men and 43 officers with just 3 riflemen and 2 officers to help. Austro Hungarian and German forces advanced more than 100 km (62 mi) in the direction of Venice , but they were not able to cross the Piave River . Although to this point the Italians had been left to fight on their own, after Kobarid (Caporetto) they were reinforced by six French infantry divisions and five British infantry divisions as well as sizeable air contingents. However, these troops played no role in stemming the advancing Germans and Austro Hungarians, because they were deployed on the Mincio River , some 60 miles behind the Piave, as the British and French strategists did not believe the Piave line could be held. The Piave served as a natural barrier where the Italians could establish a new defensive line, which was held during the subsequent Battle of the The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 55
Piave River and later served as springboard for the Battle of Vittorio Veneto , where the Austro Hungarian army was finally defeated after four days of stiff resistance.
Marshal Luigi Cadorna The battle led to the conference at Rapallo and the creation of a Supreme War Council , with the aim of improving Allied military co operation and developing a unified strategy.
Luigi Cadorna was forced to resign after the defeat. The defeat alone was not the sole cause, but rather the breaking point for an accumulation of failures, as perceived by the Italian Prime Minister, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando . Throughout much of his command, including at Kobarid (Caporetto), Cadorna was known to have maintained poor relations with the other generals on his staff. By the start of the battle he had sacked 217 generals, 255 colonels and 355 battalion commanders. In addition, he was detested by his troops as being too harsh. He was replaced by Armando Diaz and Pietro Badoglio . He had already been directing the battle 20 miles behind before fleeing another 100 miles to Padua .
This led governments to the realization that fear alone could not adequately motivate a modern army. After the defeat at Caporetto, Italian propaganda offices were established, promising land and social justice to soldiers. Italy also accepted a more cautious military strategy from this point on. General Diaz concentrated his efforts on rebuilding his shattered forces while taking advantage of the national rejuvenation that had been spurred by invasion and defeat.
After this battle, the term "Caporetto" gained a particular resonance in Italy. It is used to denote a terrible defeat – the failed General Strike of 1922 by the socialists was referred to by Mussolini as the "Caporetto of Italian Socialism". Many years after the war, Caporetto was still being used to destroy the credibility of the liberal state.
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The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 56
Battle of Vittorio Veneto Part of the Italian Front (World War I)
Battle of Vittorio Veneto Date 24 October – 3 November 1918 Vittorio , Kingdom of Italy 45°57′21″N 12°20′49″E45.95583°N Location 12.34694°ECoordinates : 45°57′21″N 12°20′49″E45.95583°N 12.34694°E Decisive Italian victory Result [1][2] End of the Austro Hungarian Empire Belligerents Italy United Kingdom France Austria Hungary Czechoslovak legions United States Commanders and leaders Armando Diaz Svetozar Boroevic Strength 57 divisions [3]
• 51 Italian • 3 British • 2 French 61 divisions [5] • 1 Czechoslovak 6,145 guns • 1 US regiment [4]
7,700 guns
Casualties and losses 35,000 dead 37,461 dead or wounded 100,000 wounded 300,000 captured The Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought between 24 October and 3 November 1918, near Vittorio Veneto , during the Italian Campaign of World War I . The Italian victory marked the end of the war on the Italian Front, secured the dissolution of the Austro Hungarian Empire and was chiefly instrumental in ending the First World War less than two weeks later. The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 57
Some Italians see Vittorio Veneto as the final culmination of the Risorgimento nationalist movement, in which Italy was unified
Background During the Battle of Caporetto , from 24 October to 9 November 1917, the Italian Army lost over 300,000 men and was forced to withdraw, causing the replacement of the Italian Supreme General Luigi Cadorna with General Armando Diaz . Diaz reorganized the troops, blocked the enemy advance by implementing defenses in depth and mobile reserves and stabilized the front line around the Piave River .
In June 1918, a large Austro Hungarian offensive , aimed to break the Piave defensive line and deliver a decisive blow to the Italian army, was launched. The Imperial army tried on one side to force the Tonale Pass and enter Lombardy , on the other side to make two converging thrusts into central Venetia , the first one southeastward from the Trentino, the second one southwestward across the lower Piave. The whole offensive came to worse than nothing, the attackers losing 60,000 dead, 90,000 wounded and 25,000 captured.
Battle After the battle of the Piave, General Armando Diaz , the Italian commander in chief, despite aggressive appeals by Allied commanders, deliberately abstained from offensive action until Italy should be ready to strike with success assured. In the offensive he planned, three of the five armies lining the front from the Monte Grappa sector to the Adriatic end of the Piave were to drive across the river toward Vittorio Veneto , so as to cut communications between the two Austrian armies opposing them.
Allied forces totaled 57 infantry divisions, including 51 Italian, 3 British, 2 French, 1 Czechoslovak, and a token American regiment , along with supporting arms. The Austrians fielded an Army of roughly equal size, but one that was demoralized, with 52 infantry divisions and an inferior number of artillery pieces. On 24 October, the anniversary of the Battle of Caporetto , the offensive opened. A first attack in the Monte Grappa sector was launched to attract the Austrian reserves. The flooding of the Piave prevented two of the three central armies from advancing simultaneously with the third; but the latter, under the command of Lord Cavan , after seizing Papadopoli Island farther downstream, won a foothold on the left bank of the river on 27 October. The Italian reserves were then brought up to exploit this bridgehead. Svetozar Boroević von Bojna , the Austro Hungarian commander, ordered a counter attack on the Italian bridgeheads on the same day, but his troops refused to obey orders, a problem confronting the Austrians from that time on, and the counter attack failed.
After crossing the Piave River , the Eighth Italian Army, led by General Enrico Caviglia, took Vittorio ("Veneto" was added to the name only in 1923) and advanced in the direction of Trento , threatening to block the retreat of Austrian forces.
On 28 October Czechoslovakia declared independence from Austro Hungary . The next day the South Slavs proclaimed independence, and on 31 October Hungary withdrew from the union, officially dissolving the Austro Hungarian state. On 28 October, under these new political and military conditions, the Austro Hungarian high command ordered a general The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 58 retreat . As already mentioned, Vittorio Veneto was seized the next day by the Eighth Italian Army, which was already pushing on to the Tagliamento river. Trieste was taken by an amphibious expedition on 3 November.
The 11th Italian army, commanded by French General Jean Graziani, continued to advance, supported on the right by the 9th Army. The result was that Austria Hungary lost about 30,000 casualties and between 400,000–500,000 prisoners (50,000 by 31 October 100,000 by 1 November, 428,000 by 4 November). The Italians suffered 37,461 casualties (dead and wounded), including 145 French and 374 Britons.
Postage stamp, Italy, 1921.
On 29 October the Austro Hungarians asked for an armistice. On 30 October 1918 the Austro Hungarian army was split in two. The armistice was signed on 3 November at 3:20 p.m., to become effective 24 hours later, at 3 p.m. on 4 November.
The Austrian command ordered its troops to cease hostilities on 3 November. Following the signing of the armistice, Austrian General Weber informed his Italian counterparts that the Imperial army had already laid down its weapons, and asked to cease combat immediately and to stop any further Italian advance. The proposal was sharply rejected by the Italian General Badoglio , who threatened to stop all negotiations and to continue the war. General Weber repeated the request. Even before the order to cease hostilities, the Imperial Army had already started to collapse, beginning a chaotic retreat. Italian troops continued their advance until 3 p.m. on 4 November. The occupation of all Tyrol, including Innsbruck , was completed in the following days.
Under the terms of the Austrian Italian Armistice of Villa Giusti , Austria Hungary’s forces were required to evacuate not only all territory occupied since August 1914 but also South Tirol, Tarvisio , the Isonzo Valley, Gorizia , Trieste , Istria , western Carniola , and Dalmatia . All German forces should be expelled from Austria Hungary within 15 days or interned, and the Allies were to have free use of Austria Hungary’s internal communications. They were also obliged to allow the transit of the Entente armies, to reach Germany from the South.
Aftermath The battle marked the end of the First World War on the Italian front and secured the end of the Austro Hungarian empire. As mentioned above, on 31 October Hungary officially left the personal union with Austria. Other parts of the empire had declared independence, notably what later became Yugoslavia . The surrender of their primary ally was another major factor in the German Empire 's decision that they could no longer continue the war. On 30 October the Wilhelmshaven mutiny erupted, shortly afterwards the German Revolution of 1918–1919 started to spread from Kiel . In early November, the Germans requested an armistice. The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 59
15 th October 1926 – Ignaz Seipel forms government
Chancellor Ramek resigned on October 14, 1926, and Ignaz Seipel formed a government as chancellor on October 15, 1926.
Ignaz Seipel (19 July 1876 – 2 August 1932) was an Austrian prelate and politician of the Christian Social Party (CS), who served as Federal Chancellor twice during the 1920s.
Ignaz Seipel
6th Chancellor of Austria In office 31 May 1922 – 20 November 1924 President Michael Hainisch Preceded by Johann Schober Succeeded by Rudolf Ramek 8th Chancellor of Austria In office 20 October 1926 – 4 May 1929 Michael Hainisch (1926 1928) President Wilhelm Miklas (1928 1929) Preceded by Rudolf Ramek Succeeded by Ernst Streeruwitz Minister of Foreign Affairs In office 20 October 1926 – 4 May 1929 Chancellor himself Preceded by Rudolf Ramek Succeeded by Ernst Streeruwitz In office 30 September 1930 – 4 December 1930 Chancellor Carl Vaugoin Preceded by Johann Schober Succeeded by Johann Schober Personal details Born 19 July 1876 The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 60
Vienna , Austria Hungary 2 August 1932 (aged 56) Died Pernitz , Austria Political party Christian Social Party (CS) Alma mater University of Vienna Profession Theologian Religion Roman Catholic
Career Seipel studied theology at the University of Vienna and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1899. He gained his doctorate in theology in 1903, followed by his habilitation at the Vienna university, being one of the first scholars writing on business ethics in the context of Catholic social teaching . From 1909 until 1917 he taught moral theology at the University of Salzburg .
Seipel was a member of the clerical conservative Christian Social Party established by the Vienna mayor Karl Lueger in 1893, and served as cabinet secretary in the Austro Hungarian government during World War I . At that time he also wrote and published a number of famous works, including Nation und Staat ( Nation and State ) (1916), which helped cement his later prominent role in the party. In these writings, unlike most contemporaries swept up by Wilsonian rhetoric, he saw the state as the primary vindication of sovereignty, rather than the nation. In October 1918 he was appointed Minister for Labour and Social Affairs in the last Cisleithanian cabinet under Minister president Heinrich Lammasch .
Seipel preaching at Bingen , 1929
After World War I , Seipel, a member of the constituent assembly of German Austria , re established the formerly monarchist Christian Social Party, now operating – the empire having been lost – in the First Austrian Republic . Party chairman from 1921 until 1930, he served as chancellor between 1922 and 1924, and again from 1926 until 1929, then also as Foreign Minister .
To restore the Austrian economy , Chancellor Seipel and his delegate Mensdorff Pouilly Dietrichstein on 4 October 1922 signed the Protocol for the reconstruction of Austria at the League of Nations : by officially renouncing accession to Germany , he obtained an international bond. In order to fight the hyperinflation of the Krone currency the government at the same time re implemented the independent National Bank of Austria with the task of securing monetary stability. However, these policies let to growing discontent by socialist workers' organizations, and in June 1924 an attempt was made on Seipel's life by a frustrated worker.
Leading a right wing coalition government supported by the Greater German People's Party and the Landbund , his main policy was the encouragement of cooperation between wealthy industrialists and the paramilitary units of the nationalist Heimwehren . This alignment led to an increase in street violence and armed conflicts with the left wing Republikanischer Schutzbund , culminating in the Vienna July Revolt of 1927 claiming numerous casualties. The Social Democratic opposition thereafter referred to Seipel as the "Bloody Prelate". He The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 61 finally resigned in 1929 and was succeeded by his party fellow Ernst Streeruwitz . In the following year he once again served in a short time term as Foreign Minister in the cabinet of Chancellor Carl Vaugoin .
Seipel died during a stay at a sanatorium in the Vienna Woods . He is buried in an Ehrengrab at the Vienna Zentralfriedhof .
30 th October 1943 – The Moscow Declaration
The Moscow Declaration was signed during the Moscow Conference on October 30, 1943. The formal name of the declaration was " Declaration of the Four Nations on General Security ". It was signed by the foreign secretaries of the Governments of the United States , the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union . The Declaration has four separate parts.
Declaration regarding Austria In the section Declaration regarding Austria the Foreign Secretaries of US, UK and USSR declared that the annexation ( Anschluss ) of Austria by Germany was null and void. It called for the establishment of a free Austria after the victory over Nazi Germany .
"The Governments of the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States of America are agreed that Austria, the first free country to fall a victim to Hitlerite aggression, shall be liberated from German domination.
They regard the annexation imposed upon Austria by Germany on March 15, 1938, as null and void. They consider themselves as in no way bound by any changes effected in Austria since that date. They declare that they wish to see re-established a free and independent Austria, and thereby to open the way for the Austrian people themselves, as well as those neighbouring states which will be faced with similar problems, to find that political and economic security which is the only basis for lasting peace.
Austria is reminded, however, that she has responsibility which she cannot evade for participation in the war on the side of Hitlerite Germany, and that in the final settlement account will inevitably be taken of her own contribution to her liberation."
25th October 1955 Austria resumed its sovereignty after departure of last Allied occupation forces, for 1st time since German occupation of 1938
26 th October 1955 Austrian National Day
After the last Allied troops have left the country and following the provisions of the Austrian Independence Treaty , Austria declares permanent neutrality .
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The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 62
In 2013 Austria remembers the “Anschluss” on Nazi Germany in 1938. It also recalls the crimes committed by so many Austrians in the Nazi Machinery but also its hitherto unsung heroes who gave their lives for others . Sister Maria Restituta Born 1st May 1894, Husovice, Austria Hungary (now part of Brno, Czech Republic) – died 30 th March 1943, Vienna, Austria, was a nun, nurse, who was martyred at the hands of the then national socialist regime. Her birthname was Helena Kafka.
Born on 1 May 1894, the sixth daughter of a shoemaker in Husovice in what was then the Austro Hungarian Empire, she was baptised Helena. When she was two years old, her family moved to Vienna , the capital, and home to a Czech migrant community, where she grew up. She worked as a salesclerk and then as a nurse at the Lainz public hospital.
While working as a nurse, she met the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity and entered their community in 1914, at the age of 20. She took the name Restituta after a 4th century Christian martyr. After the First World War, she began working as a nurse at the Mödling hospital, eventually becoming the leading surgical nurse.
The Mödling hospital was not spared the effects of the 1938 Anschluss. When the Nazis took over Austria, Sister Restituta was very vocal in her opposition to the new regime. "A Viennese cannot keep her mouth shut" , she said. When a new hospital wing was constructed, Sister Restituta hung a crucifix in every room. The Nazis demanded the crosses be taken down and the sister refused. The Nazis demanded that the crosses be removed, threatening Sr Restituta's dismissal. The crucifixes were not removed, nor was Sr Restituta, since her community said they could not replace her.
She was denounced by a doctor who fanatically supported the Nazis. On Ash Wednesday 1942 (18 February of that year), after coming out of the operating theatre Sr. Mary Restituta was arrested by the Gestapo and accused not only of hanging the crosses but also of having written a poem mocking Hitler. On 29 October 1942 she was sentenced to death by the guillotine by the Volksgerichtshof for "favouring the enemy and conspiracy to commit high The BCA News October 2013 The Supplement. 63 treason". The Nazis offered her freedom if she would abandon the Franciscan sisters, but she refused. When a request for clemency reached the desk of Martin Bormann , a high ranking Nazi official, he replied that her execution would provide “effective intimidation” for others who might want to resist the Nazis. She spent the rest of her days in prison caring for other prisoners. She was beheaded on 30 March 1943. She was 48 years old.
On 21 June 1998, on the occasion of Pope John Paul II's visit to Vienna, Sister Maria Restituta was beatified.
Blessed Maria Restituta, the only Sister to be condemned to death under the national socialist regime, was commemorated on the evening of 4 March 2013, in the Basilica of St Bartholomew on Tiber Island, with a liturgy of the word at which Cardinal Christoph Schönborn presided. During the rite the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity gave to the Basilica a small cross which Maria Restituta carried on the belt of her habit. The relic was placed in the chapel which remembers the martyrs of nationalist socialism.
She was a lady who, with a renewing strength, was able to give an example of freedom of expression and of responsibility of the individual conscience – even in difficult circumstances, animated by a virtue that is at times inconvenient: courage. "It does not matter how far we are separated from everything, no matter what is taken from us: the faith that we carry in our hearts is something no one can take from us. In this way we build an altar in our own hearts", the religious wrote in a letter from prison.
In her honour, the western half of Weyprechtgasse , a lane running before Mödling hospital, has been named Schwester-Maria-Restituta-Gasse . Also in her native Husovice (nowadays a NE suburb of Brno) there is a park named in her honour: Park Marie Restituty .
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