Carlos. but It Was the Same Old Story – the Naval Powers Were Keen to Avoid Either the Bourbons Or the Habsburgs Attaining
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WEDDING DAY AND YOUNG MARRIAGE Carlos. But it was the same old story – the naval powers were keen to avoid either the Bourbons or the Habsburgs The eyes of many European princes now turned to attaining stratospheric levels of influence. And Char - Vienna, for although Maria Theresa was still playing les VI needed their signatures on an important agree- with her dolls, this lovely maiden was blossoming into ment – in short, his daughter would marry an insignifi- a most eligible match for their marriageable sons. In the cant prince without a major power base. In any case, 1720s, Austria was a Great Power, and its emperor’s Charles already knew who should get the little Theresa: daughter represented a desirable dowry for Bavaria or he had selected Leopold Clement, third son of Duke Saxony, for example. In Berlin too, the crown prince Leopold of Lorraine and future prince of a prosperous Fritz was just the right age, only five years older, soldierly but not exactly powerful province west of the Rhine. and strictly reared. Charles VI dismissed all these suitors, One day, he should take the now six-year-old Theresa Fig. 28: Anonymous, Francis Stephen of Lorraine and Ma - however. Even the Spanish Bourbon king, Philip V, had home. Charles had a high opinion of the father, who had ria Theresa, c. 1736. his eye on little Theresa, as a bride for his son Don fought bravely at Prince Eugene’s side against the Turks. And the blood of shared ancestors ran in their veins. They were already preparing for the prince’s arrival in Vienna when Clement was unexpectedly carried off by smallpox. Into his place stepped the younger brother Francis Stephen, also an engaging, vivacious prince, then aged 15. Now he should come to Vienna – there was no need to make other agreements. From August 1726 onwards, he lived at the imperial court in Vienna, and soon a bond of affection joined the two young people. Charles VI was also charmed by the handsome lad, who proved him- “FOR EVERY HAPPINESS self a born Nimrod and soon became a valued IN MARRIAGE IS FOUND companion in the hunt. He might not have been IN MUTUAL TRUST AND a model of erudition, to put it mildly and, as MUTUAL COURTESY. THE FOLLY OF LOVE IS some unkind wags had it, he might speak Ger - SOON PAST – YOU man like a Frenchman and French like a Ger - MUST RESPECT EACH man, yet Charles had confidence in this adoles- OTHER AND EACH cent youth – after all, he didn’t need eloquence MUST SERVE THE to one day bless his daughter with children. No, OTHER, YOU MUST FEEL Francis Stephen of Lorraine was no prodigy, and FRIENDSHIP FOR EACH OTHER TO LIVE HAPPILY this future son-in-law was as lacking in ambition IN A MARRIAGE. ITIS as in decorum and drive. But at least his mother, ONLY THUS THAT ONE a member of the house of Orleans, had taught CAN BEAR THE him good manners, making it hard to bear UNPLEASANTNESS OF a grudge against this simple outdoor lad. THIS WORLD.” Dark clouds soon rolled in, however – Maria Theresa to her daugh- now France was being obstructive. Lorraine fell ter Maria Christina, 1766. 22 23 within the French sphere of influence and after the fiasco amusing and warm-hearted – as much a Vienna girl as of the War of the Polish Succession, Austria had to live if she’d grown up in the suburbs. She made no effort to within its means. In the Treaty of Vienna, France de - hide her broad Vienna accent and saw herself as a Ger - manded that the Duke of Lorraine exchange his heredi- man. She was enraptured with this friendly, casual, loyal, tary lands for the Grand Duchy of Tuscany to stop funny boy, this French rascal; and so, on 12 February Austria playing games with the Grande Nation. Francis 1736, she bestowed her hand upon him with tender Stephen was naturally appalled – this was his home, and affection. It was a real love match, formalised by the the business with Tuscany was little more than a vague Augustinians in the imperial court church, and it would assurance, only redeemable when the last Grand Duke, be a happy marriage, as their sixteen children – five sons Gian Gastone de’ Medici, should die. Francis Stephen and eleven daughters – bore witness. Maria Theresa was Fig. 29: Anonymous, Em - protested, but privy councillor Johann Christoph von not in the least put out by spending the next decade in peror Charles VI, Dressed for Bartenstein knew where to apply pressure: “no signature, the family way – she loved this condition and would Hunting, 18th century. Kunst - no Archduchess Maria Theresa”. Although he put the quite happily always be pregnant. historisches Museum, Vienna. pen aside three times, Francis Stephen did eventually Maria Theresa would never regret having chosen the Fig. 30: Martin van Mey - sign – his future would be on the Danube. “handsome Frenchman”, as the Viennese dubbed him. tens, Francis I Stephen and Meanwhile, Maria Theresa had grown into a tall, Even if his eyes later wandered to other beauties, she Ma ria Theresa with Eleven Fig. 31: Johan Lundberg, Children, 1764/65. Kunst hi - enchanting beauty with the majestic gait of a queen. She remained faithful to her Franzel, in good times and bad. The Wedding Feast, c. 1736. storisches Museum, Vienna. had remained down-to-earth and natural, however, After the wedding, the couple travelled to Styria, to seek National museum Stock holm. 24 25 Fig. 32: Anonymous, Empress Maria ONAPRECARIOUS THRONE Theresa, between 1741 and 1750. Wilten Abbey, Innsbruck. They were happy days of pregnancy, and if this was indeed a son at last, he should be called Joseph, and would console Charles after the ignominious Treaty of Belgrade. But dreadful news shattered this au - tumn idyll on 20 October 1740: her father was dead! The resa was dragged abruptly out of the tranquillity of youth as she received this unspeakable message. She was entirely unprepared for this news, unprepared the blessing of Our Lady of Zell. for the office that now fell to her, and unprepared for This was followed by jubilant years the bundle of lands now supposed to be hers to admin- in which the young wife grew ever ister and rule. Her father had never let her attend more beautiful under her husband’s a cabinet meeting, had never discussed matters of state caresses. The days seemed to fly with her. Fig. 33: Representatives of away. A man needs a job, however, By 21 October, the Archduchess of Austria and the Lower Austrian estates pay homage to Maria Theresa so Francis Stephen should make Queen of Hungary and Bohemia had taken part in the in the Hofburg’s Knights himself useful as a field marshal in first meeting of the Privy Conference, with the Grand Hall, 1740. the Turkish wars. Yet despite his participation in the victory at Kor - nia of 4 July 1738, it soon became apparent that he was little good as a commanding officer. Her father was annoyed, and Maria Theresa no longer allowed her husband onto the battlefield. Later she would send his brother to the front, but he too was seldom lucky in bat- tle – the Viennese nicknamed him the “battle loser”. Perhaps this was why Lorraine had remained an insignifi- cant duchy... In December 1738, a journey to Florence awaited, because Francis Stephen had finally become Grand Duke of Tuscany. And as Charles VI had lost the hard-won Balkan provinces again, the young people stayed from January to April 1739, spending their early married life beneath the Italian sun. The couple had not been long back in Vienna when, on 12 January 1740, Maria The - resa gave birth to a child. This was not the first daughter however, they were already onto number three! Francis Stephen was certainly living up to Charles VI’s expect - ations of him. After three trial runs this might actually be the son and heir, so long awaited by his grandfather. 26 27 Fig. 34: Anonymous, The Duke of Tuscany on her left hand. Looking around, she the Lower Austrian estates, for example, took part in Fig. 36: Procession across Coronation of Maria Theresa would have seen a cabinet made up of ice-grey geriatrics, a mag nificent procession over the Graben on 22 No vem - Vienna’s Graben on 22 No - of Austria (1740), 1913. vember 1740 on the occa- Liebig trading card. the youngest of whom was still over 70. Only Johann ber, in which the young Maria Theresa was borne up in sion of the declaration of al - Christoph Baron von Bartenstein, the privy secretary a sedan chair, while the fountains in the square flowed legiance to Maria Theresa, of state, offered the young woman any support in these with red and white wine. engraving, c. 1742. difficult days; most of them were waiting to see how Maria Theresa looked over the array of unrolled maps events would play out. One of the first acts of the Arch - – the borders of her enormous empire stretched for duchess-Queen was to release and rehabilitate two gen- thousands of miles, lined with fortresses and military erals her father had imprisoned in anger, setting Neip - installations. Although she knew little about her army, perg and Wallis at liberty again. the answers to her questions made her blanch – her huge Voices among the Viennese citizenry were already inherited lands were a miniature state in military terms, beginning to suggest that the empire would be better in with outdated weapons and crumbling fortifications.