Gottfried Mraz, Henrike Mraz, Gottfried Stangler, eds.. Kaisertum Ö?sterreich 1804-1848. VÖ¶slau: NiederÖ¶sterreichische Landesregierung, 1996. xxxii + 447 pp. No price listed, paper, ISBN 978-3-85460-154-8.
Reviewed by Ronald E. Coons
Published on HABSBURG (February, 1997)
In recent years Austrian scholars have devel‐ the information they provided for class lectures oped considerable expertise in producing cata‐ he needed to prepare on topics on which he did logues to accompany major historical exhibitions. not consider himself an expert. Virtually without exception, the handsomely-pro‐ This is not to say that the chief criterion for duced volumes ofer well-informed introductory evaluating a catalogue should be its suitability for essays and a complete list and numerous photo‐ lecture-hall plagiarism. It is to suggest that evalua‐ graphic reproductions of the items on display. tion of a catalogue may vary according to the pri‐ Ironically, the catalogues have become so exten‐ or knowledge one brings to the topic. Such is the sive that they can be well-nigh useless at the exhi‐ case with the present volume, which accompa‐ bitions themselves. Motivated by media hype, at‐ nied an exhibition presented last year at the tendance is often so great that it is difcult for vis‐ Schallaburg in Lower Austria under the leader‐ itors to get close to many of the items they are ex‐ ship of Gottfried Mraz, director of the Haus-, Hof- pected to admire. Under such circumstances, und Staatsarchiv and the Finanz- und Hof- Kam‐ standing for any length of time before a showcase merarchiv in Vienna. Thematically, the exhibit's while simultaneously juggling a hefty catalogue, focus on the creation of the Austrian imperial title reading descriptions, and avoiding the elbows of in 1804 can be considered a complement to exhi‐ energetic tour group leaders and their followers is bitions also held in 1996 at Neuhofen/Ybbs and St. out of the question. Unless fortunate enough to ar‐ Pölten in commemoration of the centennial rive at of-peak hours or to receive a private tour, of the frst documented use of the term Ostarrichi visitors will have little choice but to wait until in 996. One thousand years ago that name re‐ they have returned to the comfort of their own ferred to a restricted area in the eastern reaches homes to consult one of these volumes in detail. of the Ottonian Reich. In contrast, in 1804 the Here, most are likely to concentrate on the photo‐ name "Austria" was attached for the frst time in graphs of objects only seen at the exhibition from international law to the totality of the extensive afar. The scholar, however, will also be tempted territories ruled by the head of the House of Habs‐ to pay close attention to the catalogue's essays. As burg--Francis, the second monarch of that name an acquaintance once explained while hiking to serve as Holy Roman Emperor, and the frst to through one of these impressive Austrian ex‐ bear the Austrian imperial title. hibits, her husband, a distinguished German his‐ The scope of the exhibition at the Schallaburg torian, found catalogues especially valuable for can be best conveyed by a brief survey of the H-Net Reviews twelve scholarly essays that form the frst section tember 1838. She says little, therefore, about the of the catalogue under review. In a lengthy essay political, social, and economic conditions that oc‐ on "Das Kaisertum österreich--Die Vollen‐ casioned the very population that celebrated Fer‐ dung des Gesamtstaatsidee" (p. 1), Gottfried Mraz dinand's coronation early in his reign to rebel frst traces the development of the concept of the against Habsburg rule only ten years later. monarchy as a "totum," giving special attention to The next seven essays shift attention from Emperor Charles VI's oft-maligned Pragmatic high politics to topics that often border on the an‐ Sanction. He then discusses in some detail the cre‐ tiquarian. Georg Kugler's essay on "Der Hofstaat ation of the Austrian imperial title in 1804 and des Kaisers Franz" thoroughly describes the orga‐ Emperor Francis's unilateral dissolution of the nization and function of the Habsburg court, Holy Roman Empire two years later. In the second while Karl Schutz's authoritative essay, Horst Haselsteiner's "Die Aussenpolitik des "österreichs Währung in der Neuzeit" Kaisertums österreich 1804-1848," much of provides virtually all the information most mor‐ the material will be familiar, but the author ren‐ tals are ever likely to need on Austrian coinage. ders a valuable service by drawing attention to The following two contributions--Gerhard Sailer's the impact of events in eastern Europe upon Met‐ "Franz--Ein Biedermeierleben in der Hofburg" ternich's diplomatic eforts to maintain the terri‐ and Ulrich Graf Arco-Zinneberg's "Kaiser Franz II. torial and political status quo. in seiner Zeit"[1]--concentrate on the personality, Three subsequent essays focus on those terri‐ the lifestyle, and the family of the monarch, tories which had not been part of the Habsburg whom both authors interpret as a Biedermeier hereditary lands prior to 1804 and which there‐ fgure representative of the post-Napoleonic era. fore only became "Austrian" in 1804: Hungary, The next essay, Günther Düriegl's recy‐ Galicia, and Lombardy-Venetia. Gabor Pajkossy's cled "Die geschichtliche Stellung Wiens essay on "Das Kaisertum österreich und Un‐ 1790-1848,"[2] contains a number of perceptive garn 1804-1848" ofers an admirable overview of observations but unfortunately goes over much Hungarian history in the frst half of the nine‐ ground already covered earlier in the volume by teenth century, while Stanislaw Grodziski's "Das Gottfried Mraz and Haselsteiner. Even the most Königreich Galizien-Lodomerien und die devoted disciple of diplomatic history is likely to Bukowina im Kaisertum österreich tire during yet another rehearsal of the terms of (1772-1848)" emphasizes the administrative prob‐ the treaties of Campo Formio, Luneville, Press‐ lems the Habsburgs encountered in incorporating burg, and Schönbrunn. the Polish territories they acquired in the parti‐ The frst section concludes with two essays tions of 1772 and 1795. To the authors' credit, they that are based on consid-erable archival research succeed in a comparatively brief space in high‐ and can be considered the most original in the lighting signifcant developments and in provid‐ catalogue. In "Ein Stil für den Kaiser--Die ing the reader with an understanding of the back‐ Entstehung eines imperialen Einrichtungsstils ground to the disturbances that aficted their re‐ unter Kaiser Ferdinand I," Eva B. Ottillinger dis‐ spective territories in the 1840s. In contrast, "Das cusses the interior decoration of the imperial Königreich Lombardo-Venetien im apartments in the Hofburg and traces the transi‐ Vormärz" by Henrike Mraz concentrates tion from the Biedermeier style of the early nine‐ frst upon the transition from French to Austrian teenth century to the neo-rococo style (called the rule in northern Italy early in the century and blondel'sche Styl after the French architect then leaps forward to the coronation of Emperor Jacques-Francois Blondel [1705-1774]) characteris‐ Ferdinand as king of Lombardy-Venetia in Sep‐
2 H-Net Reviews tic of the quarters occupied by Emperor Francis's These materials were displayed in seventeen successor. In a closing observation that rises rooms, each devoted to a single theme: the Prag‐ above her essay's dominant empiricism, the au‐ matic Sanction and the Holy Roman Empire, the thor suggests that the court was moved to deco‐ age of Maria Theresa, the accession to the throne rate in a white-gold-red neo-rococo style evocative of Emperor Francis, the French Revolution and of the age of Maria Theresa in an attempt to legit‐ the War of the First Coalition, the Napoleonic imize the rule of Francis's intellectually handi‐ wars, the Austrian Empire and the end of the Holy capped eldest son, who was destined to succeed to Roman Empire, Emperor Francis and his family, the throne upon the death of his father. Finally, the fall of Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna, Aus‐ "Die Franzensburg im Schloßpark von Lax‐ tria and Lombardy-Venetia, gifts of homage to enburg," a collaborative efort by Anna Emperor Francis and Empress Caroline Auguste, Bürgler, Lieselotte Hanzl, Ms. Ottillinger, the Haupt- und Residenzstadt Wien, Emperor and Hubert Winkler, discusses the origins of the Francis in the Hofburg and in Schönbrunn, Franzensburg as an early-Romantic testimonial to the Hungarian coronation of 1830, the Bohemian the knightly ideal and traces the building's subse‐ coronation of 1836, the coronation in Lombardy- quent transformation into a dynastic monument Venetia of 1838, and Austria in the Vormärz. to the Austrian Empire and the House of Habs‐ All twelve of the catalogue's articles are burg. stronger on description than they are on analysis. Capsule summaries can scarcely do justice to From the wealth of detail and the many illustra‐ the detailed information that is contained in the tions that confront the reader, however, at least aforementioned twelve essays. Similarly, in a lim‐ two themes emerge that merit special recognition. ited space it is impossible to do more than suggest The frst concerns the dynasty's use and manipu‐ the wealth of material contained in the cata‐ lation of symbols to strengthen monarchical abso‐ logue's second section, which comprises 204 color lutism against the challenges posed by the mod‐ photographs of the more important objects that ern ideology of popular sovereignty. One of the were displayed at the Schallaburg, and in its third, most important of these symbols was Emperor which lists and describes each of the exhibition's Francis himself, who, as Arco-Zinneberg observes, 693 items. These include such varied materials as efectively sought to divorce himself from the po‐ oil paintings, portraits, lithographs, aquatints, wa‐ litical system of police supervision that was close‐ tercolors, drawings, manuscripts and printed ma‐ ly associated in contemporaries' minds with the terials, coronation robes and insignia, crowns (al‐ foreign minister, Prince Metternich. It was, of beit in reproduction), robes and insignia of vari‐ course, a masterful piece of deception, since that ous Habsburg orders, busts and other sculptures, system was the logical consequence of the coins and commemorative medals, coats of arms, monarch's own personality and political princi‐ porcelain, and assorted objets d'art. Since many ples. As such it would most certainly have existed of the items that are not reproduced in color in even had Metternich never held high ofce--a part two appear in black-and-white photographs point that the author would have done well to elsewhere in the volume, readers who did not at‐ stress. tend the exhibition can nevertheless beneft from In discussing the court's public relations ef‐ the prodigious efort that went into assembling forts, Arco-Zinneberg ably draws attention to the materials from a wide variety of sources in cen‐ court's use of artists such as Peter Fendi, Friedrich tral and eastern Europe. von Amerling, Johann Peter Kraft, and Johann Stephan Decker to impress upon the emperor's
3 H-Net Reviews subjects that he and his family, like them, led a life decoration of the imperial apartments, and hence not of unrestrained luxury but of bourgeois sim‐ also, perhaps, the transformation of the Franzens‐ plicity. In this connection, it is instructive for any‐ burg into a dynastic monument during the 1820s one who has ever been awed by Amerling's fa‐ and 1830s, in preparation for Ferdinand's succes‐ mous portrait of a stern and regal Emperor Fran‐ sion to the throne. For surely the numerous por‐ cis that hangs in the Schatzkammer in Vienna to traits that appear in the catalogue leave little be exposed to less familiar paintings that depict a doubt of Ferdinand's lack of intellectual acuity, es‐ far more human and humane ruler--most notably pecially if one assumes that artists presented their a portrait by Amerling from 1832 in which Fran‐ subject in the most favorable light possible. Ferdi‐ cis appears in civilian clothing without any indi‐ nand's uniformly vacuous facial expression is cations whatsoever of rank or station (p. 428). On both striking and revealing. Indeed, the reader is the basis of the catalogue's illustrations, Arco-Zin‐ almost tempted to conclude that a portrait by neberg's interpretation of a court that was well at‐ Francesco Hayez which shows Ferdinand in the tuned to the demands of political propaganda Lombardo-Venetian coronation robes (p. 418) is a seems justifed. Regrettably, however, he ofers no caricature that intentionally sees the monarch as documentation or bibliographical citations to sub‐ a resplendently outftted court jester. Either that, stantiate his insight, and he provides no informa‐ or it is an uncharacteristically honest depiction of tion on which fgures at court played a role in for‐ a fgure who brought to the throne no ability to mulating and executing the dynasty's public rela‐ reach independent judgments. tions policy. Particularly poignant is a lithograph entitled A second important theme to emerge from "Gesegnet bleibe das Reich!" which is reproduced the catalogue's three sections concerns the court's at the very beginning of the catalogue's frst sec‐ recognition of the problems created by the plan to tion (p. xxxii). From a cloud in heaven an ethereal allow Emperor Francis's eldest son to succeed to but imposing Emperor Francis blesses a kneeling the throne.[3] Undoubtedly the mentally limited and helpless-looking Ferdinand who is surround‐ Ferdinand, who ruled from 1835 until his abdica‐ ed by the trappings of his ofce, including all of tion late in 1848, was not quite the "noodle" that the many crowns he was entitled to wear. In an the late A. J. P. Taylor made him out to be many entry in his diary in November 1845 the American years ago in a particularly egregious footnote in charge d'afairs in Vienna, William Stiles, referred his well-known history of the monarchy.[4] As is directly to the problem the court faced as far as clear from the catalogue's depictions and discus‐ Ferdinand's succession to the throne was con‐ sions of coronation ceremonies in Bratislava in cerned. After relating a particularly painful exam‐ 1830, Prague in 1836, and Milan in 1838, Ferdi‐ ple of the then monarch's mental debility, Stiles nand was able to meet the physical and mental observed: "What a single rebuke to the idea that challenges of these ceremonies without embar‐ one can be born to rule, as is the supposition in all rassing himself or the dynasty. Monarchies, does not the Emperor of Austria fur‐ Nevertheless, the worries of the imperial fam‐ nish!"[5] Materials in the catalogue suggest that ily and its advisors over the possible conse‐ the court was fully aware of the possibility of such quences of the planned succession to the throne a response and did everything within its power to of the epileptic crown prince must have been counteract it. enormous. Hence the conscious evocation of the Because the central fgure in this well-pro‐ great days of the Empress Maria Theresa to which duced catalogue is Emperor Francis, readers may Ottillinger refers in her discussion of the interior wish that it contained an essay specifcally devot‐
4 H-Net Reviews ed to the monarch's political ideas and to his psy‐ [5]. Cited in Christopher Lee Harwell, chology. To be sure, in their essays both Sailer and "William Henry Stiles: Georgia Gentleman-Politi‐ Arco-Zinneberg do see Emperor Francis as a quin‐ cian," (unpublished doctoral dissertation, Emory tessential "Biedermeier" fgure, a concept they de‐ University, Atlanta, George, 1959), p. 119. fne primarily in terms of "simplicity". Though Copyright (c) 1997 by H-Net, all rights re‐ there is much to commend this interpretation, at‐ served. This work may be copied for non-proft tention to the no less important Biedermeier char‐ educational use if proper credit is given to the re‐ acteristics of "resignation" and "renunciation" viewer and to HABSBURG. For other permission, might have lifted their essays to a higher level of please contact
5 H-Net Reviews
If there is additional discussion of this review, you may access it through the network, at https://networks.h-net.org/habsburg
Citation: Ronald E. Coons. Review of Mraz, Gottfried; Mraz, Henrike; Stangler, Gottfried, eds. Kaisertum Ö?sterreich 1804-1848. HABSBURG, H-Net Reviews. February, 1997.
URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=848
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
6