Alexander Leopold of Austria
Alexander Leopold of Austria (born August 14, 1772 in Florence , † July 22, 1795 in Laxenburg ) was Austrian Archduke and Palatine of Hungary .
Life
He was the fourth son of Emperor Leopold II and Empress Maria Ludovica . During his training he was particularly interested in mathematics and chemistry.
The young Archduke came to Vienna with his brothers Karl , Ferdinand and Joseph in 1790 when his father succeeded Emperor Joseph II .
There had been no Palatine in the Kingdom of Hungary since 1765 . The country was ruled by a Lieutenancy. Leopold II changed this again and allowed the choice of a palatine. Alexander Leopold was elected Palatine by the Hungarian Reichstag in 1790. He was the first Habsburg to hold this office. Even after the death of his father and his brother Franz II's accession to the throne , he retained this position.
At first, like his father, he led a moderate government. This changed after the Jacobin conspiracy of 1794. He had the rebels severely punished, moderate dignitaries were also replaced and the rule was based primarily on repression. After the execution of the leading figures in the conspiracy, he returned to Vienna in 1795 to restore his ill health. In a memorandum on the situation in Hungary, which he wrote after the conspiracy, he shows a rather conservative view of the world. He did not want to see differences between classes and classes overcome; instead, he pleads for their preservation, especially in the field of education.
Since he was very interested in chemistry, he personally prepared a fireworks display in Laxenburg in honor of Theresa of Naples-Sicily . There was an explosion that killed Alexander Leopold. He is one of the 41 people who received a “ separate burial ” with the body being divided between all three traditional Viennese burial sites of the Habsburgs ( imperial crypt , heart crypt , ducal crypt ).
The office of palatine passed to his brother Joseph.
ancestors
| Pedigree of Alexander Leopold | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great-great-grandparents |
Duke |
Philip I of Bourbon (1640–1701) |
Emperor |
Duke |
Louis of France (1661–1711) |
Odoardo II. Farnese (1666–1693) |
King |
Emperor |
| Great grandparents |
Duke Leopold Joseph of Lorraine (1679–1729) |
Emperor Charles VI. (1685–1740) |
King Philip V (1683–1746) |
King August III. (1696–1763) |
||||
| Grandparents |
Emperor Franz I Stephan (1708–1765) |
King Charles III (1716–1788) |
||||||
| parents |
Emperor Leopold II (1747–1792) |
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|
Alexander Leopold |
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literature
- Constantin von Wurzbach : Habsburg, Alexander Leopold . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 6th part. Imperial and Royal Court and State Printing Office, Vienna 1860, p. 146 f. ( Digitized version ).
- Denis Silagi: Alexander Leopold , in: Biographical Lexicon for the History of Southeast Europe . Vol. 1. Munich 1974, p. 47 f.
Web links
- Short biography on kapuzinergruft.com
- Entry about Alexander Leopold of Austria in the Hungarian Biographical Lexicon (MEK) of the National Széchényi Library (Hungarian)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Traitors for Freedom In: Die Zeit 1999
- ↑ Moritz czary: From the Ratio Educationis for Educatio Nationalis. In: Education, Politics and Society: Studies on the History of the European Education System from the 16th to the 20th Century. Vienna, 1978 p. 223
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
|
Ludwig Ernst Batthyány (1766–1789 the office remained vacant) |
Palatine of Hungary 1790–1795 |
Joseph Anton Johann of Austria |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Alexander Leopold of Austria |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Archduke and Palatine of Hungary |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 14, 1772 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Florence |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 22, 1795 |
| Place of death | Laxenburg |