Joseph of Austria

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Archduke Joseph Anton, Palatine of Hungary (painting by Miklós Barabás 1846)

Archduke Joseph Anton Johann Baptist of Austria (born March 9, 1776 in Florence , † January 13, 1847 in Ofen , today the Buda district of Budapest ) was a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine . In 1795 he was appointed Regent of Hungary and a year later Palatine of Hungary ; his descendants form the line "Archduke Joseph", a Hungarian branch of the House of Habsburg-Lothringen. In Hungary he is known as "Palatine Joseph" ( József nádor ). Archduke Joseph was Field Marshal of the Army of the Austrian Empire and owner of several regiments .

Life

Archduke Joseph of Austria, lithograph by Friedrich Lieder , 1824

Descent and political activity

He was the seventh son of Emperor Leopold II (1747–1792) and his wife of Infanta Maria Ludovica of Spain (1745–1792), a daughter of King Charles III of Spain . and the Princess Maria Amalia of Saxony . He spent his childhood at the court of his father, the then Grand Duke of Tuscany in Florence. As a child he already spoke German , Latin , French and Italian . Count Friedrich Manfredini took care of his education.

After his father was elected emperor in 1790, the family moved to Vienna . After the death of his older brother Alexander Leopold , he was succeeded by his brother, Emperor Francis I . on September 20, 1795 appointed governor of Hungary . Immediately after his appointment, he moved to Oven . Due to his above-average talent for languages, he learned Hungarian very quickly , which earned him a lot of sympathy among the population. The Hungarian parliament elected him Palatine in 1796 . Joseph held the dignity of the palatine for more than 50 years, until his death. As a palatine he had great services in the boom in economic and cultural life in Hungary. He always tried to bring the policy of the Viennese court into harmony with the wishes of the Hungarian estates.

Archduke Joseph promoted the Hungarian nation not only culturally, but also economically. It was thanks to his initiative that Ofen and Pest were able to develop into modern cities (the two cities were only united with Alt-Ofen in Budapest in 1872 ). He recognized in good time the advantageous location of the two districts on the Danube and promoted their development, so that during this time the two cities could develop into the leading economic region in the entire Kingdom of Hungary . As early as 1805 he worked out a “beautification plan ” together with the architect Joseph Hild , in which the urban renewal of the two cities was planned. After approval of this plan by the king in 1808, he founded an independent "beautification commission" headed by Joseph Hild and which was only subordinate to the Palatine. The work of this beautification commission resulted in a huge building boom, and Pest developed into the most important city of Hungarian classicism in the first half of the 19th century. Hungarian historians refer to this epoch of modernization as the “ reform period ” ( Hungarian Reformkor) .

At the Reichstag in 1807 he advocated the establishment of a Hungarian officers' school ( Ludoviceum ). In 1829 he bought a park with his own funds, after which the new building could be built in the classical style. After completion in 1835, it was inaugurated personally by the Palatine.

Monument to Maria Ludovika in the garden of the Ludoviceum in Budapest. (Left Palatine Joseph, right Count János Buttler)

In 1825 Archduke Joseph summoned the Reichstag to Pressburg . The occasion was the establishment of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences . Joseph contributed 10,000 guilders from his private box.

In 1826 he founded an institute for the blind in Pest, of which he was the protector and he also sponsored various cultural institutions, such as B. the Kisfaludy Society for the Maintenance of Hungarian Literature.

The Palatine acquired Margaret Island, on which he had a large park laid out, which is still available to visitors to the island today.

In March 1838 the cities of Ofen and Pest were hit by a catastrophic flood. During this time the Palatine was in charge of the rescue operations. It was thanks to his prudence that no more damage was done.

The Imperial Count and Lieutenant Field Marshal Joseph Heinrich von Beckers zu Westerstetten (1764-1840), who came from the Electoral Palatinate , was his confidante and chief steward for many years .

News of the death of Palatine Joseph

On November 12, 1846, celebrations for the 50th anniversary of his election as Palatine were held throughout the Kingdom of Hungary. He had his family tomb built in the royal castle of Ofen, where the descendants of his family were buried until 1944. On January 3, 1847, Palatine Joseph died on Burgberg zu Ofen. His remains were laid to rest on January 18, 1847 in the crypt he had built . A six-week court mourning was ordered by the imperial family in Vienna.

Summer residence of the Palatine in Alcsút

Monument to the Archduke on 'Palatine Joseph Square' (József nádor tér) in Budapest.

At the request of the Palatine, a castle was built in Alcsút between 1819 and 1827 , the work of the architect Michael Pollack . It served as the summer residence of the Hungarian line of the House of Habsburg for over a hundred years. Here the Palatine set up a model inn. At the end of the Second World War , the 'Hungarian' Habsburgs were forced to leave the castle and fled to the west. Afterwards the castle was looted by locals and the valuable inventory was completely lost. After the occupation of Hungary by the Russians in 1945, the castle was a commander of the Red Army . During this time, the castle went up in flames, and the valuable family archive was also burned. Of the remains of the castle, only the portico has been preserved.

The park that was also laid out by the Palatine and surrounded the castle can still be visited today. In the park, the Palatine created an arboretum with more than 300 different plants. His son Joseph Carl Ludwig , who was science very talented, the plants of the arboretum scientifically worked on and the results he published in the book Arborethum Alcusthiense (Catalog of the planted in Alcsuter garden trees un shrubs) , which in 1892 in Cluj has appeared in print.

Aftermath

In Hungary, the Archduke's name is József nádor , d. H. Palatine Joseph received in memory. The Hungarian nation owes him a lot. His Hungarian biographer Sándor Domanovszky (1877–1955) wrote about him: “He was born a Habsburg and died a Hungarian.” The monument of the Palatine is still in the city center of Budapest , in front of the Hungarian Ministry of Finance, on the square, who still bears his name today ( József nádor tér ). The memorial was created in 1860 by the German sculptor Johann Halbig .

family

On October 30, 1799, he married Grand Duchess Alexandra Pawlowna Romanowa (1783–1801), a daughter of the Russian Tsar Paul I, in Saint Petersburg . The marriage had a daughter:

  • Paulina (* / † 1801)

On August 30, 1815, he married Princess Hermine von Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym (1797-1817), a daughter of Victor Karl Friedrich von Anhalt-Bernburg, in Schloss Schaumburg . Two children emerged from the joint relationship:

The tomb of Joseph in the Castle Palace of Budapest

On August 24, 1819, in Kirchheim , he married Princess Maria Dorothea of ​​Württemberg (1797–1855), a daughter of Prince Ludwig Friedrich Alexander of Württemberg-Teck . The marriage had five children:

⚭ 1847 Ferdinand Karl of Austria-Este (1821–1849)
⚭ 1854 Karl Ferdinand of Austria (1818–1874)
⚭ 1864 Clotilde of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1846–1927)
⚭ 1853 King Leopold II of Belgium (1835–1909)

ancestors

Pedigree of Joseph Anton Johann of Austria
Great-great-grandparents

Duke
Karl V. Leopold (1643–1690)
⚭ 1678
Eleanor of Austria (1653–1697)

Philip I of Bourbon (1640–1701)
⚭ 1671
Elisabeth of the Palatinate (1652–1722)

Emperor
Leopold I (1640–1705)
⚭ 1676
Eleonore Magdalene von der Pfalz (1655–1720)

Duke
Ludwig Rudolf of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1671–1735)
⚭ 1690
Christine Luise von Oettingen (1671–1747)

Louis of France (1661–1711)
⚭ 1680
Maria Anna of Bavaria (1660–1690)

Odoardo II. Farnese (1666–1693)
⚭ 1690
Dorothea Sophie von der Pfalz (1670–1748)

King
August II (1670–1733)
⚭ 1693
Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (1671–1727)

Emperor
Joseph I (1678–1711)
⚭ 1699
Wilhelmine Amalie von Braunschweig-Lüneburg (1673–1742)

Great grandparents

Duke Leopold Joseph of Lorraine (1679–1729)
⚭ 1698
Élisabeth Charlotte de Bourbon-Orléans (1676–1744)

Emperor Charles VI. (1685–1740)
⚭ 1708
Elisabeth Christine von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1691–1750)

King Philip V (1683–1746)
⚭ 1714
Elisabetta Farnese (1692–1766)

King August III. (1696–1763)
⚭ 1719
Maria Josepha of Austria (1699–1757)

Grandparents

Emperor Franz I Stephan (1708–1765)
⚭ 1736
Maria Theresia (1717–1780)

King Charles III (1716–1788)
⚭ 1738
Maria Amalia of Saxony (1724–1760)

parents

Emperor Leopold II (1747–1792)
⚭ 1765
Maria Ludovica of Spain (1745–1792)

Joseph Anton Johann of Austria

literature

Web links

Commons : Archduke Joseph Anton Johann of Austria  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b c Brigitte Hamann : The Habsburgs. A biographical lexicon. Ueberreuter, Vienna 1988, ISBN 3-492-03163-3 , pp. 190ff.
  2. Károly Pereházy: A régi belváros ( the old city ). Budapest 1982, ISBN 963-336-249-0 , pp. 35f.
  3. The academy was named after Maria Ludovika (1787–1816) - the third wife of Emperor Franz I (Hungarian I. Ferenc). Maria Ludovika was a declared opponent of Napoleon Bonaparte . She was on friendly terms with her brother-in-law, the palatine Joseph. From her coronation gift ('gift of honor' from the Hungarian estates), which she received when she was crowned Queen of Hungary on September 9, 1808 in Pressburg , she donated 50,000 guilders for the establishment of the military academy in Pest . (quoted from Budapest Lexikon, Volume 2, p. 41, Budapest 1993, ISBN 963-05-6411-4 )
  4. The monument is the work of the Hungarian sculptor Adolf Bassler and was erected in 1903 in the garden of the Ludoviceum. In 1919, at the time of the Hungarian Soviet Republic , the monument was badly damaged and removed. In the following years it was restored by the Hungarian sculptor Viktor Vass (1873–1955) and placed again in 1929 on the same spot. During the time of communist rule in Hungary, it was removed again after 1945 and only returned to its original place after the fall of the Wall in 1992.
  5. Count János Buttler (1773-1845) was a wealthy Hungarian aristocrat. For the construction of the military academy he donated an amount of 126,000 guilders from his private fortune for its construction.
  6. Between March 13 and 18, 1838, the highest Danube flood measured in the 19th century flowed away in the Ofen and Pest regions. The streets of Pest were under water up to eight feet. There were 153 dead and over 50 thousand injured or homeless. 204 houses were completely destroyed and several thousand houses were so badly damaged that they were uninhabitable. In addition to the Palatine, it was above all the Baron Miklós Wesselényi and the book printer Ludwig Landerer who made special contributions to the rescue of the people affected. (quoted from National Geographic, Magyarország , June 2013)
  7. The castle palace of Ofen was bombed during the Second World War, but it was rebuilt. The Palatine Crypt was the only one in the castle area to keep its original shape, but was not open to the public. In 1973 the crypt was broken into, the coffins were broken open with brute force, the bones of Archduke Joseph and the others resting there, in search of jewelry, were scattered all over the crypt ... a picture of horror ... It is thanks to the tireless commitment of the Hungarian anthropologist István Kiszely that the scattered bones could be put back together and reburied in a dignified manner. (quoted from Ildikó Hankó - István Kiszely: A nádori kripta, ("The Palatinus Crypt"), Budapest 1990, ISBN 963-7805-54-0 , p. 12ff, Hungarian)
  8. a b Pressburger Zeitung of January 18, 1847, p. 1
  9. Endre Gímes: Észak-Dunántúl ("The area north of the Danube"), Budapest 1981, ISBN 963-243-075-1 , p. 90 (Hungarian)
  10. ^ Budapest Lexicon. Budapest 1993, ISBN 963-05-6410-6 , Volume 1, p. 623 (Hungarian).
predecessor Office successor
Alexander Leopold of Austria Palatine of Hungary
1796–1847
Stefan Franz Viktor of Austria