Countess
Komtesse (also spelled Komtess ) was the usual address of a young unmarried aristocrat . The address goes back to the French comtesse , the nobility title of a countess .
Situation in Austria-Hungary
In the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy , only young unmarried daughters from the high nobility (the so-called First Society as opposed to the Second ) were referred to as countesses. The daughters of the aristocrats were countesses in the period between the completion of their education and their marriage. During this time they were allowed to enjoy their youth almost unhindered and take part in social life, for example in the form of numerous dance balls , always with the aim of finding a suitable candidate for marriage, a "good match". This was usually a young nobleman, at best the heir to a princely title. Weddings with members of the postal aristocracy or even with commoners were, however, extremely frowned upon, and even downright forbidden. Her future husband had to be her equal, that is, also be of the highest nobility. For this he had to bear at least the title of count . A prince was even better, of course. For many girls, their first ball was an extremely exciting affair, as for them it was also a symbolic entry into society. However, the countesses were only considered officially adult after their first court ball . Every year all new countesses of marriageable age were presented to the empress here . She briefly spoke a few words with them and then dismissed them with a short nod of the head. During their countess time, the aristocratic women were more free and self-determined than ever before and never again in their lives. If they had previously been kept and brought up in the house, they could now take part in dance balls, carnival celebrations, soirees and the annual Vienna Derby and have fun. If, in the midst of all the fun, a countess lost sight of her real goal - finding a suitable husband - she was quickly brought back on track by her parents, who watched over the success and failure of their daughter with eagle eyes.
The Comtess period usually lasted no more than a season or two in the 19th century . The usual age at marriage was eighteen. When choosing a future spouse, the most important factors were their title and future assets; love marriages were unusual. This only changed towards the end of the monarchy, when the latter increasingly prevailed. The age of marriage for the countess rose in the early 20th century . Whereas previously only one or two seasons were usual for the groom show, families now give their daughters three to five years to enjoy the pleasures of life. Shortly before the outbreak of World War I , the age of marriage for countesses was usually twenty to twenty-two years.
Once the right man for life was found, secret negotiations between the families began. Until the official announcement of the engagement, as far as possible nothing should leak to the public, which of course was almost impossible within the First Society , since everyone knew everyone else. For example, if a countess danced the cotillon twice at a ball with the same man, she was unofficially considered to be engaged to him and was the target of eager social gossip . Once the marriage contracts between the families were concluded, the engagement was officially announced. After the marriage, the untied time as a countess ended for the young woman. She now had to find her way around her new position as a wife as quickly as possible and be obedient to her new husband and his family.
In Austria , the Countess disappeared from society on April 3, 1919 as a result of the Nobility Repeal Act .
Artistic reception
Comtesses were a popular subject in the fine arts . They were represented in painting as well as in photography . They were also dealt with in literary terms; B. in the comedy Komtesse Mizzi or The Family Day . A well-known silent film is called Countess Dolly .
See also
literature
- Martina Winkelhofer: The life of aristocratic women - everyday life in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy , 2009, pp. 37–68
