Maria Theresa
Image of a Good and Righteous Sovereign
* 1717, 1740 Empress, † 1780
 |
• |
Empress Maria Theresia, oil on canvas from 1745, (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna) |
|
• |
Francis I Stephen, Duke of Lorrain and Emperor, her consort (Portrait in the Monastery of Melk). |
by Dr. Jožko Šavli
After the WW2, the image of Empress Maria Theresa was still well preserved in the minds of all those Slovenians, who were born during the period of the Austrian Monarchy. My grandfather pronounced her name with great respect. She was an outstanding personality among the rulers of Austria, not only because she was a lady, but also because of the essential reforms she carried out on behalf of the common people. They imagined her as the "mother" of the nation. Besides that, she was a Catholic ruler, deeply faithful and, having many children of her own, she gave a proper example of a happy family life.
The Pragmatic Sanction (first page), the Constitutional law, presented and approved in 1720, which made it possible for Maria Theresa to succeed the throne.
Her father, Emperor Carl VI, had a presentiment already before she was born, that no male heir would succeed him. Therefore, in 1713, he let elaborate a law called the Pragmatic Sanction. It was a Constitutional law, which provided, among other things, the indivisibility of the Habsburg lands, because large parts pertained to the Bohemian and to the Hungarian crown, which could be taken over by other successors. The same law but foresaw, that in case he should not have a son to reign, the succession on the throne should follow in the female line. In 1720, the wording of the Pragmatic Sanction was proposed by the imperial government in approval with the Provincial Diets of Inner Austria. In the following months it was approved by common consent of Styria, Carinthia, Carniola, Goerz, Trieste and Istria. Later also by Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia.
In 1740, Emperor Carl VI died. His eldest daughter Maria Theresa followed him on the throne. But such a succession was not only an interior Austrian matter. It concerned the title "Emperor", in its historical feature "Roman Emperor", which still originated from Charlemagne, king of the Franks († 814). In sense of the Frankish law, the lex Salica, only male successors were allowed to ascend the imperial throne. The late Emperor was aware of this fact, and, with different concessions, he achieved agreements with the European sovereigns, except for Carl Albrecht, the Prince Elector of Bavaria, and Frederick August III, the Prince Elector of Saxony. They were married to the daughters of Carl VI' brother, Emperor Joseph I, and they claimed the succession to the throne for themselves.
They found a powerful ally in Frederick II the Great, King of Prussia. In this way, the succession war broke out in 1741. Siding with the anti-Habsburg adversaries were also France, Spain, Sweden, Savoy, Naples... Waging war against Maria Theresa had a concrete aim for Frederick II: Silesia (Schlesien), which pertained to the Bohemian crown. The Prussian army, seen from the military standpoint, was very well equipped with arms, well trained and counted ca. 80,000 men. The Austrian forces counted 60,000 men, and their war equipment was inadequate. After several years of fighting battles, Maria Theresa was forced to make peace with Frederick II, and conceded Silesia to him. In return, she was acknowledged as Roman Empress in Europe.
Maria Theresia's Absolutism
|
• |
The imperial family on the terrace of the palace at Schönbrunn. |
|
• |
On he left: Emperor Francis I Stephen, |
|
• |
On the right: Empress Maria Theresa. Both of them among their children. Dressed in a red mantle, close to his mother stands Joseph (II), the successor to the throne (Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, ca. 1750). |
My grandfather still knew, that the Alpine meadows were given to the villagers by Maria Theresa. Her most valued assistant and adviser was her consort, Francis I Stephen, Duke of Lorrain. He used to live at the Court of Vienna, before they got married in 1736. Since 1738 he bore the title Great Duke of Toscana. He served as co-ruler and was also crowned Emperor, in 1745. The imperial couple with their 16 children gave the image of a harmonious family life.
But they also undertook ample reforms throughout the empire. The reforms focused on administration, justice, and economy.
The famous Maria Theresia thaler of silver, which since 1780 bears the effigy of the Empress with widow's veil. It has been preserved as a legal value until 1858, and until today as a second commodity of payment in Africa and in Eastern Asia.
State finances were regulated by a tax reform and a reform of the monetary system was implemented as well. In 1748, the properties belonging to the landlords (dominicale) and those of the peasants (rusticale) was registered separately. A special commission assessed the properties for taxation purposes, destined particularly for the maintenance of the army. The peasants were ensured against the exploitation of the landowners. The famous Maria Theresia thaler was introduced. It provided stability for commerce and was convenient to make payments. This silver coin was diffused also in the world.
Reforms on agriculture, stock-farming, sharing meadows, woods, vineyeards etc., had an impact on people's life and improved their standard considerably. Anton Janša , the Slovenian expert on apiculture, was invited to Vienna in order to teach classes on the topic of bee-keeping. In the countryside of Goerz was silk culture promoted. Professional associations were founded in farming communities, promoting the development of agriculture.
Furthermore, the amelioration of swamplands was in progress. In 1762, the Jesuit, Father Gabriel Gruber, a professor of mechanics at the Jesuit college (university) in Lublana, elaborated the plan for a canal, which drained the swampland south of the city. In Lublana and in Idrija, women were engaged to teach lace making. The first public elementary schools were founded, and so on. The reforms were so extent, that it would take several books, to describe them in details. Austria, if we can use this improper name for the empire, advanced to a modern State, probably the most modern in all Europe.
But a powerful hand was necessary to carry out the reforms. Therefore, the seat of the administration was in Vienna. The government of Inner Austria, too, which until then was stationed in Graz, gradually transferred to Vienna. Maria Theresa limited to a certain extent the autonomies of the countries. Her system of reigning received therefore the name Enlightened Absolutism. Such a system was necessary, as to eliminate the wilfulness and abuses of the local feudal administrations.
Nevertheless, from the point of view of the ancient Carantanian - Austrian historical and political tradition, Maria Theresia's absolutism was fateful. Through the Vienna centralism, this tradition fell into oblivion. For example, in Carinthia, the ancient central Carantanian province, the Provincial Diets still paid homage to Carl VI in 1728, and they had to speak in Slovenian language the oath of fidelity in sense of the ancient tradition. - When, in 1747, Maria Theresa came to Carinthia for the purpose to present herself as the sovereign of the country, she only invited the local administrators and nobility to a banquet. Also the princely peasant, who in sense of the old tradition had the right to install the new ruler, was present, and Maria Theresa confirmed to him the ancient privileges.
In this way the ancient rite was gone forever of the Installation of the Dukes of Carantania, which first was carried out on the Prince's Stone, then on the Duke's Throne, and finally in the Country House in Klagenfurt - Celovec. The family of the princely peasant, who had their home in the village of Blazja vas (Blasendorf) not far from Klagenfurt, became extinct in 1823.
|
The White Coat |
|
Al me, al me boš kaj rada imela |
|
Ko bom, ko bom nosil sukno belo, |
|
Sabljico pripasano |
|
Puškico nabasano? |
|
 |
|
• |
Austrian uniforms under Maria Theresa (from the manuscript "Dessins des Uniforms de Troupes..." of 1762, kept in the Albertina museum, in Vienna). |
|
• |
On the left: a member of a cuirassier regiment wearing the famous "white coat". |
|
• |
On the right: a member of a dragoon regiment. |
The Austrian army had a very picturesque appearance. Already in the times before Maria Theresa, the infantry regiments wore a uniform of white coats, very characteristic, whereas the doublets and trousers were of colour, that were chosen by the regiment owner. Nevertheless, this army had very little effect. In 1740, the Austrian army consisted of 40 infantry, 18 cuirassier, 14 dragoon, and 8 hussar regiments. Thus, a great number of troops, but not well organized. In 1746, the same Maria Theresa wrote reproachfully: "Who could believe, that the very last unitary command was not introduced to my troops; everyone is making another manoeuvre in march, in exercises, and in all; the one is shooting quickly, the other slowly; the same words and commands are understood by some in one, and by others in another way; no wonder that ten years before my governenmt, the Emperor always was defeated..."
Therefore, she uniformed the structure and commands of the army. As a result, in 1757, the newly organized Austrian army, under the commando of Count Leopold Daun, defeated the Prussians close to Kolin, east of Prague. The Prussians lost 13,000 men on the battlefield, the Austrians lost 8,000 and six generals. It was the first defeat of the Prussian army under the command of King Frederick II.
It became an honour to service in the Austrian army. The Slovenian tradition preserved a very popular song until today about serving this army. It begins with the question of the boy to the girl: Al' me boš kaj rada imela, ko bom nosil suknjo belo... (Will you still like me, when I will wear the white coat...). People were proud to serve in the imperial army.
The Great Cross and the Commander's Cross of the Maria Theresia Order, founded in 1757.
To remember the first total defeat of the Prussian King, who bore the nimbus of invincibility, the Empress founded the Military Maria Theresa Order. It was the first, and at the same time the highest decoration of bravery an officer could receive. The order was formed of the Great Cross, the Commander's Cross and the Little Cross, and could be given to the strangers, too.
This order remained the most prominent decoration of bravery until the end of the Austrian Monarchy. It was connected with the elevation of personal knighthood and with a year's retirement pay for lifetime. It was also given posthumously, as for example to the Fieldmarshal Borojevic von Bojna, who, in the WW1 was the commander of the Isonzo (Soca) Front, in 1931.
Maria Theresa passed also for Slovenian people into history as one of the greatest European sovereigns. Through her Absolutism she strengthened the Austrian Empire. It is true, she took away a great part from the original Carantania, the lands which most of the time only were called Austrian Hereditary Lands. But Maria Theresa was and continues to remain a symbol of a ruler, who more than any other sovereign cared for the welfare of the people. She was very much liked and appreciated by her subjects. No other Austrian sovereign is remembered by the people, including the Slovenians, for such a so long time.
Letters from Empress Maria Theresia (Johannes Rohr, Safari-Verlag - Berlin, 1936)
English text:
To Archduke Joseph
April 14, 1778
My dear son,
I beg you to take care of yourself. All the news that we receive makes us shudder with horror. Fritz (Frederick the Great) is boiling with rage, and he will vent his anger in all directions. Since his army appears to him full of bad will, he orders executions on a large scale. He promises his soldiers, that they have permission to pillage the invaded territories. This is outrageous. By no means do I expect a favourable answer.
I take you into my arms and will pray for you as much as I can in my feeble condition. Adieu.
German text:
Briefe einer Kaiserin (von Johannes Rohr, Safari-Verlag - Berlin, 1936)
An Erzherzog Joseph.
14. April 1778.
Mein lieber Sohn.
Ich beschwöre Dich, Dich zu schonen; alle Botschaften, die wir erhalten, machen uns starr vor Schrecken; Fritz (Friedrich der Große) ist wütend, und er wird seinen Zorn allseitig auslassen. Da er seine Armee voll üblen Willens findet, läßt er Exekutionen ohne Ende vornehmen und verspricht den Soldaten, überall, wohin sie kämen, plündern zu dürfen; das wäre schrecklich. Ich erwarte keineswegs eine günstige Antwort. . .
Ich umarme Dich und werde für Dich so viel beten, wie meine Schwäche erlaubt. Adieu.
~~~
English text:
To Archduke Joseph
July 25, 1778
My dear son!
…One has to have the courage to make sacrifices for others and to judge righteously. Once we were a Great Power, but not any more. We have to bend our head; at least we should rescue the ruins and the nations, who still remain with us, and whom we were so fortunate to rule. In spite of our losses we insisted to maintain our former high living standards. Begin your accession to the throne by re-instating peace, order and prosperity to those, who really deserve it. You yourself will rejoice in the happiness of others, even if it should be on account of your personal greatness. I know your heart and depend on it. Save your nations, and in this way you will gain more fame than through all the claims, a conqueror is entitled to…
I take you into my arms…
German text:
An Erzherzog Joseph.
25. Juli 1778.
Mein lieber Sohn.
. . .Man muß den Mut haben, sich selbst aufzuopfern und gerecht zu urteilen. Wir waren eine große Macht, aber wir sind es nicht mehr; man muß sein Haupt beugen, wenigstens die Trümmer retten und die Völker, die uns noch bleiben, glücklichen Regierung waren, da wir uns trotz unserer Verluste immer auf der früheren Höhe erhalten wollten. Beginne Deine Regierung damit, die Ruhe, den Frieden, das Glück denen zurückzugeben, die es so sehr verdienen; Du selbst wirst Dich an dem Glück der Andern erfreuen, sogar auf Kosten Deiner persönlichen Größe. Ich kenne Dein Herz und baue darauf; rette Deine Völker und erwirb Dir dadurch größeren Ruhm als durch alle Ansprüche auf den Namen eines Eroberers. . .
Ich umarme Dich. . .
~~~
Emperor Francis Joseph visits Ljubljana, 1856
and the very Carniolan Flag
by Dr. Jožko Šavli
In 1856, Emperor Francis Joseph I visited Ljubljana, and for this occasion the city was solemnly decorated and illuminated. The picture painted by Franz Kurz zum Thurn und Goldstein, elaborates the arrival of an open carriage with the imperial couple, Francis Joseph and Elisabeth. The scene takes place on the Square in front of the Cathedral, the Lyceum and the School of Economics. On the enlarged cutting of the second picture we see that the School of Economics has been richly decorated with flags. On top of the building clearly appear the flags of the Habsburgs, the Empire and Carniola. The flag of the latter appears also many times in the second, and the one of the Habsburgs in the third row.
This picture is a document, which proves that also after 1848 the flag of Carniola retained its two colours Blue-White, corresponding with the Carniolan arms in sense of heraldic rules. To tell the truth, the so-called "Slovenian" three-coloured flag White-Blue-Red never descended from the arms of Carniola. The Ministry of Vienna mistakenly confirmed such a three-coloured flag in 1848, "based on the colours of the Carniolan arms". Evidently they must have committed an error. However, its official confirmation made it possible to use the "Slovenian" three-coloured flag. The history of this flag is supposed to trace back to Carniola without providing source of origin or time of usage.
It is evident however, that this three-coloured flag reflected the so-called Slav colours, referred to as the Russian flag. It was, and still is today, completely identical to the "Slovenian" one. Thus, it is an expression of the pan-Slav movement. The pan-German circles opposed vehemently the "Russian" colours, which should have been identical with the high treason of Austria. Nevertheless, the Austrian bureaucracy insisted firmly on the legality and did not change their decrees.
But also the "German" colours, still obtained in the flag of modern Germany, are not genuine. In 1818, the Burschenschaft, an association of German students, declared the colours: Black-Red-Gold as German national colours. By mistake, such colours were supposed to represent the historical colours of the German Reich, which was incorrect. It was also incorrect to identify the "German Reich" with the Holy Roman Empire, which was founded by Charlemagne as a confederation of Christian nations of Europe.
~~~
Cesar Karel I
by Dr. Jožko Šavli
Molitvena zveza za njegovo razglašenje
Cesar Karel I., zadnji vladar Avstrije (naslednice Karantanije), ki je 1916 nasledil umrlega Franca Jozefa, je bil ne le globok katolican, temvec tudi svetniška osebnost. Ko je videl trpljenje, ki ga je povzrocala prva svetovna vojna, in mnozice padlih moz in fantov na fronti, si je vztrajno prizadeval za mir.
Ob koncu vojne je Avstrijska monarhija razpadla. Njega in druzino, cesarico Zito z otroci, so zahodne sile internirale na portugalski otok Madeira v Atlantskem oceanu, kjer so ziveli v pomanjkanju. Karel je vsled tega kmalu ošibel, in 1. aprila 1922 umrl za špansko boleznijo. Imel je komaj 34 let.
Njegova smrt je bolece odjeknila v katoliškem svetu. Na Dunaju, v Budimpešti in po številnih mestih so imeli maše zadušnice, ki so se jih ljudje mnozicno udelezevali. Dunajska stolnica sv. Štefana je bila nabito polna, ljudstvo je napolnilo tudi ves trg pred njo. To je bilo jasno znamenje, kako je bil mladi cesar med ljudstvom priljubljen in spoštovan.
Ze kmalu potem, leta 1925, je bila ustanovljena Molitvena zveza, da bi z molitvijo in dobrimi deli dosegla razglasitev rajnega cesarja za blazenega. Zveza se je naglo širila in dobivala številne clane, zlasti po Avstriji in Švici. Toda zasedba Avstrije po nacistih v letih 1938 - 1945 je njeno delovanje povsem unicila. Njena tajnica je iz strahu sezgala ves arhiv, da seznam clanov ne bi prišel v roke nacistom. Padala bi zivljenja, saj je nacizem smrtno sovrazil rodbino Habsburg, in razpisal za njenimi clani tiralico. Predsednika Molitvene zveze so poslali v Dachau, odkoder se ni vec vrnil.
Po drugi svetovni vojni, leta 1947, se je zveza obnovila. ze na zacetku 50-ih let so nastale nove podruznice v Italiji, Nemciji, Franciji in na Portugalskem. Od leta 1957 dalje tudi v USA in Kanadi, zatem v Braziliji in celo v oddaljeni Avstraliji in na Novi Zelandiji. Na zacetku 60-ih let je zveza imela ze 32.000 clanov.
Leta 1964 je bila Molitvena zveza v škofiji Dunaj potrjena kot cerkveno društvo s statutom, leta 1967 tudi v škofiji Regensburg na Bavarskem in leta 1970 v škofiji Freiburg na Badenskem. Danes ima Molitvena zveza (Gebetsliga) svoje središce v cistercijanski opatiji Lilienfeld v Sp. Avstrijji.
Zveza si prizadeva, da bi z vztrajno molitvijo in dobrodelnostjo svojih clanov izprosila pri Bogu, da bi bil bozji sluzabnik, cesar Karel I., razglašen za blazenega. Rada sprejema še zlasti sporocila o uslišanjih na njegovo priprošnjo, v najrazlicnejših potrebah in v stiskah. Ta sporocila, ki gredo v tisoce, so vsaj deloma objavljena v vsakoletni knjizici, ki jo izdaja cistercijanska opatija.
Starejši Slovenci, ki so bili rojeni še pod monarhijo, so še po drugi svetovni vojni imeli cesarja Karla v najlepšem spominu. Jugoslovanski komunisticni in velesrbski rezim je spomin na nekdanjo monarhijo, še posebej na zasluzne clane njene vladarske rodbine, preganjal. V jugoslovanski Sloveniji je šolskih zgodovinah in v tisku je ostajal povsem zamlocan.
Danes je med Slovenci v bistvu pozabljen. Njegova osebnost je bila pod nekdanjo Jugoslavijo tabu, in je še vedno, celo za cerkveni tisk, kakor sta tednik Druzina ali mesecnik Ognjišce. Obstoj Molitvene zveze v teh listih doslej še ni bil omenjen, cetudi so pretekla ze leta, odkar je, ali naj bi, padel komunisticni rezim, in odkar je propadla Jugoslavija.
Avstrijska Krona
Krona Avstrijskega cesarstva (od 1804 dalje), prvotno je bila cesarjeva hišna krona, ki jo je dal izdelati cesar Rudolf II v Pragi, v letih med 1598 in 1602.
(cf: Spiritual Messages, article The beatification of Emperor Carl I)
A Life's Work for Europe
Dr. Otto von Habsburg
by Dr. Jožko Šavli
Dr. Otto von Habsburg, who celebrated his 90th birthday two years ago, is the oldest son of Archduke Carl, the later Emperor Carl I of Austria, and Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma. He was born on November 20th, 1912, and since 1916, he was the Crown Prince of Austria - Hungary. After the end of the WW1 his family lived in exile, first in Switzerland and then in Madeira, where his father died.
Then the family resided in Spain, where Otto obtained his doctor's degree. Later the family moved to Belgium, Paris, and after 1940 to Washington D.C. In 1944, Otto von Habsburg returned to Europe, at first he lived in France, and since 1954 Bavaria became his permanent home. He is the author of no less than 35 books, numerous articles and essays in 9 languages. Most of them are dedicated to the problems of Europe. In the decades after the WW2, he was the chief legal adviser in the formation of today's United Europe and a persevering adversary to the Communist regimes. From 1979 until 1999 Otto von Habsburg was a member of the European Parliament, elected in Bavaria. Since 1973 he is the International President of the Paneuropean Union.
His great activity in- and outside of the European Parliament has been reflected in some of his books. He extinguished himself in several affairs, his interventions signified a breaking point in the general thinking, which was introduced by the mass media together with their supporting circles. Such breaking points have been, for example, the renewed discovery of the Central European conception, or the creation of the Symbolic Vacant Seat in the European Parliament, intended for the oppressed European nations, etc, etc. Since 1989, Otto von Habsburg also used his diplomacy skills to liberate the East European nations from Moscow and the Balkan nations from Belgrade. In the true sense of the word, the one-time Crown Prince, the successor to the throne, was a visionary of today's United Europe.
