#austrian nobility

[tiaramania]

TIARA ALERT: Countess Leonie von Waldburg-Zeil-Hohenems wore a diamond necklace tiara for her wedding to Count Caspar Matuschka at St. Karl Borromäus Church in Hohenems, Austria on 22 June 2024

[royalty-nobility]

Empress Elisabeth

Artist: Georg Martin Ignaz Raab  (Austrian, 1821–1885) 

Title: German: Kaiserin Elisabeth

Genre: Portrait

Date: 1874

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Collection: Belvedere Museum, Belvedere Palace, Vienna, Austria

Elisabeth, nicknamed Sisi or Sissi, was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I on 24 April 1854 until her assassination in 1898.

[microcosme11]

An Austrian noble feels conspicuous

Prince Charles de Clary-et-Aldringen was assigned to deliver a letter from Francis II confirming the proxy marriage of his daughter. The prince was ordered to Compiègne and then to a hunt, but he didn't have the right outfit with him so he had to borrow from French generals.

At the hunting rendezvous, another meal: it was the only time that I found myself at table with the Emperor. It was for me the strangest feeling in the world to be almost next to him, dressed the same as Savary, as Davout, as Duroc. I was wondering if it was really me. Lunch was a ten-minute affair. I was quietly having coffee when, looking up, I noticed that I was the only one there; I even thought I saw the Emperor smile with one of these gentlemen at the fact that the Austrian chamberlain was so leisurely; and at the moment I put down my cup in fear, we all got up.

[Following this is a hilarious description of the hunt. Napoleon kills a deer after many attempts and then asks the prince if he's ever seen such a lovely hunt. "Jamais, Sire!"]

(Souvenirs du prince Charles de Clary-et-Aldringen: Trois mois a Paris...) google books but it's only in French.

[indristian]

Y'know if Activision had straight up been like "Yeah, so there's this Austrian guy and his name is König." I would have maybe been like "Is that a jab at how noble titles are illegal in Austria?" But no, there probably wasn't a thought behind the eyes of the designer other than "What's a funny German codename for the tall man?"

[illustratus]

Schloss Paulenstein by Joseph Holzer

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

Franz Schrotzberg (Austrian, 1811-1889) Gräfin Mako, ca.1878 Belvedere palace, Vienna

[omgthatdress]

Sorry if it's a stupid question, but I thought you'd be best to answer it. Why was Coco Chanel's "Little Black Dress" so special? I've been going though your early 1900s tags and knee-length dresses existed way before Coco. Black dresses too. Knee-length black dresses too. What was so special about Chanel? I'd argue that Paul Poiret had a much bigger influence on fashion, with some of his looks being 1920s back in 1910s. So why Chanel became so big? Is it all down to business?

It's historical context. One of the biggest things about appreciating fashion history is being able to put it all in context.

Although black dresses were popular evening wear throughout the Victorian and Edwardian era, the dresses of that era were still over-the-top and extremely fancy. The dress was designed by a couturier, House of Worth being the most influential and popular, silk had to be imported and woven, the beading and embroidery and other details hand-crafted by métiers, and then all assembled by seamstresses in the atelier.

Poiret started out with this notion of radically simplifying fashion. His robe de minute was a sort of proto-flapper dress, and it got its name because it only had two seams and could be sewn up in a minute. In spite of this, Poiret couldn't fully escape Edwardian ostentatiousness, and frequently used exotic silks and fancy detailing, still seeing his designs as works of art. His primary supporters were still the titled nobility of old Europe

World War 1 had everything to do with simplifying fashion. Well, that and the Russian Revolution the collapse of the Hohenzollerns and Austrian Habsburgs and the general collapse of the old aristocracy. Couture houses were forced to close, and Poiret was made to serve as a tailor for the French army. When he re-opened his house, he re-opened to a new world.

Chanel viewed clothes through a much more practical lens, rather than as works of art. She made menswear-inspired clothing with clean lines and few accessories, which was much more in line with the new, liberated woman of the 1920s. The little black dress caught on because it was something every woman could wear and every woman could look good in. It was dependable and practical, thus, "the Ford of fashion." Rather than relying on the old, decaying nobles whose money was running out, Chanel's clientele came from the industrial business class that had an endless supply of new money.

Of course, the world would change again after World War II, and Chanel would be usurped by Christian Dior as the new arbiter of elegance and modernity. Dior brought extravagance and opulence back to French couture, and his nipped-waist designs hearkened back to the nostalgia for pre-war times. Chanel was dealing with the fallout of an affair with a German intelligence officer and had to self-exile from France for several years.

Eventually, she returned, but the brand was out-of-date and diminished. Rather than cutting-edge elegant ballgowns like she had made before, the Chanel brand was pretty much just limited to its iconic suits, and as time wore on, it was considered to be something of a stuffy old lady brand until Karl Lagerfeld revived it in the 80s.

[fafayayarhen]

YOOO SAY LESS!!!

Snice Austria was married so many times to different countries

Who do you think he least enjoyed being married to and why?

France.

It has to be France.

Listen, the most that was lost after the war of the Spanish successions you at least still got some territories, the remaining low countries (Belgium & Lux) went to Austria and became Austrian-Netherlands.

And even then they still kept an amicable relation, that in the 1700s in the efforts to capture Gibraltar, Spain actually asked the Austrian empire for help.

France, though?

Motherfucker was the reason HRE was dissolved.

Not only that, imagine being Austria. Being Roderich. Imagine being close to the most renowned female ruler of the century, imagine coordinating with her the machination of marriages that of which she had many daughters to spare for the cause, imagine growing closer to each daughter, seeing them as your own family.

Imagine being married to the man who single handedly killed and destroyed the foundation of your Imperium, imagine then one of the daughters of your beloved empress gets kILLED BECAUSE YOUR PEOPLE WENT UPPED AND REVOLTED.

Roderich and motherhood & dynamics with the female monarchs, female nobilities is an important character aspect and therefore he would've adored Marie Antoinette, Maria Theresa's youngest daughter.

Imagine receiving news she was beheaded.

Imagine cleaning up the mess of your failure of a husband who single handedly fucked up the balance of power across the continent. The Congress of Vienna was pretty much a divorce arrangement.

The sex was probably fulfilling but that dick isn't worth all that shit to go through.

[allthedesiredusernamesaretaken]

.... endless amount of knowledge ...

The Austrian National Library in Vienna is one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. The Baroque Grand Hall houses over 200.000 historic books.

The impressive Grand Hall is almost 80 meters long and 30 meters high, and is crowned at its center by a mighty dome. The riotously colorful fresco by court painter Daniel Gran shows the "becoming a god" of Emperor Charles VI, who commissioned the construction of the library in 1723. This also stands hewn in marble in the center of the central oval – directly beneath the dome. There are other 16 statues of rulers and nobility of the Austro-Spanish Habsburg family.

[minetteskvareninova]

Reasons To Support Rhaenyra

She's better than Aegon. A low bar, I know, but she still climbs it!

Even if you don't think she's all that great, her immediate heir is Jacaerys, and unless you are a stupid bastardphobic Westerosi noble, you gotta admit he's probably going to be a great king (mind you, this post is from a vantage point of the end of season 2, we know what's coming but shhhh!). "But the lords of Westeros-" Homie do I look like a Westerosi lord to you.

She's much hotter than Aegon too. I mean, if we are using arbitrary feudal bullshit as arguments, might as well use other kinds of bullshit also.

I know being a woman doesn't actually mean shit for feminism in Westeros, but it does give me War of Austrian Succession flashbacks, and that's enough for me! Again, is that really any more arbitrary than "has a penis and the right bloodline"?!

It also gives me somewhat baseless hope that her tax policy might be decent or something (look, most theresian reforms are completely inapplicable to Westeros - MAYBE urbár if we're being generous?). Like some basic administrative competence from a monarch would be nice after her dad.

Okay, this one is actually dead serious - I don't think the Great Council of Westeros should be a thing, and it should never ever get a say in the matters of succession. In the real world, representative bodies under feudal system only got a say in the matters of succession in a serious crisis, like when the royal house died out, or the country was under an imminent threat of an Ottoman attack and the only heir was a fucking fetus. And these were, like, organized institutions that also do other stuff, like approve taxes or issue laws. Not one time arbitrary gatherings of the local nobility (and only nobility, no representatives of the cities or the church, because in Westeros those have no power and it makes me mad) that are essentially called because the king is too senile to decide which one of his grandchildren he wants to be an heir. Like, for fuck's sake. Why are regular Great Councils not a thing then, if the approval of Westerosi nobles is so important for the king?! Why don't they also ask them their opinion on taxation or war or whatever?! Basically, the Great Council is stupid and I don't like it, also I am not a fan of feudal representative bodies in general, especially when they represent ONLY nobility. Like do you want Hungarian Diet, because that's how you get... Something even worse honestly.

[fitzrove]

Rambling about Hass in Elisabeth for a REALLY long time. TL;DR - yeah, it is necessary as a song...

Because of the costumes and staging people often just see it as "the antisemitism song", which it is, strongly, but I think sometimes the wider context presented therein is ignored. Really, the song shows how antisemitism and hatred are fuelling and entangled with other movements!!

The nationalists in that song come from various groups and social classes, and identify as their enemies:

Socialists

Pacifists

Jewish writers

Jewish women

"Those who are not like us"

Crown prince Rudolf (because of his - historically strong - friendships and other positive associations with Jews)

The Habsburgs as a whole

Elisabeth and her Heinrich Heine (= a Jewish poet) monument project (which also attracted such strong criticism from German nationalists [Austrian Germans who were nationalists, not "Germans" in the modern sense] historically)

Hungary

The "barons" - so the nobility

The "slavic state"

The ongoing "betrayal of the people"

And to contrast, they identify as good:

Strength ("the strong wins, the weak fails", and also "strong leaders") and "purity"

"Unity"

Glory/splendour ("pracht")

Christian values

"Unified Germany", an alliance with Prussia and even an Anschluss (the joining of Austria and other "ethnically German" [so-called] lands to the German Reich. Hmm does anyone remember who also strove for and eventually implemented this... /s)

The conservative Wilhelm II as emperor (again, they want to join Austria into the German Reich)

So like. There is a glorification of all things "German" and of conservative values (religion) and reactionary power politics ("weakness" was and is by similar groups now considered to be a major flaw of liberalism and a liberal world order - in the song, pacifism and socialism are also connected to it), as exemplified by Wilhelm II's Germany specifically. To contrast, racial enemies ("non-Germans") threatening "racial purity" must be eliminated, with violence if necessary. And the Habsburg monarchy, being a multinational empire, is described as immoral and weak because of it being multinational (and the position of Slavs and Hungarians in politics and imperial administration).

The themes of "betraying the people" (Volksverrat) are especially interesting because the enemies of the nationalists as listed in the song, Jewish women, pacifists and socialists, were also the people blamed for German defeat in WW1 (the "stab in the back" at the home front myth). It's overall 19th and 20th century anti-establishment fascist imagery.

Ajdkkf I don't think I'm clearly making my argument but the song's key functions are:

To dispel the myth of the late 19th century being "the good old days", the glory days of Austria before the world wars somehow magically came to happen and ruined it. In fact, the songs shows that the developments leading to the world wars stem from politics and mass movements of hatred that developed alongside and gave power to & drew power from nationalism in the 19th century

To show the audience exactly what Rudolf is talking about in "Die Schatten werden Länger (reprise)". What is the "evil that is developing"? It's not Rudolf's personal petty wish for more power, or his angst about not being emperor yet, or some generic amorphous disdain for how FJ is reigning; it's not the lack of Hungarian independence either, for god's sake. I will die on this hill, if you cut Hass or replace it with conspiracy or whatever you can cut Rudolf as well, Elisabeth as a show is (in my opinion) a good portrayal of him precisely because it depicts him as a political thinker (in contrast to many depictions and post-Mayerling accounts which diminish that and just talk about Mayerling and his "immorality" - a talking point devised by the nationalists and antisemitists who hated him lol, liberal politics were connected to lack of morality) and someone who, unlike most of his contemporaries, saw that antisemitism, emphasis on "power" and realist power politics, exclusionary/hateful rhetoric and excess nationalism would lead to ruin. AND Hass also shows that he was hated by the German nationalists for this! As was his mother, for her sympathy to Heine...

To connect genuine popular dissatisfaction (from Milch - Hass is a reprise of Milch in terms of rhythm and the call-and-response structure where Lucheni talks to the crowd) with inequality, the lack of democracy and the excesses of royalty... to the rise and presentation of fascism as a "solution"

To show that 19th century nationalism was, in many ways, exclusionary, antisemitic, racist and "war-mongering", and that this rhetoric is old - not somehow magically appearing for WW2 and then disappearing again - and will time and again rise... and that it's everyone's responsibility to recognise it for what it is when it happens, if we are to have a reasonable, decent world to live in.

The framing of Hass sometimes confuses people I will never recover from that one post cancelling Elisabeth das musical for being antisemitic because Hass exists ajiddfkdllfgl what's next, it's pro-suicide and homophobic because a character technically dies from being gay? but to me it's rather clear that it's unsympathetic lol, with the whole doomsday atmosphere (no music, just footsteps/marching and drums and screaming, it's meant to be threatening), the way the ensemble harshly criticises the most sympathetically portrayed characters we have seen so far (Elisabeth and Rudolf) for things that seem petty and harmless (having Jewish friends), and the extremely direct comparison drawn to N*zism (to indicate what such a movement would develop to) in many stagings. I don't know how to say this but somehow I've always assumed that "H*tler and n*zism = evil" is EXTREMELY common knowledge and it mystifies me when people like. Think it should have been stated more clearly in the show. Like, the show is working off the assumption that you know what it is and that it's bad because of the millions and millions of people they killed............. this is EXTREMELY common knowledge in Europe, not least in Germany and Austria lol.

So um yeah akwkldlf, sorry for the ramble, I just feel like the song can be poorly understood and criticised on shaky ground sometimes. I mean, I am not Jewish and not equipped to talk about whether it's triggering or traumatising to watch especially with lived or family experience of antisemitic violence... But I think for non-Jewish people there is a huge responsibility to be aware and vigilant of antisemitism, historically and in the present, and sometimes it needs to be hammered home for people to understand...

By that last point I also somewhat mean... I think you don't "get" to be triggered by it if you're not Jewish but perhaps otherwise affected by politics of hatred. Of course I'm not emotions police lol, but many Jewish people have intergenerational trauma AND have to live with extremely similar antisemitic rhetoric and culture to this day, so there I understand criticisms - and there is also a discussion to be had about how and to what extent it is ok to use and display Jewish suffering as a device to educate non-Jewish people.

But anyway, to my original point. This is something I've seen people say and I just... if you're queer and it makes you uncomfortable to see Hass because modern n*zis hate you and it's traumatic, I mean, it's valid to feel uncomfortable and you can choose not to watch it personally to avoid being triggered, but you don't get to call for it to be erased from the show for "problematic content" or for "escapism" or to make you feel better. It is there because the destruction of the 19th century world, and Rudolf's and Elisabeth's suffering, is intrinsically tied to the rise of such hateful politics and without that being shown there is no show. You don't get to make it something it's not, this show is not ONLY an epic gothic romance with imaginary boyfriend, it's a commentary on past, present and future politics in that it shows the dangers of conservatism, antisemitism, racism and illiberalism. Calling for or supporting censorship, or state emphasis on militarism/"destroying the enemy", or advocating hatred, violence or oppression against any group based on ethnicity, religion, race, political views, etc. are all political stances held by and propagated by various people today in various political contexts. And you are not immune to antisemitism or reactionary nationalism if you're queer or whatever, so you have the constant responsibility to think critically about your worldview and your politics!!

[royalty-nobility]

Portrait of Princess Maria Josefa Hermenegilde von Esterhazy

Artist: Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (French, 1755–1842)

Title: Portrait of Princess Maria Josepha Hermenegilde von Liechtenstein, later Princess Esterházy (1768-1845), as Ariadne on Naxos

Date: 1793

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Collection: Liechtenstein Museum, Vienna, Austria

Princess Maria Josepha Hermengilde Esterházy

Princess Maria Josepha Hermengilde Esterházy de Galantha (née von Liechtenstein, 13 April, 1768 — 8 August, 1845) was the daughter of Franz Josef I of Liechtenstein. On 15 September 1783 she married Prince Nikolaus II Esterházy de Galantha, who in 1794 became the Prince of Esterházy. In 1785 she bore a son, Paul Anton and in 1788 a daughter, Leopoldine.

[mozartbachtoven]

CONCERTS AT THE TIME OF MOZART & VIENNESE TONKUNSTLER - SOCIETAT

The majority of concerts given in Vienna during Mozart’s life were private events. Many were given in the great houses of the upper nobility, most of whom kept some musicians on their staff and the richest of whom (the Esterhàzys, the Lobkowitzes and others) employed complete orchestras. More recently the practice had spread to the lesser nobility and the bourgeoisie, creating semi-public musical salons.

( image 1: " Concert at the time of Mozart, " 1853 - detail )

- Most of the concerts in which Mozart normally took part were of these two types; sometimes he gave one at his own lodgings:

“Dear Father! I must write in the greatest haste, for it is already half-past five and I have asked some people to come here for a little concert. Altogether I have so much to do that often I do not know whether I am on my head or my heels. […] The evening is [therefore] the only time I have for composing and of that one can never be sure, as I am often asked to perform at concerts” ( M to his father, 28/12/1782 ).

“Dear Father! It is impossible for me to write very much, […] as I am invited to a concert at Court Councillor Spielmann’s”( 04/01/1783 )

Mozart could not rely on being paid for such appearances; he might perhaps receive an honorarium, or a present such as a new snuffbox, or a free meal. He went to keep his name before the public, and perhaps to gain pupils and patrons.

* There were however two types of public concert that took place:

1 / Public "benefit concerts"

Public “benefit concerts” mounted by individual artists, who would take a theatre or other venue, engage other musicians as needed, and take all the proceeds ( and bear all the costs ) of the event. These were easiest to mount during Lent, as there were no opera performances, meaning that it was easier to engage musicians from the opera orchestras. Mozart took part in one for his sister-in-law, Aloysia Lange, on 11 March 1783, less than a fortnight before his own”

“My sister-in-law, Madame Lange, gave her concert yesterday in the theatre and I played a concerto. The theatre was very full and I was received again by the Viennese public so cordially that I really ought to feel delighted…there was a regular torrent of applause. It is a good advertisement for my concert which I am giving on Sunday, March 23rd. "

2 / Concerts held by the Tonkünstler-Societät

During Mozart’s lifetime in Vienna a third type of musical event began to take place: the subscription series of concerts.

( image 3: A 19th-century portrayal by August Gerasch of the old Burgtheater, venue of a number of the Tonkünstler-Societät's concerts )

- Vienna Musicians' Society, the first and oldest concert society in Vienna, founded in 1771 as a "pension society for widows and orphans of Austrian musicians" at the instigation of the "kk chamber composer" Florian Gaßmann . Together with the " Society of Friends of Music in Vienna " , founded a few decades later, these two oldest organized music societies and concert institutes had a decisive influence on the concert and musical life of Vienna.

( image 2: Draft of the Basic Rules of the Tonkünstler-Society -1771 ).

- The association was led by a " protector ", the actual business led a " Prases " which was selected by the members among other things exercised this office ANTONIO SALIERI ( 1788 - 1795 )...

- Mozart's music was heard during approximately six different society concert series between 1781 / 1791 and of these instances, the composer made at least four appearances either performing or conducting his own music ( see my comment / table). He most often contributed symphonies and concerto ( in which he most likely performed the solo) and he led the society's massive orchestra as Battutist during the 1785 academy .

" Was Mozart a member? - The negative answer always surprises people...

- Evidently , the fact that her husband was not a member of the Tonkunstler- Societat did not matter to his widow Constanze, who applied for financial support in 1792 but was denied.

Mozart's membership process, as well as Haydn's experience a few years before further reinforces the exclusivity of the Society and the rigorous stipulations it upheld ". - by Emily M. Vuchner : THE TONKUNSTLER - SOCIETAT AND THE ORATORIO IN VIENNA 1771 - 1798 " ( pages 312,313,325 ) - Dissertation / University of Illinois US - 2017

* Mozart himself was one of the most enthusiastic exponents of these concert series; among the seventeen concerts he gave in Lent 1784 were two such events. At first these were extremely successful, but within couple of years Mozart was no longer a novelty, and the fickle Viennese public abandoned him as quickly as it had taken him up. He gave no more such concerts after April 1786.

Thank you FB @Lisa Mirren

[starcrossedyanderes]

Okay idea that you totally don’t have to do anything with:

Xavier’s darling is (like me) a history nut and knows about a lot of history from all over the world from reading books and watching documentaries

So when Xavier decides to start a long lecture about Colvakia’s history because his future wife needs to know these things, darling finishes his sentences and eventually takes over the lecture as Xavier sits there stunned with major heart eyes

I just know he’d be so happy and think that it was so cute that his darling already knew all about his homeland, he might even think it’s fate

This is so long, but I couldn’t help it! Inspiration struck, ya know? Also I assure you, I am working on that Tom fic!

Xavier taps a baton onto a large map that hung up on the wall.

“Ok, dahling, listen up. It is absolutely vital that you learn and remember the history of Colvakia, if you want to rule it one day with me.”

You were sat down at a table, notebook and pencil at the ready. You nodded your head eagerly, being the little nerd you are.

“Alright then. Colvakia for quite a while was part of Österreich-Ungarn, or as you may know it, the Austro-Hungarian empire. But in 1918 the Great War, or World War 1, ended and the empire was dissolved. Colvakia was one of the countries that were formed.”

Your eyes shined with excitement, the eager learner you were.

“But in 1922 the Soviet Union was formed. And a few years before that the Romanovs were assassinated. This is where the history of Colvakia really starts to begin.”

You eagerly raise your hand, practically bouncing on your toes. Xavier sees this and raises an eyebrow.

“Yes, dahling?”

“But aren’t the Devorskýs related to the Romanovs?”

Xavier nods his head, content with the question.

“Very good, dahling! We in fact are related to the Romanovs! We were cousins that managed to evade the slaughter. And this is important why..?”

Xavier lead me on with that question.

“So it makes your claim to the throne legitimate!”

Xavier chuckles at your eagerness.

“Correct, once again (Y/n)! 100 points to you!” Xavier snaps his fingers, instantly summoning a servant. “You there, get the future tsarina some ptichye moloko! I think she’s earned it after such a-“ Xavier goes in to caress her cheeks “-wonderful answer” Xavier steps back and the servant scuttles off, probably to the kitchen.

“Now, with the Soviet Union now formed, you can imagine some people did not want any part in it, or wished for refuge. So that is how Colvakia got such a surge in Russian citizens. But, around World War 2 we were conquered by Germany, then the Soviets. You can understand how this was an awful time for us.”

You solemnly nod your head, thinking to all the suffering that must have occurred.

“We mostly kept to ourselves, primarily farming. And by some miracle, we were relinquished to our own devices! The Soviets were too busy on other fronts, that we were able to be relinquished from their grip!”

You raise your hand again.

“Wasn’t that called the Day of Miracles?”

Xavier eagerly nodded his head, so happy with your answer.

“Yes, it most certainly is! It got its name because of how many miracles seemingly occurred that day. For one, the fact we got our independence back so quickly. The second being forces from other countries thinking we were still occupied by Germany, and the fact most of the Soviet forces that were present were redirected. Many say it took an act of God for all to happen, hence the name.”

“Now, we were in an interesting state. We needed to rebuild, and most of our citizens were immigrants from Russia or other countries. But we were also heavily Austrian-Hungarian still, hence where we get our 3 main languages or German, Russian, and English.

Now, here’s where the Devorskýs come in. My great grandfather, Dominik, was a rather wealthy man as he came from rather high ranking Russian nobility. But they also used that money to build varying companies, along with farms. He had a specialty with breeding peacocks, hence the prevalence of them here. Either way, Dominik was also known as a rather kind man, who essentially spearheaded the rebuilding efforts. In fact, many buildings here are named after him because of his funding of philanthropy.”

You oohed, at this fact, as it finally answered why you’ve seen so many buildings with the name Dominik.

“Now, Colvakia was in need of a government, and we played around with regular democracy for a bit there. But it was terribly, terribly corrupt in our case. It was how we ended up under the thumb of the Germans, then Soviets. Also, it was completely and utterly rigged. So still reeling from that, we thought it was best to stay away from that form.

But we also saw how badly communism affected us, and knew it wasn’t a viable option. So that mostly left a monarchy as the only option.

Oddly enough, Dominik had-“

You couldn’t help it anymore, you had to blurt out what you knew!

“Dominik was volunteered for the role because of his philanthropy and him being a leader already! Also people liked him being descended from Russian royalty so they eventually declared him King! Then Colvakia slowly gained more land from either purchases, or some countries volunteering to join them! That’s how Colvakia got to where it is today!”

You panted, trying to catch your breath after blurting out so much. Meanwhile, Xavier just stared at you, in awe.

“Y-yes. Absolutely correct!”

Before you knew it, you were being absolutely bombarded with kisses.

“Correct! All of it! Wunderbar dahling! Wunderbar!”

Xavier let out a chuckle

“You cheeky little thing, I bet you were just trying to put me under your spell even more!”

You chuckled as well

“Well did it work? But in all seriousness, I just really love history.”

“Well, it’s certainly clear you are meant to be queen one day. And here I thought I couldn’t fall in love even more~”

[racefortheironthrone]

Would you put Louis XIV as overrated?

Oof, that's a tough one.

It's particularly hard to answer because the reign of the Sun King also saw the tenure of some of the most influential chief ministers in French history: Mazarin, and Colbert.

While perhaps not quite as famous as a certain cardinal whose schemes kept getting foiled by the Three Musketeers, these guys were world-historically important.

Mazarin was Richelieu's political heir, and brought his predecessor's policy of using the Thirty Years War as a way to break the back of Hapsburg dominance to a successful conclusion. The Peace of Westphalia not only served as the foundation for modern international relations, but also expanded France's position in Alsace and the Rhineland - especially when Mazarin pulled off an anti-Hapsburg alliance with the new League of the Rhine.

At the same time that France was winning the Franco-Spanish War, which won them a big chunk of territory in the Low Countries around Artois, Luxembourg, and parts of Flanders, and all of the territory north of the Pyrenees Mountains including French Catalonia. It also got Louis XIV the hand of Maria Teresa, which would eventually create the catalyst for the War of Spanish Succession and the War of Austrian Succession...

And while Mazarin was doing all of this, he was also busy crushing the Fronde uprising led by le Grand Condé, which he eventually accomplished in 1653, and creating a formidble system of centralized royal government through the intendants that ended the power of the feudal nobility.

As for Colbert, he was the guy who figured out how to pay for all of this. The single biggest reason why economists need to shut the fuck up when they talk about mercantilism, Colbert was the financial and economic genius of his age. Remember all those canals I'm so crazy about? Colbert built them. Specifically, he was responsible for the Canal des Deux Mers, transforming France's economy by linking the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.

He also turbo-charged France's economic development by restructing public debt to reduce interest payments and cracking down on tax farmers, reforming (although not ultimately solving) the taxation system of the Ancien Régime by using indirect taxes to get around tax evasion by the First and Second Estate, equalizing (but not ending) internal customs duties, and putting the power of the state into supporting French commerce and manufacturing. This included significant tariffs to support domestic producers, direct public investments into lace and silk manufacturing, and the creation of joint-stock corporations like the French East India Company. (This also meant Colbert's direct promotion of the slave trade and the Code Noir in order to generate hugely profitable investments in Haitian sugar and tobacco plantations for import into France and the rest of Europe.)

This makes it a little difficult to separate out what credit belongs to these guys versus the guy who hired them. What I can say is that Louis was directly responsible for Versailles, but also for the revocation of the Edict of Nantes.

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

Karl von Blaas (Austrian, 1815-1894) Portrait of Countess Gabriella Andrássyove, born Pálffy, 1865 Vihorlatské múzeum v Humennom