Tag Archives: Marie Antoinette’s Mother
Ah Maria, She Must Direct Society Too
When we left off, Mr. Al had just explained the ins and outs of Queen Maria Theresa’s expectations for her diplomat, Kaunitz. Although the faults in Kaunitz’s foreign affairs logic would take some time to become evident,other matters closer to home quickly showed, or should have, that a command from the Queen didn’t necessarily fix problems. Maria had gotten a bee in her bonnet concerning public morals. It wasn’t that public morals had suddenly declined, but her husbands bad habits […]
Ah Maria, Long Range Plans Can Be Obscure
Queen Maria Theressa of Austria put a lot of faith in her diplomat, Count Kaunitz. She fully expected the impossible from him, and he was eager to give it. Arriving in Paris, Count Kaunitz settled in to play the roll of courtier/diplomat. Sparing no expense, he surrounded himself with “the utmost splendor.” He was careful to invite all the right people to his extravagant dinner parties. On one point, Kaunitz’s realistic assessment of the situation stood him in good stead; […]
Ah Maria, There’s always a Right Man for the Job
When you think about it, Queen Maria Theresa of Austria had a truly uncanny knack for delegation. As important as the military reforms were, Haugwitz’s civil reforms were at least as significant. He abolished the separate chancelleries of Bohemia and Austria, which had up till that point been fighting one another tooth and nail for royal recognition. The judiciary separated from regular government administration. The judiciary became a branch of government embracing most of the empire. Judicial matters in Hungary […]
Ah Maria, How to Run a Court
In order to save Austria, Queen Maria Theressa had to take the job of “queen” much more seriously than her predecessors. For instance, she chose a wise courtier to teach her the ropes, and another to run her Imperial Court, stunning them both. As Count Tarouca found himself in the unenviable position of having to take charge of the Queen’s personal life, an equally important job needed doing. Running the Imperial Court. This became the job of Count Khevenhuller-Metsch. He […]
