Chapter 1950 The So-Called Nobles

In fact, it is difficult for modern people to understand the national concepts of that era, let alone measure the Austrian nobility. For example, one of the greatest military strategists in Austrian history, Prince Eugen, can be counted as a Frenchman or an Italian, but no one would deny that he was a great nobleman of Austria.

In addition, the vast majority of Austrian nobles believe in Catholicism, which is a very important difference between them and German nobles. German nobles have many religious beliefs. Later, the Second Empire led by Prussia placed Protestantism in a high position. , had a long-standing attitude of hostility and distrust towards the Catholic world in southern and western Germany.

Typically Austrian nobles tended to keep their distance from non-Catholics and only marry other Catholics, so marriages between North German Protestant nobles and Austrian nobles were rare.

Austrian nobles can marry Catholic nobles in South Germany, such as Bavarian nobles, or Catholics in Italy and France. For religious reasons, Austrian nobles have very little contact with British nobles.

However, the Austrian nobles at that time were wealthier than the German nobles or the nobles of other countries. An important reason was that the Habsburg family had long monopolized the position of Holy Roman Emperor. Vienna had long been the center of the empire, and a large amount of wealth and resources were concentrated in Vienna and Austria.

The palaces and castles of the Austrian nobility, especially during the Renaissance and Baroque eras, were often more luxurious and beautiful than the aristocratic residences in Germany or elsewhere.

It is precisely because the Austrian nobles are richer than the Prussian nobles, and there are much fewer Austrian nobles than the Prussian nobles joining the army. Their families have property security, and the young sons of the Austrian nobles do not necessarily need to take the harsh path of joining the army. Moreover, the Habsburg Empire is vast. , there are ample administrative and diplomatic positions available to provide career paths for Austrian nobles.

As a result, the Austrian nobles naturally supported the rule of the Habsburg family. In most cases, the Austrian nobles were very loyal to the Habsburg emperor. There was less friction and conflict between the nobles and the emperor. Under the Habsburg rule, the Austrian nobles Apart from the Habsburgs themselves, there were no sovereign princes directly affiliated with the empire during the Holy Roman Empire, thus reducing the possibility of conflict.

In contrast, southwest Germany once had a large number of sovereign barons and knights directly affiliated with the empire. They lost their sovereignty in the early 19th century and were annexed by big states such as Baden and Württemberg. These were once theoretically equivalent to Baden and Württemberg. The Tenberg monarchs were treated as equals, and even the barons and knights whose blood was older than them were often unconvinced.

The German aristocrats during the Second Empire were also less loyal to the Hohenzollern Emperor, while for the Austrian aristocrats, the top of the social pyramid was always the emperor.

Of course, the Hungarian nobles were another story. They often conspired against the Habsburg family to fight for more rights and freedoms for the Magyar nation.

But all this is history,

During the reign of Leopold I of the Holy Roman Empire, the rule of the Habsburg family was still the dual head of the monarchy and the nobility hierarchy. The nobility also had considerable political power and many privileges.

During the reign of his second son, Charles VI, he had begun to consolidate the power of the monarch and develop in the direction of a modern absolutist autocratic regime. Charles VI's daughter Maria Theresa and her son, Emperor Joseph II, passed a series of reforms. A powerful centralized modern state was established, and the dual head ZZ of monarch and nobility gave way to absolute monarchy.

As a result, the powers and privileges of the aristocracy were greatly reduced. From then on, central government taxation no longer required the approval of the aristocratic assembly;

Administrative agencies and professional officials who obeyed the monarch penetrated from the center to the local areas, gradually eroding the ruling power of the aristocratic lords;

The separation of the judicial branch from the executive branch deprived the aristocracy of judicial jurisdiction;

The codification of criminal and civil law gradually unified and concentrated the power of the state in the Vienna court;

Tax and fiscal reforms also curtailed the rights of the nobility;

Joseph II even refused to convene the regional assembly of Bohemia and dissolved its executive bodies, and the last vestiges of parallel rule between the nobility and the monarch disappeared.

In the process, the nobles lost a lot, but they quickly found their new position. They actively participated in the construction of the modern country, served as administrative officials, served the monarch, and gained victory from the more powerful and richer modern country. Material benefits and resources from the feudal era.

The so-called modern Austrian nobility, in addition to the former members of the royal family, can be divided into several levels: untitled nobility, only with the word "von", or with the title of noble (Edler), which is the lowest, so with "von" 'The person writing the word may not necessarily be a real noble;

Then there are knights, with "Ritter von" before their surname;

Above is the baron (Freiherr), who can be called Baron in daily life;

Graf;

Marquis (Fürst).

A few margraves also hold the title of duke, such as the Margrave of Liechtenstein who holds the title of duke of Trobau and Jiegendorf.

Existing members of the Habsburg family have and enjoy some ducal titles, but these are just titles.

After the disintegration of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, families who had acquired aristocratic status before that time often added "Empire" before their titles, such as "Imperial Baron", "Imperial Earl", etc., to distinguish the nouveau riche who acquired aristocratic status after 1806. , but there is no difference in legal status between the two.

But the opposition between the old and new classes is inherent. It does not mean that equality under the law is true equality. Old money will always look down on new money. This is the chain of contempt within the aristocracy.

Nobles who obtained noble status around 1400 are called original nobles. After that, those who obtained noble status through edicts granted by emperors/kings, etc. are called edict nobles. A commonly used term in Austria and Hungary is "old nobles", including original nobles. nobles and some early edict nobles.

If they are edict nobles conferred by the Holy Roman Emperor, they will enjoy corresponding status and status throughout the empire, and the emperors of the Habsburg family can also be conferred as King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, Archduke of Austria, etc. Nobility recognized only in these areas.

From 1757 to 1918, all Habsburg officers of bourgeois origin could obtain hereditary noble status as long as they met certain conditions, such as serving for thirty years without interruption.

Empress Maria Theresa, the famous female monarch of the Habsburg Empire, promulgated this decree during the Seven Years' War in order to attract bourgeois talents for the royal family.

Later, Holy Roman Emperor Francis II added another condition, that is, he must have personally participated in the battle. Later, even if he had not participated in the battle, as long as he made special contributions, he could obtain noble status, which greatly reduced the requirements for becoming a noble. threshold.

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