I've dipped into the diaries of the Duc de Croy, contemporary of Louis XV and sharp observer in his old age of Louis XVI, translated by that very Mr. Pleschinski whom you know through the Fritz/Voltaire Correspondance saga. The Duke is famous as THE source for goings on in Versailles, but he also was involved in the war of Austrian Succession and voted for MT's rival as Emperor due to being not just a French noble but a HRE one as well. (His family hailed from the always switching sides border territory.)
Haven't checked out the war stuff yet, but his description of Joseph's visit to Paris is great and also of interest in what it says about how such semi-official visits were handled. (And why it would have been a hell of a bother if Joseph had come officially. Versailles protocol was strict, and the problem alone of the Emperor outranking the King, and in which order which noble had to be received, when it came to seating arrangements would have been a headache. Whereas since officially Joseph was "Graf Falkenstein", he could basically come and go as he wanted and nobles could say hello in whichever order, etc.) (If Fritz had ever made a state visit to Paris, it would have been almost as big a problem - he didn't outrank Louis, but equal rank was a headache, too.) (This was why Wilhelmine travelled as the Gräfin Zollern when being in France, too.)
Now, our diarist is an old fashioned gentlemen who, for example, firmly disapproves of mistresses but once he actually met Pompadour and Dubarry, he found he liked them. He even kept in contact with Dubarry post regime change, and thus learns Joseph has been visiting her as well. (But sadly not what was said. Anyway, I find this intriguing, because there really is no political reason to visit the mistress of a dead king who has zilch current influence and also, since she started out from the gutter, no powerful family to placate.) Having actively fought against Joseph's Mom, he's also sometimes startled at himself for getting along with people who "shed French blood" (that's one way of putting it, Duke, given who started this war) at all, but is positively impressed by ViennaJoe. (Who might be travelling under an alias, but not really in secret. I.e. most people he met knew who he was. They just didn't have to go through elaborate ceremonies.)
The Duke notes that en route through France, Joseph got a lot of popular love in Lorraine, FS's old dukedom (that was given to France as a bribe to accept the Pragmatic Sanction which they kept and promptly ignored anyway), but both impresses and somewhat irritates people by visiting hospitals and cadet schools because "he kept commenting perhaps a bit too accurately", down to arguing anatomy with, for example, the chief surgeon in Metz. (Yep, he's modeled himself on Fritz, alright.) The first sight the Duke himself catches of Joseph is "a shaby German chaise with post horses driving quickly", with only wet two servants(it's raining) and another one on horseback. ("That's how they always travel in Germany, no matter in which weather or during which time of the year, in open and very ugly carriages.") The Duke is a bit shocked that the HRE is really taking this travelling anonymously thing this far. I mean. One carriage! Three servants only! Horror!
Joseph is en route the Petit Luxembourg where he'll stay during his time in Paris (whereas sister Mimi wasn't allowed to go there, either, when she came later), and presents himself in Versailles on Saturday, April 19th, at a quarter past ten in the morning. The Duke notes Joseph first spends a while locked away alone with MA, then with MA and Louis, the gets presented to the rest of the royal family (the aunts, Louis' brothers and sister): "He appeared as a respectful foreigner who wants to please his hosts. He even wanted to meet the little Duc d'Angouleme." (That would be Louis' kid nephew.) Now it's (public) lunchtime and of course tout Versailles is ogling the Royal family & guest having lunch. ("We noted that he" - Joseph - "drank only water. He wasvery tanned from his travel.") Next day, Joseph "in a terrible hired carriage" visits the local hospitals (again) ("out of preference or calculation, he seems to be mainly interested in hospitals, universities and all that serves humanity. The evening, he spent at the opera. His French is flawless, he speaks smoothly and wittily, if at times with a German grammatical construction."
The Duke approves less of the fact that Joseph rises at an ungodly early time though he notes that gives Joseph space for more tourist stuff. At half past one, Joseph joins his sister at the Trianon where they lunch a deux without any courtiers (what is going on, wonders the Duke). Or Louis, who has gone hunting. Then they go walking. This seems to be an Austrian habit, notes our narrator: "Like her brother the Queen often enjoys taking the air, for the empress Maria Theresia has raised them without the former stiffness of the House of Habsburg." This evening, when Joseph enters one of the salons at Versailles without announcement, the Duke finally has the chance to pounce and talk to the visitor himself.
"The Emperor who appeared to be relieved being able to talk to someone and paid me compliments for more than fifteen minutes, and devoted himself exclusively to me with such pleasant and flattering words that it went swimmingly between us. (...) In order to say something, I directed the conversation towards the menagerie which he had visited this morning. He praised it a lot and said "In Vienna, we have a male elephant. Yours is female; I've got a mind to arrange a marriage!" Thus we jested for a while and I was tempted to say that I could imagine an even more important marriage project for him! "
(We're working on it, Duke, we're working on it.) Since it's getting late, Joseph doesn't return to Paris but stays overnight in Versailles, which means sleeping on the floor, since there's little room elsewhere. This shocks the Duke again. "One notices he's in many ways modelling himself on Charles XII of Sweden and the King of Prussia. But it is strange that someone whom the King has officially adressed as the Queen's brother sleeps at an inn at Versailles on the floor!" Still, he's won over by our boy. "All appears to be to his credit, and in a natural fashion, for he does not have the time nor the wish to consult a local advisor on manners. The ladies he met, that is, those with offices at Versailles, quite fancy him. But through all the gracious and friendly tone he used, he still remained the Emperor. He honors the education his noble mother has given him. He is sixandthirty years old, and while he lives modestly, one notices he has learned to refine his taste through paying attention. As for myself, I looked at the elephant with great pleasure, which despite being an elephant cow is with nearly seven foot a tall example of its kind. It is at liberty to stroll through the Park each morning. Our rhino, which is unique in Europe, appears to have grown somewhat and amazed me. The camels, dromedars, lions and tigers made for an excellent menagerie, and I noted down the animals still lacking.
When I had changed my clothing, I went to the King's dinner, where I was surprised to hear "the Emperor has done this, the Emperor has done that" etc. Well, a certain difference between the two monarchs is undeniable."
Joseph's ongoing tourist program includes Notre Dame, the palace of justice to attend a trial, and more hospitals. The Duke doesn't have the chance to observe him closely again until he spots Joseph with MA in a salon where MA is gambling. "I observed him mainly because I heard him say that princes should not gamble at high stakes, for it was the money of their subjects they were gambling with - a hint to the Queen. I believe this irritated the Queen a lot. Since both of them are in awe of the Empress, their almighty and ruling mother, the Queen was surely afraid of what he would report in Vienna."
The Duke doesn't miss the symbolism of Joseph being here at al, for:
"If one considers that this famous man, despite the often simple people around him, is the heir of the House of Habsburg and thus as our natural enemy has caused much French blood to be shed, one is allowed to be quite amazed."
Joseph isn't a spoilsport for his sister's entertainment all the time, though, and visits the opera with her repeatedly, which allows the Duke to pounce again. "He esteems our good French comedies. HIs departure seems to be imminent. He said that he prefers Italian music to our operas, but that Italian comedies were too silly for him, whereas he prefers our comedies in which one could admire the acting and could understand and explore every single character. He never voiced a political opinion and thus appeared inscrutable. When a lady asked him about his opinion on the American rebels, he replied: "Given my profession, Madame, I have to be a Royalist and am not allowed to praise any rebels." Thus he disguised his opinions."
As we get to the end of may, it's noticed that Joseph spends entire days (like May 29th) alone with the Queen and King, sans courtiers and with a lot of strolls through the park. The Duke is too dignified to speculate what they're talking about, he's just sure it's not politics. When Joseph takes off again (in the godawful morning of May 30th, WHY DO THESE GERMANS GET UP SO EARLY ALL THE TIME?), the Duke sums his Joseph impressions up:
"Given his ambition, his fondness of things military and his eagerness to express to succeed in everything, he may have threatening intentinos. And yet he dedicated himself to so many things it one hopes the amiability he's shown and the future years that will pass until the death of his mother will make him lord and master of all will help him grow calmer. Of our kingdom, he has surely won a good impression, and he's bound to love Paris and the French who admired him. All in all this partly dreaded visit has been success. Moreover, he has served as an example to our court and given it an impression of true greatness."
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Chronicle of an undercover visit
Date: 2019-11-09 05:58 pm (UTC)Haven't checked out the war stuff yet, but his description of Joseph's visit to Paris is great and also of interest in what it says about how such semi-official visits were handled. (And why it would have been a hell of a bother if Joseph had come officially. Versailles protocol was strict, and the problem alone of the Emperor outranking the King, and in which order which noble had to be received, when it came to seating arrangements would have been a headache. Whereas since officially Joseph was "Graf Falkenstein", he could basically come and go as he wanted and nobles could say hello in whichever order, etc.) (If Fritz had ever made a state visit to Paris, it would have been almost as big a problem - he didn't outrank Louis, but equal rank was a headache, too.) (This was why Wilhelmine travelled as the Gräfin Zollern when being in France, too.)
Now, our diarist is an old fashioned gentlemen who, for example, firmly disapproves of mistresses but once he actually met Pompadour and Dubarry, he found he liked them. He even kept in contact with Dubarry post regime change, and thus learns Joseph has been visiting her as well. (But sadly not what was said. Anyway, I find this intriguing, because there really is no political reason to visit the mistress of a dead king who has zilch current influence and also, since she started out from the gutter, no powerful family to placate.) Having actively fought against Joseph's Mom, he's also sometimes startled at himself for getting along with people who "shed French blood" (that's one way of putting it, Duke, given who started this war) at all, but is positively impressed by ViennaJoe. (Who might be travelling under an alias, but not really in secret. I.e. most people he met knew who he was. They just didn't have to go through elaborate ceremonies.)
The Duke notes that en route through France, Joseph got a lot of popular love in Lorraine, FS's old dukedom (that was given to France as a bribe to accept the Pragmatic Sanction which they kept and promptly ignored anyway), but both impresses and somewhat irritates people by visiting hospitals and cadet schools because "he kept commenting perhaps a bit too accurately", down to arguing anatomy with, for example, the chief surgeon in Metz. (Yep, he's modeled himself on Fritz, alright.)
The first sight the Duke himself catches of Joseph is "a shaby German chaise with post horses driving quickly", with only wet two servants(it's raining) and another one on horseback. ("That's how they always travel in Germany, no matter in which weather or during which time of the year, in open and very ugly carriages.") The Duke is a bit shocked that the HRE is really taking this travelling anonymously thing this far. I mean. One carriage! Three servants only! Horror!
Joseph is en route the Petit Luxembourg where he'll stay during his time in Paris (whereas sister Mimi wasn't allowed to go there, either, when she came later), and presents himself in Versailles on Saturday, April 19th, at a quarter past ten in the morning. The Duke notes Joseph first spends a while locked away alone with MA, then with MA and Louis, the gets presented to the rest of the royal family (the aunts, Louis' brothers and sister): "He appeared as a respectful foreigner who wants to please his hosts. He even wanted to meet the little Duc d'Angouleme." (That would be Louis' kid nephew.) Now it's (public) lunchtime and of course tout Versailles is ogling the Royal family & guest having lunch. ("We noted that he" - Joseph - "drank only water. He wasvery tanned from his travel.")
Next day, Joseph "in a terrible hired carriage" visits the local hospitals (again) ("out of preference or calculation, he seems to be mainly interested in hospitals, universities and all that serves humanity. The evening, he spent at the opera. His French is flawless, he speaks smoothly and wittily, if at times with a German grammatical construction."
The Duke approves less of the fact that Joseph rises at an ungodly early time though he notes that gives Joseph space for more tourist stuff. At half past one, Joseph joins his sister at the Trianon where they lunch a deux without any courtiers (what is going on, wonders the Duke). Or Louis, who has gone hunting. Then they go walking. This seems to be an Austrian habit, notes our narrator:
"Like her brother the Queen often enjoys taking the air, for the empress Maria Theresia has raised them without the former stiffness of the House of Habsburg." This evening, when Joseph enters one of the salons at Versailles without announcement, the Duke finally has the chance to pounce and talk to the visitor himself.
"The Emperor who appeared to be relieved being able to talk to someone and paid me compliments for more than fifteen minutes, and devoted himself exclusively to me with such pleasant and flattering words that it went swimmingly between us. (...) In order to say something, I directed the conversation towards the menagerie which he had visited this morning. He praised it a lot and said "In Vienna, we have a male elephant. Yours is female; I've got a mind to arrange a marriage!" Thus we jested for a while and I was tempted to say that I could imagine an even more important marriage project for him! "
(We're working on it, Duke, we're working on it.) Since it's getting late, Joseph doesn't return to Paris but stays overnight in Versailles, which means sleeping on the floor, since there's little room elsewhere. This shocks the Duke again.
"One notices he's in many ways modelling himself on Charles XII of Sweden and the King of Prussia. But it is strange that someone whom the King has officially adressed as the Queen's brother sleeps at an inn at Versailles on the floor!"
Still, he's won over by our boy. "All appears to be to his credit, and in a natural fashion, for he does not have the time nor the wish to consult a local advisor on manners. The ladies he met, that is, those with offices at Versailles, quite fancy him. But through all the gracious and friendly tone he used, he still remained the Emperor. He honors the education his noble mother has given him. He is sixandthirty years old, and while he lives modestly, one notices he has learned to refine his taste through paying attention. As for myself, I looked at the elephant with great pleasure, which despite being an elephant cow is with nearly seven foot a tall example of its kind. It is at liberty to stroll through the Park each morning. Our rhino, which is unique in Europe, appears to have grown somewhat and amazed me. The camels, dromedars, lions and tigers made for an excellent menagerie, and I noted down the animals still lacking.
When I had changed my clothing, I went to the King's dinner, where I was surprised to hear "the Emperor has done this, the Emperor has done that" etc. Well, a certain difference between the two monarchs is undeniable."
Joseph's ongoing tourist program includes Notre Dame, the palace of justice to attend a trial, and more hospitals. The Duke doesn't have the chance to observe him closely again until he spots Joseph with MA in a salon where MA is gambling. "I observed him mainly because I heard him say that princes should not gamble at high stakes, for it was the money of their subjects they were gambling with - a hint to the Queen. I believe this irritated the Queen a lot. Since both of them are in awe of the Empress, their almighty and ruling mother, the Queen was surely afraid of what he would report in Vienna."
The Duke doesn't miss the symbolism of Joseph being here at al, for:
"If one considers that this famous man, despite the often simple people around him, is the heir of the House of Habsburg and thus as our natural enemy has caused much French blood to be shed, one is allowed to be quite amazed."
Joseph isn't a spoilsport for his sister's entertainment all the time, though, and visits the opera with her repeatedly, which allows the Duke to pounce again.
"He esteems our good French comedies. HIs departure seems to be imminent. He said that he prefers Italian music to our operas, but that Italian comedies were too silly for him, whereas he prefers our comedies in which one could admire the acting and could understand and explore every single character. He never voiced a political opinion and thus appeared inscrutable. When a lady asked him about his opinion on the American rebels, he replied: "Given my profession, Madame, I have to be a Royalist and am not allowed to praise any rebels." Thus he disguised his opinions."
As we get to the end of may, it's noticed that Joseph spends entire days (like May 29th) alone with the Queen and King, sans courtiers and with a lot of strolls through the park. The Duke is too dignified to speculate what they're talking about, he's just sure it's not politics. When Joseph takes off again (in the godawful morning of May 30th, WHY DO THESE GERMANS GET UP SO EARLY ALL THE TIME?), the Duke sums his Joseph impressions up:
"Given his ambition, his fondness of things military and his eagerness to express to succeed in everything, he may have threatening intentinos. And yet he dedicated himself to so many things it one hopes the amiability he's shown and the future years that will pass until the death of his mother will make him lord and master of all will help him grow calmer. Of our kingdom, he has surely won a good impression, and he's bound to love Paris and the French who admired him. All in all this partly dreaded visit has been success. Moreover, he has served as an example to our court and given it an impression of true greatness."