Okay, now I've checked out what a decades younger Duke thought was going on in the War of Austrian Succession.
Firstly, like all his life, he's a (French) patriot, and when MT's Dad dies and Fritz pounces on Silesia, he's all for France joining the free for all (the plan then being to carry the war right to Vienna and end the House of Habsburg once and for all, with its lands being carved up not just between European powers but other German nobility, and Karl Albrecht of Wittelsbach subsequently ruling over a much smaller rearranged HRE. This to our young duke is a cause of joy, I mean, the centuries long Bourbons vs Habsburgs has gone through its latest iteration when MT's Dad was kicked out of Northern Spain and the Bourbon rule over Spain solidified. There is also zero expectation that the Austrians will put up a successful fight; as far as young de Croy is concerned, the "House of Habsburg has ended" with MT's father. She's a woman, yo, and the Lorraine guy is clearly not up to scratch.
Otoh, young de Croy is not at all blind and deaf when attending Karl Albrecht's coronation as Emperor in Frankfurt and thus describes the mood of the German population at the grand ceremony:
The proclamation especially detailed that the Empire had been orphaned after the death of Charles VI, and that the elector's college had according to law and without a dissenting voice voted the Prince Elector of Bavaria as King of the Romans - for obvious reasons, no one mentioned "King of Bohemia" - and that he was supposed to be recognized as such now by everyone. Then the archdeacon shouted a "Vivat Rex", and all attending (mostly Frenchmen) replied with the same call. One could hear the saluts shot from the city walls.
I have to add, though, that there wasn't a single exclamation of joy to be heard in the entire city. Instead, one felt a melancholic mood: nearly all of Germany seems to be angry about this choice. This has reasons. The Germans feel that it was solely the work of France, and partly enforced by our armies standing in Bohemia and Westphalia. They talk of an Emperor cut from French clothing, a puppet of the Cardinal Fleury and the Marechal de Belle-Isle. They also know that this Emperor, even if he was in the possession of Upper Austria and Bohemia, can't offer more than 18.000 men as an army and thus will never be able to stand up to France to which he ows his imperial throne. That thus, it is France deciding over the fate of the Empire, especially since it has split the princes of said Empire into almost equal factions. Moreover, the prince electorate of Bavaria and his house are now forced to incredible expenses which they only could raise by draining their countries dry, with Bavaria already having been in a miserable state. Thus, this day was great for France, the Cardinal and the Marshal, since the Empire recognized the ruler we have given it. For this succes, France has promised to each willing prince the territory he wants at the expense of the House of Habsburg, which will be destroyed. This might burden the Empire for years to come, and the people have been used to the rule of this House, being slaves to habit.
As for the new Emperor and his wife: The Emperor is not beautiful. He appears to be good-natured, though, and shy. The Empress is an ugly woman, very fat, red-faced, has big eyes, but she, too, appears good natured and very shy.
They were also soon out of a home, since on the day of Karl Albrecht's coronation, Austrian troops marched into Linz and were on their way to Munich. The Duke, a man after Fritz' own heart in this regard, keeps to referring to MT as "The Queen of Hungary" through all three Silesian Wars and the 7 Years War, though, and doesn't call her "the Empress" until the MA marriage to the Dauphin is arranged.
Now, when I earlier said the Duke basically disapproves of mistresses, I should have specified: low-born mistresses. He's okay with the noble type. But he's still won over by middle class Jeanne Poisson, laer the Marquise de Pompadeur, and lower class Dubarry. When Madame de Pompadour dies, he has this to say:
She will be greatly missed, for she was goodnatured and helped nearly all who have asked for her help. Thus one of the longest rules I have experienced in my life time ends. It started when she was twenty, in early 1745, and thus lasted nearly twenty years!
I suppose there were hardly any appointments and pardons that did not succeed through her. She only caused the dismissal of the three or four ministers who had tried to get rid of her first. She never did evil, or only if she was forced to, but in her time all kind of misery has happened in France, and so much money was spent in vain! Her death has been the most momentous event to happen in France for a long time. On the one hand, we now have to wait who will succeed in winning the unlimited trust of the King, for he needs someone to help him decide on appointments and pardons. And the entire court system could be toppled by this person. On the other hand, it was Madame de Pompadour who had brought our alliance with Austria into being and kept us loyal to it. Thus, it is now possible that we will have a renewed feud with the Queen of Hungary and have a new war instead of the peace we so direly need.
Not to worry, Duke; MT has no intention of feuding with France again. Note that while the Duke has praise for his King, too - "though nearing 60, he's still the most beautiful man at court", the Duke writes loyally - he's not deluded about his King's ability to rule on his lonesome. The Duke, otoh, decides together with his son to buy shares of the East India Company. Feud with England or not, that's clearly where the money lies. Not in France, alas.
Chronicle of a a failed foreign policy venture
Firstly, like all his life, he's a (French) patriot, and when MT's Dad dies and Fritz pounces on Silesia, he's all for France joining the free for all (the plan then being to carry the war right to Vienna and end the House of Habsburg once and for all, with its lands being carved up not just between European powers but other German nobility, and Karl Albrecht of Wittelsbach subsequently ruling over a much smaller rearranged HRE. This to our young duke is a cause of joy, I mean, the centuries long Bourbons vs Habsburgs has gone through its latest iteration when MT's Dad was kicked out of Northern Spain and the Bourbon rule over Spain solidified. There is also zero expectation that the Austrians will put up a successful fight; as far as young de Croy is concerned, the "House of Habsburg has ended" with MT's father. She's a woman, yo, and the Lorraine guy is clearly not up to scratch.
Otoh, young de Croy is not at all blind and deaf when attending Karl Albrecht's coronation as Emperor in Frankfurt and thus describes the mood of the German population at the grand ceremony:
The proclamation especially detailed that the Empire had been orphaned after the death of Charles VI, and that the elector's college had according to law and without a dissenting voice voted the Prince Elector of Bavaria as King of the Romans - for obvious reasons, no one mentioned "King of Bohemia" - and that he was supposed to be recognized as such now by everyone. Then the archdeacon shouted a "Vivat Rex", and all attending (mostly Frenchmen) replied with the same call. One could hear the saluts shot from the city walls.
I have to add, though, that there wasn't a single exclamation of joy to be heard in the entire city. Instead, one felt a melancholic mood: nearly all of Germany seems to be angry about this choice. This has reasons. The Germans feel that it was solely the work of France, and partly enforced by our armies standing in Bohemia and Westphalia. They talk of an Emperor cut from French clothing, a puppet of the Cardinal Fleury and the Marechal de Belle-Isle. They also know that this Emperor, even if he was in the possession of Upper Austria and Bohemia, can't offer more than 18.000 men as an army and thus will never be able to stand up to France to which he ows his imperial throne. That thus, it is France deciding over the fate of the Empire, especially since it has split the princes of said Empire into almost equal factions. Moreover, the prince electorate of Bavaria and his house are now forced to incredible expenses which they only could raise by draining their countries dry, with Bavaria already having been in a miserable state. Thus, this day was great for France, the Cardinal and the Marshal, since the Empire recognized the ruler we have given it. For this succes, France has promised to each willing prince the territory he wants at the expense of the House of Habsburg, which will be destroyed. This might burden the Empire for years to come, and the people have been used to the rule of this House, being slaves to habit.
As for the new Emperor and his wife: The Emperor is not beautiful. He appears to be good-natured, though, and shy. The Empress is an ugly woman, very fat, red-faced, has big eyes, but she, too, appears good natured and very shy.
They were also soon out of a home, since on the day of Karl Albrecht's coronation, Austrian troops marched into Linz and were on their way to Munich. The Duke, a man after Fritz' own heart in this regard, keeps to referring to MT as "The Queen of Hungary" through all three Silesian Wars and the 7 Years War, though, and doesn't call her "the Empress" until the MA marriage to the Dauphin is arranged.
Now, when I earlier said the Duke basically disapproves of mistresses, I should have specified: low-born mistresses. He's okay with the noble type. But he's still won over by middle class Jeanne Poisson, laer the Marquise de Pompadeur, and lower class Dubarry. When Madame de Pompadour dies, he has this to say:
She will be greatly missed, for she was goodnatured and helped nearly all who have asked for her help. Thus one of the longest rules I have experienced in my life time ends. It started when she was twenty, in early 1745, and thus lasted nearly twenty years!
I suppose there were hardly any appointments and pardons that did not succeed through her. She only caused the dismissal of the three or four ministers who had tried to get rid of her first. She never did evil, or only if she was forced to, but in her time all kind of misery has happened in France, and so much money was spent in vain! Her death has been the most momentous event to happen in France for a long time. On the one hand, we now have to wait who will succeed in winning the unlimited trust of the King, for he needs someone to help him decide on appointments and pardons. And the entire court system could be toppled by this person. On the other hand, it was Madame de Pompadour who had brought our alliance with Austria into being and kept us loyal to it. Thus, it is now possible that we will have a renewed feud with the Queen of Hungary and have a new war instead of the peace we so direly need.
Not to worry, Duke; MT has no intention of feuding with France again. Note that while the Duke has praise for his King, too - "though nearing 60, he's still the most beautiful man at court", the Duke writes loyally - he's not deluded about his King's ability to rule on his lonesome. The Duke, otoh, decides together with his son to buy shares of the East India Company. Feud with England or not, that's clearly where the money lies. Not in France, alas.