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cahnAnd including Emperor Joseph II!
from Derek Beales: Joseph II, Volume 2: Against the World, 1780 - 1790:
Joseph's alleged comment to Mozart about the Entführung, "Too many notes", has been taken as evidence of his ignorance. But he probably said something like, "Too beautiful for our ears, and monstrous many notes." It is always necessary to bear in mind, when appraising the emperor's remarks, his peculiar brand of humor or sarcasm. He was usually getting at someone. And he did not use the royal "we". The ears in question were those of the Viennese audience, whom he was mocking for their limited appreciation of Mozart's elaborate music.
(though not gonna lie, I think it is a LOT of notes)
from Derek Beales: Joseph II, Volume 2: Against the World, 1780 - 1790:
Joseph's alleged comment to Mozart about the Entführung, "Too many notes", has been taken as evidence of his ignorance. But he probably said something like, "Too beautiful for our ears, and monstrous many notes." It is always necessary to bear in mind, when appraising the emperor's remarks, his peculiar brand of humor or sarcasm. He was usually getting at someone. And he did not use the royal "we". The ears in question were those of the Viennese audience, whom he was mocking for their limited appreciation of Mozart's elaborate music.
(though not gonna lie, I think it is a LOT of notes)
Re: Books about the Great Elector: until the death of Luise Henriette
Date: 2022-02-22 05:23 am (UTC)Thank you! :P
Chancellor Oxtierna: Young man, I have enough income of my own not to need any money from foreign princes. Also, you don't offer nearly enough, no wonder with your poor country.
HEE.
So, um. I think I definitely need to know more about Christina's hot countess and hot Catholic Cardinal!
Young Elector: Grrrr. Argh. Okay. Life goals:
1.) Money, 2.) Standing Army, 3.) Respect #HohenzollernPriorities
Hee!
has teen LH then say: I wish I was dead or a farmer, then I could take someone I know, who was to my taste and whom I could love!"
Aw. I mean... yeah, I'm very happy to live in a time and place where I didn't have a partner picked for me!
and when friightening things happened, like a fire of the stables in 1665, they didn't calm down until Schwerin allowed them to go to Luise Henriette who comforted them, and remained with little F1 till he fell asleep.
Aww, this is really sweet.
Queen Christina: a brief summary
Date: 2022-02-22 09:04 am (UTC)So: Daughter of Gustavus Adolphus "Lion of the North", King of Sweden, hero of Protestants and terror of Catholics in the Thirty Years War, and his wife Maria Eleonora. Maria Eleonora was a Hohenzollern (which makes Christina half one), the sister of Georg Wilhelm and aunt of the Great Elector), and one of the Queens, like Juana, who were either mad or classified as such to keep them out of the way or both. Supposedly after Gustav Adolf's death in battle, when he was brought home to Sweden, she insisted he was not to be buried until after her own death, and that the coffin was to remain open so she could look at him whenever she wanted, with the obvious consequences until Chancellor Oxenstierna put guards outside to keep her away and prevent this from continueing. Gustav Adolf had wanted his half sister as regent for his daughter, but Maria Eleonora wanted to be regent and had her sister-in-law banished until, again, Oxenstierna overrode her and had her banished to Castle Gripsholm while putting Christina into her aunt's custody again. The net effect was that Christina grew up raised by people not her mother (first the aunt, then after the aunt's death other foster mothers appointed by Oxenstierna) and never had a relationship with her.
Christina was in one sense a tomboy - famously and often dressed in male clothing - but not in the sense that most people use the term today, because she did love luxury, and jewelry, and male clothing in the 17th century was as fancy and ruffled with lace and silk as female clothing. She also loved books, art, music, theatre, science... but not governing. (One problem if one looks for easy feminist narratives; this wasn't a powerful woman brought down by men.) One positive political action of hers once she came of age was to be pro peace at the end of the 30 Years War when Oxenstierna wanted to fight on and not to make peace with the Catholic Habsburgs, and it's debatable how much of that was a desire for peace and how much the awareness that once peace was there, she'd get a better budget to spend on things she actually enjoyed from parliament.
The hot countess was one Ebba Sparre. Christina wrote her passionate letters, introduced her to the British ambassador as her bedfellow and praised her mind and body, and the one reason why there's a slight question mark on "Were they lovers?" is that people did write more emo letters in the era, and Christina also wrote passionate letters to women she never met but admired. She briefly flirted and considered marrying her first cousin Karl Gustav (who ended up becoming King after her), but not her other first cousin the Elector. (The hot Cardinal comes later.) Like Catherine and Fritz a century later, she tried to collect scientists and philosophers, and did induce Descartes to come to Stockholm. (This is somewhat covered in "The Winter Queen and her daughters", because Christina competed with one of the daughters, Louisa the Mathematician, for Descartes.) Big mistake. Descartes was a late riser, Christina wanted to meet him at 5.a.m in the morning, Descartes caught a cold and died, having greatly regreted his journey to Sweden.
Also coming to Sweden as writers and scientists: Jesuits. Now, Sweden, deeply Lutheran, is THE PROTESTANT NATION of Europe. (No, not England. The Anglican Church courtesy of Henry VIII still had huge Catholic elements in it.) But Christina gets interested in Catholic theology along with being interested in the Jesuits she meets. This will beoome a plot point. By now, gossip about Christina is exploding everywhere, and when she has a guy and his son beheaded for calling her a shameless Jezebel, her until then fairly large popularity in Sweden abruptly ends.
Basically, it all accumulates: Christina created a lot of new noble titles, which needed estates and money, which wasn't good for the population, she's spending money on art and sciences and her faves, she's not really interested in governing (unlike, say, Catherine a century later - Catherine loved her creature comforts, but she also was a hard worker), and she's secretly becoming a Catholic. => Christina decides to abdicate in cousin Carl Gustav's favour. (Though with the caveat that if he dies without an heir, she'll take the crown back.) This she does, and starts to travel through Europe. Including Rome. And when she goes public about having become a Catholic, this is possibly the biggest PR coup of the counter reformation, because of who she is - the daughter of THE PROTESTANTEST PROTESTANT HERO EVER.
Pope Alexander VII. is very happy with her. He becomes progressively less happy when Christina flirts with the hot Cardinal Decio Azzolino, both because this isn't the Renaissance anymore, Cardinals are actually supposed to keep their vows now, and because Decio Azzolino belongs to the progressive party in the Conclave, unlike Alexander, who is a conservative. Decio Azzolino gets transferred to Romania partly because of this for a while, but he gets back, and he and Christina continue their (they insist) platonic relationship till her death (he's at her side when she dies decades later, she leaves her gigantic art collection to him, but alas he only survives her by a few weeks and his heir sells all the art stuff!). This is by far not the only scandal about now Catholic Christina, though. When visiting France, - where she shocks the Grande Mademoiselle, Louis XIV's cousin when going to the theatre with her "applauding the parts which pleased her, taking God to witness, throwing herself back in her chair, crossing her legs, resting them on the arms of her chair, and assuming other postures" - she stuns everyone by having her master of the horse executed in her palace for disloyalty.
Christina: What? I'm a Queen. I had his correspondance read, I had proof, I asked him how, in his opinion, betrayal should be punished, he said by death, I then revealed I meant him and had my guys do as he suggested. That's royal prerogative.
The rest of the world: But... you're not a Queen anymore! That kind of thing is murder without a trial.
Christina: No, it's not. It's execution, with me as judge and jury, as is my royal prerogative. Once a Queen, always a Queen.
Mazarin: Then could you be a Queen back in Rome?
Christina returns to Rome. Where the Pope is askance and now describes her as: 'a woman born of a barbarian, barbarously brought up and living with barbarous thoughts [...] with a ferocious and almost intolerable pride", and "a queen without a realm, a Christian without faith, and a woman without shame". He doesn't want to see her again, but otoh, Azzolino is back from Romania and gets her new staff (the business with the executed Marchese who was her master of the horse let to staff shortage for obvious reasons). Christina continues to live the high life in Rome and occasionally in other European countries on a visit, but it's not all partying. For example, on the very sympathetic side, she was disgusted by the Roman custom of chasing the Jews through the streets in Carnival time, and took the Roman Jews under her personal protection (there's a letter of hers about this, signed "la Regina" - once a Queen, always a Queen), and when Alexander VII died and was replaced by her and Azzolino's pal who became Clement IX, she succeeded in making said new Pope declaring the custom illegal, full stop.
Unlike other famous converts from Protestantism to Catholicism, like, say, Madame de Maintenon, who then became more Catholic than Catholic, Christina never became a fanatic but was one of the rare moderate tolerant people of her age. (Though she pissed off the people of Hamburg - Lutherans - where she was staying at the time Clement became Pope by throwing a spontanous party for the occasion.) When Louis XIV kicked out the Huguenots, she wrote him an indignant letter.
Lastly: when the Polish throne became available because Poland, remember, was an elective monarchy, she put herself forward, her arguments being: a) Catholic, b) Queen experience, c) Old Maid and wants to remain so, thus not inflicting a new dynasty on the country. Clement IX supported her, but the Poles didn't go for it. Christina, having thought better of it in the meantime, said she was okay with this since it allowed her to continue staying with her beloved Azzolino. When she died, she was buried in the Grotte Vaticane in St. Peter's, one of only three women (among 200 plus popes) to whom this honor was extended, still Europe's most prominent Catholic convert, providing people with gossip material for centuries to come.
There are a few conspiracy theories about her, one of whom being that she was intersex, but ambassadorial reports say she menunstruated, and at any rate liking to wear male clothing and being bisexual doesn't mean you're also intersex.
ETA: Trailers for two movies about Christina, neither of whom I've watched but both of which I heard about:
The Girl King
Queen Christina with Greta Garbo in the title role, and that's one surreal trailer because two thirds of it isn't about Christina at all, but solely about Garbo!
Daughter of ETA: Christina shocks everyone by deciding on peace in the Thirty Years War, a scene from the above movie which I just watched, which reminded me that this movie was scripted by Salka Viertel, who was bff (and maybe more) with Garbo, one of the few female scriptwriters in the golden age of Hollywood. Also a left leaning social democratic emigrated Austrian, whose salon became the favourite meeting point for the émigres in Hollywood in the 1940s, a decade later. This movie, however, was produced in 1932 and released in 1933, and Salka Viertel giving Christina a passionate plea for peace and not to impose too harsh conditions on a a defeated Germany, err, on the Catholic German states is both of best and worst timing.
Re: Queen Christina: a brief summary
Date: 2022-02-22 11:51 pm (UTC)I will try to catch up on awesomely informative posts (I still owe you the Great Elector) once I have a weekend where I don't have to work or a workday where I'm too sleep-deprived to do German after work, whichever comes first. (Though the better I get at German, the easier it is to do while sleep-deprived, muahahaha. :D)
Re: Queen Christina: a brief summary
Date: 2022-02-23 05:19 pm (UTC)Re: Queen Christina: a brief summary
Date: 2022-02-24 02:45 am (UTC)Re: Queen Christina: a brief summary
Date: 2022-02-24 02:44 am (UTC)Wow, this was amazingly close to the way Juana was accused of being mad.
Christina was in one sense a tomboy - famously and often dressed in male clothing - but not in the sense that most people use the term today, because she did love luxury, and jewelry, and male clothing in the 17th century was as fancy and ruffled with lace and silk as female clothing.
Ditto Orzelska!
THE PROTESTANTEST PROTESTANT HERO EVER.
I laughed at "PROTESTANTEST." It's funny 'cause it's true!
Christina: No, it's not. It's execution, with me as judge and jury, as is my royal prerogative. Once a Queen, always a Queen.
All the executing and none of the governing responsibilities, I see! Someone wants to have her throne and abdicate it too.
d took the Roman Jews under her personal protection (there's a letter of hers about this, signed "la Regina" - once a Queen, always a Queen)
Using her powers for good! Good for her.
one of only three women (among 200 plus popes)
Who are the other two?
at any rate liking to wear male clothing and being bisexual doesn't mean you're also intersex.
Uh, yes. This reminds me of Lucasta Miller's observation that you can't conclude Emily Bronte was a lesbian because she whistled and was physically strong and liked outdoor activity.
Thank you for this!
Re: Queen Christina: a brief summary
Date: 2022-02-24 06:05 am (UTC)Christina was in one sense a tomboy - famously and often dressed in male clothing - but not in the sense that most people use the term today, because she did love luxury, and jewelry, and male clothing in the 17th century was as fancy and ruffled with lace and silk as female clothing.
I am starting to feel like all the interesting women dressed in male clothing of the era. Massie says Elizaveta and Catherine did this too? (Which is also shown in Ekaterina, and Catherine does look rather cute in male clothing.)
(
Christina wrote her passionate letters, introduced her to the British ambassador as her bedfellow and praised her mind and body, and the one reason why there's a slight question mark on "Were they lovers?" is that people did write more emo letters in the era, and Christina also wrote passionate letters to women she never met but admired.
But... like... bedfellows! Ah well, I suppose I don't really think the lively and fervent Danae ever got it on with Fritz either :P
I did also know about Descartes! I even knew a Queen Christina was involved, although I assumed it was probably not this one because I figured there were probably a bunch of Christinas, knowng history :P
he and Christina continue their (they insist) platonic relationship till her death (he's at her side when she dies decades later, she leaves her gigantic art collection to him, but alas he only survives her by a few weeks and his heir sells all the art stuff!).
<3 I... kind of like the idea of them being platonic life partners, although I suppose that's less likely than not.
For example, on the very sympathetic side, she was disgusted by the Roman custom of chasing the Jews through the streets in Carnival time, and took the Roman Jews under her personal protection (there's a letter of hers about this, signed "la Regina" - once a Queen, always a Queen), and when Alexander VII died and was replaced by her and Azzolino's pal who became Clement IX, she succeeded in making said new Pope declaring the custom illegal, full stop.
Okay, that is super awesome :D
(the business with the executed Marchese who was her master of the horse let to staff shortage for obvious reasons)
heeeee!
Re: Queen Christina: a brief summary
Date: 2022-02-24 03:30 pm (UTC)But did the *most* interesting woman, namely Émilie?
Massie says Elizaveta and Catherine did this too?
So I'm told! Because it allowed them to show off their well-formed legs.
Re: Books about the Great Elector: until the death of Luise Henriette
Date: 2022-02-22 12:22 pm (UTC)I thought so, too, and was also reminded of the letter from Karl Emil to F1 which the F1 biography quoted, from when Karl Emil was allowed to go on a hunting trip: "Herzallerliebstes Brüderchen,
weil Ihr bei Eurer grossen Glückseligkeit da Ihr alllzeit bei Papa und Mama seit, meiner ganz vergesset, so will ich hiermit beweisen, dass ich fleissig an Euch gedenke. Ich hoffe, mein Herzensbrüderchen bald wieder zu sehen."
(Most beloved of little brothers, as you forget me due to your great happiness of being with Mama and Papa always, I shall prove that I'm thinking of you all the time. I hope to see my dearest little brother again soon.)
For a royal family, they were really closely attached to to each other... for as long as Luise Henriette was still alive. Now even under current day conditions, it can happen that a family falls apart when a parent dies. Here the complete falling apart was delayed for a few years until Karl Emil died, but to me it does look like the Elector had zero coping methods for the original loss of Luise Henriette other than remarriage, and because this helped him expected it would work just as well for his sons, was confused when it didn't work out this way, and then angry when things got seriously sour once Karl Emil died, seeing F1 and Ludwig as symbols of his failures.
On a less depressing note, Luise Henriette being a princess of Orange and, if her brother had died without heirs, the Orange heir, is why the Hohenzollern ever after kept "Prince of Orange" (Oranien in German) among their titles - for example if you look at the list of titles in the Zernikow donation document shortly after Fritz' coronation, he calls himself "Prinz von Oranien" there as well. The Dutch kept a baleful eye on this Hohenzollern practice, lest it be a pretext for invasion a la Louis XIV and Spain.
Re: Books about the Great Elector: until the death of Luise Henriette
Date: 2022-02-24 06:06 am (UTC)