Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
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| Charles VI | |
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| Holy Roman Emperor; King of the Romans, Bohemia, Croatia and Hungary; Archduke of Austria | |
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| Holy Roman Emperor; King of Bohemia | |
| Reign | 22 December 1711-20 October 1740 |
| Coronation | 22 December 1711 |
| Predecessor | Joseph I |
| Successor | Charles VII |
| King of Hungary and Croatia; Archduke of Austria | |
| Reign | 22 December 1711-20 October 1740 |
| Predecessor | Joseph I |
| Successor | Maria Theresa |
| Spouse | Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel |
| Issue | |
| Maria Theresa Archduchess Maria Anna |
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| Full name | |
| Karl Franz Joseph Wenceslau Balthasar Johann Anton Ignatius | |
| Royal house | House of Habsburg |
| Father | Leopold I |
| Mother | Eleonore-Magdalena of Neuburg |
| Born | October 1, 1685 Vienna |
| Died | October 20, 1740 (aged 55) Vienna |
| Burial | Kapuzinergruft, Vienna |
Charles VI (German Karl VI) (October 1, 1685 – October 20, 1740) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia (as Karel II.) and Hungary (as Károly III.) from 1711 to 1740. From 1703 to 1711 he was an active claimant to the throne of Spain as Charles III.
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[edit] Biography
Charles was born in Vienna, the second son of the Emperor Leopold I and of his third wife, Princess Eleonore-Magdalena of Palatine-Neuburg. He was given the baptismal names Karl Franz Joseph Wenceslau Balthasar Johann Anton Ignatius. His tutor was Prince Anton Florian of Liechtenstein.
Charles was the contracted heir of the Spanish Habsburgs. When Charles II of Spain made Philip V his heir, Louis XIV violated the contract. The dispute for the crown of Spain led to the War of the Spanish Succession.
After his older brother the Emperor Joseph I died suddenly in 1711, Charles returned to Austria. He succeeded immediately as King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. Later that year he was elected Holy Roman Emperor in Frankfurt.
Although Charles seems to have been clumsy in political affairs, the Austrian monarchy reached its widest expansion during his reign. His superior army was defeated by Bosnians in year 1737 in Battle of Banja Luka.
He married Elisabeth, eldest daughter of Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. At the time of his death, his only surviving children were Maria Theresa and Maria Anna, so he had no living male heirs - a situation he had guarded against in the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, which stated that his realm could not be divided and allowed that daughters also could inherit the throne from their fathers. When he died, the War of the Austrian Succession took place, but in the end the Pragmatic Sanction held up and his daughter succeeded him as Queen of Hungary and Bohemia and Archduchess of Austria. However, being a female, she was not elected Holy Roman Empress. Instead, Charles VII was elected. However, after Charles VII's reign, Maria Theresa's husband Francis III Stephen, Duke of Lorraine, was elected, ensuring that the Empire would continue in the Habsburg line.
Probably as a consequence of his years in Spain, he introduced the Spanish court ceremonial (Spanisches Hofzeremoniell) in Vienna and built the Spanish Riding School. Furthermore, the Reichskanzlei ("chancellory of the state") and the National Library were constructed during his reign and the Michaeler tract added to the Hofburg. Much was designed in baroque style in Vienna during Charles' reign.
He also had musical ambitions. Taught as a boy by Johann Joseph Fux, he composed, played the harpsichord, and now and then conducted the court's band.
There is some evidence that Charles' death was caused by consuming a meal of death cap mushrooms.[1]
[edit] Ancestors
| Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor | Father: Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor |
Father's father: Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor |
Father's father's father: Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Father's father's mother: Maria Anna of Bavaria |
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| Father's mother: Maria Anna of Spain |
Father's mother's father: Philip III of Spain |
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| Father's mother's mother: Margaret of Austria |
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| Mother: Eleonore-Magdalena of Neuburg |
Mother's father: Philipp Wilhelm, Elector Palatine |
Mother's father's father: Wolfgang Wilhelm, Pfalzgraf von Neuburg |
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| Mother's father's mother: Magdalene of Bavaria |
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| Mother's mother: Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt |
Mother's mother's father: George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt |
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| Mother's mother's mother: Sofie Eleonore of Saxony |
Names in other languages: German: Karl VI., Czech: Karel II., Hungarian: III. Károly, Slovak: Karol III., Croatian: Karlo III., Catalan: Carles III., Latin: Carolus VI.Polish Karol VI, Dutch: Karel VI.
Emperor Charles VI has been the main motif of many collectors' coins and medals. One of the most recent samples is high value collectors' coin the Austrian Göttweig Abbey commemorative coin, minted in October 11, 2006. His portrait can be seen in the foreground of the reverse of the coin.
[edit] See also
- Kings of Germany family tree. He was related to every other king of Germany.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Wasson RG. (1972). The death of Claudius, or mushrooms for murderers. Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard University 23(3):101–128.
[edit] References
- León Sanz, Virginia. Carlos VI: el emperador que no pudo ser rey de España. Madrid: Aguilar, 2003. ISBN 8403094094.
- Rill, Bernd. Karl VI.: Habsburg als barocke Grossmacht. Graz: Verlag Styria, 1992. ISBN 3222121486.
[edit] External links
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Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Born: 1 October 1685 Died: 20 October 1740 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by Victor Amadeus II |
King of Sicily 1720–34 |
Succeeded by Charles III of Spain (as Charles VII) |
| Preceded by Philip V of Spain (as Philip IV) |
King of Naples 1713–35 |
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| King of Sardinia 1713–20 |
Succeeded by Victor Amadeus II |
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| Preceded by Joseph I |
Holy Roman Emperor (elect) King in Germany (formally King of the Romans) 1711–40 |
Succeeded by Charles VII |
| King of Bohemia (as Charles II) 1711–40 |
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| King of Hungary, Croatia and Slavonia (as Charles III) 1711–40 |
Succeeded by Maria Theresa |
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| Archduke of Austria (as Charles III) 1711–40 |
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| Preceded by Charles III of Spain (as Charles I) |
Duke of Parma and Piacenza 1735–40 |
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| Duke of Guastalla 1735–40 |
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| Preceded by Philip V of Spain (as Philip IV) |
Count of Barcelona 1705–14 |
Title merged with Spanish monarchy |
| Preceded by Joseph I |
Duke of Teschen 1711–1722 |
Succeeded by Leopold |
| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Habsburg, Charles Francis Joseph |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Habsburg, Karl Franz Josef |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Holy Roman Emperor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1 October 1685 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Vienna, Austria |
| DATE OF DEATH | 20 October 1740 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
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