Archduke Charles Joseph of Austria (born 1745)

Archduke Charles Joseph
Archduke of Austria
File:Martin van Meytens 003.jpg Portrait by Martin van Meytens
Born	(1745-02-01)1 February 1745 Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, Holy Roman Empire
Died	Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, Holy Roman Empire
Burial	Imperial Crypt, Capuchin Church, Innere Stadt, Vienna
Full name English: Charles Joseph Emmanuel John Nepomuk Anthony Prokop German: Carl Josef Emanuel Johann Nepomuk Anton Prokop
House	Habsburg-Lorraine
Father	Prince Francis, Duke of Lorraine
Mother	Maria Theresa

Archduke Charles Joseph of Austria (Carl Josef Emanuel Johann Nepomhk Anton Prokop; 1 February 1745 – 18 January 1761) was the second son and seventh child of the Habsburg ruler Empress Maria Theresa I and her husband, Francis of Lorraine.

Life

File:Meytens - Archdukes Joseph and Charles Joseph of Austria.png

Portrait of Charles Joseph (right) and his older brother Joseph (left) by Martin van Meytens

Archduke Charles Joseph was born on 1 February 1745 at the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. He was the second son and seventh child of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, and his wife, Empress Maria Theresa.

Charles Joseph was the favourite son of Maria Theresa and Francis. He is known to have hated his older brother, the future Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II. He ridiculed him for his haughtiness and thought himself to be more deserving of the Crown of the Holy Roman Empire because he was the first son born to Maria Theresa during her reign as Empress. Charles Joseph often said that he meant to contend with his brother for the imperial crown.

In contrast to his older brother Joseph, who later became Holy Roman Emperor, he was considered extroverted and open-minded. The boy soon became his parents' favorite son and, with his charm and intelligence, won the affection and respect of his siblings and the entire court.

Death

The rivalry between the brothers was ended by Charles Joseph's premature death from smallpox, two weeks before his sixteenth birthday. While his mother was sitting by his bed in tears, Charles Joseph told her:

You should not weep for me, dear mother, for had I lived, I would have brought you many more tears!

Charles Joseph is buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna. His heart was buried separately in the Habsburg Crypt in the Loreto chapel of the Augustinian Church in Vienna.

Bibliography

• Mahan, J. Alexander: Maria Theresa of Austria, READ BOOKS 2007 ISBN 1-4067-3370-9