Along with the main methodological challenge comes the psychological one. You stop in the middle of your work and, as if seeing it first time in your life, find yourself wondering what exactly is going on here. Indeed, why should an Imperial Princess involve herself in research on extraneous lives and mysterious circumstances? All of […]
The Imperial children were involved in public events from an early age. They participated in gala events at court and in religious ceremonies and gave formal audiences to the ambassadors. A series of festivities, balls, receptions, theatrical performances, gala dinners and more were on the programme. On such occasions, proper behaviour following the fixed court […]
A methodological problem runs through the plot. It is a twofold problem: first, how Marianne becomes aware of a source or a witness; and, second, how she reaches said source or witness. The variety of sources ranges from administrative documents to private correspondence. Each type requires a grounded way of approach: an academic text is […]
Keeping accounts on baptisms, weddings and funerals was one of the main businesses of the ecclesiastical administration; the registers they kept still provide an important source of personal data for researchers today. I have never seen the funeral register of the Augustinian church with my own eyes. Nevertheless, there is no doubt about its existence. […]
The available information on the burial crypt of the Schwarzenbergs turned out to be rather fragmentary. According to my knowledge, it should be located close to the altar of St Nicholas of Tolentino in the Augustine Church and was in use from 1682 to 1789. By spring 1757, the crypt was the final resting place […]
Hofburg Palace was the residence of the Habsburgs for centuries. In the 18th century, Hofburg Palace reached approximately two-thirds of its modern dimensions. Some considerable extensions were made by Leopold I and Karl VI. During the reign of Maria Theresa, buildings which had previously stood apart were integrated into the main palace complex. On the […]
Ernestine Countess Strassoldo (1695-1766) was the most long-serving matron in Marianne’s circle, holding the post of Fräuleinhoffmasterin, or the supervisor of a young unmarried maid of honour (i.e. Juliana and Leontine), especially of their behaviour and service. Of her nearest past, the year 1746 happened to be a true annus horribilis for the Countess. Over […]
Drumroll, please! After one-third of the story with no particular action, we have reached the middle of the intrigue, which appears to be a great tangle of raw material which Marianne must patiently unravel and analyse. All of the rumours, suggestions and facts given in the chapter have been dispersed across several sources of varying […]
It was not easy to find the names of the ladies belonging to Marianne’s entourage in spring 1757. Typically, maids of honour are considered bystanders, hardly worth mentioning and only occasionally involved in the indices of history books. However, carefully considering their years of birth and the years they seemed to be present at court, […]
From the very beginning, my scheme required Marianne to reach the point where she is keen to consider the effect of herbal remedies as part of her investigation (and, furthermore, to support her own problematic recovery). Tea as a medicine seemed to provide the best opportunity for her to encounter Doctor von Störck, the renowned […]
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