Chapter 13 – The heir to the throne
Marianne’s relationship with her brother Joseph (born 1741) had been full of veiled tension since their childhood. As the eldest Imperial son and daughter, they were both smart and studious, though with her higher intelligence and brilliant memory, Marianne outperformed her brother in school lessons. Both were ambitious and somewhat arrogant, especially Joseph, who, as […]
Chapter 13 – The official gala dinner
Dinners and suppers formed an important part of the daily routine and required approximately one-fifth to a quarter of the annual courtly budget. They could vary largely according to their publicity. On official or religious occasions, great stately galas were held, where the Imperial couple dined publicly in the Rittersaal (the Knight’s Hall) in the […]