Saturday, May 18, 2013

Get in the Vienna Spirit

I'm a strange individual, that's for sure. I'm writing my research paper for AP European history, and I'm enjoying it.

History used to be an interest, but has become a passion. While I could care less about dates, I love learning about how one idea influenced another and how things changed over time. I must confess, though, I'm not a fan of politics. Rather, I love the social changes over time. Why, in the late eighteenth century, was propaganda of the French queen with bare breasts considered scandalous but not pornographic? How did society's view of warfare transform, and how much of it was due to technology (read: everything)? Social questions that cannot be answered in a straightforward manner are great fun.

Anyways, I'm writing about Maria Theresa and her two children Joseph II and Marie Antoinette. And it's dead fascinating. I suppose it's safe to say I don't modern celebrity gossip- just gossip from three hundred years ago!

Here's some funny facts about Maria Theresa, Joseph II, and Marie Antoinette:

  • Maria Theresa was nearly always pregnant from her marriage to her husband's death in 1765, and had  16 children
    • During childbirth, she was known to read state papers, throwing them aside when things got too intense
    • She also got a rotten tooth pulled during Maria Antonia's (Marie Antoinette's) birth
  • Joseph II hated the Catholic Church
    • An instant way to start an argument with his Catholic mother was bringing up religious toleration
    • He also angered the nobles in his kingdom so much he had to take a bunch of reforms he had implemented back
  • Marie Antoinette didn't consumate her marriage for 7 years
    • ... enough said. Yes, I had to put this in my research paper, as it became quite the political issue that she wasn't bearing an heir



To get in the mood for the eighteenth century, I've been listening to Baroque music. Not certain if I like it yet. 


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