Archduke Charles Joseph of Austria (''Carl Josef Emanuel Johann Nepomhk Anton Prokop''; 1 February 1745 – 18 January 1761) was the second son of the
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
ruler
Empress Maria Theresa I and her husband,
Francis of Lorraine
Francis I (Francis Stephen; french: François Étienne; german: Franz Stefan; 8 December 1708 – 18 August 1765) was Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Grand Duke of Tuscany. He became the ruler of the Holy ...
.
Life
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
Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 un ...
. 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
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
, 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
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
, 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![Mahan, 270.]
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.
Ancestry
References
Bibliography
* Mahan, J. Alexander: ''Maria Theresa of Austria'', READ BOOKS 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles Joseph Of Austria, Archduke
1745 births
1761 deaths
Deaths from smallpox
18th-century Austrian people
Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria
House of Habsburg-Lorraine
Austrian princes
Children of Maria Theresa
Burials at the Imperial Crypt
Burials at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna
Sons of emperors
Royalty and nobility who died as children
Sons of kings