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. 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