Palatine Joseph of Hungary

Archduke Joseph Anton Johann of Austria (, , 9 March 1776 – 13 January 1847) was the 103rd and penultimate palatine of Hungary who served for more than 50 years from 1796 to 1847, after he had been appointed governor in 1795.

The latter half of his service coincided with the Hungarian Reform Era, and he mediated between Francis I, King of Hungary and the Hungarian nobility, representing the country's interests in Vienna. He played a prominent role in the development of Pest as a cultural and economic centre, and the neoclassical buildings constructed on his initiative define the modern appearance of the city. The landscaping of the City Park of Budapest and Margaret Island also happened under his supervision. In the wider country, he supported public education, technical higher education, the arts, the construction of railroads, and the work of various progressive-thinking societies and associations. He made great donations towards the establishment of the Hungarian National Museum, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and the National Széchényi Library.

He was an archduke of Austria and a prince of Bohemia, Hungary, and Tuscany as the son of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, and the Hungarian or Palatinal branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine descends from him. In the Imperial Army, and later in the Austro-Hungarian Army, he bore the rank of ''Feldmarschall.''

Early life and education

Childhood in Tuscany

Archduke ''Joseph Anton Johann Baptist'' of Austria was born on 9 March 1776 in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany as the ninth child and seventh son of Leopold I, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1747–1792) and his wife, born ''Infanta'' Maria Luisa of Spain (1745–1792). He had a total of 15 siblings, two of whom died in infancy. Through his father, he was a grandson of Maria Theresa, Holy Roman Dowager Empress, Queen Regnant of Bohemia and Hungary (1717–1780). The family lived in the Pitti Palace in Florence, but spent summers in the Villa del Poggio Imperiale ("Villa of the Imperial Hill") or the Villa di Poggio a Cajano and some winters in Pisa.

The grand duchal couple created a warm and intimate environment for their children, whom they raised according to the modern principles of the age, taking special care of their diet and regular exercise. Their education plan was a mix of old-fashioned courtly instruction focused on etiquette and royal duty and the newer ideas of John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The children were entrusted to an all-female staff until the age of 4, composed of German-, Italian-, and French-speaking women who were only allowed to speak in their respective mother tongues to the children. Instruction in reading and writing started at the age of 3, and regular language classes a year later. In accordance with the will of the children's grandmother, Empress Dowager Maria Theresa, who monitored their development closely from Vienna, the family's life revolved around religion and the strict observance of all Catholic rituals. The children listened to religious texts while getting ready in the morning, attended mass, studied the catechism, and prayed the rosary every day.

It was also Maria Theresa who appointed the young archdukes' ''ajo'' ("governor"), Count (1736–1806), who was helped by the ''sottoajo'' ("under-governor"), Marquess Major Federigo Manfredini, and tutors in all subjects. It was the shared aim of Grand Duke Leopold and Count Colloredo to teach the children to lead a simple life, be humble, dutiful, and devoted to the well-being of their subjects. In their academic pursuits, they were taught to be inquisitive and independent. There were some disagreements between the grand duke and the ''ajo'', as the former wanted his children to lead as free and unrestricted lives as possible, while the latter expected them to be graceful, serious, and disciplined beyond their years. Archduke Joseph himself was only under Colloredo's guidance for two and a half years, as he left with his eldest brother, Archduke Francis (1768–1835) when his education continued in Vienna from 1782. Then, Major Manfredini was promoted to be the ''ajo'', who allowed his charges more freedom.

The preparatory stage of Joseph's education lasted until the age of 9, by when he had learned to speak and write in German, French, Italian, and Latin. He received the traditional education Austrian archdukes usually did, learning etiquette and ''conduite'' (the behaviour expected in high society), genealogy, geography, history, ethics, law, natural law, political science, and mathematics. Joseph had a preference for history, archaeology, and natural history, and was not as apt in mathematics. It was important for his parents that all of their children learned some form of manual labour, and Joseph was instructed in gardening, botany, and horticulture. He learned the binomial nomenclature and taxonomy of over 6000 plants.

The teacher who had the greatest impact on the children was Count Sigismund Anton von Hohenwarth (1730–1820), an ex- Jesuite who later became Prince-Archbishop of Vienna. His pedagogical philosophy was based on Enlightenment ideas, and he taught the archdukes that a person's true vocation was to strive for the happiness of themselves and others, which could only be achieved in a society. He analysed with them examples of good and bad statesmanship, focusing on the importance of institutions, legislation, education, the sciences, the arts, and different aspects of the economy. He provided them with a foundation of calm and firm determination, and taught them to objectively assess all matters.

Youth in Vienna

Archduke Joseph's father, Grand Duke Leopold was heir presumptive to the thrones of his brother, Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, who had no children. When he died in 1790, Leopold and his family moved to Vienna, where Joseph and his brothers arrived on 13 May. With his approaching 15th birthday, the final, three-year stage of his education started, focused on military training and political science, including subjects such as politics, investigative history, and law, which he learned from ''Hofrat'' ("Court Councillor") (1751–1828). He and his brothers travelled a lot and inspected different institutions, recording their experiences in a diary.

First visit to Pest-Buda

In 1792, 16-year-old Joseph lost both of his parents in the span of 3 months, and his eldest brother, Francis became emperor-king. Joseph accompanied him to his coronations in Frankfurt, Prague, and Buda, where he spent 27 days. This was his first visit in the cities, and he went to see the , botanical garden, and natural history collection of the Royal University of Pest (today Eötvös Loránd University). He met with the leaders of the country, spending the most time with the prince-primate, (1727–1799), prince-archbishop of Esztergom, but also seeing Judge Royal Count (1753–1826) and Chancellor Count (1735–1816). He preferred Pest to Buda.

Visit to the Austrian Netherlands

In 1794, Joseph went on his second trip, this time to the Austrian Nehterlands, which the Habsburg monarchy had temporarily regained during the French Revolutionary Wars (1792–1802). After being present at his brother's swearing-in in Brussels, he studied the culture and economy of the country. From 14 April to 31 May, he was on the battlefield and witnessed one minor win and multiple losses. He always analysed the tactics of both the Imperial Army and the French Revolutionary Army, and drew caricatures of imperial military leaders, especially Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1750–1806).

Death of Archduke Alexander Leopold

When Joseph's father became king of Hungary in 1790, he re-established the office of palatine ('')'', which had been vacant since 1765. The Diet of Hungary elected one of his younger sons, fourth-born Archduke Alexander Leopold. In 1795, he uncovered and repressed a conspiracy by the led by Ignác Martinovics (1755–1795). He joined his family for a holiday in the Laxenburg castles

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