#charles vi habsburg

[illustratus]

Entry of Charles III in Madrid 1710 by Karl von Blaas

[skitskatdacat63]

I'm supposed to be writing a 900 word essay in German right now, so as you can see by all my vettonso posts, it's going very well 🌚

[tiny-librarian]

On April 19th, 1730, Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria died shortly after her 6th birthday. She was the youngest of four children born to Charles VI and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick, and was their third daughter. 

She was buried in Tomb 23 in the Imperial Crypt, and the inscription on her final resting place reads (Loosely translated, if anyone’s better at Latin hit me up):

With love and in memory of the most longed-for daughter of Emperor Charles, the Most Serene Maria Amalia, Archduchess of Austria and Infanta of Spain, who was born on April 5, 1724, and completed her short life on April 19, 1730 

It finishes the inscription with a biblical quote from Psalm 37, Verse 18:

The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever.

[calabria-mediterranea]

Tiriolo, Calabria, Italy

The houses in the historic center of Tiriolo are perched like in a nativity scene, making up the old part of the town, while the new buildings extend along the foot of the hill, nestled between the mountains and the valleys.

Legend traces the origins of the settlement of Tiriolo back to Hellenic people six centuries before the Trojan War or even identifies it with the mythical Scherìa, the happy homeland of the Homeric people of the Phaeacians. Archaeological findings, however, support the hypothesis of the existence of a dwelling nucleus since the Neolithic, as revealed by finds such as polished axes, rudimentary chisels and obsidian scrapers. The subsequent Roman presence finds its most relevant testimony in the famous bronze tablet engraved with a text concerning the Senatus Consultum de Bacchanalibus, a decree of the second century AC, with which the Roman senate prohibited the Bacchanalia, orgiastic rites in which even the elites participated and therefore considers it the context of possible conspiracies against the state. The artefact, found in 1640, is now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, offered in 1727 as a tribute to the Emperor Charles VI of Habsburg.

Follow us on Instagram, @calabria_mediterranea

[tercessketchfield]

MEN THINK ABOUT ROMAN EMPIRE. WOMEN THINK ABOUT HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE

JUDITH OF BAVARIA (797-843) — Daughter of Count Welf I of Bavaria, Judith was a Carolingian Empress as the second wife of Louis I the Pious. Mother of Gisela and Charles the Bald, she foght for both her own influence at court and for the succession of her son over the claims of his elder half-brothers, the sons of Louis I from his first marriage. Charles became the Emperor in 875, after the death of Louis II, his nephew and a son of his half-brother Lothair / fancast: Annabel Scholey

MARIA OF AUSTRIA (1528-1603) — Daughter of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and Isabella of Portugal. She served as Regent of Spain both jointly with her husband, Maximilian (before their accession to the imperial throne), and in person, for her father, and brother, Philip II. Her children include two Holy Roman Emperors, Rudolf II and Matthias, over whom she held great influence, and queens consorts of Spain, and France / fancast: Olivia Cooke

EMPRESS MAUD (1102-1167) — Daughter of Henry I of England and Matilda of Scotland. Her first marriage to the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry V, gave her the title under which she came down into history, and was a source of great pride to Maud. Rightful heiress of Henry I, she confronted her cousin, King Stephen, in the civil war, known as the Anarchy, fighting ferociously for her rights. She failed in this for herself but won for her son Henry, who became king and established the Plantagenet dynasty in England / cast: Alison Pill in The Pillars of the Earth (2010)

MARIA THERESA (1717-1780) — She succeded her father Charles VI as the ruler of Habsburg monarchy in 1740, and devoutedly defended it against its enemies in the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Year's War. Wife of the Holy Roman Emperor, Francis I, she was a forceful personality and a competent ruler herself, reigning first in her own right, and later, jointly with her son Empreror Joseph II. Her children include two Holy Romam Emperors (Joseph II and Leopold II), queens consorts of Naples ans Sicily, and France / cast: Marie-Luise Stockinger in Maria Theresia (2017)

[best-habsburg-monarch]

Karl IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, Disputed King of Spain, reigned 1711-1740

Girldad extraordinaire

From @minetteskvareninova:

Defeated Francis II. Rákoczi, conquered Transsylvania and secured the Habsburg rule over Hungary (for better or worse - if you're protestant, probably not a point in his favor but oh well).

Precursor to his daughter's (a.k.a. Maria Theresia) economic, administrative and military reforms.

Ultimate girldad, fought tooth and nail for his daughter's succession, making huge sacrifices on the political stage, AND he let her marry for love.

Phillip III, King of Spain, King of Portugal, reigned 1598-1621

Entered the Thirty Years War and died before actually having to deal with it.

From anon:

Philip III propaganda: he's not Charles "I could still have a son, don't need to teach my daughter how to rule" vi

"the only Spanish habsburg who can be considered conventionally attractive"

[felipe-v-fanblog]

Hi my friend 👋, Who is your favorite Habsburg King? One for Austria and One for Spain?

Who is your least Favorite king of all time? I wish you the best.

HIIII !! how good is to receive an ask just the moment i was thinking about going to random dms to infodump people about random hyperfixations . specially from you my friend im wishing you the best too .

I really like habsburg story as it is full of girlbosses and malewifes ( a really cool dynasty ) . IIIII i really like the austrian ones , spaniards are always a mystery to me . I lived there for four years and I still dont catch their accent . My favourite habsburg monarch is emperor Franz II im not normal about him . there is an strong need to scream everytime i think about him . People probably must known him more for the napoleonic wars but I think he is very interesting by his own right . But tbh I really like all habsburgs from Austria they are very babygirls . Maximilian I , Charles V , Ferdinand I , Rudolf II , Leopold I , Charles VI , Marie Theresia , Joseph II and Ferdinand I of Austria ( not to confuse him with Ferdinand I of the Holy Roman Empire ) are my favourites but I really like all of them except for Leopold II and Francis I ( i have a love-hate relationship with him bc he is funny but I hate that he wasnt faithful to Marie Theresia bc !! SHE WAS LITERALLY A 10 ?! ) . From Spain I truly only like Felipe I and Carlos II . The other ones are very boring to me but I get that Felipe II was interesting . I am not mentioning Charles I because I already mentioned him as emperor . Well . He should be here because he is a spanish one yeah . so yeah he is also here i really like him i find him too funny and he was very babygirl . I mostly like infantes of Spain like the Cardinal-Infante Fernando de Austria , Don Juan José de Austria , Carlos de Austria ( son of Felipe II - prince of Asturias before Felipe III ) and Carlos de Austria ( brother of Felipe IV , I really like him !! I find him autistic and awkard asf and I really like that in people . Like Franz II ) . Those are my tastes in Habsburgs sadly I will try not to talk about the women too as to not make this too big but I also love their queens . Felipe IV is an enigma to me I find him incomprehensible . Truly a mystery like Spain itself . I liked that moment when Louis XIV and Philippe d'Orléans went to hug him and cry when they met to give Louis XIV his wife that was hilarious .

2.IIII I would say Henry VIII cus he is easy to hate but I do also hate Henry VII because he is the one who made my homecountry a mess ( Wales - if you ever see me talking weird english , is because its not my native language ! I speak welsh hehe ) . I really really hate Charles X of France because he ruined my favourite queer mentally ill dynasty ( bourbons ) and destroyed everything Louis XVIII worked for ( he is my !! favourite historical figure ever ) . I dont really hate many monarchs bc even if they are bad they are amusing to know about . The real hate I have to a historical figure is to Saint-Just but i completely agree with his ideas but he was a real asshole and i dont know how robespierre was friend of that guy . he was literally an edgy teen trying to be a politic is everything i hate about politics but worse because i agree with everything he said . except killing louis xvi that was a mistake . they should have put louis xvi in a box and send it to austria if they didnt wanted him there

[madamelareinette]

In Emperor Francis Joseph’s day, the number of archdukes and archduchesses was higher than ever before. The various branches of the House of Habsburg blossomed to such an extent throughout the 19th century that the earlier concern about a lack of male heirs under Charles VI evaporated completely. The challenges which Emperor Francis Joseph had to face lay less in securing the succession to the throne than maintaining discipline in the vast family.

The hierarchy was just as strictly defined within the imperial family as it was for the aristocrats at court. At the top stood Emperor Francis Joseph. His word, quite literally, was law. The family statutes of 1839, i.e. the Habsburg family’s own constitution, gave the reigning emperor full and complete power over all the branches of the family, and to a far more profound degree than in the previous centuries. Francis Joseph alone decided upon the place of residence of all his relatives, made all the decisions relating to their own courts and determined the course of education, training and career for all male members of the family (military careers, in general). He was the final instance in dispensing permission to marry, determining the amount of money for an apanage and could even exclude archdukes from the imperial dynasty, should their conduct merit it.

Francis Joseph was very strict, bordering on severe, with his own family. He measured his relatives by the selfsame standards which he applied to himself. His family felt deep respect for Francis Joseph, even as a young emperor, occasionally even fear. The emperor was incorruptible and had not the slightest patience with individual urges for unusual lifestyles, which he viewed as a breakdown of duty, driven as he was by his own inordinate sense of responsibility and willingness to sacrifice everything for the fulfillment of his tasks. A Habsburger had preordained responsibilities which were placed upon one’s shoulders at birth: a dignified representation of the family through irreproachable conduct, support of the ruler in his efforts and responsibilities and, above all else, a life spent serving the dynasty.

Since Emperor Leopold II, Francis Joseph’s great-grandfather, there had been five families in the Habsburg-Lothringen line. The main family branch of the emperor; the Tuscan line (stemming from the former Grand Dukes of Tuscany until 1859); the Rainer line (former Viceroys of Lombardy); the Hungarian Joseph line; the line of the Hungarian Palatinate who lived in Hungary; and the military line of Charles, offspring of the victor of Aspern, Archduke Charles. The position of each family member was determined by the family branch and the nearness to the throne. First came the emperor, his son, his brothers, then the Tuscan family, the Charles family, then the lines of Joseph and Rainer.

— Martina Winkelhofer. The Everyday Life of the Emperor: Francis Joseph and his Imperial Court (trans. Jeffrey McCabe)

[kostantina]

Hello, welcome to my blog!

Here, I write mostly about Holy Rome from Hetalia, and if you are curious about my thoughts on him, then feel free to message me or leave a comment on one of my posts :) I love talking about him, whether the young, old, or female him. But I personally love portraying him as older and female. Despite that, I write non-ship posts about HRE as male because it is his canon gender. I enjoy (Female/Male) HRE/HRE!Germany with different characters, either platonically, romantically, or both:

England - Hanoverian Dynasty

France - the Frankish Kingdom

Papal States - Investiture Controversy

Czechia - mistress/handmaiden trope

America - golden children

Spain - "the empire where the sun never sets" of Charles V

Austria - Habsburg Dynasty

Prussia - Mr. Physician

Portugal - a friend who is maybe in love

Hungary - women with princes to save ⚔

Romano - Henry VI and Frederick II with Sicily

Ottoman Empire - Reichskrieg

Italy - first love dies or never dies

Saxony - Ottonian Dynasty

Bavaria - Big Brother championship

Francia - Carolingian Dynasty

Hanover - divided loyalty

Hesse - New World's traveling partners

Talking about the "HRE is Germany theory," I think Hima leans towards this theory more than not, but I hope that he would remain vague about it to please everyone. Personally, I don't want him to be Germany in canon because the Holy Roman Empire had historical differences with Germany that I feel would be overshadowed if the two ended up being the same person. I also have my own interpretation of the character, which does not align with how I interpret Germany. But I deeply deeply love using the theory for narrative purposes, and I think HRE!Germany without amnesia would be different than with.

P.S. I reblog other content than Hetalia.

[grandmaster-anne]

The Duke on his way to ski in Munster in the 1950s. On a previous occasion he had forgotten his passport, causing a mini crisis at the airport. This time he remembered

In Uganda with the Duchess of Kent, 1962

Prince Charles with the Duchess of Kent at Balmoral in about 1970. They shared an interest in music, especially opera

Christmas at Windsor Castle in about 1977: The Queen with the Earl of Ulster, and in the background the Earl’s father, the Duke of Gloucester. The Royal Family loved staying at Windsor, and in particular the moment that the Queen threw open the doors and the children rushed in to get their presents

The Queen and Prince Philip enjoying a picnic lunch at Balmoral in the 1970s

The Royal Family together. Left to right (back row) – the Duke of Gloucester, Princess Marina, Queen Mary & the Duchess of Gloucester. Middle row – Princess Alexandra, the Duke of Kent & Prince Richard of Gloucester. Front row – Princess Margaret of Hesse, Prince William of Gloucester & Prince Michael of Kent

Princess Marina with her mother, Princess Nicholas of Greece, and her sister, Princess Olga. Princess Nicholas, a formidable Russian Grand Duchess, and by then a widow, lived at Psychico, a suburb of Athens. Her daughters were frequent visitors

King George VI at Coppins with Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret

Princess Alexandra (left) with cousins Helen Habsburg and Hans Veit Toerring in Norfolk

Princess Marina with Winston Churchill, who came to lunch at Coppins towards the end of the war, in 1944. ‘And who is this?’ asked the great statesman on observing the Duke, then aged nine

With his father, Prince George, and sister, Princess Alexandra

Prince Edward with his parents and sister

The Duke and Duchess together at Coppins in the early days of their marriage

The Duchess of Kent with her Labrador, Columbus, and her poodle, Charlie, soon after she married the Duke in 1961

Prince Edward on a pony at Horace Smith’s riding school at Bray. The Duke found him a bit severe – he was a proper old school riding instructor who always wore highly polished boots

'I always felt I wanted to support her. That’s by far the most important thing in life': HRH The Duke of Kent, then Prince Edward, between the Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, and Princess Margaret, at Frogmore House in Windsor, 1930s

Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II) lifting Prince Edward of Kent (Duke of Kent)

Inside the Duke of Kent's private royal family photo album

[skitskatdacat63]

catie I NEED more vettonso lore for your au. please. (love u)

Aaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!! C!!! Thank you so much for asking!! This took me a bit cause there’s a lot of stuff I want to cover and I had to figure out how to balance the explanation of the historical context and how I apply it to my AU. But seriously thank you for asking because I did more research to write this post and learned a lot of things that make me feel deranged but I cannot bring any of this up to anyone irl without sounding like a lunatic. I’d apologize for the length but you should expect this from me by now! (I realized this doc for this was 1.5k+ my god)

Basic Info: early 1700s historical AU with arranged marriage plot 

Historical Context:

Okay, so this AU is based on a real historical event: The War of The Spanish Succession. Which is when the Spanish Throne was without a clear line of succession because the bloodline(Spanish Habsburgs) died out. So then, even though the previous Spanish King named his successor(Philip V, a Duke related to the French Royal family - representing Fernando in this AU), the Habsburgs still thought they should be allowed to keep the throne within their dynasty, thus offering up the second son(Charles VI - representing Seb in this AU) of the Holy Roman Emperor. So obviously they had to start a war because of it. But then the end result ended up being that because Charles VI’s older brother, the Holy Roman Emperor at the time, died during the war(because of illness though so it would have happened regardless), he became the next Emperor and Philip V ended up becoming the Spanish King after all, rendering it all pointless imo.

How does this relate to Vettonso?:

I'm not overly interested in either Charles VI and Philip V as people, but rather the roles they fulfill in this conflict, but obv I can’t help but draw on details from their lives. As I mentioned, Fernando is now Fernando I of Renault/France Spain and Seb is Sebastian I of Red Bull Austria. This is supposed to be like 2010-2012!Vettonso with Ferrari!Fernando and RBR!Seb(but like Fernando's title of Duke coming from France, because of his championships with Renault.) This AU is kinda just me looking at this historical event and thinking: wouldn’t a gay arranged marriage solve this succession quandary? But also just that it reminds me of Fernando and Seb’s rivalry, and the nationalities/kingdoms fit pretty well!!

Think about the throne of Spain as akin to winning a race, but becoming Holy Roman Emperor as winning the whole entire competition.(Also side note: real life Charles VI didn’t become a king until he became Emperor and adopted all of his brother’s titles, but I want Seb to be a boy king in this AU, so he can have a title as a treat.) Imagine you’re competing for something and you win it, but the only reason you win is because the other competitor won an even bigger prize!!!! Yay you got what you wanted but the boy king is now the emperor of most of Europe. And now you are stuck with him through lawfully wedded arranged marriage because they let you have what you wanted but only under the condition that the two kingdoms are still united. Yeah Fernando got the title, but Seb gained even more titles(get it???) 

They probably have a lot of animosity coming into the marriage, like “how could I ever build a relationship with the man who tried to steal my birthright?” but then realize they’re pretty similar after all. Though obviously Fernando has a lot more resentment than Seb because Seb won the whole damn thing! He would have control over Spain as he’s the king but since it's still within the domain of the empire, Seb would always have the final say. And Seb tries to be magnanimous like “Don’t worry, I won’t interfere”, and Fernando is all snide with comments like “Oh thank you great imperial majesty, can I really? Would you really allow me to do so?” But eventually become loving co-rulers that still constantly snipe at each other over different decisions the other makes. 

Some headcanons(I guess you’d still call it headcanons even if it's your own AU bcs it still comes from your head) + some fun facts from real life that have brainrotted me so I’m putting them in:

Their dynamic is just Seb being a very righteous, bratty boy king emperor who is unabashed about being that way, because he feels that it is his right, but still has a heart of gold and wants to treat his husband well no matter the circumstances leading to their marriage. And then Fernando is like a stray cat that keeps hissing and scratching because it’s really hard for him to accept the circumstances because he still feels humiliated, even though he got everything he wanted, but he still can’t help but be charmed by this baby emperor because he sees attributes of himself in Seb, and can’t really fault him because he would be the exact same, flaunting his power, if he were in Seb’s shoes. 

They would have to speak in French to each other because that’s their shared language but eventually attempt to learn each other’s native languages! Imagine Seb has to travel to Spain to give some Emperor speech and Fernando then bullies him for his bad Spanish. 

They would probably split where they live based on a schedule or by need. Yes, Fernando is the King of Spain but he is also the Emperor’s husband so he does have to spend time in the capital, Vienna. And then since Spain is a part of the empire, Seb has to go routinely, but y’know also to spend time with his husband. They find that their marriage as well as their politics is full of having to make concessions and compromises in order to make it work. 

Something I find funny is that as compensation for not getting the Spanish throne back, Spain had to cede some Italian territories to the Empire. That is literally the Ferrari plot with the transfer from Fernando to Seb!!

I’m not sure how the titles would work in this AU because obviously a m/m political marriage has not ever happened(as far as I know.) But I guess Fernando would just be King Fernando I of Spain and then Seb would be Holy Roman Emperor Sebastian I with the million titles that come with being in that role(though like most importantly Archduke of Austria and King of Bohemia and Hungary, etc.) I like the idea that Seb tries to share some titles with Fernando as a show of good will but Fernando is so affronted, mostly just from embarrassment, like “oh you think I need your good will?? I can’t be happy with what I earned in my own right??” But their kids would receive both titles and would be split in the traditional way, like first kid getting it all mostly, but the others still being nobility obv(yes.. there would be mpreg because of the plot need for succession….don’t ask who…)

They bond through their love of horses, particularly fast horses. The first time they go riding together, they’re both like awkwardly trying to act very proper as a sense of showmanship to the other like “I’m more mature than you”, but then can’t stop trying to get ahead of the other person and eventually break into a full-on race. Their aids are mutually like “oh god, they’re both the same type of insane.” 

Irl Charles VI was so salty about losing the throne that he wouldn’t stop dressing like a traditional Spanish monarch. I can totally see Seb doing that and Fernando getting so pissed with him like “you became emperor!! What more could you possibly want???’ and Seb then fixing him with his biggest pout and saying “your throne!” But also Fernando being weirdly into it because it’s basically Seb presenting himself blatantly as Fernando’s spouse. 

In that same vein, I’m going crazy over how there’s a painting from before the war, of Philip V wearing vestments from both the French order of chivalry and the Habsburg order of chivalry. Like basically stating the desire to see those two lines combined into one kingdom, which fits so well into this AU. Just Seb going crazy over how Fernando is willingly branding himself as belonging to Seb’s house. 

A testimony of Philip V’s personality is that he was a “neurotic, vacillating ruler, concerned with outward decorum and brave only in battle,” god can you not sense the energy of Fernando in that statement???

Very important to me that Charles VI reportedly had many male lovers, and that his soulmate was one of his courtiers. Maybe there can be a bit of Martian or Sebson cheating plot with them being his courtiers hahaha  

Not very relevant in this AU but there’s something about how Philip V had the longest ever reign of a Spanish monarch. Is that not Fernando??? Old man who will rule on forever, or should I say, forever keep his seat 

I already obv posted the wip for this but I'll include it here again as visual rep hehehe:

I've spent way too much time lately trying to research the fashion of the time ugh. But this, as I said, is like first joint portrait session into the marriage. And I guess I kind of want them to be wearing their corronation clothing, which I'm pretty solid on for Seb but still need to research more for Fernando. I think I'll maybe try and just put him in the afformentioned traditional Spanish monarch clothing, but the fact that it's all black kinda bores me, I'd rather he wear red!! This is like a typical royal couple type pose, except they're being more tactile. Also there's something to be said about the symbolism of Fernando being the one standing and Seb being the one sitting hehehe....

[tiny-librarian]

On May 13th, 1717, at around seven-thirty in the morning at the Hofburg in Vienna, a daughter was born to Emperor Charles VI and his wife Elisabeth Christine. On the evening of the same day, the infant was baptized by the name of Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christine.

......

Preparations for the arrival of the child had been long underway. In January, subjects in Habsburg lands from Milan to Silesia had already begun gathering in their parish churches to pray for a happy birth and healthy sucessor. Processions were held to beseech the Mother of God for her benign intercession. By April, arrangements had been made for the newborn’s household and wet nurses engaged. Overall responsibility for the child, the office of aya, had been assigned to a high ranking matron at court. 

Maria Theresa: The Habsburg Empress in Her Time - Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger

[memories-of-ancients]

Aboslutely love this statue of Charles VI with his big habsburg jaw, cosplaying as Julius Caesar or an ancient Roman emperor while also wearing an anarchronistic early 18th century style wig. Hofburg Palace Library

[daughter-of-winterfell]

I know discussing House of the Dragon and inheritence rights is old rope by now, but there is definelty a strong comparison to be made between what Viserys did for Rhaenyra when naming her heir, and what Charles VI did with the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, which was an edict (I only just learned about) that was issued to ensure “that the Habsburg hereditary possessions... could be inherited by a daughter.”

The wikipedia page says that “Charles VI needed to take extraordinary measures to avoid a protracted succession dispute, as other claimants would have surely contested a female inheritance... despite the promulgation of the Pragmatic Sanction, her accession in 1740 resulted in the outbreak of the War of the Austrian Succession.” Sound familiar...

Viserys named Rhaenyra his heir, but then did not change the wider succession laws of Westeros, and he didn’t seem to have done much to secure her succession after the great houses swore their oaths to her that one time, when there were no living sons in the picture.

Charles VI, on the other hand - as he was changing a previous pact he made with his elder brother so he could place his own future daughters ahead of his deceased elder brother’s daughters (it’s a whole thing) - dedicated much time and effort to securing the future Maria Theresa’s rights. Indeed, “securing the right to succeed for his own daughters, who were not even born yet, became Charles's obsession.”

The wiki says: “For 10 years, Charles VI laboured, with the support of his closest advisor, Johann Christoph von Bartenstein, to have his sanction accepted by the courts of Europe. Only the Electorate of Saxony and the Electorate of Bavaria did not accept it because it was detrimental to their inheritance rights."

It then goes on to describe the deals and promises made by Charles to gain support for the edict and STILL, Maria Theresea’s rights were contested and resulted in war. And Viserys did nothing even close to that!!

The situations are - obviously - very different, as Westeros isn’t the Habsburg Empire, but it kinda shows that Viserys’ inaction really did lead to the Dance...

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 1.1 (before 1830)

153 BC – For the first time, Roman consuls begin their year in office on January 1. 45 BC – The Julian calendar takes effect as the civil calendar of the Roman Empire, establishing January 1 as the new date of the new year. 42 BC – The Roman Senate posthumously deifies Julius Caesar. 193 – The Senate chooses Pertinax against his will to succeed Commodus as Roman emperor. 404 – Saint Telemachus tries to stop a gladiatorial fight in a Roman amphitheatre, and is stoned to death by the crowd. This act impresses the Christian Emperor Honorius, who issues a historic ban on gladiatorial fights. 417 – Emperor Honorius forces Galla Placidia into marriage to Constantius, his famous general (magister militum) (probable). 947 – Emperor Tai Zong of the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty captures Daliang, ending the dynasty and empire of the Later Jin. 1001 – Grand Prince Stephen I of Hungary is named the first King of Hungary by Pope Sylvester II (probable). 1068 – Romanos IV Diogenes marries Eudokia Makrembolitissa and is crowned Byzantine Emperor. 1259 – Michael VIII Palaiologos is proclaimed co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea with his ward John IV Laskaris. 1438 – Albert II of Habsburg is crowned King of Hungary. 1500 – Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral discovers the coast of Brazil. 1502 – The present-day location of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is first explored by the Portuguese. 1515 – Twenty-year-old Francis, Duke of Brittany, succeeds to the French throne following the death of his father-in-law, Louis XII. 1527 – Croatian nobles elect Ferdinand I, Archduke of Austria as King of Croatia in the 1527 election in Cetin. 1600 – Scotland recognises January 1 as the start of the year, instead of March 25. 1604 – The Masque of Indian and China Knights is performed by courtiers of James VI and I at Hampton Court. 1651 – Charles II is crowned King of Scotland at Scone Palace. 1700 – Russia begins using the Anno Domini era instead of the Anno Mundi era of the Byzantine Empire. 1707 – John V is proclaimed King of Portugal and the Algarves in Lisbon. 1739 – Bouvet Island, the world's remotest island,[21] is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier. 1772 – The first traveler's cheques, which could be used in 90 European cities, are issued by the London Credit Exchange Company. 1773 – The hymn that became known as "Amazing Grace", then titled "1 Chronicles 17:16–17, Faith's Review and Expectation", is first used to accompany a sermon led by John Newton in the town of Olney, Buckinghamshire, England. 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Norfolk, Virginia is burned by combined Royal Navy and Continental Army action. 1776 – General George Washington hoists the first United States flag, the Grand Union Flag, at Prospect Hill. 1781 – American Revolutionary War: One thousand five hundred soldiers of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment under General Anthony Wayne's command rebel against the Continental Army's winter camp in Morristown, New Jersey in the Pennsylvania Line Mutiny of 1781. 1788 – The first edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published. 1801 – The legislative union of Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland is completed, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is proclaimed. 1801 – Ceres, the largest and first known object in the Asteroid belt, is discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi. 1804 – French rule ends in Haiti. Haiti becomes the first black-majority republic and second independent country in North America after the United States. 1806 – The French Republican Calendar is abolished. 1808 – The United States bans the importation of slaves. 1810 – Major-General Lachlan Macquarie officially becomes Governor of New South Wales. 1822 – The Greek Constitution of 1822 is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.

[best-habsburg-monarch]

Okay, time for Charles VI. propaganda!

Defeated Francis II. Rákoczi, conquered Transsylvania and secured the Habsburg rule over Hungary (for better or worse - if you're protestant, probably not a point in his favor but oh well).

Precursor to his daughter's (a.k.a. Maria Theresia) economic, administrative and military reforms.

Ultimate girldad, fought tooth and nail for his daughter's succession, making huge sacrifices on the political stage, AND he let her marry for love.

.