Archduke Charles Joseph of Austria (1745-1761)
Encyclopedia
Archduke Charles Joseph of Austria (1 February 1745 – 18 January 1761) was the second son of the Habsburg ruler Maria Theresa
and her husband, Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
.
Charles Joseph was the favourite son of Maria Theresa and Francis. He is known to have hated his younger brother, the future Holy Roman Emperor Leopold 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 Francis during his reign as emperor. Charles Joseph often said that he meant to contend with his brother for the imperial crown.
The rivalry between the brothers was ended by Charles Joseph's death from smallpox
, two weeks before his sixteenth birthday. While his mother was sitting by his bed in tears, Charles Joseph told her:
Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma...
and her husband, Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I was Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, though his wife effectively executed the real power of those positions. With his wife, Maria Theresa, he was the founder of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty...
.
Charles Joseph was the favourite son of Maria Theresa and Francis. He is known to have hated his younger brother, the future Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II
Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold II , born Peter Leopold Joseph Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard, was Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary and Bohemia from 1790 to 1792, Archduke of Austria and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790. He was a son of Emperor Francis I and his wife, Empress Maria Theresa...
. 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 Francis during his reign as emperor. Charles Joseph often said that he meant to contend with his brother for the imperial crown.
The rivalry between the brothers was ended by Charles Joseph's death from smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
, 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!