lørdag den 12. marts 2011

Brev fra/ Letters from Marie Antoinette

Brevene fra Marie Antoinette har ankommet, og ligger her klar til pakking!
Det ser lekkert ut, ikke sant?
The letters from Marie Antoinette have arrived, and are ready to be wrapped.
Looks nice, doesn't it?

onsdag den 2. marts 2011

En lille ærkehertuginde er født/ A petit Archduchess is born

Kæreste veninde,
Jeg tror aldrig, jeg har fortalt dig om min tilkomst til denne verden?
Min moder ærkehertuginde Maria Theresia tilbragte hele den 2. november 1755 i barselssengen. Da dette var hendes 15. barnefødsel og hun derfor ikke betragtede det som nogen stor nyhed – og for øvrigt selv ofte udtalte ”mine undersåtter er mine første børn” – arbejdede hun dagen lang med sine papirer. Endelig omkring kl. halv ni om aftenen, fødte hun en mig, en lille pige. 

Bekendtgørelsen blev foretaget af min fader kejser Frans Stefan i spejlsalen. Min moder som på mange måder var en foregangskvinde på hendes tid havde beslutsomt gjort en ende på den praksis, der var de kongelige vordende mødre så vederstyggelige (men som stadig praktiseres mange steder, også ved det franske hof i Versailles), ifølge hvilken hoffolkene er til stede i barselsstuen. Først efter 4 dage efter fik hofdamerne lov til at tilse den lille og kysse kejserinden. Det siges at kejserinden aldrig har set så godt ud før … og man kan kun gætte på om det var min ringe størrelse eller den terapeutiske virkning af ro til arbejdet med papirerne, der havde gjort sin virkning.

Min moder var da 38 år gammel og havde igennem sit næsten 20 årige ægteskab produceret 4 ærkehertuger foruden 10 ærkehertuginder, så der har ikke været noget påtrængende pres på hende for at føde en 5. søn – og hun troede selv så fuldt og fast på at hun ventede endnu en datter, at hun væddede med en af sine hoffolk, grev Dietrichstein.
Da det selvfølgelig var utænkeligt at kejserinden selv skulle amme og dermed ødelægge formen på sin barm, blev det nyfødte barn straks overdraget til en officiel amme, Constance Weber, hustru til en dommer. Det siges i øvrigt om min moder ærkehertuginden at hun er særdeles stærkt optaget af den ægteskabelige dobbeltseng og undfangelsen – om end ikke pasningen – af de stadig flere børn. ”Umættelig i spørgsmålet om børn”, kalder hun det selv.

Barnedåben fandt sted ved middagstid den 3. november, med fraværelse af min moder, der fik lov at komme sig oven på strabadserne. Dåben foregik i Augustinerbrødrenes kirke, som er den kirke hoffet traditionelt benytter og blev forestået af ærkebiskoppen. Hele 2 fester blev beordret; en stor gallafest på selve dagen for dåben og en mindre fest dagen efter.

Jeg, barnet til hvis ære disse festligheder blev afholdt, fik navnene Maria Antonia Josefa Joanna. Fornavnet Maria er fast kutyme for alle habsburgske prinsesser og alle mine 8 søstre og min moder deler da også det samme hellige fornavn. Min ”wienerische” moder ynder at taler fransk – om end hun gør det med en kraftig tysk accent – og min fader kejser Frans Stefan taler udelukkende fransk, da han aldrig har ulejliget sig med at lære tysk … og således blev lille Maria Antonia såvel i familien som i bredere kredse hurtigt blive forvandlet til det franske Antoine.

Jeg blev født på et tidspunkt, hvor min mors pragt og magt var på sit højdepunkt. Kejserinden var ikke blot beundret i udlandet, men også yderst populær blandt sine undersåtter. I 1755 herskede der fred i landet og en række indenrigsreformer var gennemført takke være min moders Kansler, Haugwitz. 6 måneder efter min fødsel satte en radikal ændring af de nationale alliancer i Europa en stopper for denne fredelige periode. Ved Versailles-traktaten, som blev underskrevet den 1. maj 1756, sluttede Østrig sig til sin traditionelle fjende Frankrig i en forsvarspagt vendt mod Preussen. Hvis et af de to lande blev angrebet, ville det andet komme til undsætning med en hær, der var fastsat til at være 24.000 mand stærk. Ingen kunne da vide at ingen anden enkelbegivenhed i min barndom skulle få så vidtrækkende betydning for den måde mit liv ville forme sig på som denne alliance, der blev indgået, mens jeg endnu lå i min vugge.

De ærbødigste hilsener,
Antoine


My dearest friend,
I don’t think I ever told you the story of my way into this world?
My mother the Archduchess of Austria, Maria Theresia, spent the entire day of November the 2nd 1755 in her child bed. As this was her 15th childbirth and alas not a big event for her – she has even said herself that “the people of Austria, my subjects are my firstborn children” - she continued working on her papers all day long. Finally at half past eight in the evening another baby girl was born.

The announcement of my birth was done by my father the Emperor Franz Stefan in the hall of mirrors. My mother who in many ways was considered a prominent figure of her time had decided to put an end to the practice of having the Royal Household present during childbirth. A practice which most of the European princesses and queens loathed from a pure heart, but also a practice which was still the tradition most places, also at the French Court of Versailles. Four days went before the ladies in waiting were allowed to attend to the baby and kiss the Archduchess. It is said that never has my mother looked so good … and you can only guess if it was the nature of my petite seize or the therapeutic effect of piece and quiet and the time she had spent working on her papers which had done it’s wonders.

My mother, at that time 38 years old, had through her nearly 20 year old marriage produced 4 Archdukes and 10 Archduchesses, so there has been no pressure upon her to produce a fifth son – and se herself believed that she was expecting another daughter. She was so convinced about this, that she betted on it with on of her courtiers, Count Dietrichstein.

Of course it was unheard of that the Archduchess herself should breastfeed and ruin her figure, so the newborn was immediately handed over to an official nanny, Constance Weber, a wife of a judge. It is actually said about my mother that she is strongly preoccupied with the conjugal bed and the procreation of children – but not as interested in taking care of the still growing family. “Insatiable in the question of children”, she called it herself.

The christening was at midday on November the 3rd, with the exception of my mother who was allowed to rest after the hardships of labour.  It took place in Augustiner Kirche, which is the church used by the
Austrian Court
and was conducted by the Archbishop. Two parties were announced; a large Galla ball on the day of the christening and a smaller party the day after. 

I, the child in which honour all the festivity were held, were given the names Maria Antonia Josefa Joanna. It is the custom that the first name, Maria, is given to all daughters of the House of Habsburg and I share this holy name with my 8 sisters and my mother. My “wienerische” mother prefer to speak French – with a thick German accent, though – and my father the Emperor only speaks French as he never bothered to learn German … and that’s how the little Maria Antonia became know as the French Antoine, both within the family but also in wider circles.

I was born at a time where my mother’s glory and power were at its highest. The Archduchess was admired not only abroad but also extremely popular among her subjects. In 1755 there peace ruled the country and a number of reforms had been made in Austria, thanks to my mother’s chancellor, Haugwitz. Six months after the birth of me a series of radical changes of the national’s alliances in Europe ended these peaceful times. At the Versailles treaty signed the 1st of May 1756, Australia went into alliance with its former enemy, France, and made a pact against Prussia. The meaning of this pact was that if one of the two countries were attacked, the other would come to the rescue with a vast army of more than 24.000 soldiers. No one could know then that no other single event in my childhood would have that immense impact on the turn of my life than this alliance, which was settled while I was still in my cradle.

Yours truly,
Antoine