The paper deals with the issue of emergence of the Austrian historical myth in the early 19th century. The identity crisis in Austria, Holy Roman Empire and Habsburg possessions due to the French revolution and collapse of the “Old empire” brought a discussion on loyalty towards dynasty, throne, and the state. Relations of Habsburgs with their non-Germanic realms also underwent a transformation connected with the creation of the Austrian empire in 1804. Intellectuals in the early 19th century Vienna were faced with the challenge to revisit the remains of the old model of identity and relationships between the state and the society in a new context. The new model combining romanticism and conservatism pursued to find a model of “natural” relations between the sovereign, state and society. Joseph von Hormayr was the author of concepts for Austrian history, Habsburg dynasty, and its relations with the society in the early 19th century. He justified them with legitimism, dynastic patriotism, and general historical memory. “The Austrian Plutarch” made an impact on Austrian historical memory in the 19th century. The images of early Habsburgs were supposed to demonstrate the role of monarchy in the success of the state, social stability, and European balance. The essays showed the moral right of the dynasty to leadership in Germany and Central Europe. Hormayr disseminated the concepts of “Austrian freedom” in the Empire, “putting an end to the anarchy”, consistent centralization of Southern-eastern German areas, and its support from estates. The sovereigns appeared both in the image of mobilization figures for the duchy and neighboring countries, and possessors of the personal features turning Austria into the Empire later.
The paper deals with historical images of non-Germanic peoples living in the Austrian empire and presented in romanticist fiction. The author analyzed several narratives from the heritage of Franz Grillparzer, the Austrian writer and dramatist. He referred to images of Czech, Hungarian and Polish medieval and early modern history. The chosen dramas are “Fortune and Fall of the king Ottokar” and “A Faithful servant to his Lord”, and the novella “A monastery in Sandomir”. They had a significant role in forming the image of non-Germanic Habsburg realms medieval history for subjects of the Empire. Romanticism and medievalism dominating in the European and Austrian public opinion and politics have put an impact on perception of Czechs, Hungarians and Poles by the German community of Austria. Despite the fact, that medieval narratives got the attention from national movements, Grillparzer referred to them basing on the Austrian conservatism. In this way his works enforced the Habsburg myth and “organic constitution” for the state. The author came to a conclusion that images of Czech, Hungarian and Polish medieval and early modern history presented in works by Grillparzer have filled the gap in official historical memory. It became possible due to overweighting Austro-German and Habsburg emphasis in official discourse, what gave a certain ground for national movements and became a disadvantage for official historiography. Appeal to dynastic patriotism and legitimism has got a certain enforcement with reflections on disunity of Hungarian, Czech and Polish elites. According to the author, the mobilization of the elites was to illustrate the thesis and to promote the official version of the Habsburg empire history.
The paper deals with the emergence of the conservative patriotic myth issue in Austria between 1805 and 1819. During this period, the Austrian Empire went through transformation from reformist discussions to establishing the conservative political system by the chancellor Metternich. The patriotism of that time was based on the ideas presented by Friedrich von Gentz, Joseph von Hormayr, and Adam Müller. They justified the common identity for Habsburg subjects in philosophical, historical and political senses, regardless of their ethnic and language backgrounds. The purpose of a new myth was to support loyalty to the ruling dynasty during the Napoleonic wars and to create a conservative political course. The purpose of the paper is to analyze the core elements of the conservative patriotic myth in Habsburg monarchy presented in the works by Friedrich von Gentz, Joseph von Hormayr and Adam Müller published between 1805 and 1819. The ideas of those intellectuals effected the change of political course and foreign policy of the Austrian Empire. After the downfall of Napoleon, the ideas of all three intellectuals became a justification for the Metternich course in Austria. The complex of narratives, texts and ideas with social function had a deep impact on the political development of Austria, the political culture of Austrian Germans and non-Germanic peoples of the Empire until its collapse. It had a correlation with Romanticism in public opinion and repressions against anti-monarchist and nationalist movements. It also became a basis for Austrian conservatism as a political ideology.
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