An oft-neglected counterweight to the Maria Theresia marries Carlos III WI (and yes, I figured François Étienne emulates both the duke of Württemberg and Karl of Zweibrücken where they were refused a match with an archduchess and goes completely anti-Austrian cold turkey):
Also, given a continued Franco-English/Austro-Spanish Alliance, this schema might (keyword might) come to fruition
François III Étienne, Duke of Lorraine (1708-1778) m: 1734 Eleonore Philippine of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rothenburg[1] (1712-1759)
Charles Alexandre, Duke of Teschen[5] (1712-1772) m: 1742 Elisabeth of Baden-Baden[6] (b.1726)
[1] People often overlook how few Catholic princesses would be available for François Étienne had he not married Maria Theresia. Eleonore is the stepmother to Karl Theodor, Elector Palatine; sister to the princesse de Condé, the princesse de Carignan and the duchess of Savoy. She provides a French tie without suffering the indignity of being French, as well as gives François a level of influence in the Reichstag (as “stepfather” to the Elector Palatine). Also, her stepson's inheritance in the Austrian Netherlands (the marquisate of Bergen-op-Zoom and other) would provide a "useful" avenue for the house of Lorraine to extend their influence that way
[2] Daughter of the king of Poland and an Austrian archduchess, sister to the queen of Spain (either a second wife of Fernando VI or his son by Barbara of Portugal (b.1733) and the dauphine of France
[3] Son of Karl Theodor, Elector Palatine of the Rhine, and Elisabeth Auguste of Sulzbach
[4] Son of Alexander Ferdinand, Prince von Thurn und Taxis, and his second wife, Charlotte de Lorraine-Lambesc. Figure François Étienne was willing to waste his daughter to Savoie to "consolidate" Lorraine ties, the postmaster-general of the empire is definitely a step up from Chablais' complete "nothingness"
[5] Another reason why Charles Alexander was pissed at his brother’s renunciation. It not only deprived him of Lorraine but also Teschen. Since per the original agreement between Maria Theresia and Léopold Clément was that Teschen was to fall to François and Charles would follow his uncle into the church as archbishop of Trier
[6] Why does a second son get such a prestigious match? Per the terms of her parents’ marriage contract, Elisabeth is heiress to her mother’s lands. Her mother, Maria Anna von Schwarzenberg- per the inheritance agreement reached with Joseph I- is the heiress to all the Schwarzenberg lands should her only brother die without issue (which he does). Also, Elisabeth is heiress to her paternal grandmother’s Saxe-Lauenburg possessions (the duchy of Reichstadt) in Bohemia
[7] Grandson of August the Strong and Prince Lubomirski. It’s a love match after the pair meet at the wedding of their respective cousins. Sadly, it doesn’t remain so. Notably when Maria Anna finds out that a grandson of August the Strong is not exactly the wood from which faithful husbands are carved. The heiress of her grandmother and great-grandmother, the duchesse d’Orléans, in terms of biting commentary, she had a sufficiently punishing response when she packed her bags, took their children and went to go live with her father. Her husband responded by cutting off her allowance. It was only after her father died that her brother managed to negotiate a settlement
[8] Given that Mecklenburg and the Darmstadts would both be in Habsburg service around the same time as the duke of Teschen, it doesn’t seem impossible that a marriage between them would take place
[9] Daughter of Eleonore Philippine’s sister, the Princesse de Carignan. Her sister is the princesse de Lamballe and her brother married a princess of Lorraine-Lambesc
@Nuraghe @isabella @DrakeRlugia @Vitruvius @Archduke @noturaveragejoe0316 @The_Most_Happy
Also, given a continued Franco-English/Austro-Spanish Alliance, this schema might (keyword might) come to fruition
François III Étienne, Duke of Lorraine (1708-1778) m: 1734 Eleonore Philippine of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rothenburg[1] (1712-1759)
Élisabeth Charlotte (b.1735) m: 1750 Karl II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg (1728-1793)
Charles Philippe (1738-1743)
Léopold II Érnest, Duke of Lorraine (1740-1802) m: 1755 Maria Elisabeth of Saxony[2] (b.1736)
Éléonore Christine (1741-1781) m: 1760 Ludwig VII Franz Joseph, Elector Palatine of the Rhine[3] (b.1743)
François Édouard (1743-1745)
Anne Françoise (1744-1799) m: 1758 Ferdinand Ludwig, Prince von Thurn und Taxis[4] (b.1747)
Jacques Stanislas, Archbishop of Cologne [from 1784], Archbishop of Liège [from 1771] (b.1747)
Louise Dorothée (b.1749)
Charles Alexandre, Duke of Teschen[5] (1712-1772) m: 1742 Elisabeth of Baden-Baden[6] (b.1726)
Maria Anna Regina (1744-1779) m: 1762 August Joseph, Count Rutowsky[7] (1741-1784)
Elisabeth Franziska (b.1747) m: 1768 Karl II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz[8] (b.1741)
Karl Albrecht, Duke of Teschen (b.1749) m: 1768 Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt (b.1752)
Leopold Damian, Duke of Krumau, Landgrave of Klettgau (b.1751) m: 1769 Gabriella of Savoie-Carignan[9] (b.1748)
[1] People often overlook how few Catholic princesses would be available for François Étienne had he not married Maria Theresia. Eleonore is the stepmother to Karl Theodor, Elector Palatine; sister to the princesse de Condé, the princesse de Carignan and the duchess of Savoy. She provides a French tie without suffering the indignity of being French, as well as gives François a level of influence in the Reichstag (as “stepfather” to the Elector Palatine). Also, her stepson's inheritance in the Austrian Netherlands (the marquisate of Bergen-op-Zoom and other) would provide a "useful" avenue for the house of Lorraine to extend their influence that way
[2] Daughter of the king of Poland and an Austrian archduchess, sister to the queen of Spain (either a second wife of Fernando VI or his son by Barbara of Portugal (b.1733) and the dauphine of France
[3] Son of Karl Theodor, Elector Palatine of the Rhine, and Elisabeth Auguste of Sulzbach
[4] Son of Alexander Ferdinand, Prince von Thurn und Taxis, and his second wife, Charlotte de Lorraine-Lambesc. Figure François Étienne was willing to waste his daughter to Savoie to "consolidate" Lorraine ties, the postmaster-general of the empire is definitely a step up from Chablais' complete "nothingness"
[5] Another reason why Charles Alexander was pissed at his brother’s renunciation. It not only deprived him of Lorraine but also Teschen. Since per the original agreement between Maria Theresia and Léopold Clément was that Teschen was to fall to François and Charles would follow his uncle into the church as archbishop of Trier
[6] Why does a second son get such a prestigious match? Per the terms of her parents’ marriage contract, Elisabeth is heiress to her mother’s lands. Her mother, Maria Anna von Schwarzenberg- per the inheritance agreement reached with Joseph I- is the heiress to all the Schwarzenberg lands should her only brother die without issue (which he does). Also, Elisabeth is heiress to her paternal grandmother’s Saxe-Lauenburg possessions (the duchy of Reichstadt) in Bohemia
[7] Grandson of August the Strong and Prince Lubomirski. It’s a love match after the pair meet at the wedding of their respective cousins. Sadly, it doesn’t remain so. Notably when Maria Anna finds out that a grandson of August the Strong is not exactly the wood from which faithful husbands are carved. The heiress of her grandmother and great-grandmother, the duchesse d’Orléans, in terms of biting commentary, she had a sufficiently punishing response when she packed her bags, took their children and went to go live with her father. Her husband responded by cutting off her allowance. It was only after her father died that her brother managed to negotiate a settlement
[8] Given that Mecklenburg and the Darmstadts would both be in Habsburg service around the same time as the duke of Teschen, it doesn’t seem impossible that a marriage between them would take place
[9] Daughter of Eleonore Philippine’s sister, the Princesse de Carignan. Her sister is the princesse de Lamballe and her brother married a princess of Lorraine-Lambesc
@Nuraghe @isabella @DrakeRlugia @Vitruvius @Archduke @noturaveragejoe0316 @The_Most_Happy
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