Joseph II meets Voltaire

in 1777, the Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph II, visited France. While the Emperor would not make a good impression on Louis XVI (which frustrated his political goals), he would make a very good impression with the French philosophers and the ordinary people, who found his keen mind and his hatred of ceremony a breath of fresh air in comparison to the ostentatious and moribund French monarchy. It was widely expected that on his way back to Vienna, Joseph would visit Voltaire, and indeed, the Emperor chose a route back that would pass right by Voltaire's estate in Switzerland, leading the old man to make frantic preparations to receive the great philosopher Emperor. However, Joseph instead passed by.

It is very likely that the reason for this was because Joseph did not want to set off another conflict with his mother, who had forbade him from visiting Voltaire, and who was gravely ill at the time Joseph was traveling home. So let's say that Maria Theresa avoids that illness meaning her son feels that an argument with him won't overtax her. He visits Voltaire.

From the letters Frederick the Great wrote Voltaire in expectation of the visit, the Monster of Prussia seems to have expected them to get on very well and ol' Fred seems to have had very good judgement where Joseph was concerned. So lets say they meet, spend a few days talking, get on famously and then Joseph leaves to face the music with his mother. What are the effects?

At this point, Voltaire is less than a year away from his OTL death, and while it is possible that he might live longer, his health was growing increasingly fragile. I doubt that Voltaire himself will have much time to make changes, though he may be able to write a pamphlet on his impressions of the young Emperor.

The other French philosophers, many of whom were outraged on Voltaire's behalf when Joseph passed by - and who wrote pamphlets savaging Joseph for insulting the old man - may have more of an effect. Perhaps we might see Joseph enjoying a better reputation among the French and the wider European intelligentsia as a result? Might this even result result in relations between Austria and Revolutionary France following a different path?

I don't see how things would have changed in Joseph's relations with the French monarchy, his mother or with Frederick the Great. Louis XVI already disliked Joseph and saw him as too liberal - visiting Voltaire would only confirm an existing opinion. His mother, likewise, already was torn between loving her son and hating his ideas. I can't see how visiting Voltaire would change their relationship. Frederick the Great, even if he gets letters from Voltaire saying how wonderful Joseph is, is on record as ignoring Voltaire when his friend's ideas weren't in agreement with his goals for Prussian greatness.

So what do the rest of you think?

fasquardon
 
I know Joseph met Rousseau at one point, since Voltaire is the opposite of him that could be interesting. My guess Voltaire would only harden Joseph's views against the Catholic Church. Voltaire was conservative in other respects so maybe Joseph moderates some of his liberal policies.

I'm not sure if Revolutionary France would care that much. Joseph's sister Marie Antoinette visited Voltaire on his death bed and that didn't effect popular opinion much. In Revolutionary France Rousseau's radicalism was much more popular then Voltaire's support of enlightened despotism.
 
I'm not sure if Revolutionary France would care that much.

I wish the source I was reading (Padover's "The Revolutionary Emperor") went into more detail - knowing who the "other French philosophers" were who wrote pamphlets against Joseph after he failed to visit would help answer any questions about effects in the Revolutionary era. My feeling agrees with yours though, as my understanding is that the war against the Holy Roman Empire started because many of the delegates in the French Assembly wanted an external enemy to aim French violence at - and so calm the internal situation.

Though it might be interesting if instead of picking a fight with the Hapsburgs, the French instead picked a fight with Spain.

fasquardon
 
I wish the source I was reading (Padover's "The Revolutionary Emperor") went into more detail - knowing who the "other French philosophers" were who wrote pamphlets against Joseph after he failed to visit would help answer any questions about effects in the Revolutionary era. My feeling agrees with yours though, as my understanding is that the war against the Holy Roman Empire started because many of the delegates in the French Assembly wanted an external enemy to aim French violence at - and so calm the internal situation.

Though it might be interesting if instead of picking a fight with the Hapsburgs, the French instead picked a fight with Spain.

fasquardon

Spanish are Bourbons after all, would be interesting. I'm going to the library later I'll flip through some Will Durant books and see if they have anything on these other philosophers. ;)
 
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