Family Matters. Female Dynastic Agency and Correspondence
Family Matters. Female Dynastic Agency and Correspondence
Disciplines
Other Humanities (25%); History, Archaeology (70%); Computer Sciences (5%)
Keywords
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                  Correspondence,
                
              
            
        
          
              
                
                  History,
                
              
            
        
          
              
                
                  Edition,
                
              
            
        
          
              
                
                  Holy Roman Empire,
                
              
            
        
          
              
                
                  Empress
                
              
            
        
      
In Austria and far beyond, everyone probably knows Empress Maria Theresa, who ruled the Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th century and exerted great influence on European politics. But have you ever heard of her grandmother Eleonora Magdalena? As the mother of two emperors reigning for almost 40 years, Joseph I and Maria Theresas father Charles VI, she was deeply involved in the politics of her time. How come she is completely unknown to most people today? The presumed lack of archive material on women in this period has led to very little research on her person so far. Luckily that has now changed: In Munich, more than 1,000 letters have were discovered that the Empress wrote to her father, Elector Philipp Wilhelm of the Palatinate, and to her brother Johann Wilhelm of the Palatinate, in which she commented on politics, family and everyday life. These letters form the basis of a more intensive study of the empress and her political as well as her role in the dynasty, the princely family. Thus, for the period between 1676, the year of her marriage to Emperor Leopold I, and 1716, the year of her brother`s death, it is now possible to understand very precisely how she lived and which political goals she pursued. In her endeavours she collaborated with numerous people located in Vienna, Düsseldorf, Neuburg on the Danube, but also in Cologne, Madrid and Rome. Investigating political processes, it interesting to see in whose favour she took sides. She supported her numerous siblings as well as her own children, namely she was involved in several of her brothers becoming bishops and thus princes of the Holy Roman Empire. Eleonora Magdalena prepared the marriages of her sisters, who married to Spain, Portugal, Poland and Italy. All the siblings corresponded with each other throughout their lives, supporting each other and playing a role in European politics in different ways. The princely family, i.e. the dynasty, was an important framework of action for all of them, both women and men, and the strengthening the House of Palatinate-Neuburg as well as the House of Habsburg was Eleonora Magdalena`s goal. The project has three aims: Firstly, we want to make the empress`s many letters available online so that anyone interested can look at the exchanges and cooperation within the family. Secondly, we will search for more of the empress`s letters in order to broaden our knowledge about her and the ways in which she acted. And finally, we are investigating the arguments and strategies she used to realise her goals in a time when, at first glance, women seemed to have no independent means of political action.
The project's focus were the letters from the Holy Roman Empress Eleonora Magdalena of Palatine-Neuburg (1655-1720) sent between 1677 and 1716 to her father Philipp Wilhelm of Palatine-Neuburg and her brother Johann Wilhelm, both Electors Palatinate in their respective lifetimes. This collection consists of 1,152 autograph letters from the Empress, 56 draft letters from her father and 381 draft letters and letter copies from her brother. Predating Maria Theresa, the famous grand-daughter of our respective Empress, there is no larger collection of letters of a Habsburg princess than that of Eleonora Magdalena. This archival collection held at the Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv München (Munich, Germany) was transcribed using the TRANSKRIBUS software and processed into a digital edition available at https://kaiserin-eleonora.oeaw.ac.at/ (online since June 2024). The letters provide a fascinating insight into the political thinking of a Habsburg empress and reveal how and in what context Eleonora Magdalena in particular became politically active. They act as testimonies of everyday life at the Viennese court from the great plague epidemic of 1680 through the second Turkish siege in 1683 to the end of the War of the Spanish Succession. On top of that, they substantially illuminate the close ties between the Empress's two families, the Palatine Wittelsbachs and the Austrian Habsburgs, in which she played a key role. In the project, this last aspect was given priority attention. To this end, additional research was conducted in various European archives to locate further letters written by the Empress. Our new archival findings from Karlsruhe, Wolfenbüttel, Parma and Minsk made it possible to map more accurately Eleonora Magdalena's European correspondence network. In addition, the letters were used to examine two major aspects of the Empress's actions in more detail: First, a study was conducted on the aspect of dynastic loyalty, showing how she represented, combined and negotiated the political interests of both her family of origin in Düsseldorf and Heidelberg and that of the Austrian Habsburgs into which she married. Second, it was possible to highlight the considerable influence the Empress exerted on the appointment of bishops in the Holy Roman Empire. In doing so, she represented the political interests of both her dynasties and gained lasting influence in imperial politics. In the present continuation project, the contentual exploration of the letters will be completed and the personal networks of the Empress further examined - we will keep you posted at https://kaiserin.hypotheses.org/.
- Ellinor Forster, Universität Innsbruck , national collaboration partner
Research Output
- 11 Publications
- 2 Datasets & models
- 9 Disseminations
- 2 Scientific Awards
- 1 Fundings
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                  2024
                
                
    
      
      
        
          Title RELIGIOUS PLURALITY AT PRINCELY COURTS DOI 10.3167/9781805394877 Type Book editors Marschke B, Riches D, Schunka A, Smart S Publisher Berghahn Books 
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                  2022
                
                
    
      
      
        
          Title Hidden Figures: The Holy Roman Empire as a “Realm of Ladies” DOI 10.1017/s0008938922000024 Type Journal Article Author Keller K Journal Central European History Pages 339-354 Link Publication 
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                  2025
                
                
    
      
      
        
          Title Noch eine Eleonora; In: Transalpine Transferprozesse im 17. Jahrhundert - Die Gonzaga-Kaiserinnen zwischen Mantua und Wien DOI 10.1515/9783839476369-005 Type Book Chapter Publisher transcript Verlag 
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                  2025
                
                
    
      
      
        
          Title Die Fürstin schreibt. Strukturen weiblicher Korrespondenzen am Beispiel von Kaiserin Eleonora Magdalena von Pfalz-Neuburg (1655-1720) Type Conference Proceeding Abstract Author Keller Conference Briefkulturen - Perspektiven ihrer Erforschung" 
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                  2025
                
                
    
      
      
        
          Title Fürstin, Kaiserin, Reich: Von Erzämtern, Karrieren und armen Verwandten; In: Herrschaft der Frauen - Herrschaft der Männer. Fürstabteien als weltliche Residenzen Type Book Chapter Author Keller 
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                  2025
                
                
    
      
      
        
          Title Familiensache. Dynastische Loyalität bei Kaiserin Eleonora Magdalena Type Journal Article Author Keller Journal Zeitschrift für historische Forschung 
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                  2025
                
                
    
      
      
        
          Title Kaiserin Eleonora Magdalena als Witwe; In: Fürstliche Witwen Type Book Chapter Author Keller Publisher Transkript 
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                  2025
                
                
    
      
      
        
          Title Fürstin und Nonne. Zum Näheverhältnis von Hof und Kloster in der Barockzeit am Beispiel der Kaiserin Eleonora Magdalena (1655-1720) und ihrer Mutter, Kurfürstin Elisabeth Amalia von Pfalz-Neuburg (1635-1709) Type Journal Article Author Peper I Journal Das Achtzehnte Jahrhundert und Österreich. Jahrbuch der Österreichischen Gesellschaft zur Erforschung des 18. Jahrhunderts Pages 145-169 Link Publication 
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          Title Kaiserin Eleonora Magdalena von Pfalz-Neuburg (1655-1720) schreibt: Briefe als Selbstzeugnisse; In: Adlige und fürstliche Selbstzeugnisse der Frühen Neuzeit: Fürst Christian II. von Anhalt und seine Diarien im Kontext ihrer Zeit / Noble and princely self-testimonies and diaries in the early modern age: Prince Christian II. of Anhalt and his diaries in context Type Book Chapter Author Keller 
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                  2022
                
                
    
      
      
        
          Title Central European Pasts, Old and New in the Intellectual Culture of Habsburg Europe, 1700–1750 DOI 10.1515/9783110653052 Type Book editors Peper I, Wallnig T Publisher De Gruyter 
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          Title Kaiserin Eleonora Magdalena Theresia (1655-1720) als Akteurin der Reichskirchenpolitik Type Journal Article Author Peper I Journal submitted with: Mitteilungen des Instituts für Österreichische Geschichtsforschung Link Publication 
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                  2024
                  
                
                
    
      
      
        
          Title Long Night of Research Type Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution 
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                  2023
                  
                
                
    
      
      
        
          Title "Maria Theresa's grandmothers" Type Participation in an activity, workshop or similar 
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                  2022
                  
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          Title Women of the Habsburgs Type A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) Link Link 
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                  2025
                  
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          Title Frauen und Politik Type A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) Link Link 
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                  2023
                  
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          Title Präsentation WBH 2.0 Type Participation in an activity, workshop or similar Link Link 
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                  2022
                  
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          Title Kick-off event "The Empress' Correspondence" Type Participation in an activity, workshop or similar Link Link 
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                  2023
                  
                
                
    
      
      
        
          Title Exhibition "Forscherinnen entdecken" Type Participation in an activity, workshop or similar 
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                  2021
                  
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          Title Blog "Kaiserin und Reich" / "Empress and Empire" Type Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel Link Link 
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                  2024
                  
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          Title Release of the edition (beta version) Type A talk or presentation Link Link 
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                  2024
                  
                
                
    
      
      
        
          Title Fürstin - Kaiserin - Reich Type Personally asked as a key note speaker to a conference Level of Recognition National (any country) 
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                  2022
                  
                
                
    
      
      
        
          Title Krönungen und Korrespondenzen. Neues von den Kaiserinnen der Frühen Neuzeit Type Personally asked as a key note speaker to a conference Level of Recognition Regional (any country) 
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                  2025
                  
                
                
    
      
      
        
          Title Networks and Female Agency Type Research grant (including intramural programme) DOI 10.55776/pat3146724 Start of Funding 2025 Funder Austrian Academy of Sciences