Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles VII
Portrait by Georg Desmarées
Holy Roman Emperor
Reign	24 January 1742 – 20 January 1745
Coronation	12 February 1742, Frankfurt
Predecessor	Charles VI
Successor	Francis I
King of Bohemia
Reign	19 December 1741 – 12 May 1743
Coronation	19 December 1741, Prague
Predecessor	Maria Theresa
Successor	Maria Theresa
Elector of Bavaria
Reign	26 February 1726 – 20 January 1745
Predecessor	Maximilian II Emanuel
Successor	Maximilian III Joseph
Born	(1697-08-06)6 August 1697 Brussels, Netherlands
Died	20 January 1745(1745-01-20) (aged 47) Munich, Bavaria
Burial	Theatine Church, Munich
Spouse	Maria Amalia of Austria
Issue	Maria Antonia, Electress of Saxony Theresa Benedicta Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria Maria Anna Josepha, Margravine of Baden-Baden Maria Josepha, Holy Roman Empress
House	Wittelsbach
Father	Maximilian II Emanuel
Mother	Theresa Sobieska
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Charles VII (7 April 1697 – 20 January 1745) was the Prince-elector of Bavaria from 1726 and Holy Roman Emperor from 24 January 1742 until his death in 1745. A member of the House of Wittelsbach, Charles was the first person not born of the House of Habsburg to become emperor in over three centuries, though he was connected to that house both by blood and by marriage.

Early life and career

The young Charles Albert, 1717-1719, Joseph Vivien, Royal Castle in Warsaw

Charles Albert (German: Karl Albrecht) was born in Brussels, the son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria, and Theresa Kunegunda Sobieska, daughter of King John III Sobieski of Poland.

His family was split during the War of the Spanish Succession and was for many years under house arrest in Austria. Only in 1715 was the family reunited. After attaining his majority in August 1715, he undertook an educational tour of Italy from 3 December 1715 until 24 August 1716. In 1717, he served with Bavarian auxiliaries in the Austro-Turkish War of 1716–18.

On 5 October 1722, Charles Albert married Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria, whom he had met at the imperial court in Vienna. She was the younger daughter of the late Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, and his wife Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In 1725 Charles Albert visited Versailles for the wedding of Louis XV of France, and established firm contacts with the French court.

In 1726, when his father died, Charles Albert became Duke of Bavaria and a Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire. He maintained good relations both with his Habsburg relatives and with France, continuing his father's policies. In 1729 he instituted the knightly Order of St George. That year, he also started building the Rothenberg Fortress.

Holy Roman Emperor

Allegorical depiction of Charles's coronation as Holy Roman Emperor (1742)

Thaler coin of Charles VII, dated 1743

In continuance of the policy of his father, Charles Albert aspired to an even higher rank. As son-in-law of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles Albert rejected the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 and claimed the German territories of the Habsburg dynasty after the death of emperor Charles VI in 1740. With the treaty of Nymphenburg concluded in July 1741, Charles Albert allied with France and Spain against Austria.

During the War of the Austrian Succession Charles Albert invaded Upper Austria in 1741 and planned to conquer Vienna, but his allied French troops under the Duc de Belle-Isle were redirected to Bohemia instead and Prague was conquered in November 1741. So Charles Albert was crowned King of Bohemia in Prague (19 December 1741) when the Habsburgs were not yet defeated. He was unanimously elected "King of the Romans" on 24 January 1742, also with the vote of George II, and became Holy Roman Emperor upon his coronation on 12 February 1742. His brother Klemens August of Bavaria, archbishop and elector (Kurfürst) of Cologne, who generally sided with the Austria Habsburg-Lorraine faction in the disputes over the Habsburg succession, cast his vote for him and personally crowned him emperor at Frankfurt. Charles VII was the second Wittelsbach Emperor after Louis IV and the first Wittelsbach King of the Romans since the reign of Rupert of Germany.

Shortly after the coronation most of Charles Albert's territories were overrun by the Austrians, and Bavaria was occupied by the troops of Maria Theresa. The emperor fled Munich and resided for almost three years in the Palais Barckhaus in Frankfurt. Most of Bohemia was lost in December 1742 when the Austrians allowed the French under the Duc de Belle-Isle and the Duc de Broglie an honourable capitulation. Charles Albert was mocked as an emperor who neither controlled his own realm, nor was in effective control of the empire itself, though the institution of the Holy Roman Emperor had largely become symbolic in nature and powerless by that time. A popular Latin saying about him was et Caesar et nihil, meaning "both Emperor and nothing", a word-play on aut Caesar aut nihil, "either Emperor or nothing". Charles Albert's general Ignaz Felix, Count of Törring-Jettenbach was compared to a drum, as people heard about him only when he was beaten.

Charles VII tried to emphasise his government in Frankfurt with numerous acts of law, such as the grant of imperial privilege to the University of Erlangen in 1743 and the creation of several new imperial nobles. Charles Eugene, Duke of Württemberg was declared to be of full age ahead of time in 1744. Alexander Ferdinand, 3rd Prince of Thurn and Taxis served as Principal Commissioner for Charles VII at the Perpetual Imperial Diet in Frankfurt am Main and in 1744 the Thurn und Taxis dynasty were appointed hereditary Postmasters General of the Imperial Reichspost.

The new commander of the Bavarian army, Friedrich Heinrich von Seckendorff, fought Austria in a series of battles in 1743 and 1744. In 1743 his troops and their allies took Bavaria and Charles VII was able to return to Munich in April for some time. After the allied French had to retreat after defeats to the Rhine, he lost Bavaria again. The new campaign of Frederick II of Prussia during the Second Silesian War finally forced the Austrian army to leave Bavaria and to retreat back into Bohemia. In October 1744 Charles VII regained Munich and returned. Under the mediation of the former Vice-Chancellor Friedrich Karl von Schönborn, the emperor then sought a balance with Vienna, but at the same time negotiated unsuccessfully with France for new military support.

Suffering severely from gout, Charles died at Nymphenburg Palace in January 1745. His brother Klemens August then again leaned towards Austria, and his son and successor Maximilian III Joseph made peace with Austria. With the Treaty of Füssen Austria recognized the legitimacy of Charles VII's election as Holy Roman Emperor.

Charles Albert is buried in the crypt of the Theatinerkirche in Munich.

Cultural legacy

Emperor Charles's residence Palais Barckhaus in Zeil, Frankfurt, which he used in exile

Coat of arms of Charles VII Albert

Charles Albert's reign was the height of the Bavarian Rococo era. The Nymphenburg Palace was completed during his reign: the grand circle (Schlossrondell) of baroque mansions erected there was intended as a starting point for a new city (Carlstadt), but this was not achieved. Charles Albert dwelt there and the palace became the favorite summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria. For the Munich Residenz, Charles Albert ordered the building of the Ancestral Gallery and the Ornate Rooms. He purchased the Palais Porcia in 1731 and had the mansion restored in Rococo style in 1736 for one of his mistresses, Countess Topor-Morawitzka; the mansion was named after the Countess' husband, Prince Porcia. He also ordered François de Cuvilliés, chief architect of the court, to build the Palais Holnstein for another one of his mistresses, Sophie Caroline von Ingenheim, Countess Holnstein, between 1733 and 1737. Cuvilliés constructed the Amalienburg in Munich as well for Charles Albert and his wife Maria Amalia, an elaborate hunting lodge designed in Rococo style between 1734 and 1739.

Among the most gifted Bavarian artists of Charles Albert's time were Johann Michael Fischer, Cosmas Damian Asam and Egid Quirin Asam, Johann Michael Feuchtmayer, Matthäus Günther, Johann Baptist Straub and Johann Baptist Zimmermann.

Children

Charles and his wife Maria Amalia, Archduchess of Austria were parents of seven children:

Name	Portrait	Birth	Death	Notes
Maximiliane Maria Princess of Bavaria		1723		Died in infancy.
Maria Antonia Walpurgis Electress of Saxony		18 July 1724	23 April 1780	Married in 1747 Frederick Christian of Saxony, had issue.
Theresa Benedicta Princess of Bavaria		6 December 1725	29 March 1743	Died young and unmarried.
Maximilian III Joseph Elector of Bavaria		28 March 1727	30 December 1777	Married in 1747 Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony, no issue.
Joseph Ludwig Leo Prince of Bavaria		25 August 1728	2 December 1733	Died in infancy.
Maria Anna Josepha Margravine of Baden-Baden		7 August 1734	7 May 1776	Married in 1755 Louis George, Margrave of Baden-Baden, no issue.
Maria Josepha Holy Roman Empress		30 March 1739	28 May 1767	Married in 1765 Joseph, King of the Romans, no issue.

Titles

Charles VII, by the grace of God elected Holy Roman Emperor, forever August, King in Germany and of Bohemia, Duke in the Upper and Lower Bavaria as well as the Upper Palatinate, Count-Palatine of the Rhine, Archduke of Austria, Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, Landgrave of Leuchtenberg, etc. etc.

Ancestors

See also

• War of the Austrian Succession
• War of the Bavarian Succession

References

External links

Media related to Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor at Wikimedia Commons