Pragmatic Sanction of 1723
ThePragmatic Sanctionof 1723was abilateral treatybetween theDiet of Hungaryand theHungarian kingCharles IIIby which the Diet recognized the king's daughters (failing which his nieces and sisters) as possible heirs to the throne in return for considerable privileges. It was a protracted affair but had lasting consequences, especially in relation to theAustro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867.
Background[edit]
The future succession to the throne of theKingdom of Hungarybecame contentious on the accession of the childlessCharles III(alsoHoly Roman Emperoras Charles VI), the last male of theHouse of Habsburg,in 1711. The Hungarian crown had become a hereditary possession of the Habsburgs in 1687 but only men could inherit it. Charles had privately agreed with his older brother and predecessor,King Joseph I,on theMutual Pact of Successionin 1703. The Mutual Pact provided for female succession to theHabsburg monarchyin the event of extinction of the male line, but gave precedence to the daughters of the older rather than surviving brother. Charles wished to secure all his hereditary realms for his own daughter, should he have any.[1]
Hungarian objections[edit]
Refusing to make constitutional concessions, Charles failed to gain the Hungarian approval during the 1712 negotiations. The Croatian estates, despite their centuries long association with Hungary, issued their ownPragmatic Sanction in 1712,unilaterally approving Charles's intention and causing Hungarian discontent. Charles formalized his intention by issuing thePragmatic Sanction of 1713,emphasizing the indivisibility of the Habsburg domains and the rights of his future daughters. At the assembly of the Diet of Hungary in 1715, Charles agreed that the Diet shouldelect a kingif he died without a male heir. He was still hoping for a son; a male child was indeed born in 1716 but died the same year.[1]
By the end of the 1710s, Charles had been left with only two children, daughters namedMaria Theresa(born in 1717) andMaria Anna(born in 1718). His nieces,Maria JosephaandMaria Amalia,agreed to cede their claim to Maria Theresa and Maria Anna, significantly facilitating the acceptance of the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 by thegreat powers of Europe.Charles's intentions were not yet accepted by all of his realms, however, with theCounty of Tyroland theKingdom of Hungaryobjecting. The Hungarians believed that the 1687 agreement to hereditary succession by male Habsburgs already went too far and opposed extending it to Habsburg women, preferring instead to revert to an elective monarchy. TheKingdom of Croatiaand thePrincipality of Transylvania,two separately administeredlands of the Hungarian Crown,autonomously approved the King's will in 1721 and 1722 respectively.[1]
Agreement[edit]
In 1722, Charles led informal discussions with the Hungarians, placating them with numerous land grants. When the Diet assembled inPressburgthat year, Charles succeeded in having his proposals submitted to thelower house.The chances of accepting his proposals were slim.[1]ThePrimate of Hungary,Christian August of Saxe-Zeitz,was prevented from presiding over the lower house's deliberations due to fears that his sympathy for Joseph I would incline him to oppose setting Joseph's daughters aside in favor of Charles's.[2]Ferenc Szluha,a countynotaryofPozsony,gave a rousing speech in the King's favor, unexpectedly securing the lower house's support. Theupper housefollowed suit.[3]
The Diet thus agreed in 1723 to extend the succession rights to the daughters of Charles III (Maria Theresa and Maria Anna), followed by the daughters of Joseph I (Maria Josepha and Maria Amalia), and finally by the daughters ofLeopold I(Maria Elisabeth,Maria AnnaandMaria Magdalena).[3]Royal elections were to resume if these lines were to go extinct. The Diet agreed that Hungary was inseparable from the rest of the Habsburg monarchy and emphasized the need for common action, especially when it came to defense. In return, Charles solemnly reconfirmed the rights of theestates of the realmand in particular those of theHungarian nobility.[3]
The Pragmatic Sanction of 1723 had great impact on theAustro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867.[3]The Hungarian statesmanFerenc Deákargued that, according to the Pragmatic Sanction of 1723, constitutional governing of Hungary was a prerequisite of theHabsburg rule over Hungary.[4]The foreign policy and defense, as well as financing them, were the most important joint affairs ofAustria-Hungary,the resultingdual monarchy,to be based on the Pragmatic Sanction of 1723.[5]
See also[edit]
- War of the Austrian Succession–armed conflict over the implementation of the Pragmatic Sanction
References[edit]
- ^abcdSugar 1994,p. 144.
- ^Ingrao 2000,p. 134.
- ^abcdSugar 1994,p. 145.
- ^Sugar 1994,p. 245.
- ^Sugar 1994,p. 252.
Bibliography[edit]
- Ingrao, Charles W.(2000).The Habsburg Monarchy, 1618–1815.Cambridge University Press.ISBN1107268699.
- Sugar, Peter F.(1994).A History of Hungary.Indiana University Press.ISBN025320867X.
- Péter, László(2012). Lojkó, Miklós (ed.).Hungary's Long Nineteenth Century: Constitutional and Democratic Traditions in a European Perspective.BRILL.ISBN978-9004222120.