Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor

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Charles VI of Austria (October 1, 1685 – October 20, 1740) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1711 to 1740 and the second son of Leopold I with his third wife, Eleonore-Magdalena of Pfalz-Neuburg, first assumed the royal title Charles III of Aragon and Castile, but changed his name shortly after, on acceding the Austrian throne.

His educator was Anton Florian of Liechtenstein.

He was the contracted heir of the Spanish Habsburgs. When Charles II of Spain made Philip V his heir, Louis XIV violated the contract. The dispute for the crown of Spain led to the War of the Spanish Succession.

After his older brother Joseph I died suddenly, he had to return to Austria to take over the Emperor's throne. In 1711, he was made Holy Roman Emperor in Frankfurt.

Although Charles seems to have been clumsy in political affairs, the Austrian monarchy reached its widest expansion during his reign.

He married Princess Elisabeth, eldest daughter of Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. At the time of his death, his only children were Maria Theresa and Maria Anna, but he had no living male heirs. So he prepared the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, which stated that his realm could not be divided and allowed that daughters also could inherit the throne from their fathers. When he died, the War of the Austrian Succession took place, but in the end the Pragmatic Sanction held up and his daughter succeeded him as Queen of Hungary and Bohemia and Archduchess of Austria. However, being a female, she was not elected Holy Roman Empress. Instead, Charles VII was elected. However, after Charles VII's reign, Maria Theresa's husband Francis I was elected, ensuring that the Empire would continue in the Habsburg line.

Probably as a consequence of his years in Spain, he introduced the Spanish court ceremonial (Spanisches Hofzeremoniell) in Vienna and built the Spanish Riding School. Furthermore, the Reichskanzlei ("chancellory of the state") and the National Library were constructed during his reign and the Michaeler tract added to the Hofburg. Much was designed in baroque style in Vienna during Charles' reign.

He also had musical ambitions. Taught as a boy by Johann Joseph Fux, he composed, played the harpsichord, and now and then conducted the court's band.

[edit] Ancestors

Charles's ancestors in three generations

Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor	Father: Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor	Father's father: Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor	Father's father's father: Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
			Father's father's mother: Maria Anna of Bavaria
		Father's mother: Maria Anna of Spain	Father's mother's father: Philip III of Spain
			Father's mother's mother: Margaret of Austria
	Mother: Eleonore-Magdalena of Neuburg	Mother's father: Philipp Wilhelm, Elector Palatine	Mother's father's father: Wolfgang Wilhelm, Pfalzgraf von Neuburg
			Mother's father's mother: Magdalene of Bavaria
		Mother's mother: Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt	Mother's mother's father: George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
			Mother's mother's mother: Sofie Eleonore of Saxony

Names in other languages: German: Karl VI., Czech: Karel II., Hungarian: III. Károly, Slovak: Karol III., Croatian: Karlo III., Catalan: Carles III., Latin: Carolus VI.

[edit] External links

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Preceded by: Victor Amadeus II	King of Sicily 1713-1734	Succeeded by: Charles VII
Preceded by: Philip IV	King of Naples 1713-1735
	King of Sardinia 1713-1720	Succeeded by: Victor Amadeus II
Preceded by: Joseph I	Holy Roman Emperor Also King of Germany 1711-1740	Succeeded by: Charles VII
	King of Hungary 1711-1740	Maria Theresa
	King of Bohemia 1711-1740
	Archduke of Austria 1711-1740
	Duke of Guastalla 1711-1740
Preceded by: Charles I	Duke of Parma 1735-1740
	Duke of Piacenza 1735-1740

Preceded by Philip V

Count of Barcelona 1705-1714

Succeeded by Last Count of Barcelona