Tragovima obitelji Habsburg u Muzeju Mimara

Obitelj Habsburg, jedna od najstarijih europskih dinastija, obilježila je povijest Srednje Europe, ali i Hrvatske, u razdoblju Novoga vijeka. Ime obitelji potječe od naziva posjeda Habsburg, ili Habichtsburg („jastrebov dvorac“), u švicarskome kantonu Aargau. Najstariji poznati član obitelji bio je grof Guntram (oko 950. godine), čiji su potomci do XIII. stoljeća stekli znatne posjede u Alsaceu. U posjed vojvodstva Austrije i Štajerske došli su krajem XIII. stoljeća nakon pobjede grofa Rudolfa I. (1218. – 1291.) nad češkim kraljem Otakarom II. (1230. – 1278.). Otada su ovi posjedi činili jezgru habsburških nasljednih zemalja kojima su pridružena vojvodstva Koruška i Kranjska 1335. godine te Tirol 1363. godine. Svoje posjede u Švicarskoj, obitelj Habsburg u potpunosti je izgubila u XV. stoljeću.

Na staklenome pokalu oslikanome raznobojnim emajlom (sl. 1 – 4) prikazani su među ostalima i grbovi grofova Habsburg te austrijskih vojvoda. Grb grofova Habsburg (sl. 5) sadrži na zlatnoj pozadini propetoga crvenog lava s plavom krunom. Nakon dobivanja austrijskoga vojvodstva, Habsburgovci su kao svoj primarni grb počeli koristiti grb austrijskih vojvoda (sl. 6) crvene boje sa srebrnom poprečnom gredom. Tijekom XIV. i XV. stoljeća pojačalo se poistovjećivanje obitelji Habsburg s njihovim austrijskim posjedima zbog čega se ona naziva i austrijskom dinastijom. Jedinstvenu titulu austrijskih nadvojvoda habsburški vladari koristili su od sredine XV. stoljeća, kada je njezinu upotrebu potvrdio Friedrich III. (1415. – 1493.), rimsko-njemački car iz habsburške loze.

Iako su Friedrichovu dugu vladavinu obilježili sukobi s moćnim plemstvom, pa čak i s članovima vlastite obitelji, uspio je učvrstiti svoju vlast nad austrijskim nasljednim zemljama te postaviti temelje za širenje habsburškoga utjecaja i moći. Iskoristio je svoj položaj zaštitnika maloljetnoga češkog i ugarskog kralja Ladislava V. Postuma (1440. – 1457.), kako bi proširio svoj utjecaj na zemlje ugarske i češke krune, koje su graničile s austrijskim zemljama, no snažna reakcija plemstva natjerala ga je da od tih ambicija odustane. Dok Friedrichove ambicije na istoku nisu ostvarene, zahvaljujući njegovim naporima, habsburški je utjecaj u Svetome Rimskom Carstvu i na zapadu Europe ojačao.

Friedrich III. izabran je za njemačkoga kralja 1440. godine te okrunjen za rimsko-njemačkoga cara 1452. godine kao posljednji rimsko-njemački car kojega je u Rimu okrunio papa. Iako se sam naziv počeo koristiti tek kasnije, začeci Svetoga Rimskog Carstva sežu u IX. st., za vladavine Karla Velikoga (747. – 814.), koji je pod svojom vlasti okupio većinu europskoga kršćanskog stanovništva, koje nije priznavalo autoritet bizantskim carevima. Kako bi ustanovio novi autoritet koji će štititi kršćanstvo, papa Leon III. (750. – 816.) okrunio je Karla Velikoga 800. godine u Rimu za cara Rimljana. Karlovi nasljednici podijelili su između 843. i 880. godine njegovo carstvo na Zapadnu Franačku, u kojoj se razvilo francusko kraljevstvo, te Istočnu Franačku, u kojoj se razvilo njemačko kraljevstvo, a čiji su vladari naslijedili carsku titulu. Povezanost Svetoga Rimskog Carstva s povijesti njemačkoga kraljevstva osobito je vidljiva od vladavine Friedricha III. kada naziv carstva postaje Sacrum Romanum Imperium Nationis Germanicae (Sveto Rimsko Carstvo Njemačke Narodnosti). U tome razdoblju započeo je i dug niz rimsko-njemačkih careva iz dinastije Habsburg, koji je gotovo neprekinut trajao do raspuštanja carstva 1806. godine kada je posljednji rimsko-njemački car Franjo II. (1768. – 1835.) pod pritiskom Napoleonove rastuće prijetnje abdicirao te uzeo titulu austrijskoga cara.

Ovaj dug niz careva rezultat je akumulacije habsburške moći s obzirom na to da se carska titula, potvrđena papinskom krunidbom u Rimu, dodjeljivala izabranome njemačkom kralju. Običaj da se titula njemačkoga kralja ne prenosi nasljednom linijom, već da se novi kralj izabire, prisutan je već od početaka njemačkoga kraljevstva te potvrđen Zlatnom bulom cara Karla IV. iz 1356. godine, kojom je utvrđeno da titula njemačkoga kralja pripada kandidatu kojega izabere većina od sedmorice izbornih knezova. Trojica crkvenih i četvorica svjetovnih izbornih knezova prikazani su uz cara na staklenome pokalu (sl. 7 – 10) oslikanome raznobojnim emajlom. Pred carem na prijestolju smješten je štit s dvoglavim carskim orlom i austrijskim grbom. S careve lijeve strane (sl. 8) prikazani su svjetovni izborni knezovi – češki kralj, falački knez, saski vojvoda i brandenburški grof, a s careve desne strane (sl. 10) crkveni izborni knezovi – nadbiskupi Triera, Kölna i Mainza.

Svoj uspon obitelj Habsburg u velikoj je mjeri mogla zahvaliti promišljenoj ženidbenoj politici opisanoj stihom Bella gerant alii, tu felix Austria nube („Drugi neka ratuju, ti se, sretna Austrijo, ženi“). Značajan uspjeh ova je politika doživjela ženidbom Maximiliana I. (1459. – 1519.) (sl. 11) za burgundsku vojvotkinju Marie (1457. – 1482.), čiji su posjedi u XV. stoljeću uključivali burgundsko vojvodstvo te nizozemske zemlje. Bogate nizozemske posjede naslijedio je njihov sin Philipp Lijepi (1478. – 1506.), čijom je ženidbom za Juanu (1479. – 1555.), nasljednicu Isabel I. Kastiljske (1451. – 1504.) i Fernanda II. Aragonskog (1452. – 1516.), obitelj Habsburg došla na vlast u Španjolskoj. Istovremeno, zahvaljujući vojnoj prisili, diplomatskim naporima i ugovorenim brakovima, Maximilian je osigurao savezništvo s češkim i ugarskim kraljevima, koje je kasnije dovelo habsburške vladare na češko i ugarsko prijestolje.

Maximilian je kao pravi renesansni vladar ulagao u umjetničke projekte kojima su se slavili njegovi uspjesi i uspjesi njegove obitelji. Među najznačajnijim je takvim projektima carev kenotaf u Hofkirche (dvorskoj crkvi) u Innsbrucku. Crkvu je 1553. godine dao podignuti Maximilianov unuk Ferdinand I., dok je sam kenotaf dovršen 1584. godine. Kenotaf, koji zauzima središnje mjesto u glavnome brodu crkve, okružen je s 28 brončanih i mjedenih skulptura članova obitelji te njihovih predaka. Među njima je i otac Maximilianove prve supruge, burgundski vojvoda Charles I. (1433. – 1477.). Drveni kipić (sl. 13) nastao je prema mjedenome kipu vojvode, koji su za kenotaf oblikovali Gilg Seselschreiber i Jörg Kölderer. Model je izradio Leonhart Magt, a izlio ga je Stephan Godl 1526. godine.

Karl V. (1500. – 1558.), sin Philippa i Juane, naslijedio je s očeve strane nizozemske zemlje, a s majčine Kastilju i Aragon s Napuljskim kraljevstvom. Nakon Maximilianove smrti naslijedio je i austrijske zemlje, a 1519. godine izabran je za rimsko-njemačkoga cara. Također, bio je posljednji rimsko-njemački car kojega je papa okrunio 1530. godine u Bologni, a ne Rimu, i to tek nakon dugotrajnoga sukoba, koji je rezultirao i pljačkom Rima 1527. godine. Na portretu (sl. 14) prikazan je u bogatoj odjeći na kojoj je izvezen njegov osobni moto PLUS OULTRE, inverzija legendarnoga upozorenja non plus ultra (lat. „nema više, nema dalje“) na Heraklovim stupovima (Gibraltarskim vratima), koje je označavalo kraj poznatoga antičkog svijeta. Za Karlove vladavine, španjolska kolonijalna ekspanzija u Amerikama doživjela je svoj zamah osvajanjem Meksika i Perua, a vrhunac doba otkrića bila je ekspedicija Fernãa de Magalhãesa koji je namjeravao do Istočne Indije stići zapadnim pomorskim putem. Iako je de Magalhães poginuo na Filipinima, ekspedicija se uspješno vratila u Španjolsku 1522. godine te tako po prvi puta oplovila Zemlju. Filipini, koji su kasnije dobili ime u čast Karlova sina i nasljednika Felipea II. (1527. – 1598.), postali su španjolska kolonija te čvorište trgovine Amerike, Azije i Europe (sl. 15). S obzirom na raspon Karlovih posjeda, za njih se ponekad koristi termin „carstvo u kojem sunce nikada ne zalazi“.

Zahtjevi vladanja ovakvim golemim carstvom, kao i rastući sukobi katolika i protestanata u Svetome Rimskom Carstvu, izmorili su Karla pa je on 1556. godine abdicirao te svoje posjede podijelio između sina Felipea i brata Ferdinanda (1503. – 1564.) (sl. 16). Felipe je naslijedio nizozemske zemlje, milansko vojvodstvo i Španjolsku s kolonijama, a nakon portugalske nasljedne krize 1580. godine postao je i kralj Portugala. Ferdinand je naslijedio austrijske zemlje, a 1558. godine izabran je za rimsko-njemačkoga cara. Nakon smrti Ludovika II. (1506. – 1526.), posljednjega češkog i ugarskog kralja iz dinastije Jagelovića, izabran je 1526. godine za češkoga i ugarskoga kralja te 1527. godine za hrvatskoga kralja.

Infanta Catalina Micaela (1567. – 1597.) bila je mlađa kći španjolskoga kralja Felipea II. i njegove treće supruge, Élisabeth de Valois (1546. – 1568.). Njezina udaja za savojskoga vojvodu Carla Emanuela I. (1562. – 1630.) osigurala je savezništvo Savoje i Španjolske protiv Francuske. Na portretu (sl. 17) je prikazana u maniri španjolskoga dvorskog portreta XVI. stoljeća, koji je naglašavao status portretirane osobe uz pažljiv tretman detalja, osobito vidljiv na prikazima raskošne odjeće. Infanta u lijevoj ruci drži karanfil, koji se u to vrijeme smatrao simbolom ljubavi i braka, pa možemo pretpostaviti da je portret nastao za potencijalnoga budućeg ženika. Budući da su se plemićki brakovi uglavnom sklapali sa svrhom potvrđivanja savezništava te se supružnici često nisu upoznali do samoga vjenčanja, ili čak i kasnije, ovakvi portreti bili su jedini način da se budući supružnici upoznaju.

Infanta María Teresa (1638. – 1683.) (sl. 18) bila je kći španjolskoga kralja Felipea IV. (1605. – 1665.) i njegove prve supruge Élisabeth de Bourbon (1602. – 1644.). Njezina udaja za francuskoga kralja Louisa XIV. (1638. – 1715.) bila je potvrda konačnoga mira između Španjolske i Francuske nakon Francusko-španjolskoga rata (1635. – 1659.). Mirovni sporazum, kao i prvi susret supružnika, zbio se na Île des Faisans (Isla de los Faisanes), otoku na rijeci Bidasoa, na granici Španjolske i Francuske, koji je tim sporazumom određen kao kondominij kojim će dvije države naizmjence upravljati. Iako je brak bio nesretan, postavio je temelje za dolazak francuske dinastije Bourbon na španjolsko prijestolje nakon smrti posljednjega španjolskoga kralja habsburške loze i Rata za španjolsko naslijeđe (1701. – 1714.).

Infanta Margarita Teresa (1651. – 1673.) (sl. 19) bila je kći španjolskoga kralja Felipea IV. i njegove druge supruge i nećakinje Marije Anne (1634. – 1696.) te sestra posljednjega španjolskog kralja habsburške loze Carlosa II. (1661. – 1700.). Kako bi se ojačale veze španjolske i austrijske grane habsburške dinastije, ugovoren je brak između Margarite i njezina ujaka, rimsko-njemačkoga cara Leopolda I. (1640. – 1705.). Infanta Margarita ostala je zapamćena po svojim portretima koje je naslikao španjolski dvorski slikar Diego Velázquez, među kojima je vjerojatno najpoznatiji grupni portret poznat kao Las Meninas. Niz portreta koji se danas čuvaju u Kunsthistorisches Museumu u Beču poslani su na bečki dvor tijekom ugovaranja braka infante i cara.

Nakon Margaritine rane smrti, Leopold se ženio još dvaput. Na medalji (sl. 20) prikazan je sa svojom trećom suprugom, Eleonorom Magdalenom von Pfalz-Neuburg (1655. – 1720.). Ova medalja nastala je prema medalji koju je prigodom vjenčanja carskoga para izradio Johann Permann. O povodu nastanka medalje saznajemo iz natpisa koji okružuje portrete Leopolda i Eleonore na aversu: LEOPOLDVS I ET ELEONORA AVGVSTI NEOSPONSI („Leopold I. i Eleonora, novo vjenčani carski par). Natpis na reversu (sl. 21) navodi pak odlike vladavine carskoga para: VIRTVTE ATQVE MAIESTAT(E) CONSILIO ET INDVSTRIA („hrabrošću i k tome veličanstvom, promišljenošću i marljivošću“). U natpisu se sakrio i kronogram, odnosno, slova koja se ističu svojom veličinom predstavljaju rimske brojeve koji daju zbroj 1676, godinu vjenčanja Leopolda i Eleonore.

Leopolda su naslijedili sinovi Josip I. (1678. – 1711.) i Karlo VI. (1685. – 1740.). Kako su obojica umrli bez muških nasljednika, smrću Karla VI. izumrla je muška loza austrijskih Habsburgovaca. Naslijedila ga je kći Marija Terezija (1717. – 1780.), a njezinom udajom za lotarinškoga vojvodu i toskanskoga nadvojvodu Franju Stjepana (1708. – 1765.) započela je dinastija Habsburg-Lothringen, koja je vladala do kraja I. svjetskoga rata 1918. godine i raspada Austro-Ugarske Monarhije.

In the period of Modern Age the Habsburg family, one of the oldest European dynasties, marked the history of Central Europe as well as Croatia. The family name derives from the name of the Habsburg estate, or Habichtsburg ("hawk's castle"), in the Swiss canton of Aargau. The oldest known member of the family was Count Guntram (around 950), whose descendants acquired considerable possessions in Alsace until the 13th century. They came into possession of the duchies of Austria and Styria at the end of the 13th century after Count Rudolf I (1218 – 1291) defeated the Czech king Otakar II (1230 – 1278). Since then, these possessions formed the core of the Habsburg hereditary lands, to which the duchies of Carinthia and Carniola were joined in 1335 and Tyrol in 1363. The Habsburg family lost all of its Swiss possessions in the 15th century.

Among others, the coats of arms of the counts of Habsburg and dukes of Austria are shown on the glass goblet painted with multi-colored enamel (fig. 1-4). The coat of arms of the counts of Habsburg (fig. 5) is a standing red lion with a blue crown on a golden field (Or, a lion rampant gules crowned azure). After obtaining the Austrian duchy, the Habsburgs began to use the coat of arms of the dukes of Austria as their primary coat of arms (fig. 6), a silver horizontal stripe across the centre of a red field (Gules, a fess argent). During the 14th and 15th centuries, the identification of the Habsburg family with their Austrian possessions intensified, which is why it was also called the House of Austria. The unique title of the archdukes of Austria was used by the Habsburg rulers from the mid-15th century when its use was confirmed by Friedrich III (1415 – 1493), Holy Roman Emperor from the Habsburg line.

Although Friedrich's long reign was marked by his conflicts with the powerful nobility and even with the members of his own family, he managed to consolidate his authority over the Austrian hereditary lands and lay the foundations for the expansion of Habsburg influence and power. He used his position of the protector of the minor Czech and Hungarian king Ladislaus V the Posthumous (1440 – 1457) to expand his influence on the lands of the Hungarian and Czech crowns, which bordered the Austrian lands, but the strong reaction of the nobility forced him to give up those ambitions. While Friedrich's ambitions in the east were not realized, thanks to his efforts, the Habsburg influence in the Holy Roman Empire and in the west of Europe grew stronger.

Friedrich III was elected German king in 1440 and crowned Holy Roman emperor in 1452 as the last Holy Roman emperor to be crowned by the Pope in Rome. Although this title itself began to be used only later, the beginnings of the Holy Roman Empire date back to the 9th century during the reign of Charlemagne (747 – 814), who gathered under his rule the majority of the European Christian population which did not recognize the authority of the Byzantine emperors. In order to establish a new authority that would protect Christianity, Pope Leo III (750 – 816) crowned Charlemagne in the year 800 in Rome as Emperor of the Romans. Between 843 and 880, Charlemagne's successors divided his empire into West Francia, in which the French kingdom developed, and East Francia, in which the German kingdom developed, and whose rulers inherited the imperial title. The connection of the Holy Roman Empire with the history of the German kingdom is particularly evident from the reign of Friedrich III when the name of the empire became Sacrum Romanum Imperium Nationis Germanicae (Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation). In that period, a long series of Holy Roman emperors from the Habsburg dynasty began, which lasted almost continuously until the dissolution of the empire in 1806, when the last Holy Roman emperor, Francis II (1768 – 1835) abdicated under the pressure of Napoleon's growing threat, taking the title of Austrian emperor.

This long line of emperors is the result of the accumulation of Habsburg power, given that the imperial title, confirmed by the papal coronation in Rome, was awarded to the elected German king. The custom that the title of the German king does not get passed down through the hereditary line, but that a new king gets elected, had been present since the beginning of the German kingdom and was confirmed by the Golden Bull of Emperor Charles IV from 1356, which established that the title of German king belongs to the candidate chosen by the majority of the seven electors. Three ecclesiastical and four secular electors are shown next to the emperor on a glass goblet (fig. 7-10) painted with multi-colored enamel. In front of the emperor on the throne is a shield with a double-headed imperial eagle and the Austrian coat of arms. On the emperor’s left (fig. 8) the secular electors are shown – the King of Bohemia, the Count Palatine of the Rhine, the Duke of Saxony and the Margrave of Brandenburg, and on the emperor’s right (fig. 10) the ecclesiastical electors – the archbishops of Trier, Cologne and Mainz.

The Habsburg family could largely owe its rise to a well-thought-out marriage policy described in the verse Bella gerant alii, tu felix Austria nube ("Let others wage wars: you, fortunate Austria, marry"). This policy experienced significant success with the marriage of Maximilian I (1459 – 1519) (fig. 11) to Mary of Burgundy (1457 – 1482), whose estates in the 15th century included the Burgundian duchy and the Dutch lands. The rich Dutch estates were inherited by their son Philipp the Fair (1478 – 1506), whose marriage to Juana (1479 – 1555), the heiress of Isabel I of Castile (1451 – 1504) and Fernando II of Aragon (1452 – 1516), secured the power in Spain for the Habsburg family. At the same time, thanks to military coercion, diplomatic efforts and arranged marriages, Maximilian secured an alliance with the Czech and Hungarian kings, which later brought the Habsburg rulers to the Czech and Hungarian thrones.

As a true Renaissance ruler, Maximilian invested in artistic projects that celebrated his successes and those of his family. Among the most significant of such projects was the emperor's cenotaph in the Hofkirche (court church) in Innsbruck. The church was built in 1553 by Maximilian's grandson Ferdinand I, while the cenotaph itself was completed in 1584. The cenotaph, which occupies a central place in the main nave of the church, is surrounded by 28 bronze and brass sculptures of family members and their ancestors. Among them is the father of Maximilian's first wife, the Duke of Burgundy Charles I (1433 – 1477). The wooden statuette (fig. 13) was modelled after the bronze statue of the duke, designed for the cenotaph by Gilg Seselschreiber and Jörg Kölderer. The model was made by Leonhart Magt and cast by Stephan Godl in 1526.

Karl V (1500 – 1558), the son of Philipp and Juana, inherited the Dutch lands from his father's side, and Castile and Aragon with the Kingdom of Naples from his mother's side. After Maximilian's death, he also inherited the Austrian lands, and in 1519 he was elected Holy Roman emperor. Also, he was the last Holy Roman emperor who was crowned by the pope in 1530 in Bologna, not in Rome, and only after a long conflict, which resulted in the Sack of Rome in 1527. In the portrait (fig. 14) he is shown in rich attire on which his personal motto PLUS OULTRE is embroidered, an inversion of the legendary warning non plus ultra (Latin: "no more, no further") on the Pillars of Heracles (Strait of Gibraltar), which stood for the end of the known ancient world. During the reign of Karl, the Spanish colonial expansion in the Americas experienced its momentum with the conquest of Mexico and Peru, and the peak of the Age of Discovery was the expedition of Fernão de Magalhães, who intended to reach the East Indies via the western sea route. Although de Magalhães died in the Philippines, the expedition successfully returned to Spain in 1522 and thus circumnavigated the Earth for the first time. The Philippines, which was later named in honor of Karl's son and successor, Felipe II (1527 – 1598), became a Spanish colony and a trade hub for America, Asia and Europe (fig. 15). Due to the extent of Karl's possessions, the expression "the empire on which the sun never sets" is sometimes used for them.

The demands of ruling such a huge empire, as well as the growing conflicts between Catholics and Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire, exhausted Karl, so he abdicated in 1556 and divided his possessions between his son Felipe and his brother Ferdinand (1503 – 1564) (fig. 16). Felipe inherited the Dutch lands, the Duchy of Milan and Spain with its colonies, and after the Portuguese Succession Crisis in 1580, he became King of Portugal. Ferdinand inherited the Austrian lands, and in 1558 he was elected Holy Roman emperor. After the death of Louis II (1506 – 1526), the last Czech and Hungarian king from the Jagiellon dynasty, he was elected Czech and Hungarian king in 1526 and Croatian king in 1527.

Infanta Catalina Micaela (1567 – 1597) was the younger daughter of the Spanish King Felipe II and his third wife, Élisabeth de Valois (1546 – 1568). Her marriage to the Duke of Savoy Charles Emmanuel I (1562 – 1630) secured the alliance of Savoy and Spain against France. In the portrait (fig. 17), she is depicted in the style of a Spanish court portrait of the 16th century, which emphasized the status of the portrayed person with careful treatment of details, particularly visible in the depictions of lavish clothing. The Infanta is holding a carnation in her left hand, which at that time was considered a symbol of love and marriage, so we can assume that the portrait was created for a potential future groom. Since aristocratic marriages were made mostly with the purpose of confirming alliances and the spouses often did not meet until the wedding itself, or even later, such portraits were the only way for the future spouses to get to know each other.

Infanta María Teresa (1638 – 1683) (fig. 18) was the daughter of the Spanish King Felipe IV (1605 – 1665) and his first wife Élisabeth de Bourbon (1602 – 1644). Her marriage to the French king Louis XIV (1638 – 1715) was the confirmation of the final peace between Spain and France after the Franco-Spanish War (1635 – 1659). The peace agreement, as well as the first meeting of the spouses, took place on Île des Faisans (Isla de los Faisanes), an island on the Bidasoa River, on the border between Spain and France, which was designated by that agreement as a condominium that the two states will rule alternately. Although the marriage was unhappy, it laid the foundations for the arrival of the French Bourbon dynasty on the Spanish throne after the death of the last Spanish king of the Habsburg line and the War of the Spanish Succession (1701 – 1714).

Infanta Margarita Teresa (1651 – 1673) (fig. 19) was the daughter of the Spanish King Felipe IV and his second wife and niece Maria Anna (1634 – 1696) and the sister of the last Spanish king of the Habsburg line, Carlos II (1661 – 1700). In order to strengthen the ties between the Spanish and Austrian branches of the Habsburg dynasty, a marriage was arranged between Margarita and her uncle, the Holy Roman emperor Leopold I (1640 – 1705). Infanta Margarita is remembered for her portraits painted by the Spanish court painter Diego Velázquez, probably the most famous of which is the group portrait known as Las Meninas. A series of portraits that are now kept in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna were sent to the Viennese court during the arranging of the marriage of the Infanta and the Emperor.

After Margarita's early death, Leopold married twice more. On the medal (fig. 20) he is shown with his third wife, Eleonora Magdalena von Pfalz-Neuburg (1655 – 1720). This medal was modeled after the medal made by Johann Permann on the occasion of the wedding of the imperial couple. We learn about the reason for the creation of the medal from the inscription surrounding the portraits of Leopold and Eleonora on the obverse: LEOPOLDVS I ET ELEONORA AVGVSTI NEOSPONSI ("Leopold I and Eleonora, the newly married imperial couple). The inscription on the reverse (fig. 21) mentions the qualities of the reign of the imperial couple: VIRTVTE ATQVE MAIESTAT(E) CONSILIO ET INDVSTRIA ("with courage and majesty, thoughtfulness and diligence"). The chronogram was also hidden in the inscription, that is, the letters that stand out due to their size represent Roman numerals that add up to 1676, the year of Leopold and Eleonora's wedding.

Leopold was succeeded by his sons Joseph I (1678 – 1711) and Charles VI (1685 – 1740). As both died without male heirs, with the death of Charles VI the male line of the Austrian Habsburgs died out. He was succeeded by his daughter Maria Theresa (1717 – 1780), and with her marriage to the Duke of Lorraine and the Grand Duke of Tuscany Francis I (1708 – 1765), the House of Habsburg-Lorraine began, which ruled until the end of World War I in 1918 and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

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