!!!Karl VI

Karl VI, b. Vienna, Oct. 1, 1685, d. Vienna, Oct. 20, 
1740, from 1703 King of Spain (Karl III), 1711-1740 Holy Roman 
Emperor, son of the Emperor  Leopold I and brother of Emperor  
Joseph I, was designated to become heir of the Spanish Habsburgs 
by the "Pactum mutuae successionis" in 1703, attempted to impose his 
rule in Catalonia with the help of England. After the death of his 
brother Joseph I, K. became emperor and inherited the Austrian 
territories. He had to renounce Spain ( Spanish Succession, War of 
the), but he always felt attached to this country and introduced 
Spanish court etiquette in Vienna. Under his reign the Austrian 
monarchy became a great power and attained its largest size (Naples, 
Sardinia/Sicily, Milan, Austrian Netherlands, North Serbia, parts of 
Romania), but in 1736 and 1739 important territories were lost again. 
K. promulgated the  Pragmatic Sanction , which created the legal 
requirements for a unitary realm. Personally he insisted on his status 
and was a passionate hunter. During the last decades of his life he 
was also an important sponsor of stately buildings ( 
St. Charles's Church). K. was the last of the "Musikkaiser", but 
none of his compositions are extant. Under his reign the  
"Hofmusikkapelle" (court orchestra) reached its zenith (  
Great Power of the Baroque Age).

!Literature
O. Redlich, Das Werden einer Grossmacht, %%sup 4/%1962; F. 
Matsche, Die Kunst im Dienste der Staatsidee K., 2 vols., 1981; 
B. Rill, K., 1992; A. Unzeitig, Die Italiener am Wr. Hof zur Zeit K., 
master's thesis, Vienna 1994.


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