Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Kristina's letter to Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, congratulating him on the birth of his daughter Maria Anna, dated September 22/October 2 (New Style), 1683

Source:

Bibliothèque interuniversitaire (Montpellier); Manuscrits de la reine Christine; Lettere della regina a principi; Lettere al imperatore; Lettres à Léopold Ier; Christine de Suède à l'empereur Léopold Ier, [s. l.], 2 octobre 1683 (digitisation page 31v-32r)


Christine (1626-1689 ; reine de Suède), Manuscrits de la reine Christine : Lettere della regina a principi, 1601-1700.

The Foli@ online digital heritage library is here:


Copyright SCDI-UPV - Collections Université de Montpellier (shelfmark H 258).


The letter (with Kristina's handwriting in italics):

All'Jmperatore
2. Ott[ob]re 83.
L'inuito che V M. C. mi fà mediante la Sua lett[er]a à partecipare della consolazione che la diuina providenza hà voluto darle nelle estreme calamità dell'Jmp[erial]e Sua Casa con la felice nascita d'vna Arciduchessina mi giunge in tempo ch'io mi trouo già preoccupata dal Sommo giubilo, che mi hà recato la miracolosa liberatione di Vienna dalle mani del Turco riflettendo Si alla gloria, e uantaggio della Christianità, Si alla felicità, e conseruat[io]ne dell'Jmperial Casa d'Austria, alla quale io professo tanta parzialità. Mi rallegro p[er]ò cordialm[ent]e con V. M. C delle benedizioni, che la mano di Dio versa Sopra di lei con pregarnele ogni magg[io]r accrescimento. Ringrazio p[er] fine la M. V. C. dell'vfficio, accompagnato dalle Sue affettuose espressioni verso di me, le quali tanto più m'obligano à professarmi etc.
Affett[uosissi]ma Sorella
sta bene

With modernised spelling:

All'imperatore.
2 ottobre '83.
L'invito che Vostra Maestà Cesarea mi fa mediante la sua lettera a partecipare della consolazione che la Divina Providenza ha voluto darle nelle estreme calamità dell'imperiale sua Casa con la felice nascita d'una arciduchessina mi giunge in tempo ch'io mi trovo già preoccupata dal sommo giubilo che mi ha recato la miracolosa liberazione di Vienna dalle mani del Turco, riflettendo sì alla gloria e vantaggio della cristianità sì alla felicità e conservazione dell'imperial Casa d'Austria, alla quale io professo tanta parzialità.

Mi rallegro però cordialmente con Vostra Maestà Cesarea delle benedizioni che la mano di Dio versa sopra di lei con pregarnele ogni maggior accrescimento. Ringrazio per fine la Maestà Vostra Cesarea dell'uffizio accompagnato dalle sue affettuose espressioni verso di me, le quali tanto più m'obbligano a professarmi, etc.
Affettuosissima Sorella...
Sta bene.

French translation (my own):

A l'empereur.
Le 2 octobre '83.
L'invitation que Votre Majesté Impériale me fait à travers sa lettre à participer à la consolation que la Divine Providence a voulu l'apporter dans les extrêmes calamités de sa Maison impériale avec l'heureuse naissance d'une petite archiduchesse m'arrive à un moment où je suis déjà préoccupée par la jubilation suprême que m'a apporté la miraculeuse libération de Vienne des mains des Turcs, réfléchissant à la fois à la gloire et aux avantages de la chrétienté et au bonheur et à la préservation de la Maison impériale d'Autriche, à laquelle je professe tant de partialité.

Cependant, je me réjouis cordialement avec Votre Majesté Impériale des bénédictions que la main de Dieu déverse sur elle, priant pour une augmentation plus importante. Enfin, je remercie Votre Majesté Impériale pour la charge accompagnée de ses expressions affectueuses à mon égard, qui m'obligent d'autant plus à me professer, etc.
La très affectionnée Sœur...
C'est bien.

Swedish translation (my own):

Till kejsaren.
Den 2 oktober '83.
Inbjudan som Ers Kejserliga Majestät gör mig genom Ert brev att delta i den tröst som det gudomliga försynen har velat ge Er i Ert Kejserliga Huss extrema olyckor med den lyckliga födelsen av en liten ärkehertiginna når mig i en tid då jag redan är upptagen av det högsta jubel, som den mirakulösa befrielsen av Wien ur turkens händer har fört mig, reflekterande både över kristenhetens härlighet och fördel och på lyckan och bevarandet av det Kejserliga Huset i Österrike, till vilket jag bekänner mig så mycket partiskhet.

Emellertid glädjes jag hjärtligt med Ers Kejserliga Majestät över de välsignelser som Guds hand utgjuter över Er, bedjande om någon större ökning. Slutligen tackar jag Ers Kejserliga Majestät för det ämbete som åtföljs av Era tillgivna uttryck mot mig, som förpliktar mig desto mer att bekänna mig osv.
Er tillgivnaste Syster...
Det här står väl an.

English translation (my own):

To the Emperor.
October 2, '83.
The invitation that Your Imperial Majesty makes me through your letter to participate in the consolation that Divine Providence has wanted to give you in the extreme calamities of your Imperial House with the happy birth of a little Archduchess reaches me at a time when I am already preoccupied by the supreme jubilation that the miraculous liberation of Vienna from the hands of the Turk has brought me, reflecting both on the glory and advantage of Christendom and on the happiness and preservation of the Imperial House of Austria, to which I profess so much partiality.

In the meantime, I cordially rejoice with Your Imperial Majesty of the blessings that the hand of God pours upon you, praying for any greater increase. Finally, I thank Your Imperial Majesty for the office accompanied by your affectionate expressions towards me, which oblige me all the more to profess myself, etc.
Your most affectionate Sister...
*This is fine*.


Above: Kristina.


Above: Maria Anna, archduchess of Austria and queen consort of Portugal.


Above: Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Notes: In accordance with the nobility's ideals in the early modern era, kings and queens considered themselves siblings.

Leopold's wife Eleonore Magdalene had given birth to the Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria on August 28/September 7 (New Style), 1683. Her full name was Maria Anna Josefa Antonia Regina. She grew up to be queen consort of Portugal as the wife of King João V, whom she married in 1708. She served as the regent of Portugal during his illness from 1742 to 1750, and she passed away on August 4/14 (New Style), 1754, at age 70. Through her younger brother Karl (1685-1740), Anna Maria was the fraternal aunt of Maria Theresa (1717-1780), who was the Holy Roman Empire's only empress regnant and who had among her many children Marie Antoinette (1755-1793), the last queen consort of France prior to the French Revolution.

The Battle of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna, Austria on September 2/12 (New Style), 1683 after the city had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire. The battle was fought by the combined forces of Holy Roman Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, under the command of King Jan III Sobieski of Poland, and the opposing military forces of the Ottoman Empire and its vassal states (the Crimean Khanate, Moldavia, Transylvania, Upper Hungary and Wallachia), under the command of Grand Vizier Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Paşa. The Ottoman army numbered approximately 90,000 to 300,000 men.

The siege had begun on July 4/14. Among other units, the Ottoman forces consisted of 60 ortas of 12,000 janissaries — an elite infantry unit whose members were taken as children from Christian families in Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Romania, Serbia and the Ukraine through the devşirme (child levy or blood tax) system — with an observation army of some 70,000 men watching the countryside, hence Kristina's terror that Vienna might as well have already been lost.

The Christian Coalition won the battle, the siege was lifted, the Ottomans of course failed to take Vienna, suffered heavy losses and were severely weakened, and the Coalition established the Holy League under Pope Innocent XI to further push back the Ottomans. The Coalition forces also invaded the Ottoman-occupied territories of Morea (the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece), Dalmatia (a historical region of Croatia) and Danubia in Hungary and the Balkans.

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