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| Archduke Maximilian Francis | |||||
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| Archbishop-Elector of Cologne | |||||
 Portrait byAnton von Maron | |||||
| Born | (1756-12-08)8 December 1756 Hofburg Imperial Palace,Vienna,Archduchy of Austria,Holy Roman Empire[1] | ||||
| Died | 27 July 1801(1801-07-27) (aged 44) Hetzendorf Palace, Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, Holy Roman Empire[1] | ||||
| Burial | Imperial Crypt, Vienna | ||||
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| House | Habsburg-Lorraine | ||||
| Father | Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor | ||||
| Mother | Maria Theresa | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | ||||
Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria (Maximilian Franz Xaver Joseph Johann Anton de Paula Wenzel; 8 December 1756 – 27 July 1801) wasElector of Cologne andGrand Master of the Teutonic Knights from 1780 until his death. Influenced byEnlightenment ideals, he sought to implement reforms in various political fields. During theFirst Coalition War, his territories on theleft bank of the Rhine were occupied and later annexed by France. He was the youngest child of Holy Roman EmpressMaria Theresa andFrancis I, Holy Roman Emperor. He was the last fully functioningElector of Cologne and the second employer and patron of the youngLudwig van Beethoven.
Maximilian Francis was born on 8 December 1756, his father's 48th birthday, in theHofburg Palace,Vienna. He was the fifth son and youngest child ofFrancis I, Holy Roman Emperor, and his wife, EmpressMaria Theresa. In 1780, he succeeded his unclePrince Charles Alexander of Lorraine asHochmeister (Grand Master) of theDeutscher Orden (Teutonic Knights).
On February 1775, Archduke Maximilian Francis paid a visit to his sister,Marie Antoinette. But when he arrived at the French Court he did not go by the name of Archduke Maximilian Franz, rather the pseudonym, the Comte de Burgau. In 1784, he becameArchbishop and Elector of Cologne, living in theElectoral Palace, Bonn. He remained in that office until his death in exile. In his capacity as Arch-chancellor of theHoly Roman Empire forItaly and as the Pope's deputy he crowned as emperor inFrankfurt first his brotherLeopold II in 1790, and in 1792 his nephewFrancis II.
At the same time as he became elector of Cologne, Maximilian Francis was elected to the relatedBishopric of Münster and held court inBonn, as the Archbishop-Electors of Cologne had done since the late Middle Ages. A keen patron of music, Maximilian Francis maintained a court musical establishment in whichBeethoven's father was atenor. Thus he played an important role in the son's early career as a member of the same musical body of which his grandfather, also named Ludwig van Beethoven, had beenKapellmeister.
The courtorganist,Christian Gottlob Neefe, was Beethoven's early mentor and teacher. Recognising his young pupil's gift both as a performer and as a composer, Neefe brought Beethoven to the court, advising Maximilian Francis to appoint him as assistant organist. Maximilian Francis, too, recognised the extraordinary abilities of the young Beethoven.[2] In 1787, he gave Beethoven leave to visitVienna to become a pupil ofMozart, but the visit was cut short by news of the last illness of Beethoven's mother, and evidence for any contact with Mozart is lacking.
In 1792, theRedoute was opened, making Godesberg a spa town. Beethoven played in the orchestra. After a concert given there in the presence ofJoseph Haydn, another visit for studies in Vienna was planned. Beethoven went on full salary to Vienna to study with Haydn,Antonio Salieri and others. The elector maintained an interest in the young Beethoven's progress, and several reports from Haydn to Maximilian detailing it are extant. The prince anticipated that Beethoven would return to Bonn and continue working for him, but due to the subsequent political and military situation his subject never returned, choosing to pursue a career in Vienna.
Maximilian Francis's rule over most of the electorate ended in 1794, when his domains were overrun by the troops ofRevolutionary France. During theFrench Revolutionary Wars,Cologne and Bonn were both occupied by theFrench Revolutionary Army in the second half of 1794. As the French approached, Maximilian Francis left Bonn, as it turned out never to return, and his territories on the left bank of theRhine eventually passed to France under the terms of theTreaty of Lunéville (1801). The Archbishop's court ceased to exist. Although Maximilian Francis still retained his territories on the right bank of the Rhine, including Münster and theDuchy of Westphalia, the elector, grossly corpulent and plagued by ill health, took up residence in Vienna after the loss of his capital and remained there until his death at the age of 44, atHetzendorf Palace in 1801. The dismantling of the court made Beethoven's relocation to Vienna permanent, and his stipend was terminated.
Beethoven planned to dedicate hisFirst Symphony to his former patron, but the latter died before it was completed.
The Electorate of Cologne was secularised in the course of theGerman mediatisation of 1802–1803.
| Ancestors of Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria[3] |
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Media related toArchduke Maximilian Franz of Austria at Wikimedia Commons
Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria Born: 8 December 1756 inVienna Died: 27 July 1801 inHetzendorf | ||
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| Preceded by | Archbishop-Elector of Cologne Duke of Westphalia Prince-Bishop of Münster 1784–1801 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Grand Master of theTeutonic Order 1780–1801 | Succeeded by |
