„Caracterul şi viaţa împăratului Iosif al II-lea”. Povestiri despre împăratul austriac apărute într-un periodic din oraşul Sibiu de la mijlocul secolului al XIX-lea (I)
“The Character and Life of Emperor Joseph II.” A History of the Austrian Emperor, published in a periodical from Sibiu in the middle of the nineteenth century
The personality of emperor Joseph II was complex and controversial. An extremely capable political man, eager to reform the Austrian empire; he had a political purpose that all his measures should come to serve the general good. “Everything for the people, nothing for the people” was probably his supreme creed. His travels through the Transylvanian space would lead to the crystallization of the myth of the good emperor in the Romanians consciousness. His image, however, was perceived differently by german society in this space and fluctuated according to political realities throughout the 19th century. The little stories that are published by the german press in Transylvania can provide important data on the ideological expectations of the Saxon society in relation to the central authority. To give a concluding example, I brought to the attention of the specialists a compilation of small stories – “The Character and Life of Emperor Joseph II” – published in the Sibiu periodical of German language “Neu und Alt Siebenbürgischer Provinzialkalender” in 1846. The direct translation of the entire compilation is thought of as a documentary contribution and primary source for new studies on the emperor’s image within Transylvanian society.
Keywords: Transylvania, Joseph II, nineteenth century, the Habsburg reformism, revolution, periodic
