O analiză asupra evoluției Imperiului Habsburgic în perioada 1711-1780, pe baza informațiilor oferite de către William Coxe în lucrarea sa ,„History of the House of Austria” din 1807.
An Analysis of the Evolution of the Habsburg Empire During 1711-1780, Based on Information Provided by William Coxe in his Book “History of the House of Austria”, in 1807?
William Coxe is a leading English traveller and memorialist who in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century, published a series of books about Central and Eastern Europe. His work „History of the House of Austria, from The Foundation Of The Monarchy by Rhodolph of Hapsburgh, The Death of Leopold The Second : 1218 … to ..1792” was published in two volumes in London in 1807. The above mentioned book is William Coxe’s most important historical work and, by its magnitude, paves the way for the Anglo-Saxon historiography which systematically dealt with the Habsburg Empire history . His book also contains original documents, though his own writing is of the dullest manner and shows no higher qualities than those of the conscientious analyst. In thist article, The understanding of the manner in which the Habsburg reformist theory and practice in Transylvania, or the Josephine one in particular evolved, depends on knowing the general circumstances that hallmarked the affirmation of the Empire in the European area. Thus, a mis-en-scene of the key moments and actors – the monarchs – becomes necessary. They, through their internal and external actions, contributed to defining the identity and role of the Habsburg Empire. We are trying to briefly underline the fact that the Josephine reformism is, up to a point, the sum of the previous political experiences, Joseph being, within this logic, a pursuer of the line of reformers during the 18th century, preoccupied with ensuring the cohesion and stability of the state. Thus, we can notice the problems that the Habsburg dinasty was confronted with during this period, the solutions that every monarch found and “the historical legacy” inherited from Joseph II, an important element in the genesis of the governing act, according to which we can observe the continuity or, on the contrary, the abandonement of a political orientation. This chapter has been organized in a few subchapters, relevant for the political evolution of the Habsburg Empire until the exclusive rule of Joseph II: The presence of the Habsburg power in Europe. From Leopold I (1657-1705) to Maria Theresa (1740-1780), The Habsburg Empire between reformism and conservatism. The internal measures of consolidating the central authority (1700-1740), The dawn of modernity. The Habsburg Empire during Maria Theresa (1740-1765) and under the sign of change. The period of government in the Habsburg Empire (1765-1780).
Keyword: William Coxe, House of Habsburg, Joseph II, english historiography, the Habsburg reformism
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