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532 « Az udvar vonzäsaban
and the Hungarian government elite. Although the last section (“Scenes of
Life and Death”) is shorter than the previous two thematic units, never¬
theless the examined areas are fundamental to the process of integration.
First, housing conditions in Vienna, then the residence of the Hungarian
nobility in the imperial city was analyzed using their birth, marriage and
death records. Thus, in this volume, I have attempted to follow up the process
of integration on the basis of a thematic rather than a chronological order.
Also I have tried to reflect on the differences between the reigns of the two
monarchs, Charles VI and Maria Theresa. The monograph omits the world
of court ceremonies and only touches on the representational history of the
various themes, which will be dealt with in a later volume. In the appendix
to the monograph, I have provided a series of data which may be useful for
further research.
The integration of the Hungarian aristocracy and the Hungarian political
elite at court was in the interest of both the Habsburg government and the
aristocratic families. The ruling dynasty was motivated by the need to win
and retain the loyalty of magnates in a strong position of power to achieve
long-term consolidation and political stability. The obvious means of achiev¬
ing this goal was to strengthen the integration, court presence and prestige of
the Hungarian elite in Vienna. The aristocratic families were also interested
in consolidating and developing their position in the imperial capital, since
an active presence in the Habsburg residence city not only increased their
representation but also their political influence and career prospects, and
regular residence in Vienna provided them the opportunity to build contacts
with the leading aristocratic families of the Habsburg Monarchy. In the first
decades of the 18 century, members of the western Hungarian aristocrat¬
ic elite, such as the Esterhäzys or the Pälffys, who had excellent Viennese
connections for several generations, were represented in the imperial city
most actively, and their presence at court remained dominant throughout
the period under study. Alongside them, however, a new noble ruling class
gradually emerged, including Antal Brunszvik (1709-1780), György Fekete
(1711-1788), Päl Festetics (1722-1782), Ferenc Koller (1720-1780), Janos Fe¬
renc Péterffy (ca. 1651-1731) and György Szäraz (11732), whose rise to power
was largely due to the careers offered by the Viennese government.
During the Theresian period an increasingly heterogeneous composition
of the nobility was represented in the imperial city, the dominance of those
from the Lower and Western Hungarian regions remained in place, but there
was also a positive shift in the presence of the Upper and Eastern Hungari¬
an and Transylvanian landowners in Vienna too. During the reign of Maria
Theresa, the offices offered by the Transylvanian Court Chancellery became
an increasingly attractive career goal for Transylvanian nobles, and there