Spanish Marquise Maria Anna Pignatelli-Althann, whose 335th birthday anniversary fell on July 26th, was among the most influential women in the court of Emperor Charles VI. She was not overly involved in politics, but Hungary owes her for preserving its legal status quo. In the second quarter of the 18th century, she left significant marks not only in the town of Vranov nad Dyjí but also in the Croatian- Slovenian county of Medimurje.
Maria Anna Josepha Pignatelli-Althann (July 26, 1689 – March 1, 1755) hailed from an influential ancient noble family dating back to the time of the First Crusade. Her bloodline produced military leaders, viceroys, and even a pope. Known in her time as Beautiful Mariana, she came from the Spanish branch of the family. She was endowed with a sharp intellect, linguistic skills, and a passion for arts and sciences, which she supported throughout her life.
Patron of the arts
Prominent figures in art and science frequented her estates. She managed to secure official appointments at the imperial court for numerous artists and entrusted some with work on her own estates. The Vranov nad Dyjí Castle and its ancestral hall became a venue for social and cultural events. Maria Anna hosted diplomats, artists, and scholars in her salons. She regularly organized theatrical and musical productions, where her children would also perform. She financed the creation of works of art across various art forms and contributed to the social and economic development of the Jaroslavice- Vranov estate, as well as the Hungarian and Croatian properties owned by the Althanns.
Close relationship with the emperor
The relationship between Charles VI and one of the most powerful women at his courts in Barcelona and Vienna could be described as “more than a friend, but less than a lover.” A close, almost familial friendship bound her to the emperor since the time of the War of Spanish Succession. They met near the Sant Pere de Puelles Monastery during the Bourbon siege, where the future emperor stayed with his entourage, which included her future husband, Count Michael Johann Althann. A year after the wedding of Emperor Charles and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Michael Althann married the beautiful Mariana in Barcelona in February of 1709. The Althanns’ close family friendship with the imperial couple extended beyond Barcelona to Vienna, where the emperor summoned them after his ascension to the throne. Their residences hosted significant social and cultural events, frequently attended by Charles VI and his family. The emperor’s visits often included Vranov nad Dyjí Castle and the castle of Murstetten in Lower Austria. Scandalmongers saw the close relationship between the emperor and the beautiful aristocrat as a love affair – a claim historians have never confirmed.
Saving Hungary
According to an old Hungarian legend, the Althanns, prompted by the emperor’s favorite, Countess Eleonore Batthyány, were responsible for preserving Hungary’s statehood and status quo in 1720. Charles VI (King Charles III of Hungary) sought to subjugate Hungary and integrate it into the Austrian hereditary lands following the Peace of Szatmár. These centralist-integration efforts were not seen favorably by the Hungarian nobility. Close friend Eleonore Batthyány informed the Spanish Marquise of the situation and sought her help. While Batthyány intervened through Prince Eugene of Savoy, Mariana approached the monarch directly. According to legend, she made him swear in the court chapel to abandon his plans and uphold the Hungarian constitution, which he confirmed in writing. This event was immortalized by the Althanns in a fresco that once adorned the ceiling above the grand staircase of their palace in the Croatian city of Čakovec.
Power behind the scenes
The influence of the Althann couple at the imperial court was extraordinary. They belonged to the small circle of people who could visit the emperor and his family daily. Michael Johann of Althann, the highest equerry, cupbearer, and first royal chamberlain, along with his wife, were part of the so-called Spanish faction. They advocated for the interests of Spanish émigrés who came to Vienna with the emperor after the death of Joseph I. They wielded their influence behind the scenes. Although Michael Althann refused significant offices offered by the emperor, he received extensive estates in Hungary in 1719, the title of hereditary count in Zala County, and the emperor’s estate in the Medimurje county, which had its center in Čakovec.
LADY OF VRANOV
After Maria Anna Pignatelli-Althann became a widow in 1722, the emperor appointed himself guardian of her children and intervened to ensure a positive outcome in the subsequent property disputes. Mariana took over the management of the estates and significantly influenced their fate for three decades to come. She built and repaired secular and religious buildings and often altered the landscape with small architectural constructions. She also devoted time to charity and her family. She had six children with her husband Michael Johann, Count of Althann, continuing the ancient Bavarian bloodline. The children maintained a close relationship with Maria Theresa and shared their mother’s love of art. An example is the celebratory opera Girlanda di Fiori (Garland of Flowers) by the renowned court vize-kapellmeister Antonio Caldara from 1726, dedicated to her by her children and supposedly the emperor. This opera had its modern- age premiere in Vranov nad Dyjí in 2005.
Vranov nad Dyjí
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