Tea at Trianon: Hungary’s New Ambassador to France

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Hungary’s New Ambassador to France

From Hungary Today:

Hungary Today had the opportunity to interview György Habsburg (Georg von Habsburg), the newly appointed Hungarian Ambassador to France – and among other topics, he talked about his family’s past and present, the challenges and good experiences in his new position, coronavirus, politics, his national identity as a member of a multi-national dynasty, and of course, about his relationship with Hungary.

Your grandfather, Charles IV, the last Hungarian king, attempted to reclaim the throne exactly 100 years ago. If it would have worked out, I might not be talking to the Hungarian Ambassador to France right now…have you thought about this in connection with the anniversary?

Not really. I learned from my father to always be realistic. My family never thought about “what ifs” or lamenting what would have been “if it had happened otherwise.” I don’t think it’s very appropriate to think in this way. I’m more happy with the things I have, the present… and I’m so glad to be here in Paris. And well, what if? A lot of things could have happened, there could be a lot worse things going on in history if [the attempt to return] turned out differently. But this “if” is always there.

Have you talked about the attempt to reclaim the throne as a family, have you commemorated it?

Yes, we talked about it. My cousin, Eduard Habsburg, the Hungarian ambassador to the Vatican, prepared a detailed summary of the events and shared it on the internet and he also sent it to the whole family. I was very glad that he gathered all the information he found about this day, the return attempt. So in that way we remembered it. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus crisis, we could not hold a larger commemoration or meeting, we can only keep in touch on the internet. (Read more.)