In September 1719, Dresden celebrated what was probably the grandest wedding of the Baroque era. Augustus the Strong spared no expense in his efforts to show the powers of Europe that his son Frederick Augustus was a worthy groom for the Habsburg emperor's daughter Maria Josepha. At the same time, the festivities were intended to demonstrate the unbroken power and prosperity of Saxony and the Wettin dynasty. For a whole month, magnificent parades, spectacular fireworks displays, grand hunts, artfully staged operas and theatre performances, tournaments, banquets and costume balls came together to form a celebration that was virtually unrivalled. This volume places the wedding celebrations in Dresden in the broader context of Augustus the Strong's foreign policy. Based on contemporary reports, the individual festivities and celebrations of the wedding are described day by day and their symbolic messages deciphered. In addition, the author analyses the reception of the ceremony by the European public and also the dynastic opportunities that arose from the union. Was this union a Constellatio Felix a happy constellation, as one of the ceremonies announced?
Group
Books (first-hand)
Author
Querengässer, Alexander
Title
1719. Hochzeit des Jahrhunderts
Details
28 illustrations. 96 pages.
State
new
Subtitle
Festkultur am Dresdner Hof
Sax-Verlag Eibenweg 62 04416 Markkleeberg Deutschland
