For The Last Couple Of Weeks Have Been Feeling A Tiny Bit Depressed Because Reasons. However, Something

For the last couple of weeks have been feeling a tiny bit depressed because… reasons. However, something brings me back to life: it’s my immense love for certain historical characters and their relationships, of course!

And here is one more tribute to it as always. 🇦🇹 ❤️

It’s the year 1815 in Vienna, early spring comes shyly to the Austrian capital. In the middle of all the uproar happening at the Congress two imperial ministers of the highest rank possible are simply having some recreation time for themselves.

Soon they won’t be able to enjoy it for a long time…

Finished this drawing today with an immense feeling of accomplishment. This month marks a year, since I’ve started learning much more about Austria, Austrians and their contribution to the history of the Napoleonic wars. It was also the time, when I thought that Metternich and Schwarzenberg are such a perfect pair of political and diplomatic partners that I would love to learn much more about them.

That’s how I got there where I am now. And I hope it’s only a beginning. :)

There’s probably going to be a bunch of new and old drawings dedicated to this occasion and I’m very excited to share much more history-related stories in the nearest future. I’m also incredibly grateful for a warm response I receive over here, on Tumblr. It always helps me to get through all the disturbing real-life stuff.

Thank you so much for your support and attention! Vielen Dank! 🥺🤲🌺

I swear to you, my dear followers and all the Napoleonic history lovers: I’m capable of drawing not only Austrians and I have a proof! A very hooligan one but still. X)

Here it is! Ahem. 👑

So, who do we have here? Oh, gosh, what an honour! Their Majesties, the king of Sweden and the King of Naples, are certainly sharing the same train of thought which considers the preservation of their crown in the years 1813-1814… 🤭

What can I say about the whole affair? Well, no shame, for sure, only bright royal future in a foresight!

Love these two gascon bastards despite any mischievous combinations they had to perform during their turbulent lives. If only both succeeded in their claims… That could have been the strangest and the perkiest pair of monarchs in all the post-Napoleonic wars Europe!

A small sketch to the legend of Peter Stewart Ney

Personally, I do not believe in this legend. I wrote an article explaining why, but I can't translate it into English yet.

The robin sang that everything will be fine

One day I will decide on the design of his hairstyle. But not today.

So, what’s the best part about finding out a perfect (or almost perfect) cast for some historical characters you love? In my opinion, it’s the opportunity which provides you with content at times when you are too tired or lazy to make new one yourself!

I’m not skilful in the art of making collages which could be useful in this particular case. That’s why I’ll simply post over here few screenshots that always make me think of my favourite Austrian men… in an angsty way this time (okay, I promise, there’s not only angst but also sm*t - it’s like the essential specific of the Napoleonic era). 🥀

The screenshots I’m using are from “Der Congreß tanzt” (“The Congress dances”), the movie I spoke about not so long ago, and “La chartreuse de Parme” (“The Charter-house of Parma”), the screen adaptation of Stendal’s literary classic which was realised in 1948. It seems that the plot of the film gets pretty far from the original book but it’s not the important part. The important part is the “miracle” I was able to discover there: the portrayal of selfish, tyrannical and generally horrible ruler of Parma, prince Ernesto IV, from certain angles reminds me of Schwarzenberg immensely…

In the end, prince’s figure looks too elegant and skinny unlike Karl’s actual completion but I’m in no position to complain since I don’t believe I’ll see actual Schwarzenberg’s representation in Napoleonic media in the nearest future. I have to be content with what I have. X)

The first thing I love immensely about these screenshots is their ability to show one fashion trend which became popular among Austrian military men attending the endless celebrations of the Vienna Congress. You know, the smoking pipes of all shapes and sizes had been there for a long period of time but smoking cigars - that’s what was en vogue at the time. 🕺🇦🇹

Friendly speaking, everything that is connected with smoking seems to be extremely kinky, ahem, and I just can’t help it, since I have plenty head-canons about Schwarzenberg’s attitude to it (he suffered from severe health issues for all of his life and always had to care for himself - especially for his physical form which was predisposed to plumpness - but as he was a man of simple pleasures, I believe he could make some exceptions for smoking, for example; there is also the figure of almost overprotective Metternich who wants to get all the things done perfectly (as much as possible) during the campaigns of 1813/1814 and the Vienna Congress, thus he is always there, grumbling but deep down charmed, as he wants to see the commander of the allied forces and the President of Hofkriegsrat afterwards in good health and mood).

And after that came the Congress itself - constant discussions of the most important state affairs in private with the continuous danger of them turning into something very… peculiar, since it was essentially Metternich’s motto at the time.

“F*ck the international affairs, let’s f*ck someone much more attractive and mesmerising!”, ahem. 🚬

And the second thing I adore about these screenshots (two last ones in particular) is the overwhelming feeling of loss which lingers in the air any time I start to speak about Metternich and Schwarzenberg. Before Metternich always seemed to me as a person who is unable to miss someone who was once special for his heart for a long time. The case of Wilhelmina Sagan proved me wrong. Like, he was still incapable of a deep sense of loss but it bothered him nonetheless. In case of Schwarzenberg it could have been something similar to it (and his mixed feelings after Gentz’s death, for example). It’s something like “I lost someone of great importance for my chancellor’s affairs, someone who was able to provide me with essential help in the world of military men, but there is also something else which I would not dare to touch as I’m above it - gonna mask it under the evil irony about his relationships with his wife which I never understood, how clever of me, haha”. 🙄

And when it comes to the circumstances of Schwarzenberg’s death, everything was extremely depressive: I’ve already mentioned his poor health which was absolutely ruined after twenty years of constant wars (the overall time he spent in the fields isn’t actually that impressive but for someone with such problems as his it was practically a death sentence at the time). Everything almost ended for him with the first stroke - hi, hello, dear apoplexy - he suffered in 1817 after the death of his favourite younger sister, Marie Karoline, in the beginning of 1816 and a series of insults which came directly from the court and emperor Franz at the same time. In the end of 1816 he notably pulled away from Vienna and in the beginning of 1817 all the tension accumulated in him over the years of service resulted in a disaster…

After that came a long process of rehabilitation by the means of different Bohemian mineral waters, severe depression in the face of deaths of his closest friend and military colleagues all across Europe and finally - the loss of will to live. In spring 1820 his family moved him to the renown city of Leipzig, the place of his military triumph, where he perked up a little bit but another stroke came afterwards in September. He didn’t make it, unfortunately.

The tragedy of his life is truly underestimated and I’m going to continue talking about it in a more informative way in the future. But for now all that is left for Metternich is the sudden news of his unfortunate death and some kind of a shock, as he had already lost two his favourite daughters previously this year.

What can I say - the Congress of Tropau was certainly a lot of “fun” for him. :)))))