| Contents |
Prologue -- Introduction: in which we visit a small imperial city, and meet a large imperial family -- 1764: in which two secret loves emerge, and Elisabeth loses a king -- 1765: in which two matches are made, one good and one bad, and an emperor meets his end -- 1765-1766: in which two new matches are considered, and the Empress kills several birds with one Hungarian stone -- 1766-1767: in which a melancholy Marianna seeks distraction in religion and science and Chablais' falsetto voice is heard again -- 1767: in which two unhappy princesses escape their fate, only to meet a worse -- 1767-1768: in which tragedy strikes Elisabeth, and the King of Naples chooses a new queen -- 1767-1768: in which the Empress regains her zest for command, Amalie finds love only to lose it, and a Habsburg heir arrives at last -- 1768: in which Carolina becomes Queen of Naples, and hundreds of people make a thousand-mile journey -- 1768-1769: in which Amalie is demoted, the French monarch is disappointed of vicarious pleasures, and Elisabeth loses two more kings -- 1769: in which Carolina misbehaves, Joseph visits Naples and Parma, and Amalie's fate is sealed -- 1769: in which Amalie meets her husband and causes a great deal of trouble in Parma -- 1770-1771: in which Maria Antonia becomes Marie Antoinette, not yet a queen and not quite a wife, and Amalie issues further challenges in Parma -- 1772-1774: in which the Empress contends with the troubles of four daughters, three greedy neighbours take a bite out of Poland, and Marie Antoinette becomes queen -- 1774-1776: in which Maximilian yawns his way through a Grand Tour, an heir to the Bourbon throne is born, and Marie Christine and Albert discover the glory and chaos of Italy -- 1776: in which a lively sojourn in Naples is followed by a dispiriting visit to Parma -- 1776-1777: in which the travellers return to the Hofburg, Carolina despatches Tanucci, and young Louis finally learns the facts of life -- 1777-1778: in which Joseph attacks half of Bavaria and Leopold attacks the whole family -- 1778-1780: in which Marie Antoinette gains a daughter, Carolina loses a son, and the Empress is lost to the world -- 1780-1781: In which countless tears are shed, and a certain number of new beginnings are made -- 1782-1785: in which Marianna enjoys a late view from the summit, Amalie outstays a welcome, and Carolina survives a conspiracy -- 1786: in which the tide begins to turn for Marie Antoinette -- 1787-1788: in which Marie Christine attempts to prevent revolution, Louis' burden shifts to Marie Antoinette's shoulders, and Carolina is assaulted by Ferdinando -- 1789: in which an oath sworn on a tennis court changes history, the royal family is forced from Versailles, and Marianna goes to her eternal rest -- 1789-1790: in which a second United States is founded, Leopold becomes emperor, and six cousins enter into marriage -- 1791-1792: in which the French royal family escapes and is recaptured, a sullen twenty-four-year-old ascends the imperial throne, and France declares war on Austria -- 1792-1793: in which the French capture the Austrian Netherlands, two show trials take place in Paris, and Louis and Marie Antoinette meet their end -- 1794-1797: in which a Jacobin plot in Naples is thwarted, Amalie's Parma is sold to the French, and an unknown Corsican makes his name -- 1798: in which Bonaparte's army sails for Egypt, Maire Christine departs this earthly life, and Carolina flees to Sicily -- 1800-1804: in which a challenging family reunion takes place in Vienna, Amalie meets a lonely end in Prague, and two new empires are conjured into being -- 1805-1810: in which an ancient empire vanishes, Elisabeth bids a final farewell, and Carolina becomes the devil's grandmother -- 1811-1814: in which Napoleon's star falls, and Carolina embarks on her very last voyage -- Epilogue. |
| Abstract |
"A spirited, poignant history of the seven daughters of the great Empress Maria Theresia--among them, Queen Marie Antoinette of France--tracing their lives as they balanced dynastic duty with personal ambition in a time of revolutionary cataclysm "Others make war; you, happy Austria, marry." For three centuries, the astute positioning of their many princesses and princes had kept the Habsburgs at the peak of European power. By 1764, after a generation of costly war, confronted by shaken alliances, immense debts, and restive subjects, the Empress Maria Theresia was seeking once again to assert the dynasty's power through strategic marriages. Her arsenal was full: her seven daughters were to serve as her pawns in the ruthless game of eighteenth-century dynastic politicking. Delivered to the grandest or dingiest courts in Europe, they made their difficult and even dangerous ways: Marianna the seeker; the grande dame Marie Christine; Elisabeth, the malicious, disfigured beauty; fractious and wayward Amalie of Parma; the tragic bride Josepha; Carolina of Naples, Napoleon's relentless enemy; and Antonia, youngest of the seven, sacrificial offering to the gods of revolution, better known to history as Marie Antoinette. Meticulously researched and animated by the sisters' own diaries and the almost daily letters traversing the continent, Seven Sisters reveals the drama, tragedy and comedy of these exceptional yet all too human lives. It is a vivid portrait of a brilliant world collapsing in a fearful time"-- Provided by publisher. |
