Institute of History
Topic
Aristocratic Representation and Baroque Lifestyle in the Second Half of the 17th and the First Half of the 18th Century (the reigns of Leopold I, Joseph I, Charles III and Maria Theresa)
PhD. program
World History
Name of the supervisor
Anna Fundárková, M.A., PhD.
Contact:
Receiving school
Faculty of Arts, Comenius University Bratislava
Annotation
Recommended aspects for the study are the role models for Hungarian aristocratic representation (Viennese court, foreign courts) and the wedding policy of the Hungarian aristocracy. Outer manifestations of representation were the construction of mansions, creation of portrait galleries, art and book collections. Research should concentrate on aristocratic 'pleasures' - hunts, festivities, ballet and theatre performances, social games - linking politics and entertainment, patronage, intellectual, artistic activities of individuals (theoretical works on Hungarian noble representation). Doctoral students should focus on the financial costs of a luxurious lifestyle and related indebtedness of aristocrats resulting in various problems (conflicts over property in the aristocratic houses, that led more than once to lawsuits). The research could be centred around selected personalities - e.g. the Bishop of Kalocsa, Imre Csáky (1672 – 1732), the Chancellor of Hungary, Ferenc "Quinquin" Esterházy (1715 – 1785), or the Chancellor of Hungary, Miklós VIII Pálffy (1715 – 1785). Requirements: knowledge of German, Hungarian and Latin (the languages of archival sources) and advanced knowledge of English.