Albert Kasimir von Sachsen-Teschen

Albert Casimir of Saxony-Teschen was born on 11 July 1738 at Moritzburg Castle near Dresden. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin. His father was Augustus III, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania as well as Elector of Saxony, and his mother was the Habsburg archduchess Maria Josepha. Albert was one of the youngest children of the royal couple and therefore held both the title of Polish prince and that of Saxon prince. His family included numerous prominent European figures: among them, his sister Maria Amalia was married to King Charles III of Spain, while another sister became queen of France. Like his younger brother Klemens Wenzel, Albert entered the imperial army. He attained the rank of cavalry general and frequently visited the Viennese court. Around 1760, he met Archduchess Maria Christina there, a daughter of Emperor Francis I and Maria Theresa. They fell in love, but Francis I initially opposed the match. Albert had little prospect of inheriting either the Polish throne or the Saxon electoral dignity, and the emperor planned a different marriage for Maria Christina. Maria Theresa, however, supported her daughter’s wishes. After the unexpected death of Francis I in August 1765, Maria Christina finally secured permission to marry. The wedding took place on 8 April 1766 at Schloss Hof near Gänserndorf. Because the court was mourning the deceased emperor, the participants wore black clothing. Maria Christina received the Duchy of Teschen in Austrian Silesia as her dowry, and Albert was thereafter permitted to use the title Duke of Teschen. Through the marriage, he also entered the Habsburg-Lorraine ruling family and received the right to bear the title of archduke. Their marriage was considered happy. Their only child, a daughter named Maria Theresia Christina, was born in May 1767 but died after just one day. No further children were born. After the death of Emperor Leopold II and his wife, the childless couple adopted their orphaned son, Archduke Charles, in 1792 and had him raised in Vienna. Charles later became an imperial field marshal. At Maria Theresa’s request, Albert served from 1765 to 1780 as the Austrian governor in the Kingdom of Hungary. His official residence was Pressburg Castle, which was extensively renovated and furnished for him and Maria Christina. The couple spent their summers at Halbturn Castle in Wieselburg County. After Maria Theresa’s death, Emperor Joseph II appointed Albert governor-general of the Austrian Netherlands in 1780. He and his wife moved to Brussels, where they had Laeken Castle built. Albert housed his extensive art collection there. Part of it had come from his father, while he continued to enlarge it through regular acquisitions. The political situation made his administration difficult. During the Brabant Revolution, Albert had to leave Brussels temporarily in 1789. After imperial rule was restored, the couple returned for a time, but the threat posed by the French Revolutionary armies forced them to depart permanently in 1793. The Austrian Netherlands were subsequently occupied by France. Albert and Maria Christina moved to Vienna, where they acquired a palace near the Hofburg and had it enlarged by the architect Louis Montoyer. The building became known as the Albertina, after its new owner. Albert’s celebrated art collection was transported from Brussels to Vienna as well. Only about two-thirds of the works reached their destination, however, because one of the transport ships sank. Albert appointed the art historian Adam von Bartsch, a leading authority on printmaking, to organize and catalogue the collection. Under Bartsch’s guidance, it was systematically documented and enlarged through further purchases. Albert thus became an important patron and collector of art. Maria Christina was also a talented and enthusiastic draughtswoman; some of her works are preserved at Schönbrunn Palace. Maria Christina died in 1798 from a stomach illness. Albert commissioned the Italian sculptor Antonio Canova to create a monumental memorial for her in Vienna’s Augustinian Church. Agriculture was another area in which Albert left an important legacy. In 1818, at the suggestion of his administrator, the agricultural scientist Anton Wittmann, he founded a higher agricultural school in Magyaróvár. It was initially intended to train specialists for his estates, but it was also open to talented young people from poorer backgrounds. Albert provided financial assistance for them and secured the institution’s long-term funding. The school soon developed into an institution of importance far beyond the region and attracted students from many parts of Europe. Under Albert’s management, the Bellye estate likewise became one of the model agricultural estates of its time. Albert Casimir died in Vienna on 10 February 1822. He was buried together with Maria Christina in the Capuchin Church. His property and the Albertina passed to his adopted son and nephew, Archduke Charles, who was also permitted to inherit the title of Duke of Teschen. The palace and collection later passed to other members of the family. In 1920, the Republic of Austria nationalized both. The palace was severely damaged by British-American bombing raids during the Second World War, then partly rebuilt and preserved for public use. The Albertina founded by Albert continues to house one of the world’s largest collections of graphic art.