Abstract
Maria Theresa had not been unaware of her son’s displeasure with what he viewed as serious defects in the “constitutions” and administration of the Belgian provinces. Shortly before her death, she had attempted to dissuade him from tampering with them, observing that the Lowlands constituted “our only happy state paying many taxes to which we owe our preponderant position in Europe.... The peoples of those provinces hold to their traditional prejudices — perhaps ridiculous; but since they are obedient and faithful and pay more taxes than our exhausted and discontented German provinces, what more can we ask of them?”1
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References
Kaunitz to Starhemberg, March 31, 1781, ibid,no. 29.
See Mercy’s letter of Oct. 9, 1782 as published in Arneth and Flammermont, Correspondance secrète du comte de Mercy Argenteau…,I, p. 124.
See Joseph to Mercy Argenteau, Sept. 23, 1782, as published in Arneth and Flammermont, Correspondance secrète du comte de Mercy Argenteau…, I, p. 128.
Cf. Fejtö, op. cit.. P 294, and Padover, op. cit,p. 233.
Joseph II to Mercy-Argenteau, Sept. 23, 1782 as published in Arneth & Flammermont, Correspondance secrète du comte de Mercy-Argenteau…, I, p. 128.
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© 1974 Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, Netherlands
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Davis, W.W. (1974). The Emperor, the Lowlands, and the Nations. In: Joseph II. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-9241-5_4
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