Palatinal election Contrary to the hopes of the reactionary party, most members of the aristocracy and the
gentry wanted to see Archduke Joseph as elected palatine. However, the electing body was the
Diet of Hungary, which Emperor-King Francis had no intention gathering. As he needed the assistance of Hungarians in the French Revolutionary Wars he eventually called a diet with the sole purpose of electing a palatine. After much negotiation, during which Joseph tried to convince his brother that a diet and a palatine were necessary to attain the required aid, while Izdenczy argued against him, Francis conceded. On 8 November 1796, the diet met in
Pozsony (today Bratislava, Slovakia); for an area of 282,870 km2/109,220 sq mi in 1790) and at what a “backwards stage of culture, among what primitive economic conditions” people lived.
The report of 1801 On 17 June 1801, Joseph submitted a report to Emperor-King Francis, explaining his view and opinions on Hungary. He characterised public opinion and morale as high, except for a few “
atheistic and
freethinking” young people. He criticised members of the aristocracy for not striving for knowledge and “useful occupations”, as few of them ran for public office and most of those who did neglected their positions. He proposed that only those should be made
chamberlain or
court councillor who had proved themselves in public service, and emphasised the potential of the
lower nobility, advising more appreciation towards them. He was most dissatisfied with the
bureaucracy, faulting them for a lack of “zeal” and “diligence” and for not keeping
classified information secret. His proposed solutions based on maintaining the country's spirits, for example by permitting diets, instead of oppression.
The diet of 1802 Background Archduke Charles, Joseph's brother and leader of the Imperial Army, demanded
recruits and money from Hungary. This could only be granted by the diet, and the Viennese court was afraid that the nobility would bring up their many complaints if one was gathered. Joseph worked to convince his brother otherwise, presenting his arguments in his report of June 1801. He suggested that the sovereign resolve some of the grievances the Hungarian nobility ahead of the diet, such as re-attaching
Dalmatia to Hungary, or allowing a free export of
grain (which had been forbidden to keep the enemy French from acquiring it). The pressing situation of the Imperial Army finally led to the Viennese court accepting a diet. Despite tragedies in his personal life (the death of his infant daughter and his wife in early 1801), as well as health concerns, the Palatine prepared thoroughly for the assembly, struggling with the Emperor-King and his ministers who were unwilling to compromise. They denied any help to the Hungarian economy or re-attaching Dalmatia and argued that educational reforms, were to be decided by the monarch alone. The Viennese legislature thought that Hungary did not contribute proportionally to the Habsburg monarchy, while many Hungarians criticised the government for suppressing industrial development.
The Diet of 1802 The Diet of 1802 was opened on the 13 May, with multiple members of the Habsburg dynasty present. In his opening speech, Joseph aligned himself with Hungarians, promising to protect their rights if the Emperor-King tried to infringe upon them, but emphasised the importance of “complete trust” in the sovereign. The main goal of the deputies was to pass legislation supporting
agricultural and industrial development, stifled by the . Cities, towns, and
guilds compiled proof and wrote explanations of why the existing system was unjust and unsustainable, asking for an equal regulatory treatment of all parts of the Habsburg monarchy. Theyargued that the main goal of customs regulations was to prevent the founding of
factories in Hungary and exclude Hungarian merchants from
international trade. Another economist supporting a major reform was
Gergely Berzeviczy, whose thesis rebutted accusations by the Viennese government that it was the “laziness” and “primitiveness” of Hungarians that made the country unproductive. Austrians were dismissive, and Emperor-King Francis committed to the old regulations. Another problem raised at the diet was that of
banknotes, which had been used since 1762. The acceptance of banknotes as payment was made compulsory in 1800. As a result of government debt,
inflation was concerning. Given how serious the monarchy's troubles were and the parties' distrust of each other, the diet promised to be difficult. The Palatine worked hard, studied previous negotiations between the two parties. When he learned that the
főispáns of each county were commanded to submit the instructions given to their respective envoys to the
Austrian chancellery, he was concerned that this would cause distrust among Hungarians. He gave frequent descriptions of
public sentiment to the Emperor-King, telling him that while most people deemed the royal demands “just and necessary”, opinions differed on methods of execution. To elevate spirits, some members of the imperial family moved to Pozsony, and various feasts and religious ceremonies were held. Initial negotiations were be promising, but the royal propositions of 13 May did not mention any of the subjects concerning the Hungarians, simply asking for new recruits and higher
taxes. On the 21st, the nobles asked for time to discuss the demands and for economic reforms to ease the introduction of higher taxes. Emperor-King Francis received their referral well, although
anti-constitutional circles in Vienna objected to the assembly debating the Emperor-King's proposals. While negotiations remained peaceful, both parties were unwilling to compromise. Joseph played the role of mediator and calmed the Hungarians, who worried that the Viennese court wanted to introduce continuous recruitment to render diets unnecessary. Tensions were increased by a royal letter on 12 July, which emphasised
royal prerogatives, leading the envoys to believe that the King did not respect their rights. By 18 July, participants had become “confused” and “withdrawn”. To avoid escalation, Joseph talked to Francis personally in early August, describing how determined the envoys were and that they represented general opinion. He warned the Emperor-King that if he insisted on the content of the letter of 12 July, the situation would deteriorate beyond help, and he expressed support for some economic proposals of the assembly. As a result, a new royal letter on 14 August focused more on achieving consensus and stated that any decisions would only be in effect until the next diet. The sovereign entrusted the Palatine with settling matters “favourably for the state”, giving guidelines. By this time, however, participating nobles had become distrustful of the King and insisted on the entirey of their demands, despite Joseph trying to convince them to compromise. He told the envoys that if they did not accept his mediation, he would advise the Emperor-King to refuse all requests. The diet voted for twelve thousand new recruits and promised to find a solution for continuous recruitment at the next diet. (The Diet of 1804 did not deliver on these promises.) Joseph had grown tired of the assembly by mid-August, and he asked the Emperor-King to settle some minor issues and close the diet. Economic reforms were never seriously considered, especially because the issue was brought up on 14 July, the same day the ill-received royal letter of the 12nd was presented to the envoys. The Emperor-King's hesitance to re-attach
Modruš-Rijeka County meant that the diet ended in distrust and pessimism in October. To the Palatine, Francis wrote that Hungarian nobles “only want gains for themselves, without looking to the good of the whole” empire, and that he would need “great resignation” to forget their “behaviour against [him]”.
Third journey to Russia Since Archduke Joseph had developed a close relationship with the
House of Romanov and especially his former mother-in-law Empress Dowager
Maria Feodorovna, his brother relied on his help in keeping the Russians allied during the
Napoleonic Wars. In December 1802, the Empress Dowager invited Joseph to Saint Petersburg. He arrived on 30 March, and found the imperial court in three factions around the Emperor
Alexander I, Empress Consort
Elizabeth Alexeievna, and the Dowager Empress, respectivaly. Joseph joined the Dowager's circles. He tried to seem neutral, eating lunch with the Emperor almost every day and spending the afternoons with him. Alexander disclosed his opinions and worries, which Joseph reported to Vienna. Still, his preference for the Dowager's faction displeased the Russian court, particularly when he declined a tour of the country with the Emperor. The imperial couple were offended by the fact that he ignored the Empress Consort's sister, Princess Amalia of Baden, and it was unclear why he had travelled to Russia if he was uninterested in marrying her. Sensing these tensions, the Archduke's
Hofmeister János Szapáry urged him to return to Buda and even asked Emperor-King Francis to order him back under some pretense. Joseph refused to consider leaving. Eventually, after the imperial family tried to pressure him into marrying Princess Amalia, he decided to leave in June, and spent his last few weeks in
Pavlovsk as the Empress Dowager's personal guest. Once he had returned to Vienna, he honestly described foreign opinion on the Habsburg monarchy to Emperor-King Francis and urged him to be more pro-active.
Other achievements During the decades of his palatinate, Archduke Joseph continued to mediate between his dynasty and Hungarians. He tried to moderate and unify the latter, especially at the Diet of 1832–1836. There, he persuaded the
House of Magnates not to
veto proposals by the
House of Representatives. In 1840, he secured amnesty for the Hungarian progressives
László Lovassy,
Lajos Kossuth, and
Miklós Wesselényi. When, in 1843, the Viennese government tried to shut down the
, an association helping Hungarian industries by promoting and purchasing their products, the Palatine protected it.
Hungarian education In 1802, Joseph supported the establishment of a national library, which would later develop into the
National Széchényi Library and the
Hungarian National Museum, contributing valuable
codices and books to it. In 1826, he founded the National Royal Joseph Institute and School of the Blind (today the National Institute for the Blind). In 1835, he participated in founding of
The Royal Hungarian Ludovica Defense Academy (today ) to provide training for
cadets. At the Diet of 1825, which was gathered after a break of thirteen years on Joseph's insistence, the
Hungarian Academy of Sciences was established, to which he contributed ten thousand
forints. In 1846, he founded the Royal Joseph Polytechnic (today's
Budapest University of Technology and Economics).
Transportation and economy For the development of Hungarian transportation, he founded the
Kőbánya horsecar line in 1827–28, as well as the first train line of the country (between Pest and
Vác) in collaboration with Count
István Széchenyi. He helped establish the , and ran a
demonstration farm on his
Alcsút estate, introducing new methods and species to Hungary.
Remodelling of Pest The first mention of Archduke Joseph's plans to elevate Pest, a neglected town, into a modern European city is from 16 November 1804, when he wrote to city leadership that the sovereign himself wanted Pest to be regulated and improved, although there is no proof of the King being interested. Joseph appointed Hungarian-German architect
József Hild to oversee the works, and in October 1808, the , headed by the Palatine himself, was established. He proposed and oversaw the construction of
Lipótváros and the
City Park, which he supplied with trees from his private park in
Alcsút. In 1815, he supported the building of on
Gellért Hill. He bought
Margaret Island and turned it into a park. When the devastated Pest-Buda, he personally directed the rescue mission and helped relieve those affected. == Personal life ==