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18th
Century,
Jahrhundertbuch der Gottscheer, Dr. Erich Petschauer, 1980.
The new rebuilding of Gottschee that was begun by Count Wolf Engelbrecht
continued without interruption in the eighteenth century. The "Ländchen" even
achieved a small degree of prosperity during the five decades in which
Maria
Theresa (1740-1780) and her son Joseph II, the reform-emperor, reigned.
This
was also partly due to the peddling trade, which had become more profitable.
In
the entire monarchy, agriculture, in particular, experienced an advance
that had
never before been witnessed. A branch of the "agricultural society
for Carniola" was also established in Gottschee in the 1780's;
it was the first attempt to introduce
improved methods of agricultural production.
The Jahrhundertbuch cannot record any profound events that would once
again
have changed the fate of the Gottscheers for the worse. Indeed, one must
emphasize
that the introduction and propagation of corn and potatoes was a decisive
economic
and nutritional advance for all of Europe.
The years 1770 and 1791 are two important historical dates in the eighteenth
century. We already mentioned the year 1770 during the inner colonization
period.
In this year, Maria Theresa ordered that all males of every age group and
all urban
and rural dwellings be counted and recorded. Thus, we have an accurate
count
of the houses in the Gottscheer villages and hamlets, but unfortunately,
however,
not of the inhabitants. (See Register of Villages.)
The
drafting of most young men into the military created another bridge to
the outside for the "Ländchen" - a bridge that was
now crossed by many more
recruits and soldiers than by peddlers previously. In addition, those in
the military
also learned to read and write, at least minimally, during their service.
Only a
few of them had seen a larger city prior to being drafted. Usually that
was Laibach.
Their view of the world expanded considerably. The time spent in the military
remained a lifelong echo in all of them - as is the case in all
soldiers of other
nations as well. Only in rare cases, however, did the young Gottscheer
woman
have the opportunity to glimpse the world beyond her little city and her
land.
![](../../../Auersperg/Bilder/Familien/01t.jpg)
Auersperg, Prince Carl Joseph Anton of, Duke of Gottschee, 1820
-1900
We recall that the title of Duke of Münsterberg in Austria-Silesia had
been
bestowed upon Prince Johann Weikard of Auersperg at the height of his power.
When Frederick the Great defeated Maria Theresa in the Seven Years' War
(1756-1763), the little dukedom fell to Prussia. Thus, the
ducal title of Auersperg was
lost. For twenty-five years, the princes of Auersperg tried to regain it.
They even
negotiated with Frederick the Great. He would indeed have been willing
to bestow
on them anew the honorary title under certain conditions. Finally, the
Auerspergers
ceased their efforts, since they did not wish to be indebted to the Prussian
king
for this favor. The end result: They succeeded in having Emperor Leopold
II
(1790-1792) create the title "Duke of Gottschee" and
tie it by inheritance to the
title of Prince of Auersperg. The first to bear this title was the prince
and owner
of the entailed estate, Carl Joseph Anton of Auersperg (1820-1900). The
title
was always passed on to the oldest son of the title-holder.
("Jahrhundertbuch
der Gottscheer", Dr. Erich Petschauer)
www.gottschee.de
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