The publications of Pál Esterházy in Vienna

Abstract

Prince and Palatine of Hungary Pál Esterházy (1635–1713) encountered Viennese printers during his sons’ studies when he published their academic theses and speeches. In the 1690s, he commissioned Leopold Voigt, who had a large and prestigious printing workshop in Vienna, to print his works of piety and his family history in Latin. His books in Hungarian, on the other hand, were published in Nagyszombat (Tyrnau). The choice of Vienna was deliberate, the primary motive being to show the Emperor and his court his special abilities, not only as a generous patron of the arts but also as a writer well-versed in theology and deep in his faith.
This desire for prestigious representation is confirmed by the surviving list of illustrious names, according to which almost thirty of the 200 copies of his Via Lactea, printed at the end of 1691, were distributed at the Viennese court. It is not known whether Pál Esterházy distributed his other four books to the Viennese aristocracy, but it is a fact that he had a similar aim in 1700 when he published the Trophaeum, a summary of his family’s past and nobility. On that occasion, however, his feud with his wife prevented him from placing the crown on his life’s work.
Much is said about the ambitions of Paul Esterházy by the foundation he set up at the Jesuit University in Vienna, which was responsible for publishing the speeches of theology students on the Immaculate Virgin Mary, of which we know of at least 11, also published annually by Leopold Voigt. The jewel of these is the Immaculate Virgin Mary engraving placed in front of the title page, in four different versions over the 11 years. Pál Esterházy’s piety and patronage deservedly brought him and his family close to the imperial family, and this was further confirmed by the presentation of his literary and patronage activities in Vienna.