The role and importance of philantropy within the aristocracy : Foundations for noblewomen in the Habsburg Monarchy
Abstract
The subject of the submitted study is philanthropy amongst the aristocratic elite in the Cisleithan part of the Habsburg Monarchy at the end of the Ancien Régime and during the so-called Long 19th Century, specifically looking at the foundation for poor noblewomen. Charity had played an important role in the aristocratic mentality since the Middle Ages.
After the abolition of serfdom, the obligation of looking after the poor was taken on by municipalities, but the nobility continued to perceive care of the needy as a moral obligation at the very least, as reflected in the nature of bringing up aristocratic children and the numerous charity activities of noblemen and noblewomen in adulthood. One of the products of aristocratic philanthropy, targeted not at their former vassals but rather their own kind, was the noblewomen institutes.
Most of these foundations were the product of the enlightenment era. They did not merely provide economic security to their members, but also social security as acquiring a foundation place was usually linked to a particular status within the court hierarchy.
In terms of aristocratic philanthropy, however, the noblewomen institutes were not just the product of aristocratic charity, but also its agents, as charity within them was developed at a number of levels