The transformation of the Grand Tour of Czech and Austrian Nobility in the First Half of the 18th Century: A New Recipe for Staying Powerful

Abstract

The article deals with the fundamental transformation of the Grand Tour of the nobility from the Czech and Austrian Lands during the first half of the 18th century. The author shows they moved from the thorough mastering of the aristocratic habits to the extensive education mainly in the field of public law in order to be able to participate in the activities of central and provincial bureaucratic institutions of the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy. The Catholic nobles started to study law at the universities in Protestant countries (mainly in Leiden and Leipzig), the attractiveness of the United Provinces, the Duchy of Lorraine and Imperial area (instead ofItaly and France) increased significantly and the young nobles shortened the time dedicated to the noble exercises. At the end, the author tries to compare this situation with the Grand Toursof the Polish nobility.