Századok – 2019
2019 / 6. szám - MAGYAR HIVATALVISELŐK MÁRIA TERÉZIA SZOLGÁLATÁBAN - Kalmár János: Adalékok Esterházy II. Pál Antal nápolyi követ pályájához
ADALÉKOK ESTERHÁZY II. PÁL ANTAL NÁPOLYI KÖVET PÁLYÁJÁHOZ 1166 készíttette el. 137 Esterházy Pál Antal operaelőadásra is alkalmas kismartoni szín háza 1762. május 17-ei felavatásának öröme és dicsősége azonban már művészetpártoló utódára, Miklós öccsére hárult, mert a megrendelő két hónappal azelőtt elhunyt. Az ünnepélyes megnyitó egyúttal négy kisebb opera ősbemutatójára is alkalmat adott, amelyek szerzője Pál Antal herceg házi zenekarának egy évvel korábban szerződtetett másodkarmestere,138 Joseph Haydn volt. REMARKS ON THE CAREER OF PÁL ANTAL II ESTERHÁZY, AMBASSADOR TO NAPLES by János Kalmár SUMMARY Scion of one of the most illustrious Hungarian families, as eldest son Prince Pál Antal II Esterházy (1711–1762) stood to inherit both the entailed lands of his family and its princely title. Although his studies in Vienna, alluded to by some historians, cannot be substantiated, it remains a fact that he pursued studies at the Protestant university of Leiden. He also repeatedly sojourned at Lunéville – where he married a high-status lady-in-waiting of the Princess –, and consequently may have attended the famous noble academy there. One result of thePrince’s stay in Lotharingia and of the personal network of his wife there was the web of relations that linked the Prince to the local aristocracy, including the princely family, which exerted a decisive influence on the later career of Esterházy and locked both Prince Pál Antal and his consort into the close courtly elite of Empress Maria Theresa and Francis of Lotharingia. This fact certainly was instrumental in the Prince’s career which passed through such crucial steps as nomination as Field Marshal, acceptance into the Order of the Golden Fleece, and appointment as imperial ambassador to Naples. A cumulative result of his profound erudition, rich foreign experience, his belonging to the Viennese court circles and the influence of his wife was Prince Pál Antal’s establishment of one of the brightest aristocratic courts in Hungary at the time. 137 Horányi Mátyás: Eszterházi vigasságok. Bp. 1959. 23–26. 138 A szerződés szövege kivonatos magyar fordításban olvasható a Bartha Dénes – Révész Dorrit: Joseph Haydn élete dokumentumokban. Bp. 1978. 15–18.
