Od wieloletnich związków z Austrią ku sojuszowi z Prusami. Polityka zagraniczna Saksonii w przededniu wojny o sukcesję bawarską (1774-1778).

When con sidering the electorate ’s activity both in the Holy Roman Empire and on the broader European arena I raise a question about the reasons why Saxony had ab andoned the traditional alliance with the Habsburg Monarchy in favor of the alliance with the House of Hohenzollern Prussia . In a wider perspective I also ask about the chances and possibilities of pursuing independent foreign policy by the middle - sized Imperial Estate in the face of the Austria n – Prussia n rivalry . The primary sources are based mostly on the archive materials such as the Saxon and the Austrian diplomatic correspondence, and records of the central authorities who were dealing with the foreign policy. I also used the Prussian, the Hanoverian, the Saxon - Weimar , the French and the Russian diploma tic correspondence, both the archival materials and the critical source editions . The thesis consists of five chapters. The introductory chapter presents the significant fields of interests of the Saxon diplomacy after the Seven Years’ War . The interests s how the political possibilities of the electorate, as well as they point at the electorate’s position on the German and European political scene. The main part of the thesis is the analysis of the Saxon action concerning what seemed an unimportant confli ct with Austria about the feudal and sovereignty rights over the lordship of the House of S chönburg lying on the Saxon - Bohemian border (Chapters Two and Three). Chapters Four and Five discuss the Saxon efforts to protect its share in the legacy of the chil dless Bavarian elector Maximilian Joseph II. In both cases Saxony had to confront with Austria what led to the rapprochement of Dresden and Prussia. In the 1770s, the conflict which had its roots in the Late Middle Ages and concerned the lordship of the H ouse of S chönburg exacerbated. T he Habsburg Monarchy undermined the Saxon superioritas territorialis , and in 1774, they carried out military recruitment in the arguable dominions. At the same time, Prussia who acknowledged the elector’s supreme power, repo rted to the Dresden Court with a proposal of collecting the debts from Albert Christian, count of Sch önburg . In spring 1777, when the Saxon - Austrian talks holding for months failed, the Emperor marshalled the Imperial - Royal army units on the arguable domin ions. The Elector was faced with the necessity of defense of the territorial integrity of his state . He received support from Berlin. The armed conflict result ed in a thaw in the Saxon - Prussian relations. Frederick the Great became convinced that the Austr ian - Saxon alliance was over and he could gain a new ally. Berlin and Dresden were also brought closer by the problem of the Bavarian succession . In the 1770s, the issue dominated German political scene. Saxony wanted to use the legal rights of elec tress w idow Maria Antonia who was the eldest sister of the last Bavarain elector and the line was becoming extinct. Saxony planned to lay a claim for the Bavarian allod . From 1774, Saxon diplomats were negotiating the issue with the elector’s heir Charles Theodor , the count palatine of the Rhine . Joseph II and Maria Theresa were also making claims toward the bigger part of Bavaria. That led to the further exacerbation in the Austrian - Saxon relations, especially after December, 1777, when Maximilian Joseph died chi ldless . In the first months of 1778, in the background of Berlin and Vienna’s war preparations, there occurred the Saxon - Prussian rapprochement. On the one hand, Dresden expected the support of their claims, on the other , Berlin hoped to find a pretext to be involved in the Bavarian conflict. In the middle of March, 1778, the Saxon - Prussian political convention was signed and afterward they signed the military contract . These events are terminus ad quem of my study . The mid - 1770s events changed Germ an poli tical scene by permanently binding Saxony and Prussia. Regardless of fulfilling the gaps in the electora te’s historiography, the dissertation presents dramatic narrowing of the ma n euv e ring space of the Imperial Estates, known as ‘ das d ritte Deutschland ’ in the age of the European penta