Papers by Jonathan Singerton
Global Perspectives on Boarding Schools in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, 2022
In the early United States, schooling formed an integral component in ensuring the longevity of t... more In the early United States, schooling formed an integral component in ensuring the longevity of the republican experiment. Republican governance required a strident commitment to morals that only sound educational practices could foster. American women assumed an integral role within society as 'republican mothers' who "guaranteed the steady infusion" of virtue through domestic nurture and primary education of future citizens. 1 As temperate moral characters, women appeared to be ideal educators for good-spirited republicans, but could not otherwise participate fully in society as it would be a demotion of their supposed natural
Scottish Historical Review, 2022
The journey to Scotland in August 1768 by Count Karl von Zinzendorf reveals the significance of S... more The journey to Scotland in August 1768 by Count Karl von Zinzendorf reveals the significance of Scottish socioeconomic practices for the Austrian Habsburg lands in the mid-eighteenth century. Zinzendorf's travel came as the result of the Austrian-Habsburg desire to emulate foreign financial structures after defeat in the Seven Years' War (1756-63). His one-month stay in Scotland, supported by the Habsburg monarch Maria Theresa as part of several tours across Europe, was in effect an act of industrial espionage. It is also an illuminating example of eighteenth-century hospitality and sociability. Based on Zinzendorf's unpublished diary entries as well as his economic report on the British Isles compiled for superiors in Vienna, this article introduces Zinzendorf and his 'commercial tour' of Scotland to Scottish historians for the first time. It builds upon recent efforts to explore early modern Scottish connections with continental Europe and demonstrates how these connections projected beyond Zinzendorf's visit during his tenure as governor of Trieste and his later career within the Habsburg monarchy.
Opera Historica, 2021
A surviving collection of letters addressed to the Bohemian academic František Antonín Steinský (... more A surviving collection of letters addressed to the Bohemian academic František Antonín Steinský (1752-1816) contains a number of interesting correspondents. 1 Among twenty-two letters, one finds a diverse array of important intellectuals of the eighteenth century. These include Father Antonio Piaggio, the Vatican's conservator of ancient manuscripts who was among the first to study the papyri discovered in the ruins of Herculaneum near Naples; Karl Heinrich Seibt, one of the leading academics and Catholic theologians in Prague; and Karel Rafael Ungar, the Premonstratensian antiquarian and librarian. 2 It is fitting, after all, since Steinský took great pride in corresponding and meeting many of the luminaries of his day. The most famous author within this collection is the polymath American revolutionary Benjamin Franklin, whom Steinský met during a trip to Paris in 1781. 3 Franklin was well-known in Europe as the inventor of the lightening rod and his role as a representative of the revolutionary American republic increased his celebrity at this time. 4 Franklin's two letters contained in the collection gained attention as early as 1905 when Steinský's own letters to Franklin became known among American scholars. Subsequent investigations between American, Austrian, and Czech academics led to the realization of the transatlantic connection between Prague and Philadelphia in the late eighteenth century. 5 1
Science, Revolution, and Monarchy in Two Letters of Joseph Donath to František Antonín Steinský, 2021
Singerton Encountering the Fields of Fire Neapolitan Networks from Bohemia to Pennsylvania, 2021
Regional history, of southern Italy and especially the Neapolitan volcanic plains, allowed for th... more Regional history, of southern Italy and especially the Neapolitan volcanic plains, allowed for the cohesion of international scientific connections and facilitated a more globalized study of the world’s natural systems. Using the example of a well known volcano, Mount Vesuvius and the adjacent Phlegraean Fields, or Fields of Fire, this article considers this close interplay between regional and global history from an environmental history perspective. Dissemination of regional observations of Vesuvius and its environs across the world enabled new scientific discourses around geology and later volcanology to develop and mature. In tracing this process of transformation, the role of certain individuals and their networks in underpinning such processes becomes apparent. The global presence of volcanoes, active and extinct, as well as their absence from certain world regions, allowed comparative
frameworks for intrepid explorers and proto-scientists from Athanasius Kirchner in the seventeenth century to George Julius Poulett Scrope in the nineteenth century. The works of the British envoy Sir William Hamilton, in particular, abetted the popularity of such observation around Vesuvius and helped spread the interest in volcanic locations from Bohemia to Pennsylvania.
Jahrbuch der österreichischen Gesellschaft zur Erforschung des 18. Jahrhunderts, 34 (2019), 91-113, 2019
The American revolutionary and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin had significant ties to the Habs... more The American revolutionary and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin had significant ties to the Habsburg Monarchy. Between 1776 and 1789, Franklin received 253 letters from 93 individuals who either lived in or came from the Habsburg lands. Franklin corresponded with 15 Habsburg inhabitants during the same period. This article presents for the first time an overview of this epistolary network. It discusses the nature of individuals within the network and their strategies for communication. By examining this network we can discern Franklin’s crucial points of contact within the Habsburg Monarchy as well as see how his public persona altered from scientist to revolutionary.
Journal of Austrian-American History, 2017
In 1774 the British ambassador in Vienna complained that “every idle fellow talks of America.” B... more In 1774 the British ambassador in Vienna complained that “every idle fellow talks of America.” By analyzing the quantifiable levels of knowledge about and reception of the American Revolution within Central Europe, this article examines the reasons behind this observation, not just in Vienna but across the Habsburg monarchy. Books, newspapers, diaries, personal correspondence, and theater works are used to demonstrate the fact that subjects in the Habsburg monarchy were not at all ignorant about events in late eighteenth-century North America. Moreover, this article reveals how this knowledge found a sympathetic audience in one of the most autocratic states in Europe.
A feature common to both Austrians and Americans is the love of celebrating the past. The year of... more A feature common to both Austrians and Americans is the love of celebrating the past. The year of the Salzburg conference in 2015, for example, witnessed the 150th anniversary of the opening of the famous Ringstrasse in Vienna and at the same time marked the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War. This year, 2017, will witness the 300 th anniversary of Maria Theresa and the 100 th anniversary of John F. Kennedy. It is no surprise then, that during 2013 the governments of the Republic of Austria and the United States of America seized the opportunity to celebrate the 175 th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations. This celebration reflected the beginning of the Austrian-American relationship with the exchange of representatives in 1838. For the occasion the U.S. Embassy in Vienna developed a multimedia exhibition to demonstrate the tenacity of the relationship. It was comprised of a series of panels filled with historical memorabilia, a printed booklet, an accompanying video (with the coincidental timing of 17.5 minutes), and even commemorative mugs filled with Tootsie Rolls-the invention, we were reminded, of an Austrian-American. Events were held throughout Austria, from Innsbruck in the West to Klagenfurt in the South. The most extravagant was held at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna with then U.S. Ambassador William C. Eacho and Federal President of Austria Heinz Fischer in attendance. Both sides recounted how their lives have been shaped by the strong interrelation of Austria and the United States in the twentieth century, but in his remarks Ambassador Eacho noted how "From the outset, we knew it would be impossible to compile a full historical documentation of the relationship." "Our intention," he continued, "is to focus on the building, and at times, rebuilding of this relationship which has brought us to the continued cooperation and recognition of shared values on which our two countries thrive today." Perhaps these comments help to explain the most glaring omission in the celebration of Austrian-American relations: the founding period itself. Whilst the 2013 anniversary commemorated 1838, this is only the official date that relations began. The real story of Austrian-American, or rather U.S.-Habsburg, relations extends some sixty years earlier. This period witnessed with the first diplomatic attempts between the Habsburg Monarchy and the new American republic starting with the mission of William Lee to Vienna in 1778 and ending with the five-year mission of Baron Frederick Eugene de Beelen-Bertholf from 1784-1789. These missions and this period are the focus of this chapter but are sadly something that has, until now, received relatively little historical and popular attention. The lack of inclusion of this earlier interaction into the official commemoration has compounded this state of scholarly and popular amnesia. As a consequence our historical understanding of the founding of the United States in Europe is still incomplete, our vision of the Habsburg Monarchy is limited, and naturally how we view Austrian-American relations today is overtly narrowed by this omission. It is for these reasons that we should ask ourselves; should be celebrating 175 years or 235 years of Austrian-American relations?
If you teach a survey course on American foreign relations, chances are you don't spend very much... more If you teach a survey course on American foreign relations, chances are you don't spend very much time on the Habsburg Monarchy." Jahren der amerikanischen Revolution zu zeigen. Please email me if you would like a full copy/link to the published version [email protected] The History of Foundation of America and the Habsburg Monarchy 1776-1783 (Abstract) This article sets out an overview of my doctoral project entitled "A Story of Benign Neglect" -
Conference Presentations by Jonathan Singerton
This conference deals with one of the seminal periods in Western history; the Age of Revolutions.... more This conference deals with one of the seminal periods in Western history; the Age of Revolutions. The term 'Age of Revolutions' is a familiar one, but what does it mean today?
Thesis Chapters by Jonathan Singerton
Conference Organization by Jonathan Singerton
Global Approaches to Habsburg History: Perspectives, Potentials, Payoffs, and Pathways, 2022
Habsburg history remains ripe for further studies along global lines.
Across the ages, Habsburg s... more Habsburg history remains ripe for further studies along global lines.
Across the ages, Habsburg subjects participated in the colonisation
of the Americas, the exploration of Asia, the subjugation of Africa,
and the investigation of the natural world from the mountains of
Tibet to the depths of the Mediterranean, from the polar reaches
to the Amazon rainforest. The Austrian Habsburg dynasty—at
one point or another—occupied much of central Europe, the Low
Countries, the Italian peninsula, and the Adriatic with overseas
territories in present-day Bengal, China, Gujarat, Madagascar,
Mozambique, and Sudan. The Habsburg dynasty itself counted
among its members two imperial rulers in the Americas, a
protector of the Holy Land, a claimant to the western hemisphere,
and supported missions (religious and scientifi c) across the surface
of the globe. The Habsburg monarchy habituated foreigners from
across the world. Spanish courtiers abetted the emulation of
western commercial powers, travellers with distant tales regaled
rulers and ruled alike, and artists of all kinds interpreted the wider
world for Habsburg subjects.
Global history and its offshoots have been usual lenses for
reinvigorating the past in multiple contexts and spaces. Approaches
accentuating aspects of circulation, mobility, transfer, and
transnational trade have illuminated the interconnectedness of
previous centuries. For the history of the Habsburg monarchy from
sixteenth to the twentieth centuries, however, this historical lens
has been used only sparingly. Grand narratives of the Habsburg
dynasty and its lands in central Europe tend to obscure and
overlook the rich connections between the Habsburg monarchy
and the rest of the world. By reconceptualising the history of the
Habsburg lands from global perspectives, different dimensions can
be explored and old standbys can be recast. Hence the goal of
this event is to discover a global dimension in a region too often
maligned and left out of the worldwide picture.
Grand narratives of the Habsburg dynasty and its lands in central Europe tend to obscure and over... more Grand narratives of the Habsburg dynasty and its lands in central Europe tend to obscure and overlook the rich connections between the Habsburg monarchy and the rest of the world. Hence the goal of this event is to apply global methodologies to a region too often maligned and left out of the worldwide picture.
Dates: 2-3 June 2022
Location: Innsbruck, Austria
Deadline: 28 February 2022
Organiser: Jonathan Singerton
This conference deals with one of the seminal periods in Western history; the Age of Revolutions.... more This conference deals with one of the seminal periods in Western history; the Age of Revolutions. The term 'Age of Revolutions' is a familiar one, but what does it mean today?
Books by Jonathan Singerton
The American Revolution and the Habsburg Monarchy, 2021
https://open.upress.virginia.edu/projects/the-american-revolution-and-the-habsburg-monarchy
In 1... more https://open.upress.virginia.edu/projects/the-american-revolution-and-the-habsburg-monarchy
In 1783, the Peace of Paris treaties famously concluded the American Revolution. However, the Revolution could have come to an end two years earlier had diplomats from the Habsburg realms—the largest continental European power—succeeded in their attempts to convene a Congress of Vienna in 1781. Bringing together materials from nearly fifty American, Austrian, Belgian, British, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Slovak, and Swedish archives, Jonathan Singerton reconstructs the full sweep of relations between the nascent United States and one of the oldest European dynasties during and after the American Revolution.
The first account to analyze the impact of the American Revolution in the Habsburg lands in full, this book highlights how the American call to liberty was answered across the furthest reaches of central and eastern Europe. Although the United States failed to sway one of the largest, most powerful states in Europe to its side in the War for American Independence, for several years, the Habsburg ruling and mercantile elites saw opportunity, especially for commerce, in the news of the American Revolution. In the end, only Thomas Jefferson’s disdain for Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II and avoidance of Habsburg diplomatic representatives in Paris prevented Vienna’s formal recognition of the United States, resulting in a half century of uneven Habsburg-American relations.
By delineating the earliest social and economic exchanges between the Habsburg monarchy and the United States after 1776, Singerton offers a broad reexamination of the American Revolution and its international reverberations and presents the Habsburg monarchy as a globally-oriented power in the late eighteenth century.
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Papers by Jonathan Singerton
frameworks for intrepid explorers and proto-scientists from Athanasius Kirchner in the seventeenth century to George Julius Poulett Scrope in the nineteenth century. The works of the British envoy Sir William Hamilton, in particular, abetted the popularity of such observation around Vesuvius and helped spread the interest in volcanic locations from Bohemia to Pennsylvania.
Conference Presentations by Jonathan Singerton
Thesis Chapters by Jonathan Singerton
Conference Organization by Jonathan Singerton
Across the ages, Habsburg subjects participated in the colonisation
of the Americas, the exploration of Asia, the subjugation of Africa,
and the investigation of the natural world from the mountains of
Tibet to the depths of the Mediterranean, from the polar reaches
to the Amazon rainforest. The Austrian Habsburg dynasty—at
one point or another—occupied much of central Europe, the Low
Countries, the Italian peninsula, and the Adriatic with overseas
territories in present-day Bengal, China, Gujarat, Madagascar,
Mozambique, and Sudan. The Habsburg dynasty itself counted
among its members two imperial rulers in the Americas, a
protector of the Holy Land, a claimant to the western hemisphere,
and supported missions (religious and scientifi c) across the surface
of the globe. The Habsburg monarchy habituated foreigners from
across the world. Spanish courtiers abetted the emulation of
western commercial powers, travellers with distant tales regaled
rulers and ruled alike, and artists of all kinds interpreted the wider
world for Habsburg subjects.
Global history and its offshoots have been usual lenses for
reinvigorating the past in multiple contexts and spaces. Approaches
accentuating aspects of circulation, mobility, transfer, and
transnational trade have illuminated the interconnectedness of
previous centuries. For the history of the Habsburg monarchy from
sixteenth to the twentieth centuries, however, this historical lens
has been used only sparingly. Grand narratives of the Habsburg
dynasty and its lands in central Europe tend to obscure and
overlook the rich connections between the Habsburg monarchy
and the rest of the world. By reconceptualising the history of the
Habsburg lands from global perspectives, different dimensions can
be explored and old standbys can be recast. Hence the goal of
this event is to discover a global dimension in a region too often
maligned and left out of the worldwide picture.
Dates: 2-3 June 2022
Location: Innsbruck, Austria
Deadline: 28 February 2022
Organiser: Jonathan Singerton
Books by Jonathan Singerton
In 1783, the Peace of Paris treaties famously concluded the American Revolution. However, the Revolution could have come to an end two years earlier had diplomats from the Habsburg realms—the largest continental European power—succeeded in their attempts to convene a Congress of Vienna in 1781. Bringing together materials from nearly fifty American, Austrian, Belgian, British, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Slovak, and Swedish archives, Jonathan Singerton reconstructs the full sweep of relations between the nascent United States and one of the oldest European dynasties during and after the American Revolution.
The first account to analyze the impact of the American Revolution in the Habsburg lands in full, this book highlights how the American call to liberty was answered across the furthest reaches of central and eastern Europe. Although the United States failed to sway one of the largest, most powerful states in Europe to its side in the War for American Independence, for several years, the Habsburg ruling and mercantile elites saw opportunity, especially for commerce, in the news of the American Revolution. In the end, only Thomas Jefferson’s disdain for Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II and avoidance of Habsburg diplomatic representatives in Paris prevented Vienna’s formal recognition of the United States, resulting in a half century of uneven Habsburg-American relations.
By delineating the earliest social and economic exchanges between the Habsburg monarchy and the United States after 1776, Singerton offers a broad reexamination of the American Revolution and its international reverberations and presents the Habsburg monarchy as a globally-oriented power in the late eighteenth century.
frameworks for intrepid explorers and proto-scientists from Athanasius Kirchner in the seventeenth century to George Julius Poulett Scrope in the nineteenth century. The works of the British envoy Sir William Hamilton, in particular, abetted the popularity of such observation around Vesuvius and helped spread the interest in volcanic locations from Bohemia to Pennsylvania.
Across the ages, Habsburg subjects participated in the colonisation
of the Americas, the exploration of Asia, the subjugation of Africa,
and the investigation of the natural world from the mountains of
Tibet to the depths of the Mediterranean, from the polar reaches
to the Amazon rainforest. The Austrian Habsburg dynasty—at
one point or another—occupied much of central Europe, the Low
Countries, the Italian peninsula, and the Adriatic with overseas
territories in present-day Bengal, China, Gujarat, Madagascar,
Mozambique, and Sudan. The Habsburg dynasty itself counted
among its members two imperial rulers in the Americas, a
protector of the Holy Land, a claimant to the western hemisphere,
and supported missions (religious and scientifi c) across the surface
of the globe. The Habsburg monarchy habituated foreigners from
across the world. Spanish courtiers abetted the emulation of
western commercial powers, travellers with distant tales regaled
rulers and ruled alike, and artists of all kinds interpreted the wider
world for Habsburg subjects.
Global history and its offshoots have been usual lenses for
reinvigorating the past in multiple contexts and spaces. Approaches
accentuating aspects of circulation, mobility, transfer, and
transnational trade have illuminated the interconnectedness of
previous centuries. For the history of the Habsburg monarchy from
sixteenth to the twentieth centuries, however, this historical lens
has been used only sparingly. Grand narratives of the Habsburg
dynasty and its lands in central Europe tend to obscure and
overlook the rich connections between the Habsburg monarchy
and the rest of the world. By reconceptualising the history of the
Habsburg lands from global perspectives, different dimensions can
be explored and old standbys can be recast. Hence the goal of
this event is to discover a global dimension in a region too often
maligned and left out of the worldwide picture.
Dates: 2-3 June 2022
Location: Innsbruck, Austria
Deadline: 28 February 2022
Organiser: Jonathan Singerton
In 1783, the Peace of Paris treaties famously concluded the American Revolution. However, the Revolution could have come to an end two years earlier had diplomats from the Habsburg realms—the largest continental European power—succeeded in their attempts to convene a Congress of Vienna in 1781. Bringing together materials from nearly fifty American, Austrian, Belgian, British, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Slovak, and Swedish archives, Jonathan Singerton reconstructs the full sweep of relations between the nascent United States and one of the oldest European dynasties during and after the American Revolution.
The first account to analyze the impact of the American Revolution in the Habsburg lands in full, this book highlights how the American call to liberty was answered across the furthest reaches of central and eastern Europe. Although the United States failed to sway one of the largest, most powerful states in Europe to its side in the War for American Independence, for several years, the Habsburg ruling and mercantile elites saw opportunity, especially for commerce, in the news of the American Revolution. In the end, only Thomas Jefferson’s disdain for Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II and avoidance of Habsburg diplomatic representatives in Paris prevented Vienna’s formal recognition of the United States, resulting in a half century of uneven Habsburg-American relations.
By delineating the earliest social and economic exchanges between the Habsburg monarchy and the United States after 1776, Singerton offers a broad reexamination of the American Revolution and its international reverberations and presents the Habsburg monarchy as a globally-oriented power in the late eighteenth century.