The Death, Burial and Funeral Ceremonies of Margaret Theresa of Spain in the Augustinian Church in Vienna in 1673

Abstract

This article attempts to reconstruct the course of preparations for the death, funeral and funeral ceremonies organized from 19 to 21 April 1673 in the Augustinian church in Vienna for the deceased Empress Margaret Theresa of Spain With the help of histor-ical-anthropological approaches and concepts of symbolic communication, the author monitors the formation of the social body of the ruler at the moment of her premature death, the last farewell and the subsequent obsequies in Vienna In its analysis, it draws on a varied range of material, iconographic and written sources preserved in various European archives and libraries, but in particular on detailed descriptions by direct participants in these events, reports by foreign ambassadors to the court of Vienna, and burial sermons which have survived