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pragmatic sanction
pragmatic sanction decision of state dealing with a matter of great importance to a community or a whole state and having the force of fundamental law. The term originated in Roman law and was used on the continent of Europe until modern times. The Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges, issued by Charles VII of France in 1438, sharply limited the papal authority over the church in France and established the liberty of the Gallican Church (see Gallicanism ). It was revoked in 1461 by Louis XI, who sought to improve relations with the Holy See, but relations between church and state remained dubious until Francis I concluded the Concordat of 1516 (see concordat ). There have been many other pragmatic sanctions, but the term, if unqualified, always refers to the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, issued by Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI to alter the law of succession of the Hapsburg family. Soon after Charles succeeded (1711) his elder brother Joseph I as emperor, he undertook to change the law so that, in the event of no male heir, the Hapsburg lands would be inherited through his own daughters rather than through Joseph's daughters. As it became apparent that there would be no male heir, the law took on great importance. By its terms, the succession to all Hapsburg dominions (but not to the imperial dignity, which was elective) was reserved for Charles's daughter Maria Theresa . The principal aim of the law was to guarantee the continued integrity of the Hapsburg territories and to prevent a struggle for the succession. Charles labored throughout his reign to obtain the adherence to the Pragmatic Sanction of the European sovereigns and of the diets and estates of the various Hapsburg lands. France gave it its support in 1738, and at the time of Charles's death (1740) most other powers and all the diets and estates of the Hapsburg domains (including those of the Austrian Netherlands, Bohemia, and Hungary) had endorsed it; the diet of the Holy Roman Empire had guaranteed it in 1732. A notable exception was that of Elector Charles Albert of Bavaria (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles VII ), who was married to Maria Amelia, one of the daughters of Joseph I who had been displaced by the Pragmatic Sanction. The other daughter, Maria Josepha, had been married to Elector Frederick Augustus II of Saxony (Augustus III of Poland), who had ratified the Pragmatic Sanction in 1733 in exchange for Austrian support in his struggle for the Polish throne. When Maria Theresa acceded to the Hapsburg succession in 1740, she had to defend her right in a long and bitter struggle, the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–48), in spite of all the guarantees her father had obtained. The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle of 1748 confirmed the Pragmatic Sanction. |
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"pragmatic sanction." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "pragmatic sanction." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-pragsanc.html "pragmatic sanction." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-pragsanc.html |
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Pragmatic Sanction
Pragmatic Sanction An imperial or royal ordinance issued as a fundamental law. The term was employed to denote an arrangement defining the limits of the sovereign power of a prince, especially in matters of the royal succession. The Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges, issued by the French clergy in July 1438, upheld the rights of the French church to administer its temporal property independently of the papacy and disallowed papal nominations to vacant benefices and church livings. In April 1713 the Habsburg emperor Charles VI promulgated a Pragmatic Sanction in an attempt to ensure that all his territories should pass undivided to his children. By 1720 it was clear that his daughter MARIA THERESA would be the heiress and Charles spent his last years in obtaining guarantees of support from his own territories and the major powers of Europe. On his death in 1740 the failure of most of these powers to keep their promises led to the War of the AUSTRIAN SUCCESSION.
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"Pragmatic Sanction." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Pragmatic Sanction." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-PragmaticSanction.html "Pragmatic Sanction." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-PragmaticSanction.html |
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Pragmatic Sanction
Pragmatic Sanction. An edict of 1713 attempting to ensure the undisputed and undivided succession of the Habsburg lands when Charles VI should die by setting aside the claims of his elder brother's daughters in favour of any daughters he should have. The cause of great diplomatic activity in the 1720s and 1730s, it did not suffice to prevent Maria Theresa being attacked in 1740 by Prussia, France, Spain, Saxony, and Bavaria. Britain came to her assistance and helped to place a pragmatic army in the field.
J. A. Cannon |
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JOHN CANNON. "Pragmatic Sanction." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Pragmatic Sanction." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-PragmaticSanction.html JOHN CANNON. "Pragmatic Sanction." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-PragmaticSanction.html |
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pragmatic sanction
pragmatic sanction. The term was originally used in later Roman law for an arrangement defining the limits of the sovereign power of a prince, especially in the matter of the royal succession. The Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges, issued by the French clergy in 1438, was a statement of Gallicanist principles; it upheld the right of the French Church to administer its temporal property independently of the Papacy and disallowed Papal nominations to vacant benefices. It was superseded by the Concordat of Bologna (1516).
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "pragmatic sanction." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "pragmatic sanction." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-pragmaticsanction.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "pragmatic sanction." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-pragmaticsanction.html |
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Pragmatic Sanction
Pragmatic Sanction An edict of 1713 attempted to ensure the undisputed succession of the Habsburg lands when Charles VI should die by setting aside the claims of his elder brother's daughters in favour of any daughters he should have. The cause of great diplomatic activity in the 1720s and 1730s, it did not suffice to prevent Maria Theresa being attacked in 1740 by Prussia, France, Spain, Saxony, and Bavaria. Britain came to her assistance and helped to place a pragmatic army in the field.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Pragmatic Sanction." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Pragmatic Sanction." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-PragmaticSanction.html JOHN CANNON. "Pragmatic Sanction." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-PragmaticSanction.html |
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Pragmatic Sanction
Pragmatic Sanction a document drafted in 1717 by the Emperor Charles VI providing for his daughter Maria Theresa to succeed to all his territories should he die without a son. It was accepted by Austria, Hungary, and the Austrian Netherlands in 1720–3, but opposition to it led to the War of the Austrian Succession on Charles's death in 1740.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Pragmatic Sanction." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Pragmatic Sanction." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-PragmaticSanction.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Pragmatic Sanction." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-PragmaticSanction.html |
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