Habsburg redux: ritual power, dynastic rivalry and aristocratic challenge in the Austrian viceroyalty of Naples (1707–34)

This article investigates the largely neglected ceremonial and festive system of the Austrian viceroyalty in Naples (1707–34). A thorough exploration of contemporary ceremonial books, festival chronicles and state correspondence shows a tradition of continuity with the previous Spanish regime, alongside breaks and changes dictated by the political agenda and limitations of the Austrians, which were largely shaped by their dynastic rivalry with the Spanish Bourbons during the War of the Spanish Succession. Accordingly, this investigation presents a unique opportunity to chart how the cultural policies of the most influential eighteenth‐century European dynasties played out in the distinctive context of Naples.