The Age I Grew, and the Age that Followed (Das Alter das ich Bin Gewachsen und das Alter, das Gefolgt Ist)

I grew up in an outstanding age in Europe, yet little did I know that my life span would only see a fraction of what the period was to become in perspective to the history of man. I grew up in an age known as the Enlightenment. It was an age full of intellectuals and philosophers, scientists who were hungry for the pursuit of knowledge. Mathematics and science became the talk to the towns and their revolutionary findings would influence arts, economies, and entire governments. However, my personal interests were very much in the arts. From my childhood I took on a liking to music, particularly the legends of the Baroque era. In my infancy in Austria, Bach was quickly gaining fame and his music considered the crème of the crop. I took up harpsichord and would eventually compose several songs of my own. My father and I were always surrounded by new thinkers who often brought along ideas with them from different reaches of Europe. We learned of famous philosophers such as Rousseau and Voltaire. They had made great theories of government about incorporating the principles of the Enlightenment which were knowledge, reason, equality, and justice. I would have never even considered that my daughter, Maria Theresa, would become an advocate of such principles. During her reign, she would become an enlightened monarch and even surpassed by her son and my grandson Joseph II. The enlightenment had changed the perspective of how we ruled over our people, and its principles would forever influence governments and monarchies around the world.