Johann Strauss, sometimes called Johann Sebastian Strauss, was actually born in 1825 at Austria. His real name is Johann Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but his title was changed to that of the Austrian crown prince by his brother Wolfgang Amadeus, and was made official in Austria in the year 1840. His father was a wealthy and self-taught composer who established an orchestra that became one of the world’s most famous. His mother, Maria von Schiller, was a very beautiful courtesan who had a lot of influence on the young Strauss.
The early years of Joseph Strauss were very different from that of Mozart, as his father became involved in politics and the aristocracy. He died when the son was only five and was succeeded by his brother, Karl. He was then forced to marry his cousin Augusta of Bavaria in order to be eligible for the throne. The marriage did not last long and he was forced to marry Augusta’s sister Adelaide.
There is much more about the early life of Joseph Strauss than what is known. We know that he had a daughter called Maria. In fact she is the most interesting of all Strauss siblings. She was also from a very wealthy family. This does not mean that Strauss had a very poor upbringing, but he did seem to have the typical characteristics of the German aristocracy of the late 1800s.
After the marriage of Strauss and Augusta, Strauss and Julia were married in 1855. Although the two had many children they did not have any of a royal background. This was a problem, as the newly married Strauss was not allowed to carry the title of king and was treated with some suspicion by the Austria authorities, which in itself was no good for his political career.
In Germany in the first half of the nineteenth century it seemed that Strauss had no interest in taking up any political activity, which is surprising in light of his upbringing in Austria. However, in the second half of his career in Vienna he began to take an interest in politics.
This led to a breakaway in his career. After his wife died in 1875 Strauss was accused of poisoning his sister-in-law, and the whole family was forced into exile in Italy. It seems that he and his brother went into hiding together but he later returned to Austria, leaving his brother behind. in a last bid to clear his name.
Eventually he was forced into political exile and was given a seat in the lower house of the German parliament, the Bundestag, which meant he was not eligible to sit as a member of the upper house. He then retired to Vienna, where he spent the rest of his days as the first Baron of Worms and the Count of Strauss. His brother continued to play the role of kingmaker, however, and was allowed to retain his title. There are some people who say that they never had any idea he had a brother in this role, which seems unlikely.
Joachim Strauss is best known for the symphonies he composed but also wrote operas and ballets. His music has influenced a number of composers and artists including Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt.
Strauss became a close friend of the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef and spent many summers there as a guest of the imperial family. He became extremely popular with the Emperor because of the love and respect in which he held the Austrian people, especially women. It seems Strauss was able to persuade the emperor to give him a position as adviser on cultural affairs. There is speculation as to whether Strauss was responsible for a number of reforms which were implemented in Austria in the later nineteenth century.
When he retired from politics after the death of Franz Josef, Strauss was given a ceremonial position by the new Emperor and became his favourite tutor in politics. This was not an unhappy position, but he had no intention of returning to politics. He spent most of his time at home in Vienna.
He travelled extensively throughout Europe, especially to Russia and Germany, both of which he loved to visit and became an integral part of his life. He was an important figure in the history of Russian music, publishing his first opera in Russia, Parsifal.