Prince Paul II Anton Esterházy de Galantha (22 April 1711 – 18 March 1762) was a prince of the Esterházy family. He had a distinguished career as a soldier and patron of music.
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Born in Eisenstadt, he studied in Vienna and Leiden and had a strong interest in culture. In August 1733, in London, he became a freemason:
On Tuesday last Prince Anthony Esterhazy, lately arrived here, and another german Nobleman, a Relative to the Elector of Mentz, were admitted Free and Accepted Masons, at the French Lodge, held the first and third Tuesday of every Month, at the Duke of Lorraine's head in Suffolk Street. (Daily Advertiser, (London), 9 August 1733).[1]
As the previous members of the Esterházy family, he supported the Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa of Austria in the War of the Austrian Succession. In this war (1741–1748), he led a regiment of hussars which he had raised himself.[2] Because of his many successes on the battlefield, he was appointed Fieldmarschal-Lieutenant in 1747 and was sent after the war as imperial envoy to Naples, where he stayed between 1750 and 1753.
At the outbreak of the Seven Years' War in 1756, he fought as a General of the Cavalry[2] and was promoted to Field Marshal in 1758. He retired from military service that year.
From then on he was involved in humanitarian and cultural activities. Of particular interest was his 1761 project of reorganizing the musical staff at his court. He brought in new players, reassigned his aging Kapellmeister Gregor Werner to cover just church music, and appointed the young Joseph Haydn as Vice-Kapellmeister, in charge of the orchestra. Since this provided Haydn with his own orchestra, with ample opportunities to compose symphonies for it to perform, the appointment was of great consequence for the growing status of the symphony and thus for the history of music.[3]
When Paul Anton died in Vienna in 1762 without children, he was succeeded by his brother Nikolaus.