Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina (born May 13, 1717 - death November 29, 1780) - Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary, Queen of Bohemia. From the Habsburg dynasty.
Origin. Ascent to the throne
The first and only woman among the Austrian monarchs was born in Vienna on May 13, 1717, in the family of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, whose eldest daughter she was. Her father died in October 1740, leaving no sons behind him. Earlier, in 1713, Charles VI issued the "Pragmatic Sanction", which proclaimed the inseparability of the Austrian possessions and the possibility of their inheritance through the female line in the event that the emperor had no sons-heirs.
Only after the termination of the emperor's offspring, the crown passed to the daughters of his brother Joseph and their offspring. In 1720-1723. all Austrian provinces, including Hungary, recognized Maria Theresa as the heir to the throne. 1724 The Pragmatic Sanction is published as a state law. She was recognized by almost all European states, except France and her ally Bavaria.
Family life. Political events
1736, February 12 - Maria Theresa married the Duke of Lorraine, Franz Stephen, who, even before the wedding, ceded his Duchy of France, and himself received the Duchy of Tuscany. This marriage turned out to be happy, the couple had 16 children. Calm and not fond of politics, Franz Stefan was the complete opposite of his energetic and active wife. After the death of Charles VI, he was declared co-ruler of his wife in Austria and the Czech Republic, but not in Hungary, but he practically did not engage in politics. 1741, June - at the Hungarian Sejm in Presburg (Bratislava) Maria Theresa was crowned Queen of Hungary. This meant the support of the Hungarian nobility in the outbreak of the War of the Austrian Succession.
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War of Austrian Succession
Taking advantage of the difficult circumstances that the Habsburgs had to face in the issue of succession to the throne, King Frederick II the Great (1712-1786) of Prussia began military operations in Silesia in the year of the emperor's death. The death of Charles VI untied everyone's hands. Thus began the War of the Austrian Succession, which lasted from 1741 to 1748. Frederick claimed Silesia in it, and France and Bavaria did not lag behind Prussia, which bothered Maria Theresa in the west of the country.
Maria Theresa (in her youth and mature years)
Participation in the Seven Years War
However, of all the opponents, the most important thing for Austria was still Prussia. The Empress had no choice but to double the size of her army by introducing additional taxes for this. In addition, she united the rule of Austria and Bohemia. The loss of Silesia did not give Maria Theresia peace in any way, and in 1756 she herself began a war with Prussia, at the head of which, as before, was King Frederick 2.
The war lasted for 7 long years, but it was not possible to return Silesia. Everyone knew to what extent the empress was very worried about this loss. Everyone also knew how the Empress loved to marry and give in marriage to her children. Therefore, everyone could appreciate her sense of humor, when one day she joked: "It's better to lose Silesia than to marry such and such."
Domestic policy
Under Maria Theresa, torture and persecution of witches ended in Austria, it was she who also established the Supreme Court. Taking care of the literacy of her subjects, the empress introduced compulsory education: all children between the ages of 6 and 12 had to study, regardless of their social status. To this day, the Teresianum educational institution founded by Maria Theresa is functioning in Vienna, in which future diplomats are studying today. In the Lower Austrian city of Wiener Neustadt, she opened the Theresian Military Academy in 1751, and at the University of Vienna paid special attention to equipping the medical faculty. Not without her participation, a new building of Neue Aula appeared at the university. Attaching great importance to diplomacy, Maria Theresa strengthened the alliance with Britain, Russia and France. All this had a positive impact on the country's economy.
Maria Theresa and Franz I
Private life
Private life in the Schönbrunn Palace was bourgeois-cozy. In the confusion of children, toys, and jumping and barking dogs, Franz I willingly took off his uncomfortable white wig, put on a morning hood, wrapped himself in a home suit and drank coffee with his wife. Even if the Oberhofmeister appeared with a message and wrinkled his nose at the expense of all this confusion, this could in no way interfere with the royal couple. The empress stoically endured the gallant adventures of her husband in huge quantities.
Death of a spouse
Emperor Franz I, died suddenly on 18 August 1765 in Innsbruck, where he arrived with his wife for the wedding of his son Archduke Leopold. In the center of the capital of Tyrol, to this day, the front gate rises, which was erected in memory of those events. On one side of the gate, scenes of the holiday are depicted, and on the other, scenes of sorrow. The death of her beloved husband was a terrible blow for the empress. For the last 15 years of her life, she did not take off her mourning and cut her hair like a nun; all her things, wallpaper in rooms and carriages were black. She no longer lived on the first floor of the Vienna Palace and moved to the third, where all the walls were covered with black velvet. She began to pray up to 5 hours a day, while her religiosity increased over the years.
Children and foreign policy
At the beginning of the reign, the young empress was not very versed in the intricacies of foreign policy; rather, she used the experience of a woman and a mother with many children to resolve international issues. Successfully accommodating her many children in the most brilliant European ruling houses, she strengthened ties with France, Naples, Spain, Sicily and Parma, finding new allies for herself in constant conflicts with the King of Prussia. Someone aptly assigned her the label "mother-in-law of all Europe", which stuck to Maria Theresia.
But, if it was easy to attach five sons, then it was more difficult to marry daughters. So, Archduchess Maria Anna - her second daughter, was never able to get married due to poor health. Maria Elisabeth almost married Louis XV himself, but at the wrong time fell ill with smallpox, and the king of France canceled the engagement. All the daughters of Maria Theresa, except for Maria Cristina, who married Duke Albert Casimir, failed to marry for love. And the most sad fate was won by the youngest daughter of Maria Theresa - Marie Antoinette. Although, at first she was lucky - she married King Louis XVI of France, but then a revolution took place in France, and the royal couple was executed on the guillotine.
Maria Theresa and Franz I with children
Death of the Empress
When old age and extraordinary obesity did not allow the empress to leave the room, a church was built under her chambers, and she was able to follow the service through a special hatch without getting up from her chair. She ordered in advance to prepare a tomb for herself near the tomb of her husband, and to carve an inscription on it, which lacked only the date of death. Several times the empress was lowered in chairs on ropes into the dungeon where Franz I rested. The last time they lifted her up, the ropes burst. “He wants to keep me! cried Maria Theresia. "Oh, I'll be here soon." And indeed, after a few days, she fell ill and died …
For 40 years, until the end of her days, Maria Theresia remained the full-fledged ruler of the empire, and in Austria this time is now considered a true "golden age". Perhaps the best evidence of this can be found in the words of her evil genius, the Prussian monarch. Upon learning of the death of the Empress, Frederick II wrote to D'Alembert: “The news of her death brought forth sincere tears from me. She did honor to her gender and crown. I fought with her, but I was never her enemy "…
This great woman found eternal rest in the Crypt of the Capuchins in Vienna, where she was buried with her husband in the same sarcophagus. She ordered to make it when she was still 32 years old. Nearby are the graves of children. As if in death she does not leave them with her maternal care.
Memory
Dying, the Empress left her empire significantly advanced on the path of improvement, with an army of 260 thousand people and with a significantly increased prestige in Europe. Energetic, active, intelligent, the empress possessed great tact and charming charm of appeal, which acted in a charming way on those around her. "Knowing little herself," Michelet said, "she knew how to surround herself with capable people who led her politics." Maria Theresa is one of the most popular members of the dynasty.
In the center of Vienna there is a monument to Maria Theresa, where we see a woman in power, majestic and calm, towering high above the figures of her male companions …