Maria’s ascension to the Habsburg throne
in 1740 was abrupt and spectacular.
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, had unexpectedly passed away,
leaving his 23-year-old daughter to become his heir.
Maria had always known that this was her destiny.
When the time came, she quickly realised that it would be a monumental task,
especially for a princess with little to no experience,
because her father had not adequately prepared her for the challenging position.
Over the next forty years, she guided society toward
peace and stability while maintaining her composure
and enacting significant social and political reforms.
Join me now as we look back on the remarkable life
of Maria Theresa of Austria And please like the video
and consider subscribing for more historical stories.
On 13 May 1717, Maria Theresa was born
to Charles and his beautiful wife, Elizabeth Christina.
Maria enjoyed an idyllic and carefree childhood
alongside her sister at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna.
Her father was said to be dour and serious in public,
but behind closed doors, he would organise expensive entertainment productions,
including operas and concerts.
Maria adored dancing and had a fine singing voice, although her father,
like many other male rulers, always hoped he would produce a male heir.
Charles was reluctant to share information with her; however,
he knew that if a son did not emerge to take the reigns,
some sanctions would have to be put in place for female succession.
Being tall with deep blue eyes and blonde hair,
the archduchess was a considerable beauty.
Once described by a British ambassador as “very beautiful,
her person formed to wear a crown,
with a winning and animated face and fascinating manners.”
As expected, many
suitors showed their hand to Maria during this period of her life.
One, in particular, was a boy she had known since she was six:
Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine.
The adoration was there for all to see, and the couple sealed
the deal in 1738.
Although Francis was not perfect due to his infidelities,
for Maria, he was excellent, and she loved him with a passion.
Although Francis had no interest in politics,
he was pretty astute in business.
He often advised on state finance while amassing a vast
private fortune for his endeavours.
The couple started a family, and happiness was crucial to their success.
Over the first 19 years of marriage, Maria and Francis produced 16 children.
Sadly three died in infancy, but it ensured that Hofburg palace
was more like a nursery than a royal residence.
Court life was relaxed.
Maria somehow managed to combine her official duties with raising a family.
But both parents devoted considerable time to ensure their children
were brought up in a manner fitting their positions.
The children were educated to a high level,
and almost all excelled at music, dancing, acting and singing.
You can only imagine the palace reverberating to the sounds
of their talents.
Maria became known as a European mother-in-law.
She was ruthless in pursuing advantageous marriages.
The most notable was her daughter Marie Antonia or as you may know,
Marie Antoinette, when she married the future King of France, Louis XVI.
Support for the children was never far away,
even after flying the nest and settling down.
Maria would write many letters.
Marie Antoinette was bombarded with a constant flow of instructions
concerning the behaviour of the French court.
Maria had always been under pressure, and challenges were never far away.
From the opening of her rule in 1740, Frederick II marched into her life.
She continued to fight for her inheritance and excluded
any consequences that might come from such action.
Her fight was genuine; she would do everything possible
to suppress any invasion and keep her Habsburg lands intact.
In 1741 she was again threatened when her cousin by marriage
Charles Albert, Elector of Bavaria, invaded upper Austria.
He had taken the city of Prague and, with it, the crown of Bavaria.
Maria came to the forefront now; she was not going to allow this,
and not for the first time to show she was herself a force.
It came at a critical point in the war,
but Maria appealed to her Hungarian subjects to support her.
She stood before a multitude of Hungarian nobles and produced a stunning speech.
She pledged her trust and utmost cooperation now and in the future.
The crowds were ultimately won over and responded with wild adulation.
Due to her rousing calls, the Hungarians were able to form a formidable force
and one that drove the French, Prussian and Bavarian armies out of Prague.
It was a test of character and one that Maria came through with flying colours.
After the death of
Charles VII in 1745, Maria used much influence
to have her husband elected to the title of Holy Roman Emperor.
A title that was ancient but also highly illustrious.
More importantly, a title that carried real power.
Although Maria did not attend her
husband’s coronation, she feared she might upstage him.
But in September 1741, she was crowned queen of Hungary,
a celebration many had not seen before culminated when she rode a charger
dressed in white and wielding a sword to an artificial mound.
At that moment, Maria Theresa came to everyone’s attention in Hungary
and around Europe as a woman who would not hold back on her reign.
She began her royal life with a series of social and institutional reforms.
Her armies needed modernisation and expansion.
She set up several academies to train front-line soldiers.
Next on her agenda were financial issues; reforms
in taxation included a new tax on privileged landowners.
Although not to everyone’s liking, she had doubled
the country’s revenues by the end of her reign.
Education was another highlight for Maria.
She established secondary schools in all the significant towns,
and to add to this; she introduced social reforms for peasants’ welfare.
Maria had constructed an effective government
and one that was highly celebrated across the land.
With handpicked advisors who oversaw all the changes.
It’s remarkable to think where Maria got all her energy from between
constitutional changes, don’t forget she had to raise a family.
Becoming frequently pregnant would be a strain on any woman.
Yet she would often be seen signing state papers,
and even when she managed to secure a little downtime,
she was often seen wandering the gardens with documents in hand.
Her most ambitious project was still to come.
Maria had set her sights on transforming a former hunting lodge into the grand
Schonbrunn Palace, which remains today as a reminder of her illustrious reign.
Under her supervision and Italian architect Nicolas Pacassi,
the lodge eventually became a magnificent example of Austrian Rococo.
Once completed, it soon became the centre of court life,
replacing Hofburg in Vienna as her preferred home.
Similar in style to Versaille, the palace had a series of vistas
with magnificent fountains, temples and pavilions strewn around the grounds.
Even Emperor Francis got in on the act by creating a zoological garden
with a palm house inside the grounds.
It was their centrepiece of attraction.
The royals had spectacular fireworks displays and operas filling
the night skies.
Theatres were built, and the place became a magnet for talent.
Haydn composed for the couple, and Mozart
was taken as a young boy to meet the empress.
However, it’s been said Maria was more a patron of entertainers rather than one
who understood the serious nature of their business and works.
In 1753 there was a reversal of alliances.
Both Austria and France were now allied against the English and Prussians.
Maria’s army inflicted defeat on the Prussians,
and by 1765 after a full 20 years of war,
although exhausted, she managed to consolidate her power.
Her resilience again paid off, considering her losses
and what seemed a forever battle with Frederick II.
Sadly Maria had
little time to enjoy the peace and the victories she had accomplished.
She was about to face the worst crisis of her life.
Her beloved husband collapsed and died suddenly.
Maria’s life now changed forever, although her continuation
to rule alongside her son Joseph II as co-regent
was one partnership that never came to fruition.
Temperament and difficulty always saw the pair at loggerheads.
The empress, now well into widowhood, became a sad figure.
Her husband’s remains were placed in a giant tomb
elaborately carved in the rococo style, a style so beloved by her.
She would meander through the rest of her life.
It would be fifteen years before Maria was once again reunited with Francis.
Her energies dwindled,
and her power slowly receded; she became disabled with rheumatism.
Still, even at this late point, she continued to serve and remained
devoted to her royal duties and the welfare of her subjects.
Not surprisingly, Maria Theresa died peacefully, sitting at work in a chair.
On 29 November 1780, she succumbed to life.
She had held her society together, encouraged individual talents,
and without a doubt left it in a much better place
than it was before.