The Habsburg monarchy , also known as Habsburg Empire , or Habsburg Realm , was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities that were ruled by the House of Habsburg . From the 18th century it is also referred to as the Austrian monarchy ( Latin : Monarchia Austriaca ) or the Danubian monarchy .
142-550: Maria Theresa I (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure (in her own right). She was the sovereign of Austria , Hungary , Croatia , Bohemia , Transylvania , Mantua , Milan , Galicia and Lodomeria , the Austrian Netherlands , and Parma . By marriage, she
284-667: A crushing defeat at the Battle of Mollwitz in April 1741. France drew up a plan to partition Austria between Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Spain: Bohemia and Upper Austria would be ceded to Bavaria, whose elector would become emperor, whereas Moravia and Upper Silesia would be granted to the Electorate of Saxony , Lower Silesia and Glatz to Prussia, and the entire Austrian Lombardy to Spain. Marshal Charles Louis Auguste Fouquet, duc de Belle-Isle joined Frederick at Olmütz . Vienna
426-535: A decree that removed them from all the institutions of the monarchy, and carried it out thoroughly. She forbade the publication of Pope Clement XIII 's Apostolicum pascendi bull, which was in favour of the Jesuits, and promptly confiscated their property when Pope Clement XIV suppressed the order. Maria Theresa regarded both the Jews and Protestants as dangerous to the state and actively tried to suppress them. She
568-566: A diplomatic congress to take advantage of the accession of George III of Great Britain, as he did not really care about Germany. Finally, the war was concluded by the Treaty of Hubertusburg and Paris in 1763. Austria had to leave the Prussian territories that were occupied. Although Silesia remained under the control of Prussia, a new balance of power was created in Europe, and Austrian position
710-521: A group of Moravians who had assembled for a worship service on the occasion of her birthday were arrested and deported to Hungary. Freedom of religion was granted only in the Patent of Toleration issued by Joseph immediately after Maria Theresa's death. The policies of Maria Theresa's government toward their Eastern Orthodox subjects were marked by special interests, relating not only to complex religious situations in various southern and eastern regions of
852-436: A monarch and kept Rome at arm's length. She controlled the selection of archbishops, bishops and abbots. Overall, the ecclesiastical policies of Maria Theresa were enacted to ensure the primacy of state control in church-state relations. She was also influenced by Jansenist ideas. One of the most important aspects of Jansenism was the advocacy of maximum freedom of national churches from Rome. Although Austria had always stressed
994-412: A new one, urged by the need of a male heir. From his previous marriages he had six children, but all except the oldest daughter, Archduchess Maria Antonia , died shortly after birth. This time, Eleonore was chosen over Duchess Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria (later Dauphine of France ), Princess Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark (later Queen consort of Sweden ), and many other potential candidates. Thanks to
1136-587: A part of Silesia. Francis Stephen was inclined to consider such an arrangement, but the Queen and her advisers were not, fearing that any violation of the Pragmatic Sanction would invalidate the entire document. Maria Theresa's firmness soon assured Francis Stephen that they should fight for Silesia, and she was confident that she would retain "the jewel of the House of Austria". The resulting war with Prussia
1278-563: A public succession order, which would be necessary for court protocol. In 1712, Wilhelmine Amalia managed to persuade Count Seilern to give her the document, which she sent to the head of her family George Louis, Elector , who sent Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz , to help her to negotiate with Charles VI her daughters' rights. When Charles VI presented the original version of the Pactum Mutuae Successionis on 21 April 1713, Wilhelmine Amalia had triumphed in making him recognize
1420-413: A return to Protestant practice was treated harshly, often by exile. Maria Theresa exiled Protestants from Austria to Transylvania , including 2,600 from Upper Austria in the 1750s. Her son and co-ruler Joseph regarded his mother's religious policies as "unjust, impious, impossible, harmful and ridiculous". Despite her policies, practical, demographic and economic considerations prevented her from expelling
1562-664: A rich treasury were more important than mere signatures. Eventually, Charles VI left behind a weakened and impoverished state, particularly due to the War of the Polish Succession and the Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739) . Moreover, upon his death, Saxony , Prussia , Bavaria , and France all repudiated the sanction they had recognised during his lifetime. Frederick II of Prussia (who became Maria Theresa's greatest rival for most of her reign) promptly invaded and took
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#17327878391801704-559: A secretary". As empress, Eleonore took control over the economy of the imperial court and managed to reduce its expenses through more effective organization. She had always paid great attention to matters of charity , but her patronage towards people in need still had some boundaries. The imperial revenue became vast enough to not only order the building of hospitals, orphanages, and Carmelite convents in Graz and Vienna, but support numerous brotherhoods, churches and monasteries. As she
1846-551: A slight tinge of red, a wide mouth and a notably strong body. Unlike many other members of the House of Habsburg, neither Maria Theresa's parents nor her grandparents were closely related to each other. Maria Theresa was a serious and reserved child who enjoyed singing and archery. She was barred from horse riding by her father, but she would later learn the basics for the sake of her Hungarian coronation ceremony . The imperial family staged opera productions, often conducted by Charles VI, in which she relished participating. Her education
1988-553: A wedding gift from the groom, the bride received the famous Wittelsbach Diamond . On 7 January 1677, the Imperial couple arrived in Vienna . Eleonore soon proved her fertility by becoming pregnant with her first child within months. In total, she gave birth to ten children, of whom six survived to adulthood: However, Eleonore had to face great challenges in the first years as Empress. During 1679, an outbreak of plague forced
2130-445: A winter campaign; the same day he was elected emperor, Austrian troops under Ludwig Andreas von Khevenhüller captured Munich , Charles Albert's capital. She has, as you well know, a terrible hatred for France, with which nation it is most difficult for her to keep on good terms, but she controls this passion except when she thinks to her advantage to display it. She detests Your Majesty, but acknowledges your ability. She cannot forget
2272-495: A woman could not be elected Holy Roman Empress , Maria Theresa wanted to secure the imperial office for her husband, but Francis Stephen did not possess enough land or rank within the Holy Roman Empire. In order to make him eligible for the imperial throne and to enable him to vote in the imperial elections as king of Bohemia (which she could not do because of her sex), Maria Theresa made Francis Stephen co-ruler of
2414-670: Is known as the First Silesian War . The invasion of Silesia by Frederick was the start of a lifelong enmity; she referred to him as "that evil man". As Austria was short of experienced military commanders, Maria Theresa released Marshal Wilhelm Reinhard von Neipperg , who had been imprisoned by her father for his poor performance in the Turkish War. Neipperg took command of the Austrian troops in March. The Austrians suffered
2556-514: The Anointing of the Sick and gave her maternal blessings to her children and grandchildren, who reunited at her deathbed. During her final days, Eleonore was constantly nursed by her two daughters-in-law Wilhelmine Amalia (with whom she now had a close relationship) and Elisabeth Christine. Eleonore Magdalene died on 19 January 1720, at the age of 65. Four months later, on 24 May, she was buried at
2698-501: The Diet of the Holy Roman Empire recognised the sanction. France, Spain, Saxony, Bavaria, and Prussia later reneged. Little more than a year after her birth, Maria Theresa was joined by a sister, Maria Anna , and another one, named Maria Amalia, was born in 1724. The portraits of the imperial family show that Maria Theresa resembled Elisabeth Christine and Maria Anna. The Prussian ambassador noted that she had large blue eyes, fair hair with
2840-900: The Duchy of Parma and Piacenza between 1814 and 1847. Also, the Second Mexican Empire , from 1863 to 1867, was headed by Maximilian I of Mexico , the brother of Emperor Franz Josef of Austria . The so-called "Habsburg monarchs" or "Habsburg emperors" held many different titles and ruled each kingdom separately through a personal union . The decline of the Habsburg Empire is given in Stefan Zweig's The World of Yesterday . Stefan Zweig, l'autore del più famoso libro sull'Impero asburgico, Die Welt von Gestern Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg Eleonore Magdalene Therese of Neuburg (6 January 1655 – 19 January 1720)
2982-552: The Duke of Modena , and eventually assisted in her niece's escape from Austria to Italy. During her last years, Eleonore lived as a nun. In her will, she instructed to her servants, who had witnessed her ascetic life, never to tell anyone about this. On 1 January 1720, in preparation for the sacrament of confession , the Empress Mother suffered a stroke , which led her being paralyzed on the right side of her body. She received
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#17327878391803124-612: The Electorate of Hanover to be neutral. Therefore, she needed troops from Hungary in order to support the war effort. Although she had already won the admiration of the Hungarians, the number of volunteers was only in the hundreds. Since she required them in thousands or even tens of thousands, she decided to appear before the Hungarian Diet on 11 September 1741 while wearing the Holy Crown of Hungary . She began addressing
3266-618: The First Hungarian Republic in late 1918. In historiography , the terms "Austria" or "Austrians" are frequently used as shorthand for the Habsburg monarchy since the 18th century. From 1438 to 1806, the rulers of the House of Habsburg almost continuously reigned as Holy Roman Emperors . However, the realms of the Holy Roman Empire were mostly self-governing and are thus not considered to have been part of
3408-458: The Grand Duchy of Tuscany between 1765 and 1801, and again from 1814 to 1859. While exiled from Tuscany, this line ruled at Salzburg from 1803 to 1805, and in Grand Duchy of Würzburg from 1805 to 1814. The House of Austria-Este ruled the Duchy of Modena from 1814 to 1859, while Empress Marie Louise , Napoleon 's second wife and the daughter of Austrian Emperor Francis I , ruled over
3550-613: The Habsburg monarchy , inhabited by Eastern Orthodox Christians , mainly Serbs and Romanians , but also regarding the political aspirations of the Habsburg court toward several neighbouring lands and regions in Southeastern Europe still held by the declining Ottoman Empire and inhabited by an Eastern Orthodox population. Maria Theresa's government confirmed (1743) and continued to uphold old privileges granted to their Eastern Orthodox subjects by previous Habsburg monarchs (emperors Leopold I, Joseph I and Charles VI), but at
3692-677: The House of Austria . Between 1438 and 1806, with few exceptions, the Habsburg Archduke of Austria was elected as Holy Roman Emperor . The Habsburgs grew to European prominence as a result of the dynastic policy pursued by Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor . Maximilian married Mary of Burgundy , thus bringing the Burgundian Netherlands into the Habsburg possessions. Their son, Philip the Handsome , married Joanna
3834-537: The House of Habsburg and hoped for a son who would prevent the extinction of his dynasty and succeed him. Thus, the birth of Maria Theresa was a great disappointment to him and the people of Vienna; Charles never managed to overcome this feeling. Maria Theresa replaced Maria Josepha as heir presumptive to the Habsburg realms the moment she was born; Charles VI had issued the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 which had placed his nieces behind his own daughters in
3976-436: The House of Habsburg , Maria Theresa was a Catholic , and a devout one. She believed that religious unity was necessary for a peaceful public life and explicitly rejected the idea of religious toleration . She even advocated for a state church and contemporary travelers criticized her regime as bigoted, intolerant and superstitious. However, she never allowed the church to interfere with what she considered to be prerogatives of
4118-744: The Imperial Crypt in Vienna. In her memory, a temporary wooden church was built at the imperial court, named the "sorrow castle" ( Latin : Castrum dolorum ). According to her last will, her remains were placed in an ordinary wooden coffin, which was placed at the foot of Leopold I's tomb. Her heart was put in an urn and placed in the Herzgruft at the Augustinian Church . In the year of her death, were published six epitaphs , among them poet Johann Christian Günther (who described her as
4260-539: The Netherlands through marriage. Both realms passed to his grandson and successor, Charles V , who also inherited the Spanish throne and its colonial possessions , and thus came to rule the Habsburg empire at its greatest territorial extent. The abdication of Charles V in 1556 led to a division within the dynasty between his son Philip II of Spain and his brother Ferdinand I , who had served as his lieutenant and
4402-530: The Ottoman Turks , Archduke Ferdinand (who was his brother-in-law by virtue of an adoption treaty signed by Maximilian and Vladislaus II , Louis's father at the First Congress of Vienna ) was also elected the next king of Bohemia and Hungary in 1526. Bohemia and Hungary became hereditary Habsburg domains only in the 17th century: Following victory in the Battle of White Mountain (1620) over
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4544-624: The Seven Years' War . Although she was expected to cede power to her husband, Emperor Francis I , and her eldest son, Emperor Joseph II , who were officially her co-rulers in Austria and Bohemia, Maria Theresa ruled as an autocratic sovereign with the counsel of her advisers. She promulgated institutional, financial, medical, and educational reforms, with the assistance of Wenzel Anton of Kaunitz-Rietberg , Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz , and Gerard van Swieten . She also promoted commerce and
4686-709: The Sternkreuzorden . During a joint pilgrimage, the imperial couple paid a visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Altötting . Another miraculous image of the Virgin Mary from Pötsch ( Hungarian : Máriapócs ), known as the "Weeping Madonna", was delivered by them and placed in St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna . On 9 May 1684, the empress received the Golden Rose from Pope Innocent XI. Emperor Leopold I died in 1705 and
4828-572: The Upper Palatinate in a time when the interests of Austria would be better benefited by sacrificing his lands to Bavaria , which claimed it. Despite those fears, the Empress Regent presided over the 1711 imperial election and favoured the election of her son Charles as emperor. During the reign of Charles VI, Eleonore and her daughter-in-law Wilhelmine Amalia engaged in the succession on behalf of Joseph I's daughters. Through
4970-497: The "Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council". When Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed (after 30 years of occupation and administration ), it was not incorporated into either half of the monarchy. Instead, it was governed by the joint Ministry of Finance. During the dissolution of Austria-Hungary , the Austrian territories collapsed under the weight of the various ethnic independence movements that came to
5112-427: The Austrian and Bohemian lands on 21 November 1740. It took more than a year for the Diet of Hungary to accept Francis Stephen as co-ruler, since they asserted that the sovereignty of Hungary could not be shared. Despite her love for him and his position as co-ruler, Maria Theresa never allowed her husband to decide matters of state and often dismissed him from council meetings when they disagreed. The first display of
5254-639: The Bavarian-French occupation during the War of the Austrian Succession. The order was then expanded to all Jews of Bohemia and major cities of Moravia. Her first intention was to deport all Jews by 1 January, but having accepted the advice of her ministers, had the deadline postponed. The expulsion was executed only for Prague and only retracted in 1748 due to economic considerations and pressures from other countries, including Great Britain. In
5396-572: The Bohemian populace would prefer Charles Albert , Elector of Bavaria, to her as sovereign. Maria Theresa, desperate and burdened by pregnancy, wrote plaintively to her sister: "I don't know if a town will remain to me for my delivery." She bitterly vowed to spare nothing and no one to defend her kingdom when she wrote to the Bohemian chancellor , Count Philip Kinsky : "My mind is made up. We must put everything at stake to save Bohemia." On 26 October,
5538-594: The Bohemian rebels, Ferdinand II promulgated a Renewed Land Ordinance (1627/1628) that established hereditary succession over Bohemia. Following the Battle of Mohács (1687) , in which Leopold I reconquered almost all of Ottoman Hungary from the Turks, the emperor held a diet in Pressburg to establish hereditary succession in the Hungarian kingdom. Charles V divided the House in 1556 by ceding Austria along with
5680-803: The Brotherhood of Our Lady of Sorrows at the Cross. The special protection she provided to the Discalced Carmelites monasteries in Düsseldorf and Neuburg reflected her wish to be a Carmelite nun , but her parents refused to give their consent. Five royals asked for her hand and all were refused by Eleonore. One of her rejected suitors was the widower James, Duke of York , the future King of England and Scotland , who proposed in 1671. In April 1676, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor lost his second wife and almost immediately began to search for
5822-586: The Catholic education of his convert bride, Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel , by taking her on a pilgrimage to Mariazell in 1706 prior to the marriage in 1707. In 1711, Emperor Joseph I died, and was succeeded as ruler of the Habsburg monarchy by his younger brother Charles, at that point absent in Spain. Eleonore was invested as Interim Regent of the Habsburg lands by the privy conference while Charles traveled from Barcelona to Vienna. As such, she
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5964-486: The Count Palatine showed Leopold I a portrait of his daughter, made especially for this purpose. The marriage negotiations began in April 1676. To this end, an emissary send by the Count Palatine arrived to Vienna managed to win the support of Empress Dowager Eleonora Gonzaga , Leopold I's beloved stepmother, and a number of notable courtiers, including Chancellor Johann Paul Freiherr von Hocher . In August 1676,
6106-565: The Diet in Latin , and she asserted that "the very existence of the Kingdom of Hungary, of our own person and children, and our crown, are at stake. Forsaken by all, we place our sole reliance in the fidelity and long-tried valor of the Hungarians." The response was rather boorish, with the Queen being questioned and even heckled by members of the Diet; someone cried that she "better apply to Satan than
6248-531: The Elector of Bavaria captured Prague and declared himself king of Bohemia . Maria Theresa, then in Hungary, wept on learning of the loss of Bohemia. Charles Albert was unanimously elected Holy Roman Emperor as Charles VII on 24 January 1742, which made him the only non-Habsburg to be in that position since 1440. The Queen, who regarded the election as a catastrophe, caught her enemies unprepared by insisting on
6390-532: The Emperor considered other possibilities. Religious differences prevented him from arranging his daughter's marriage to the Protestant prince Frederick of Prussia . In 1725, he betrothed her to Charles of Spain and her sister, Maria Anna, to Philip of Spain . However, other European powers compelled him to renounce the pact he had made with the Queen of Spain, Elisabeth Farnese , and the betrothal to Charles
6532-713: The Habsburg monarchy. Hence, the Habsburg monarchy (of the Austrian branch) is often called "Austria" by metonymy . Around 1700, the Latin term monarchia austriaca came into use as a term of convenience. Within the empire alone, the vast possessions included the original Hereditary Lands, the Erblande , from before 1526; the Lands of the Bohemian Crown ; the formerly Spanish Austrian Netherlands from 1714 until 1794; and some fiefs in Imperial Italy . Outside
6674-440: The Habsburg thrones. In the case that both brothers died without surviving issue, their surviving sisters would be the heiresses. This secret pact was only known to Leopold I, his sons and Count Johann Friedrich von Seilern und Aspang . Neither Eleonore or her daughters-in-law knew for certain that the document existed, but they had heard of it, but both were very active in establishing the truth and pressuring Charles to establish
6816-693: The Habsburgs to win the war, as the French and Habsburg armies were destroyed by Frederick at Rossbach in 1757. After the defeat in Torgau on 3 November 1760, Maria Theresa realised that she could no longer reclaim Silesia without Russian support, which vanished after the death of Empress Elizabeth in early 1762. In the meantime, France was losing badly in America and India, and thus they had reduced their subsidies by 50%. Since 1761, Kaunitz had tried to organise
6958-404: The Hungarians for help." However, she managed to show her gift for theatrical displays by holding her son and heir, Joseph , while weeping, and she dramatically consigned the future king to the defense of the "brave Hungarians". This act managed to win the sympathy of the members, and they declared that they would die for Maria Theresa. In 1741, the Austrian authorities informed Maria Theresa that
7100-704: The Imperial crown to Ferdinand (as decided at the Imperial election, 1531 ), and the Spanish Empire to his son Philip . The Spanish branch (which also held the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Portugal between 1580 and 1640, and the Mezzogiorno of Italy) became extinct in 1700. The Austrian branch (which also ruled the Holy Roman Empire, Hungary and Bohemia) was itself divided between different branches of
7242-423: The Imperial family to leave Vienna , firstly to Mariazell and then in Prague , but the disease eventually reached those places. In addition, an uprising of the Bohemian peasants forced the empress and her children escape to Linz Castle . However, no less a danger than the epidemic was the constant threat of the Ottoman Empire . In July 1683, the Imperial family again left Vienna and moved to Passau because of
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#17327878391807384-403: The Jews are to be kept away and avoided." Her animosity was such that she was willing to tolerate Protestant businessmen and financiers in Vienna, such as the Swiss-born Johann von Fries , since she wanted to break free from the Jewish financiers. In December 1744, she proposed to her ministers the expulsion of around 10,000 Jews from Prague amid accusations that they were disloyal at the time of
7526-416: The Low Countries, to govern his various realms. At the Diet of Worms in 1521, Emperor Charles V came to terms with his younger brother Ferdinand . According to the Habsburg compact of Worms (1521), confirmed a year later in Brussels , Ferdinand was made Archduke , as a regent of Charles V in the Austrian hereditary lands. Following the death of Louis II of Hungary in the Battle of Mohács against
7668-503: The Mad of Spain (daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile ). Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor , the son of Philip and Joanna, inherited the Habsburg Netherlands in 1506, Habsburg Spain and its territories in 1516, and Habsburg Austria in 1519. At this point, the Habsburg possessions were so vast that Charles V was constantly travelling throughout his dominions and therefore needed deputies and regents, such as Isabella of Portugal in Spain and Margaret of Austria in
7810-534: The Neuburg Hofkirche, she was anointed by Marquard II Schenk von Castell, Prince-bishop of Eichstätt . Eleonore was raised in a pious environment and received an excellent education. She was well versed in finances , literature , theology , and became fluent in Latin , German , French and Italian . She was fond of the arts and hunting, though her true passion was reading and translating religious texts to German. Since September 1672, she lived at Schloss Benrath , where she began her training in etiquette under
7952-408: The Pragmatic Sanction during her father's lifetime, in November 1740. In December, Frederick II of Prussia invaded the Duchy of Silesia and requested that Maria Theresa cede it, threatening to join her enemies if she refused. Maria Theresa decided to fight for the mineral-rich province. Frederick even offered a compromise: he would defend Maria Theresa's rights if she agreed to cede to him at least
8094-519: The Pragmatic Sanction, left Austria in an impoverished state, bankrupted by the recent Turkish war and the War of the Polish Succession ; the treasury contained only 100,000 florins , which were claimed by his widow. The army had also been weakened due to these wars; instead of the full number of 160,000, the army had been reduced to about 108,000, and they were scattered in small areas from the Austrian Netherlands to Transylvania , and from Silesia to Tuscany. They were also poorly trained and discipline
8236-399: The Protestants en masse . In 1777, she abandoned the idea of expelling Moravian Protestants after Joseph, who was opposed to her intentions, threatened to abdicate as emperor and co-ruler. In February 1780, after a number of Moravians publicly declared their faith, Joseph demanded a general freedom to worship. However, Maria Theresa refused to grant this for as long as she lived. In May 1780,
8378-478: The affluent Habsburg province of Silesia in the eight-year conflict known as the War of the Austrian Succession . In defiance of the grave situation, she managed to secure the vital support of the Hungarians for the war effort. During the course of the war, Maria Theresa successfully defended her rule over most of the Habsburg monarchy, apart from the loss of Silesia and a few minor territories in Italy. Maria Theresa later unsuccessfully tried to recover Silesia during
8520-464: The age of three. Her third child, the first of three daughters named Maria Carolina , died shortly after her first birthday. The second Maria Carolina was born feet first in 1748. As it became evident that she would not survive, preparations were hastily made to baptize her while still living; according to traditional Catholic belief, unbaptized infants would be condemned to eternity in limbo . Maria Theresa's physician Gerard van Swieten assured her that
8662-419: The battle was over, he had left the scene. Subsequently, Prussia was defeated at Hochkirch in Saxony on 14 October 1758, at Kunersdorf in Brandenburg on 12 August 1759, and at Landeshut near Glatz in June 1760. Hungarian and Croat light hussars led by Count Hadik raided Berlin in 1757. Austrian and Russian troops even occupied Berlin for several days in August 1760. However, these victories did not enable
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#17327878391808804-434: The circumstances under which she had ascended: "I found myself without money, without credit, without army, without experience and knowledge of my own and finally, also without any counsel because each one of them at first wanted to wait and see how things would develop." She dismissed the possibility that other countries might try to seize her territories and immediately started ensuring the imperial dignity for herself; since
8946-454: The course of its history, other lands were, at times, under Austrian Habsburg rule (some of these territories were secundogenitures , i.e. ruled by other lines of Habsburg dynasty): The boundaries of some of these territories varied over the period indicated, and others were ruled by a subordinate (secundogeniture) Habsburg line. The Habsburgs also held the title of Holy Roman Emperor between 1438 and 1740, and again from 1745 to 1806. Within
9088-417: The crypt and soon died. Maria Carolina was to replace her as the pre-determined bride of King Ferdinand IV of Naples . Maria Theresa blamed herself for her daughter's death for the rest of her life because, at the time, the concept of an extended incubation period was largely unknown and it was believed that Josepha had caught smallpox from the body of the late empress. The last in the family to be infected with
9230-400: The daughters of Charles VI's elder brother and predecessor, Joseph I , before the eyes of their mother, Wilhelmine Amalia. It was clear that Maria Theresa would outrank them, even though their grandfather, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I , had his sons sign the Mutual Pact of Succession , which gave precedence to the daughters of the elder brother. Her father was the only surviving male member of
9372-475: The development of agriculture, and reorganised Austria's ramshackle military, all of which strengthened Austria's international standing. A pious Catholic, she despised Jews and Protestants , and on certain occasions she ordered their expulsion to remote parts of the realm. She also advocated for the state church . The second and eldest surviving child of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel , Archduchess Maria Theresa
9514-450: The disease in May 1767 and died a week later. Maria Theresa ignored the risk of infection and embraced her daughter-in-law before the sick chamber was sealed to outsiders. Maria Theresa in fact contracted smallpox from her daughter-in-law. Throughout the city prayers were made for her recovery, and the sacrament was displayed in all churches. Joseph slept in one of his mother's antechambers and hardly left her bedside. On 1 June, Maria Theresa
9656-570: The early 1860s, the famous Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 was arrived at, by which the so-called dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary was set up. In this system, the Kingdom of Hungary ("Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of St. Stephen.") was an equal sovereign with only a personal union and a joint foreign and military policy connecting it to the other Habsburg lands. Although the non-Hungarian Habsburg lands were referred to as "Austria", received their own central parliament (the Reichsrat , or Imperial Council ) and ministries, as their official name –
9798-417: The early modern Habsburg monarchy, each entity was governed according to its own particular customs. Until the mid 17th century, not all of the provinces were even necessarily ruled by the same person—junior members of the family often ruled portions of the Hereditary Lands as private apanages. Serious attempts at centralization began under Maria Theresa and especially her son Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor in
9940-478: The eight-year conflict, recognised Prussia's possession of Silesia, and Maria Theresa ceded the Duchy of Parma to Philip of Spain . France had successfully conquered the Austrian Netherlands, but Louis XV , wishing to prevent potential future wars with Austria, returned them to Maria Theresa. Frederick of Prussia's invasion of Saxony in August 1756 began a Third Silesian War and sparked the wider Seven Years' War . Maria Theresa and Prince Kaunitz wished to exit
10082-411: The elected king of Hungary , Croatia and Bohemia . The Spanish branch (which held all of Iberia , the Netherlands , and lands in Italy) became extinct in 1700. The Austrian branch (which ruled the Holy Roman Empire , Hungary, Bohemia and various other lands) was itself split into different branches in 1564 but reunited 101 years later. It became extinct in the male line in 1740, but continued through
10224-469: The emperor's personal physician arrived in Neuburg and examined Eleonore. Back in Vienna the following month, he gave the official conclusion that she was healthy, but the death of Anna de' Medici , mother of his late second wife, forced the emperor to suspend the negotiations. Leopold I took the final decision about the marriage only in the second half of October. For Eleonore, the news that she would become
10366-525: The empire, they encompassed all the Kingdom of Hungary as well as conquests made at the expense of the Ottoman Empire . The dynastic capital was Vienna , except from 1583 to 1611, when it was in Prague . The first Habsburg who can be reliably traced was Radbot of Klettgau , who was born in the late 10th century; the family name originated with Habsburg Castle , in present-day Switzerland , which
10508-462: The equestrian skills necessary for the ceremony and negotiating with the Hungarian Diet. To appease those who considered her gender to be a serious obstacle, Maria Theresa assumed masculine titles. Thus, in nomenclature, Maria Theresa was archduke and king; normally, however, she was styled as queen. By July, attempts at conciliation had completely collapsed. Maria Theresa's ally, Augustus III of Poland , now became her enemy, and George II declared
10650-433: The family from 1564 until 1665, but thereafter it remained a single personal union . It became extinct in the male line in 1740, but through the marriage of Queen Maria Theresa with Francis of Lorraine , the dynasty continued as the House of Habsburg-Lorraine . Names of some smaller territories: The territories ruled by the Austrian monarchy changed over the centuries, but the core always consisted of four blocs: Over
10792-512: The female line as the House of Habsburg-Lorraine . The Habsburg monarchy was a union of crowns, with only partial shared laws and institutions other than the Habsburg court itself; the provinces were divided in three groups: the Archduchy proper, Inner Austria that included Styria and Carniola , and Further Austria with Tyrol and the Swabian lands. The territorial possessions of
10934-689: The fore with its defeat in World War I. After its dissolution, the new republics of Austria (the German-Austrian territories of the Hereditary lands) and the First Hungarian Republic were created. In the peace settlement that followed, significant territories were ceded to Romania and Italy and the remainder of the monarchy's territory was shared out among the new states of Poland , the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia), and Czechoslovakia . A junior line ruled over
11076-442: The guidance of a maid of honour. From her early childhood, Eleonore displayed a pious nature and a fervent adherence to Catholicism. At the age of four years old, she saw a very explicit Crucifixion scene and burst into tears in sympathy with Jesus . Since then, she participated in religious activities and visited the sick every day. These events influenced her depression which soon turned into self-destructive behaviour. She
11218-406: The illness was the twenty-four year old Elisabeth . Although she recovered, she was badly scarred with pock marks from the illness. Maria Theresa's losses to smallpox, especially in the epidemic of 1767, were decisive in her sponsoring trials to prevent the illness through inoculation , and subsequently insisting on members of the imperial family receiving inoculation. Shortly after giving birth to
11360-412: The infant was still living when baptized, but many at court doubted this. Maria Theresa's mother, Empress Elisabeth Christine, died in 1750. Four years later, Maria Theresa's governess, Marie Karoline von Fuchs-Mollard, died. She showed her gratitude to Countess Fuchs by having her buried in the Imperial Crypt along with the members of the imperial family. Smallpox was a constant threat to members of
11502-464: The intense diplomatic efforts of Eleonore's father, he gained to his side Francesco Bonvisi [ Wikidata ] , Papal nuncio in Vienna, and King Charles II of Spain . The opponents of the Count Palatine of Neuburg in the Imperial court spread rumours that she suffered from poor health and was physically unattractive. However, these rumours didn't stop the emperor, who needed an heir and knew about her family's reputed fertility . In addition,
11644-484: The line of succession. Charles sought the other European powers' approval for disinheriting his nieces. They exacted harsh terms: in the Treaty of Vienna (1731) , Great Britain demanded that Austria abolish the Ostend Company in return for its recognition of the Pragmatic Sanction. In total, Great Britain, France , Saxony , United Provinces , Spain , Prussia , Russia , Denmark , Sardinia , Bavaria , and
11786-676: The loss of Silesia (with the exception of Austrian Silesia by the Treaty of Dresden in December 1745, ending the Second Silesian War). The wider war dragged on for another three years, with fighting in northern Italy and the Austrian Netherlands; however, the core Habsburg domains of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia remained in Maria Theresa's possession. The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) , which concluded
11928-547: The loss of Silesia, nor her grief over the soldiers she lost in wars with you. Prussian ambassador's letter to Frederick the Great The Treaty of Breslau of June 1742 ended hostilities between Austria and Prussia. With the First Silesian War at an end, the Queen soon made the recovery of Bohemia her priority. French troops fled Bohemia in the winter of the same year. On 12 May 1743, Maria Theresa
12070-461: The marriage. Eleonore's dowry was fixed at 100,000 florins . The first meeting between Leopold I and Eleonore took place two days before the wedding, but the two made a favourable impression on each other. The wedding took place in Passau on 14 December 1676. Although it was somewhat private as foreign ambassadors weren't invited, the ceremony was elaborate and celebrations lasted several days. As
12212-500: The mid to late 18th century, but many of these were abandoned following large scale resistance to Joseph's more radical reform attempts, although a more cautious policy of centralization continued during the revolutionary period and the Metternichian period that followed. Another attempt at centralization began in 1849 following the suppression of the various revolutions of 1848 . For the first time, ministers tried to transform
12354-525: The monarchy into a centralized bureaucratic state ruled from Vienna. The Kingdom of Hungary was placed under martial law , being divided into a series of military districts, the centralized neo-absolutism tried to as well to nullify Hungary's constitution and Diet . Following the Habsburg defeats in the Second Italian War of Independence (1859) and Austro-Prussian War (1866), these policies were step by step abandoned. After experimentation in
12496-611: The monarchy were thus united only by virtue of a common monarch. The Habsburg realms were unified in 1804 with the formation of the Austrian Empire and later split in two with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 . The monarchy began to fracture in the face of inevitable defeat during the final years of World War I and ultimately disbanded with the proclamation of the Republic of German-Austria and
12638-409: The new empress didn't make her happy as she had still wished to become a nun; but in the end, she had no choice but to accept the will of her parents. On 25 November 1676, the official betrothal took place. The bride, age 21, and groom, age 36, were second cousins (being both great-grandchildren of William V, Duke of Bavaria ), and thus a papal dispensation was granted by Pope Innocent XI to allow
12780-1008: The new queen's authority was the formal act of homage of the Lower Austrian Estates to her on 22 November 1740. It was an elaborate public event which served as a formal recognition and legitimation of her accession. The oath of fealty to Maria Theresa was taken on the same day in the Ritterstube of the Hofburg . Immediately after her accession, a number of European sovereigns who had recognised Maria Theresa as heir broke their promises. Queen Elisabeth of Spain and Elector Charles Albert of Bavaria, married to Maria Theresa's deprived cousin Maria Amalia and supported by Empress Wilhelmine Amalia, coveted portions of her inheritance. Maria Theresa did secure recognition from King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia , who had not accepted
12922-521: The number of religious holidays and monastic orders. Her relationship with the Jesuits was complex. Members of this order educated her, served as her confessors, and supervised the religious education of her eldest son. The Jesuits were powerful and influential in the early years of Maria Theresa's reign. However, the Queen's ministers convinced her that the order posed a danger to her monarchical authority. Not without much hesitation and regret, she issued
13064-467: The order towards her late son's mistress to marry if she didn't wish to be expelled from court for good, and firing Feldmarschall Johann Graf Pálffy von Erdöd , brother of the former mistress, who was at that point negotiating the peace with Hungary after the Rákóczi Rebellion . His colleagues, however, persuaded Eleonore to restore him in his posts. Despite those actions, Eleonore's regency
13206-575: The peace between the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War : Maria Johanna , Maria Josepha , (the third) Maria Carolina , Ferdinand and Maria Antonia . She delivered her last child, Maximilian Francis , during the Seven Years' War, aged 39. Maria Theresa asserted that, had she not been almost always pregnant, she would have gone into battle herself. Four of Maria Theresa's children died before reaching adolescence. Her eldest daughter Maria Elisabeth died from stomach cramps at
13348-970: The political affairs during the reign of her husband and sons, especially regarding court revenue and foreign relationships. She served as regent for a few months in 1711, period in which she signed the Treaty of Szatmár , which recognized the rights of her descendants to the Hungarian throne . Eleonore was born in Düsseldorf , Holy Roman Empire , on the night of 6 January 1655. She was the oldest of 17 children born from Philip William, Count Palatine of Neuburg and Duke of Jülich-Berg and his second wife, Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt . On her father's side her grandparents were Wolfgang Wilhelm, Count Palatine of Neuburg and his first wife, Magdalene of Bavaria . On her mother's side, her grandparents were George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Sophia Eleonore of Saxony . Immediately after birth, she
13490-615: The realm where the Jews were treated better, such as Trieste , Gorizia and Vorarlberg . In contrast to Maria Theresa's efforts to expel the Jews, she aimed to convert the Protestants (whom she regarded as heretics) to Catholicism. Commissions were formed to seek out secret Protestants and intern them in workhouses, where they would be given the chance to subscribe to approved statements of Catholic faith. If they accepted, they were to be allowed to return to their homes. However, any sign of
13632-605: The religious duties associated with the pietas austriaca . From 1688, she devoted much time to the Marian cult , in which she was introduced by Abraham á Sancta Clara and to which she introduced her two daughters-in-law. She was an active member of the Gesellenschaft det Sklavinnen oder Leibeign Mariens , a lay order devoted to Virgin Mary , which prescribed daily religious observance and religious charity. In 1688, she received
13774-511: The religious life of their Eastern Orthodox subjects and the administration of the Serbian Metropolitanate of Karlovci. Maria Theresa's rescript of 1779 was kept in force until 1868. Habsburg monarchy The history of the Habsburg monarchy can be traced back to the election of Rudolf I as King of Germany in 1273 and his acquisition of the Duchy of Austria for the Habsburgs in 1282. In 1482, Maximilian I acquired
13916-479: The result was the First Treaty of Versailles of 1 May 1756. Thus, the efforts of Kaunitz and Starhemberg managed to pave a way for a Diplomatic Revolution ; previously, France was one of Austria's archenemies together with Russia and the Ottoman Empire , but after the agreement, they were united by a common cause against Prussia. However, historians have blamed this treaty for France's devastating defeats in
14058-562: The rights of the state in relation to the church, Jansenism provided new theoretical justification for this. Maria Theresa promoted the Greek Catholics and emphasized their equal status with Latin Church Catholics. Although Maria Theresa was a very pious person, she also enacted policies that suppressed exaggerated display of piety, such as the prohibition of public flagellantism . Furthermore, she significantly reduced
14200-516: The royal family. In July 1749, Maria Christina survived a bout of the disease, followed in January 1757 by Maria Theresa's eldest son Joseph . In January 1761, the disease killed her second son Charles at the age of fifteen. In December 1762, her twelve-year-old daughter Johanna likewise died in agony from the disease. In November 1763, Joseph's first wife Isabella died from the disease. Joseph's second wife Empress Maria Josepha likewise caught
14342-644: The same time, new reforms were enforced, establishing much firmer state control over the Serbian Orthodox Metropolitanate of Karlovci . Those reforms were initiated by royal patents, known as Regulamentum privilegiorum (1770) and Regulamentum Illyricae Nationis (1777), and finalized in 1779 by the Declaratory Rescript of the Illyrian Nation , a comprehensive document that regulated all major issues relating to
14484-401: The secret Mutual Pact of Succession ( Pactum Mutuae Successionis ) of 1703, signed by both Joseph and Charles with the knowledge and consent of their father, was determined that if both brothers died without surviving male issue, the daughters of the elder brother would have absolute precedence over the daughters of the younger brother, meaning that the eldest daughter of Joseph would ascend all
14626-485: The secret succession order of 1703. It was at a dinner with Eleonore, in the presence of the numerous archduchesses, that Seilern informed them of this. However, the success of Wilhelmine Amalia was short-lived: only a few days before, on 19 April, Charles VI already announced his wish to amend the Pact in order to give his own future daughters precedence over his nieces in a secret session of the council. In 1719, Charles VI
14768-566: The third decade of her reign, Maria Theresa issued edicts that offered some state protection to her Jewish subjects. She forbade the forcible conversion of Jewish children to Christianity in 1762, and in 1763 she forbade Catholic clergy from extracting surplice fees from her Jewish subjects. In 1764, she ordered the release of those Jews who had been jailed for a blood libel in the village of Orkuta. Notwithstanding her continuing strong dislike of Jews, Maria Theresa supported Jewish commercial and industrial activity in Austria. There were also parts of
14910-551: The threat from the Turks, who in September of the same year suffered a crushing defeat near Vienna . Because of these events, Eleonore wasn't crowned immediately after her marriage. On 9 December 1681 and at the request of the Hungarian aristocracy, she was crowned Queen of Hungary in Pressburg . In 1685, her father became Elector Palatine . On 19 January 1690, she was crowned Holy Roman Empress at Augsburg Cathedral . At
15052-450: The time of her Imperial coronation, she was pregnant with her tenth and last child. She accompanied her husband on his travels (for example, at the Diet of Augsburg in 1689) and supervised the education of her children personally. Eleonore was politically active and wielded considerable influence over her husband. It was reported that the empress received and opened important political documents while Leopold I stood waiting beside her "as
15194-580: The war , since Louis XV was required to deploy troops in Germany and to provide subsidies of 25–30 million pounds a year to Maria Theresa that were vital for the Austrian war effort in Bohemia and Silesia. On 1 May 1757, the Second Treaty of Versailles was signed, whereby Louis XV promised to provide Austria with 130,000 men in addition to 12 million florins yearly. They would also continue
15336-560: The war in Continental Europe until Prussia could be compelled to abandon Silesia and Glatz. In return, Austria would cede several towns in the Austrian Netherlands to the son-in-law of Louis XV, Philip of Parma , who in turn would grant his Italian duchies to Maria Theresa. Maximilian von Browne commanded the Austrian troops. Following the indecisive Battle of Lobositz in 1756, he was replaced by Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine , Maria Theresa's brother-in-law. However, he
15478-507: The war with possession of Silesia. Before the war started, Kaunitz had been sent as an ambassador to Versailles from 1750 to 1753 to win over the French. Meanwhile, the British rebuffed requests from Maria Theresa to aid her in reclaiming Silesia, and Frederick II himself managed to secure the Treaty of Westminster (1756) with them. Subsequently, Maria Theresa sent Georg Adam, Prince of Starhemberg , to negotiate an agreement with France, and
15620-471: The war. Francis Stephen was popularly despised, as he was thought to be a cowardly French spy. The war was concluded the next year with the Treaty of Belgrade . Charles VI died on 20 October 1740, probably of mushroom poisoning. He had ignored the advice of Prince Eugene of Savoy who had urged him to concentrate on filling the treasury and equipping the army rather than on acquiring signatures of fellow monarchs. The Emperor, who spent his entire reign securing
15762-642: The younger children, Maria Theresa was confronted with the task of marrying off the elder ones. She led the marriage negotiations along with the campaigns of her wars and the duties of state. She used them as pawns in dynastic games and sacrificed their happiness for the benefit of the state. A devoted but self-conscious mother, she wrote to all of her children at least once a week and believed herself entitled to exercise authority over her children regardless of their age and rank. In April 1770, Maria Theresa's youngest daughter, Maria Antonia, married Louis , Dauphin of France , by proxy in Vienna. Maria Antonia's education
15904-400: Was Duchess of Lorraine , Grand Duchess of Tuscany , and Holy Roman Empress . Maria Theresa started her 40-year reign when her father, Emperor Charles VI , died on 20 October 1740. Charles VI paved the way for her accession with the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 and spent his entire reign securing it. He neglected the advice of Prince Eugene of Savoy , who believed that a strong military and
16046-548: Was Holy Roman Empress , German Queen , Archduchess of Austria , Queen of Hungary and Bohemia as the third and final wife of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor . Before her marriage and during her widowhood, she led an ascetic and monastic life, translating the Bible from Latin to German and defended the Order of the Discalced Carmelites . Reputed to be one of the most educated and virtuous women of her time, Eleonore took part in
16188-494: Was Maria Christina, who enjoyed her mother's complete confidence, though she failed to please her mother in one aspect – she did not produce any surviving children. One of Maria Theresa's greatest wishes was to have as many grandchildren as possible, but she had only about two dozen at the time of her death, of which all the eldest surviving daughters were named after her, with the exception of Princess Carolina of Parma , her eldest granddaughter by Maria Amalia. Like all members of
16330-486: Was appointed only because of his familial relations; he turned out to be an incompetent military leader, and he was replaced by Leopold Joseph von Daun , Franz Moritz von Lacy and Ernst Gideon von Laudon . Frederick himself was startled by Lobositz; he eventually re-grouped for another attack in June 1757. The Battle of Kolín that followed was a decisive victory for Austria. Frederick lost one third of his troops, and before
16472-501: Was baptized Eleonore Magdalene Therese by the abbot of Altenburg Abbey . To celebrate her birth, the court chaplain and poet Jesuit Jakob Balde composed a Latin poem in hexameters called the "Song of Eleonore's Nativity" ( Latin : Eleonorae Geniale carmen ), which he partially translated into German in subsequent poems dedicated to her. He subsequently became her spiritual mentor until his death. In August, her parents moved with her from Düsseldorf to Neuburg . On 11 September 1661 at
16614-442: Was born a little less than a year after the wedding. The child's sex caused great disappointment and so would the births of Maria Anna , the eldest surviving child, and Maria Carolina (1740–1741). While fighting to preserve her inheritance, Maria Theresa gave birth to a son, Joseph , named after Saint Joseph , to whom she had repeatedly prayed for a male child during the pregnancy. Maria Theresa's favourite child, Maria Christina ,
16756-423: Was born on 13 May 1717 in Vienna , six months after the death of her elder brother, Archduke Leopold Johann , and was baptised on that same evening. The dowager empresses, her aunt Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg and grandmother Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg , were her godmothers. Most descriptions of her baptism stress that the infant was carried ahead of her cousins, Maria Josepha and Maria Amalia ,
16898-454: Was born on her 25th birthday, four days before the defeat of the Austrian army at Chotusitz . Five more children were born during the war: (the second) Maria Elisabeth , Charles , Maria Amalia , Leopold and (the second) Maria Carolina (b. & d. 1748). During this period, there was no rest for Maria Theresa during pregnancies or around the births; the war and child-bearing were carried on simultaneously. Five children were born during
17040-511: Was broken off. Maria Theresa, who had become close to Francis Stephen, was relieved. Francis Stephen remained at the imperial court until 1729, when he ascended the throne of Lorraine , but was not formally promised Maria Theresa's hand until 31 January 1736, during the War of the Polish Succession . Louis XV of France demanded that Maria Theresa's fiancé surrender his ancestral Duchy of Lorraine to accommodate his father-in-law, Stanisław I , who had been deposed as king of Poland. Francis Stephen
17182-459: Was built by Radbot. After 1279, the Habsburgs came to rule in the Duchy of Austria , which was part of the elective Kingdom of Germany within the Holy Roman Empire . King Rudolf I of Germany of the Habsburg family assigned the Duchy of Austria to his sons at the Diet of Augsburg (1282), thus establishing the " Austrian hereditary lands ". From that moment, the Habsburg dynasty was also known as
17324-473: Was considerably successful. After negotiations were completed, she signed the Treaty of Szatmár , which recognized the rule of the House of Habsburg in the Kingdom of Hungary . She congratulated the successful diplomat Alexander Károlyi by appointing him as general. There was a fear among the ministers that she would use her position to defend the rights of her brother, the Elector Palatine, to
17466-681: Was crowned Queen of Bohemia in St. Vitus Cathedral suo jure . Prussia became anxious at Austrian advances on the Rhine frontier, and Frederick again invaded Bohemia, beginning a Second Silesian War ; Prussian troops sacked Prague in August 1744. The French plans fell apart when Charles VII died in January 1745. The French overran the Austrian Netherlands in May. Francis Stephen was elected Holy Roman Emperor on 13 September 1745. Prussia recognised Francis as emperor, and Maria Theresa once again recognised
17608-730: Was diplomatically forced to arrest his maternal aunt and first cousin, Hedwig Elisabeth, Princess Sobieski and Maria Clementina Sobieska , to stop the marriage between the latter and the Jacobite pretender James Francis Edward Stuart in Rome. However, the Empress Mother managed to delay the transmission of the warrant for quite some time during their travel through Austrian lands before her relatives were placed under arrest in Innsbrück . Eleonore continued to use her connections to prevent Charles from marrying Maria Clementina to someone else, such as
17750-526: Was drawn to the penitential side of Catholicism : as an example, she used bracelets with small spikes on the inside to torment the flesh. When court protocol demanded her to visit the opera, she reportedly took a prayer book with her to distract her from the play. However, Eleonore's beliefs had a positive side too. Among the poor, she asked them to treat her as a commoner rather than a person of noble birth, because she believed that all people were equally precious to God. On 2 February 1669, Eleonore entered
17892-465: Was educated in drawing, painting, music and dancing – the disciplines which would have prepared her for the role of queen consort . Her father allowed her to attend meetings of the council from the age of 14 but never discussed the affairs of state with her. Even though he had spent the last decades of his life securing Maria Theresa's inheritance, Charles never prepared his daughter for her future role as sovereign. The question of Maria Theresa's marriage
18034-627: Was erected at the Porta Galla in celebration, where it remains today. Their stay in Florence was brief. Charles VI soon recalled them, as he feared he might die while his heiress was miles away in Tuscany. In the summer of 1738, Austria suffered defeats during the ongoing Russo-Turkish War . The Turks reversed Austrian gains in Serbia , Wallachia , and Bosnia . The Viennese rioted at the cost of
18176-526: Was given the last rites . When the news came in early June that she had survived the crisis, there was huge rejoicing at the court and amongst the populace of Vienna. In October 1767, Maria Theresa's sixteen-year-old daughter Josepha also showed signs of the disease. It was assumed that she had caught the infection when she went with her mother to pray in the Imperial Crypt next to the unsealed tomb of Empress Maria Josepha (Joseph's wife). Archduchess Josepha started showing smallpox rash two days after visiting
18318-475: Was her confessor and adviser. Eleonore attended to the interests of her biological family by securing high status marriages for her sisters, promoting the careers of her younger brothers in church as well as the political needs of her eldest brother, the Elector Palatine. She arranged the marriages of both her sons, but deeply disliked the private life of her oldest son Joseph, scolding him for his infidelities and placing his procurers in prison. Empress Eleonore
18460-492: Was in a panic, as none of Maria Theresa's advisors had expected France to betray them. Francis Stephen urged Maria Theresa to reach a rapprochement with Prussia, as did Great Britain. Maria Theresa reluctantly agreed to negotiations. Contrary to all expectations, the young Queen gained significant support from Hungary. Her coronation as queen of Hungary suo jure took place in St. Martin's Cathedral , Pressburg (today's Bratislava), on 25 June 1741. She had spent months honing
18602-566: Was lacking. Later Maria Theresa even made a remark: "as for the state in which I found the army, I cannot begin to describe it." Maria Theresa found herself in a difficult situation. She did not know enough about matters of state and she was unaware of the weakness of her father's ministers. She decided to rely on her father's advice to retain his counselors and to defer to her husband, whom she considered to be more experienced, on other matters. Both decisions later gave cause for regret. Ten years later, Maria Theresa recalled in her Political Testament
18744-638: Was multilingual, Eleonore translated foreign political documents for her husband, as many were written in French. She established extensive connections through her patronage and granting of favours: she protected the career of chancellor Theodor von Strattman and recommended Jesuits Bauer and Vitus Georg Tönnemann as advisers to the emperor. In 1686, she restored the Order of the Starry Cross , established by her stepmother-in-law . The Capuchin Marco d'Aviano
18886-702: Was neglected, and when the French showed an interest in her, her mother went about educating her as best she could about the court of Versailles and the French. Maria Theresa kept up a fortnightly correspondence with Maria Antonia, now called Marie Antoinette , in which she often reproached her for laziness and frivolity and scolded her for failing to conceive a child. Maria Theresa was not just critical of Marie Antoinette. She disliked Leopold's reserve and often blamed him for being cold. She criticized Maria Carolina for her political activities, Ferdinand for his lack of organization, and Maria Amalia for her poor French and haughtiness. The only child she did not constantly scold
19028-403: Was overseen by Jesuits . Contemporaries thought her Latin to be quite good, but in all else, the Jesuits did not educate her well. Her spelling and punctuation were unconventional and she lacked the formal manner and speech which had characterised her Habsburg predecessors. Maria Theresa developed a close relationship with Countess Marie Karoline von Fuchs-Mollard , who taught her etiquette. She
19170-467: Was probably the most anti-Jewish monarch of her time, having inherited the traditional prejudices of her ancestors and acquired new ones. This was a product of commonplace antisemitism and was not kept secret in her time. In 1777, she wrote of the Jews: "I know of no greater plague than this race, which on account of its deceit, usury and avarice is driving my subjects into beggary. Therefore as far as possible,
19312-475: Was raised early in her childhood. Leopold Clement of Lorraine was first considered to be the appropriate suitor, and he was supposed to visit Vienna and meet the Archduchess in 1723. These plans were forestalled by his death from smallpox that year. Leopold Clement's younger brother, Francis Stephen , was invited to Vienna. Even though Francis Stephen was his favourite candidate for Maria Theresa's hand,
19454-485: Was seen to be performing her duties well according to the strict Spanish court ceremony used in Vienna. Her court was affected by her strong religious views: strict, simple and convent-like. It was strictly adhered to all religious festivals and prescriptions and many courtiers said it was "an atmosphere reminiscent of an eternal mourning period", which was somewhat ridiculed as being exaggerated. Eleonore actively participated in shooting matches and hunting parties as well as
19596-522: Was strengthened by it thanks to its alliance with the Bourbons in Madrid, Parma and Naples . Maria Theresa herself decided to focus on domestic reforms and refrain from undertaking any further military operations. Maria Theresa gave birth to sixteen children in nineteen years from 1737 to 1756. Thirteen survived infancy, but only ten survived into adulthood. The first child, Maria Elisabeth (1737–1740),
19738-566: Was succeeded by her eldest son, Joseph I. After her husband's death, Eleonore was known for dressing in mourning for the remainder of her life. During the reign of Joseph I, she endeavoured to keep her political influence in defiance of her daughter-in-law, Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg , with whom she had a difficult relationship. One of the few things the two women agreed was their great disapproval of Joseph's official mistress, Marianne Pálffy , but both were powerless to stop it. After arranging her son Charles's marriage, Eleonore supervised
19880-434: Was supported by her daughters. Despite his mother's political capacity, Charles had no confidence in her rule because of her emotional instability and ordered his confidant chancellor Count John Wenceslau Wratislaw von Mitrowitz to report to him about her rule, which placed him in conflict with Eleonore. The only known hostile acts the Empress Regent made were the confiscation of the gifts Joseph I had given to Marianne Pálffy,
20022-429: Was to receive the Grand Duchy of Tuscany upon the death of childless Grand Duke Gian Gastone de' Medici . The couple were married on 12 February 1736 at the Augustinian Church in Vienna . The Duchess of Lorraine's love for her husband was strong and possessive. The letters she sent to him shortly before their marriage expressed her eagerness to see him; his letters, on the other hand, were stereotyped and formal. She
20164-454: Was very jealous of her husband and his infidelity was the greatest problem of their marriage, with Maria Wilhelmina, Princess of Auersperg , as his best-known mistress. Upon Gian Gastone's death on 9 July 1737, Francis Stephen ceded Lorraine and became grand duke of Tuscany. In 1738, Charles VI sent the young couple to make their formal entry into Tuscany. The Triumphal Arch of the Lorraine
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