Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa was archduchess of Austria; queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia; and empress consort of the Holy Roman Empire.
Contents
History
Maria was the only child and heir of Charles VI.
Many years before she was born, her uncle Joseph I had signed a secret Mutual Pact of Succession. Joseph had no sons, but two daughters. The pact stipulated that, if the Habsburg realms were to be inherited by a woman, Joseph's daughters would have precedence over the then-hypothetical daughters of Charles.
Four years before she was born, Charles had issued the Pragmatic Sanction in 1713, paving the way for his daughter to inherit his titles despite Salic law and despite the pact.
The kingdom of Hungary had, prior to the Ottoman conquest, been elective. The crown did not necessarily obey Salic law. Regardless, the Diet of Hungary passed their own Pragmatic Sanction in 1723 recognizing female inheritance.
The Croatian Sabor had actually preempted Hungary on the matter, passing their own Pragmatic Sanction in 1712. (Again, well before Maria was born.) This created controversy for Croatian self-rule despite the eventual alignment.
As part of the Treaty of Vienna, Charles obtained international recognition of the Pragmatic Sanction from France and Spain.
Maria married Francis I in 1736. Contrary to contemporary expectations, and contrary to the examples set by her cousins (i.e., Maria Josepha married Frederick Augustus II, and Maria Amalia married Charles VII), she did not defer to her husband to press her claims or rule her realms.
Following the death of her father in 1740, she inherited the Habsburg realms. Despite the steps taken to ensure the succession, the War of Austrian Succession erupted when France, Frederick II, and Frederick Augustus backed the alternate claim of Charles. The war required the establishment of a standing army styled as Austrian rather than imperial.
Maria's primary ally in the war was the United Kingdom, which had up to now pursued a strongly Hanoverian foreign policy.
The war saw an important diplomatic shift on the European continent; the British realigned with Prussia, while Maria established a lasting peace with France. The rivalry between Prussia and Austria repeatedly escalated to war, especially in the Silesian Wars.
Francis II died in 1765, leaving their son Joseph II to become Holy Roman Empire. Maria declared him the co-ruler of the Habsburg realms, as otherwise he would only hold the incomes of Falkenstein and Teschen. They generally opposed each other's policies though, and she withdrew from the comparatively conservative court. One example is the Partition of Poland. She opposed it, but was persuaded that it would go through with or without Austrian involvement. Another was the War of Bavarian Succession, in which Joseph pressed the claims of his wife, Maria Josepha.
Policies
Maria reformed the Austrian and imperial institutions to raise funds for the standing army. Following the loss of Silesia, she continued these reforms to centralize authority. The union of Austria and Bohemia was strengthened; a single chancellery over both was established, and the criminal codes were unified. The Hofkammer (ministry of the exchequer) was expanded and granted greater authority to collect new taxes. The Staatsrat (council of state) was established.
She attempted to abolish serfdom, charging Franz Anton von Raab with implementing land reform in the 1770s. In part, this was how she disposed of properties seized from the Jesuits. While these policies were successful in Bohemia, Joseph blocked any further efforts.