Maria Theresa's first child, a daughter named Maria Elisabeth (1737-1740), died while still a young child. [108] Freedom of religion was granted only in the Declaration of Tolerance issued by Joseph immediately after Maria Theresa's death. Mother. The French plans fell apart when Charles VII died in January 1745. She delivered her last child, Maximilian Francis, during the Seven Years' War, aged 39. The trial was successful, establishing that inoculation was effective in protecting against smallpox, and safe (in the case of the test subjects). These plans were forestalled by his death from smallpox that year. Hungarian and Croat light hussars led by Count Hadik raided Berlin in 1757. 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. Below is the article summary. . [180], Maria Theresa understood the importance of her public persona and was able to simultaneously evoke both esteem and affection in her subjects; a notable example was how she projected dignity and simplicity to awe the people in Pressburg before she was crowned as Queen (Regnant) of Hungary. In addition, they cut back guild privileges, and internal duties on trade were either reformed or removed (such as the case for the Austrian-Bohemian lands in 1775). Maria Theresa summary | Britannica [117] The Directory was transformed into the United Austrian and Bohemian Chancellery in 1761, which was equipped with a separate, independent judiciary and separate financial bodies. She criticized Maria Carolina for her political activities, Ferdinand for his lack of organization, and Maria Amalia for her poor French and haughtiness. Marie Antoinette: Early Life . [89][i], Like all members of the House of Habsburg, Maria Theresa was a Roman Catholic, and a devout one. [117] She also refounded the Hofkammer in 1762, which was a ministry of finances that controlled all revenues from the monarchy. [36] 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. [153], However, Maria Theresa's attempts to extend the Raab system to the great estates belonging to the Bohemian nobles were fiercely resisted by the nobles. [5] Charles sought the other European powers' approval for disinheriting his nieces. [d] 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 the Austrian and Bohemian lands on 21 November 1740. [83][84], Maria Theresa in fact contracted smallpox from her daughter-in-law. [168], Joseph and Prince Kaunitz arranged the First Partition of Poland despite Maria Theresa's protestations. [2] Most descriptions of her baptism stress that the infant was carried ahead of her cousins, Maria Josepha and Maria Amalia, the daughters of Charles VI's elder brother and predecessor, Joseph I, before the eyes of their mother, Wilhelmine Amalia. Ten years later, Maria Theresa recalled in her Political Testament 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. Of her eleven daughters and five sons ten survived into adulthood. [28] In the summer of 1738, Austria suffered defeats during the ongoing Russo-Turkish War. Bohemia was particularly hard hit. For the full article, see Maria Theresa . Maria Theresa's children | Die Welt der Habsburger Her threats of abdication were rarely taken seriously; Maria Theresa believed that her recovery from smallpox in 1767 was a sign that God wished her to reign until death. (Show more) Role In: Seven Years' War War of the Austrian Succession See all related content Religion. The Triumphal Arch of the Lorraine was erected at the Porta Galla in celebration, where it remains today. Prussia would adopt this form of government only after 1807. If they accepted, they were to be allowed to return to their homes. Maria Theresa | Die Welt der Habsburger [138] The need for the reform became evident after the census of 17701771, which revealed the widespread illiteracy of the populace. The second and eldest surviving child of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbttel, Archduchess Maria Theresa was born on 13 May 1717 in Vienna, a year after the death of her elder brother, Archduke Leopold Johann,[1] and was baptised on that same evening. None. Much unlike Joseph, but with the support of religious authorities, Maria Theresa was opposed to the abolition of torture. [88] 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 addition to this, the Hofrechenskammer, or exchequer, was tasked with the handling of all financial accounts. How many wars did Maria Theresa oversee? | Homework.Study.com Predictably, some of this came from peasants who wanted the children to work in the fields instead. 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. The central government was responsible for funding the army, although Haugwitz instituted taxation of the nobility, who had never before had to pay taxes. Future Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II became co-regent with his mother, Maria Theresa, in 1765, and sole ruler in 1780. [137], In the 1770s, reform of the schooling system for all levels of society became a major policy. Much of Maria Theresa's reform ideology . [134] They were authorised to raid banquets, clubs, and private gatherings, and to arrest those suspected of violating social norms. [173] The 500,000 florins in annual revenue from 100,000 inhabitants of Innviertel were not comparable to the 100,000,000 florins that were spent during the war. She is buried in the crypt of the Church of the Capuchin Friars in Vienna, where the double sarcophagus of Maria Theresa and Franz Stephan of Lorraine forms a dominant focal point. How long did Maria Theresa rule? [30][pageneeded], Charles VI died on 20 October 1740, probably of mushroom poisoning. Kann asserts that she nevertheless possessed qualities appreciated in a monarch: warm heart, practical mind, firm determination and sound perception. "[147] The censorship particularly affected works that were deemed to be against the Catholic religion. She began addressing 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. She suffered from shortness of breath, fatigue, cough, distress, necrophobia and insomnia. In May 1780, a group of Moravians who had assembled for a worship service on the occasion of her birthday were arrested and deported to Hungary. [20] Louis XV of France demanded that Maria Theresa's fianc surrender his ancestral Duchy of Lorraine to accommodate his father-in-law, Stanisaw I, who had been deposed as King of Poland. We must put everything at stake to save Bohemia. [92] She was also influenced by Jansenist ideas. Maria Theresa (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). For 40 years Maria Theresa reigned as Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [128] In 1769, the Constitutio Criminalis Theresiana was published, and this was a codification of the traditional criminal justice system since the Middle Ages. [33] Maria Theresa did secure recognition from King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, who had not accepted the Pragmatic Sanction during her father's lifetime, in November 1740. [101] The expulsion was executed only for Prague and only retracted in 1748 due to economic considerations and pressures from other countries, including Great Britain. . [69] Before the war started, Kaunitz had been sent as an ambassador to Versailles from 17501753 to win over the French. As Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, Archduchess of Austria, etc., ruler of the Habsburg Monarchy (1740-1780) Born in Vienna on 13 May 1717. She even advocated for a state church[j] and contemporary adversary travelers criticized her regime as bigoted, intolerant and superstitious. Joseph, however, was never able to establish rapport with the same advisers, even though their philosophy of government was closer to Joseph's than to Maria Theresa's. Maria Theresa of Spain - Wikipedia [49][50], By July, attempts at conciliation had completely collapsed. [8] The portraits of the imperial family show that Maria Theresa resembled Elisabeth Christine and Maria Anna. Although Austria had always stressed the rights of the state in relation to the church, Jansenism provided new theoretical justification for this. [124], After the smallpox epidemic of 1767, she promoted inoculation, which she had learned of through her correspondence with Maria Antonia, Electress of Saxony (who in turn probably knew of it through her own correspondence with Frederick the Great). The goal was to ensure that peasants not only could support themselves and their family members, but also help cover the national expenditure in peace or war. Prussian ambassador's letter to Frederick II of Prussia[127], The centralization of the Habsburg government necessitated the creation of a unified legal system. [15], Leopold Clement's younger brother, Francis Stephen, was invited to Vienna. [123] Maria Theresa also banned the creation of new burial grounds without prior government permission, thus countering wasteful and unhygienic burial customs. [33] 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. [48] Her coronation as Queen of Hungary suo jure took place in St. Martin's Cathedral, Pressburg (today's Bratislava), on 25 June 1741. [142], In the late part of her reign, Maria Theresa undertook reform of the system of serfdom, which was the basis for agriculture in eastern parts of her lands (particularly Bohemia, Moravia, Hungary and Galicia). Maria Theresa of Austria (1717-1780) | Encyclopedia.com Maria Theresa's ally, Augustus III of Poland, now became her enemy,[51] and GeorgeII declared the Electorate of Hanover to be neutral. How long did Khafre rule? | Homework.Study.com Their eldest son, Joseph, became Holy Roman Emperor. Eventually, Charles VI left behind a weakened and impoverished state, particularly due to the War of the Polish Succession and the Russo-Turkish War (17351739). [70] However, historians have blamed this treaty for France's devastating defeats in the war, since Louis XV was required to deploy troops in Germany and to provide subsidies of 2530million pounds a year to Maria Theresa that were vital for the Austrian war effort in Bohemia and Silesia. [85], In October 1767, Maria Theresa's sixteen-year-old daughter Josepha also showed signs of the disease. The treaty signed on 13 May 1779 averted what might have been a significant war with Prussia. DIED: October 16, 1793 BIRTHPLACE: Vienna, Austria PARENTS: Maria Theresa and Francis I SPOUSE: Louis XVI (1770-1793) CHILDREN: Marie-Thrse-Charlotte, Louis-Joseph, Louis XVII, and Sophie. How long did Nerva rule? She used them as pawns in dynastic games and sacrificed their happiness for the benefit of the state. [44] 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. [110], 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 the same time, new reforms were enforced, establishing much firmer state control over the Serbian Orthodox Metropolitanate of Karlovci. CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Maria Theresa - NEW ADVENT She gave her son absolute control over the military following the death of Leopold Joseph von Daun. [72] However, he 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. Although she had already won the admiration of the Hungarians, the number of volunteers was only in the hundreds. Throughout her widowhood, she spent the whole of August and the eighteenth of each month alone in her chamber, which negatively affected her mental health. She showed her gratitude to Countess Fuchs by having her buried in the Imperial Crypt along with the members of the imperial family. Thus, in nomenclature, Maria Theresa was archduke and king; normally, however, she was styled as queen. [150], An additional prompt to reform was the famine which afflicted the empire in the early 1770s. "[185] Despite being among the most successful Hapsburg monarchs and remarkable leaders of the 18th century, Maria Theresa has not captured the interest of contemporary historians or media, perhaps due her hardened nature.[186]. [114] Moreover, after Haugwitz was appointed the head of the new central administrative agency, dubbed the Directory, (Directorium in publicis et cameralibus) in 1749, he initiated a radical centralization of state institutions down to the level of the District Office (Kreisamt). Joseph slept in one of his mother's antechambers and hardly left her bedside. Felbiger's reforms were nevertheless pushed through, as a result of the consistent support of Maria Theresa and her minister Franz Sales Greiner. [183] Many of her policies were not in line with the ideals of the Enlightenment (such as her support of torture), and she was still very much influenced by Catholicism from the previous era. Other powerful women in history did not face that triple challenge. [145] The reform of the primary schools largely met Maria Theresa's aim of raising literacy standards, as evidenced by the higher proportions of children who attended school; this was particularly the case in the Archdiocese of Vienna, where school attendance increased from 40% in 1780 to a sensational 94% by 1807. English author Sir Nathaniel Wraxall once wrote from Vienna: "[T]he injudicious bigotry of the Empress may chiefly be attributed the deficiency [in learning]. Maria Theresa was one of the most powerful rulers of her time, and was as stern with her children as she was with . [147], Maria Theresa endeavoured to increase the living standards and quality of life of the people, since she could see a causal link between peasant living standards, productivity and state revenue. Maria Theresa was born next, followed by two more daughters, Maria Anna (1718-1744) and Maria Amalia (1724-1730). [113] She employed Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz, who modernised the empire by creating a standing army of 108,000men, paid for with 14million florins extracted from crown lands. [40] Maria Theresa's firmness soon assured Francis Stephen that they should fight for Silesia,[e] and she was confident that she would retain "the jewel of the House of Austria". It is hardly credible how many books and productions of every species, and in every language, are proscribed by her. Maria Teresa is writing in a notebook smuggled in to her by Santiclo, Carmen 's cousin, who is one of the guards at La Victoria. [118], Throughout her reign, Maria Theresa made the promotion of education a priority. Maria Theresa was increasingly influenced by the reformers Franz Anton von Blanc and Tobias Philipp von Gebler, who called for radical changes to the serf system to allow the peasants to make a living. The Treaty of Aix-la-Chappelle, which concluded the eight-year conflict, recognised Prussia's possession of Silesia, and Maria Theresa ceded the Duchy of Parma to Philip of Spain. Although she recovered, she was badly scarred with pock marks from the illness. The fact that Maria Theresa gave birth to sixteen children is a well-known part of her life story. She was born a Princess of Naples as the eldest daughter of King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Queen Maria Carolina . Throughout the city prayers were made for her recovery, and the sacrament was displayed in all churches. 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. On 29 November, she died surrounded by her remaining children. Archduchess Josepha started showing smallpox rash two days after visiting the crypt and soon died. Died in Vienna on 29 November 1780. Her first intention was to deport all Jews by 1 January, but having accepted the advice of her ministers, had the deadline postponed. The Austrians suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Mollwitz in April 1741. [100] Her son and co-ruler Joseph regarded his mother's religious policies as "unjust, impious, impossible, harmful and ridiculous". Elizabeth I of England and Catherine II of Russia lived and ruled like men: they did not have to negotiate maternal love, love for a man and the . Her sense of justice pushed her to reject the idea of partition, which would hurt the Polish people. And in fact, at the death of Francis Stephen in 1765, Maria Theresa elevated her eldest son, Joseph to Emperor, ruling with him as co-regent until her own death in 1780. The eldest surviving daughters of Maria Theresa's children were, In a letter to Joseph, she wrote: "What, without a dominant religion? [119], Maria Theresa doubled the state revenue from 20 to 40million florins between 1754 and 1764, though her attempt to tax clergy and nobility was only partially successful. A number of her descendants were named in her honour. Maria Theresa struck me as a unique case: she was an absolute monarch but did not renounce her status as a wife and a mother. [182] She centralised and modernised its institutions, and her reign was considered as the beginning of the era of "enlightened absolutism" in Austria, with a brand new approach toward governing: the measures undertaken by rulers became more modern and rational, and thoughts were given to the welfare of the state and the people. [67] France had successfully conquered the Austrian Netherlands, but Louis XV, wishing to prevent potential future wars with Austria, returned them to Maria Theresa. Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria - King's College [184] Vocelka even stated that "taken as a whole the reforms of Maria Theresa appear more absolutist and centralist than enlightened, even if one must admit that the influence of enlightened ideas is visible to a certain degree. [97][98] She was probably the most anti-Jewish monarch of her time, having inherited the traditional prejudices of her ancestors and acquired new ones. Maria Theresa's favourite child, Maria Christina, was born on her 25thbirthday, four days before the defeat of the Austrian army at Chotusitz. It was in Joseph's interest that she remained sovereign, for he often blamed her for his failures and thus avoided taking on the responsibilities of a monarch. [141][140] The curriculum focused on social responsibility, social discipline, work ethic and the use of reason rather than mere rote learning. In 1740, Maria Theresa succeeded the Habsburg throne. Three years later, she prohibited the use of lead in any eating or drinking vessels; the only permitted material for this purpose was pure tin.[126]. The Battle of Koln that followed was a decisive victory for Austria. Prussia recognised Francis as emperor, and Maria Theresa once again recognised the loss of Silesia (with the exception of Austrian Silesia by the Treaty of Dresden in December 1745, ending the Second Silesian War). 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. Her physician, Dr. Strk, thought her condition serious, although her son Joseph was confident that she would recover in no time. How did Maria Josepha die? - AnswersAll He complained that "no consideration was being taken for the landlords, who were threatened with the loss of more than half their income. Maria Theresa thereupon wrote to her rival Frederick II of Prussia to request him to allow the Silesian school reformer Johann Ignaz von Felbiger to move to Austria. [14], The question of Maria Theresa's marriage was raised early in her childhood. Despite his intellect, Maria Theresa's force of personality often made Joseph cower. [54][55], In 1741, the Austrian authorities informed Maria Theresa that the Bohemian populace would prefer Charles Albert, Elector of Bavaria, to her as sovereign. [76][77] Maria Theresa asserted that, had she not been almost always pregnant, she would have gone into battle herself. Maria Theresa | Encyclopedia.com How did Maria Theresa claim absolute power in Austria? It was an elaborate public event which served as a formal recognition and legitimation of her accession. She was educated in drawing, painting, music and dancing the disciplines which would have prepared her for the role of queen consort. [100][102], In the third decade of her reign, Maria Theresa issued edicts that offered some state protection to her Jewish subjects. Maria Theresa (1717 - 1780) was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. Her hairstyle and dress with wide panniers were popular in Spain. [100], 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 the Bavarian-French occupation during the War of the Austrian Succession. [29] The war was concluded the next year with the Treaty of Belgrade. [42], As Austria was short of experienced military commanders, Maria Theresa released Marshall Neipperg, who had been imprisoned by her father for his poor performance in the Turkish War. [b] Maria Theresa developed a close relationship with Countess Marie Karoline von Fuchs-Mollard, who taught her etiquette. In the. [174] Although Austria managed to gain the Innviertel area, this "Potato War" caused a setback to the financial improvement that the empress had made. If someone unknown tried to purchase a poison, that person had to provide two character witnesses before a sale could be effectuated. [79], Smallpox was a constant threat to members of the royal family. [172] Subsequently, on 30 December 1777, Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria died without leaving any children. Maria Theresa's reign has always been celebrated as a heyday of the Monarchy. Joseph himself often threatened to resign as co-regent and emperor, but he, too, was induced not to do so. Felbiger's first proposals were made law by December 1774. She controlled the selection of archbishops, bishops and abbots. Maria Theresa: Maria Theresa was the Holy Roman Empress from. [46] Maria Theresa reluctantly agreed to negotiations. Rule by mother and son: Joseph II and Maria Theresa [157] In the ensuing struggle, Joseph forced Blanc to leave the court. These include: She has appeared as the main figure in a number of films and series such as the 1951 Maria Theresa and Maria Theresia, an Austria-Czech television miniseries from 2017. She also advocated for the state church. Besides, Maria Theresa herself agreed with the partition when she realised that Frederick II of Prussia and Catherine II of Russia would do it with or without Austrian participation. The Jesuits were powerful and influential in the early years of Maria Theresa's reign. [149] The census of 177071 gave the peasants opportunity to express their grievances directly to the royal commissioners and made evident to Maria Theresa the extent to which their poverty was the result of the extreme demands for forced labour (called "robota" in Czech) by the landlords. [11] Her spelling and punctuation were unconventional and she lacked the formal manner and speech which had characterised her Habsburg predecessors. 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. (1717-1780) Who Was Maria Theresa? Birthday May 13, 1717 Birth Sign Taurus Birthplace Vienna , Austria DEATH DATE Nov 29, 1780 (age 63) #50437 Most Popular Boost About The first and only female ruler of the Habsburg lands, which included parts of modern-day Austria and Hungary. [78], Maria Theresa's mother, Empress Elisabeth Christine, died in 1750. They were also poorly trained and discipline was lacking. Signing the Treaty of Teschen was the final and one of the most important acts of Empress Maria Theresa's reign. How long did Nerva rule? | Homework.Study.com The first child, Maria Elisabeth (17371740), was born a little less than a year after the wedding. Maria Theresa had another loss in February 1766 when Haugwitz died. [17] In 1725, he betrothed her to Charles of Spain and her sister, Maria Anna, to Philip of Spain. [138] Nevertheless, high rates of illiteracy persisted in some parts of Austria, half of the population was illiterate well into the 19th century,[140] The teacher training colleges (in particular the Vienna Normal School) produced hundreds of new teachers who spread the new system over the following decades. [163] From then on, mother and son had frequent ideological disagreements. Subjects Social sciences How many wars did Maria Theresa oversee? Not without much hesitation and regret, she issued a decree that removed them from all the institutions of the monarchy, and carried it out thoroughly.
