Maria Theresa: A Beloved Or Detested Austrian Monarch?

Maria Theresa, the only female ruler in the 650-year history of the Habsburg dynasty, was a unique figure in 18th-century European politics. She was an absolute monarch, a wife, and a mother to 16 children, including Marie Antoinette. She was also a reformer, modernising the Austrian state and strengthening its international standing.

Maria Theresa's rule began in 1740, when she was 23 years old. Although her husband, Francis I, was the official ruler, she governed the Habsburg monarchy single-handedly. She was a courageous, generous, and kind leader, who respected the rights of others and expected the same in return. She was also a devout Catholic who despised Jews and Protestants and, on certain occasions, ordered their expulsion.

Maria Theresa's first major challenge came from King Frederick II of Prussia, who invaded Silesia, beginning the War of the Austrian Succession. This conflict, which lasted from 1740 to 1748, ended with Maria Theresa losing the region of Silesia forever. However, she successfully defended her rule over most of the other Habsburg territories.

During her 40-year reign, Maria Theresa doubled the size of the army, reformed the military and judiciary, established a high court, and set up new structures in the educational system. She also promoted commerce and the development of agriculture, reorganised Austria's ramshackle military, and centralised the government. All of these reforms strengthened Austria's international standing.

Maria Theresa died of pneumonia on 29 November 1780, aged 63, in her hometown of Vienna. She is buried in an ornate double sarcophagus next to her husband beneath Vienna's Capuchin monastery.

Maria Theresa was the only female ruler in the 650-year history of the Habsburg dynasty

Maria Theresa (1717-1780) was the only female ruler in the 650-year history of the Habsburg dynasty. She was also one of its most successful rulers.

Maria Theresa was the eldest daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. In 1711, Charles found himself as the sole remaining male Habsburg. An old European law, the Salic Law, prohibited a woman from inheriting her father's kingdom. Concerned that he may not father a son, Charles issued a decree in 1713, known as the Pragmatic Sanction. This document guaranteed the right of succession to his daughter.

Maria Theresa was groomed from an early age to preserve Habsburg territory and influence. When she was 18, she married Francis Stephen of Lorraine. Within months of Charles VI’s death, Frederick II of Prussia invaded Silesia, a Habsburg province, beginning the War of the Austrian Succession. Maria Theresa led Austria through this and two other wars, preserving the bulk of Habsburg territory in the face of a series of militarily superior opponents.

Maria Theresa was a strict Catholic and showed little tolerance towards members of other confessions. She bore her husband sixteen children and was subsequently idealized as a model of maternal devotion. She was a courageous, generous and kind ruler. She respected the rights of others and expected others to respect her rights.

Maria Theresa was 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. She was also a devoted wife. The love for her husband was so deep that from the day of his death until her own, she dressed in mourning.

Maria Theresa was a pious Catholic and despised Jews and Protestants. On certain occasions, she ordered their expulsion to remote parts of the realm. She also advocated for the state church. She believed that religious unity was necessary for a peaceful public life and explicitly rejected the idea of religious tolerance.

Maria Theresa was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Slavonia, Mantua, Milan, Moravia, Galicia and Lodomeria, Dalmatia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma. By marriage, she was Duchess of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, and Holy Roman Empress.

She was one of the most successful Habsburg rulers, bearing 16 children

Maria Theresa was the ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position in her own right. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Slavonia, Mantua, Milan, Moravia, Galicia, Lodomeria, Dalmatia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma. She was also Duchess of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, and Holy Roman Empress by marriage.

Maria Theresa was the eldest surviving child of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Her father was the last surviving prince of his line, and he issued the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 to allow Maria Theresa to succeed him. She was groomed from an early age to preserve Habsburg territory and influence. When she was 18, she married Francis Stephen of Lorraine, with whom she had 16 children, 10 of whom survived into adulthood.

Maria Theresa was a successful ruler, bearing 16 children and implementing reforms that transformed the empire into a modern state with a significant international standing. She centralised and modernised institutions, and her reign was considered the beginning of the era of "enlightened absolutism" in Austria. She promoted commerce and the development of agriculture, reorganised Austria's military, and strengthened Austria's international standing. She also promoted education, making it a priority throughout her reign. She permitted non-Catholics to attend university and allowed the introduction of secular subjects, influencing the decline of theology as the main foundation of university education. She also established several educational institutions to prepare officials for work in the state bureaucracy, including the Theresianum in Vienna, the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt, and an Oriental Academy for future diplomats.

Maria Theresa also implemented financial reforms that greatly improved the economy. She doubled the state revenue from 20 to 40 million florins between 1754 and 1764. She employed Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz, who modernised the empire by creating a standing army of 108,000 men, paid for with 14 million florins extracted from crown lands. She also recruited Gerard van Swieten from the Netherlands, who founded the Viennese Medicine School.

Maria Theresa also promoted inoculation, which she learned about through her correspondence with Maria Antonia, Electress of Saxony. She promoted inoculation in Austria by hosting a dinner for the first 65 inoculated children in Schönbrunn Palace. She also banned the creation of new burial grounds without prior government permission, countering wasteful and unhygienic burial customs.

Maria Theresa was a devout Catholic and a bigot. She despised Jews and Protestants and ordered their expulsion to remote parts of the realm on certain occasions. She believed that religious unity was necessary for a peaceful public life and rejected the idea of religious toleration. She advocated for a state church and kept Rome at arm's length, controlling the selection of archbishops, bishops, and abbots. She also promoted the Greek Catholics and emphasised their equal status with Latin Church Catholics.

Maria Theresa was also conservative in matters of state. She employed Haugwitz, who initiated a radical centralisation of state institutions, creating a class of government officials numbering around 10,000 by 1760. She also created a Council of State composed of the state chancellor, three members of the high nobility, and three knights, which served as a committee of experienced advisors.

Maria Theresa's 40-year reign was considered very successful when compared to other Habsburg rulers. Her reforms transformed the empire into a modern state with a significant international standing.

She was a devout Catholic, who despised Jews and Protestants and expelled 20,000 Jews from Prague

Maria Theresa was a devout Catholic who despised Jews and Protestants. She was probably the most anti-Jewish monarch of her time, and her anti-Semitism was well-known and not kept secret. 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, the Jews are to be kept away and avoided.

In 1744, she ordered the expulsion of around 10,000 Jews from Prague, accusing them of disloyalty during the War of the Austrian Succession. The expulsion was eventually retracted in 1748 due to economic considerations and pressure from other countries, including Great Britain.

Maria Theresa's anti-Semitism was such that she was willing to tolerate Protestant businessmen and financiers in Vienna, as she wanted to break free from Jewish financiers. She also sought to convert Protestants to Catholicism, forming commissions to seek out secret Protestants and intern them in workhouses, where they would be given the chance to subscribe to approved Catholic statements of faith. If they accepted, they would be allowed to return home, but any sign of a return to Protestant practice was treated harshly, often by exile. She exiled thousands of Protestants from Austria to Transylvania and aimed to expel Moravian Protestants, only abandoning this idea when her son and co-ruler Joseph threatened to abdicate.

She was a reformer, who doubled the size of the army, reorganised the tax structure, and established a high court

Maria Theresa was a reformer who transformed the Austrian Empire into a modern state with significant international standing. She doubled the size of the army, reorganised the tax structure, and established a high court.

Doubling the Size of the Army

Maria Theresa was determined to ensure that the Habsburg monarchy would never again be perceived as too weak to defend itself. She proposed establishing a standing army of 110,000 men, which was 60,000 more than in her father’s day and 30,000 more than the Prussian peacetime army. She also encouraged the nobility to take an interest in serving in the officer corps, creating a school for officers called the Theresianum and introducing military orders as rewards for good service.

Reorganising the Tax Structure

Maria Theresa realised that no military reform would be effective without financial reform. She achieved her greatest accomplishments in this area by negotiating with the diets (parliamentary bodies) of the various crown lands, or provinces, to set the amount to be collected in taxes annually for an entire decade. This resulted in a steady income upon which reliable budgets could be based and an erosion in the power of the diets.

Establishing a High Court

Maria Theresa founded the Supreme Judiciary in 1749 as a court of final appeal for all hereditary lands.

She was a key figure in the power politics of 18th-century Europe, bringing unity to the Habsburg Monarchy

Maria Theresa was a pivotal figure in the power politics of 18th-century Europe, bringing unity to the Habsburg Monarchy through her reforms and policies.

Maria Theresa was the only woman to rule the Habsburg dominions, reigning from 1740 until her death in 1780. She was sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Slavonia, Mantua, Milan, Moravia, Galicia, Lodomeria, Dalmatia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma. She was also Duchess of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, and Holy Roman Empress by marriage.

Maria Theresa's father, Emperor Charles VI, ensured her right to the throne through the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, which allowed female succession. However, upon his death, several European sovereigns reneged on their recognition of the sanction, and she faced significant opposition to her rule. Despite this, she successfully defended her rule over most of the Habsburg Monarchy during the War of the Austrian Succession, only losing Silesia and a few minor territories in Italy.

Maria Theresa's reign was marked by her determination to strengthen Austria's international standing and transform the empire into a modern state. She reorganised Austria's military, promoted commerce and agriculture, and implemented financial, medical, and educational reforms. She centralised and modernised the monarchy's institutions, marking the beginning of "enlightened absolutism" in Austria.

Maria Theresa's reforms included the creation of a standing army, the taxation of the nobility, and the centralisation of state institutions. She established the Council of State, which served as a committee of experienced advisors, and the Directory, a central administrative agency. She also founded educational institutions, such as the Theresianum in Vienna and the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt, to prepare officials for work in the state bureaucracy.

In addition to her political and administrative reforms, Maria Theresa also instituted religious policies that reflected her devout Catholicism. She advocated for a state church and opposed religious toleration, aiming to convert Protestants and suppress Jews and Protestants, whom she considered dangerous to the state.

Maria Theresa's successful 40-year reign transformed the Habsburg Monarchy and solidified her place as a key figure in 18th-century European politics.

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