Austria's Shifting Loyalties: Mid-1700S Political Realities And Power Plays

In the mid-1700s, Austria shifted its alliances due to a change in its foreign policy. After the Treaty of Versailles, Austria realized that Prussia posed a greater threat than France, leading to an alliance with France in 1756. This marked a significant shift as Austria had previously been allied with Britain for many years. The realignment, known as the Diplomatic Revolution, set the stage for the Seven Years' War in 1756, with Prussia now allied with Great Britain.

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Austria viewed Prussia as a greater threat than France

Austria shifted alliances in the mid-1700s, moving away from Britain and towards France, because it viewed Prussia as a greater threat than France. This shift in alliances was known as the Diplomatic Revolution.

In the early 1700s, Prussia, led by King Frederick II, invaded the Austrian province of Silesia, sparking a conflict that would eventually see Prussia ally itself with France, Bavaria, Spain, Sweden, and Saxony. These states sought to exploit the succession struggle to acquire Habsburg possessions and diminish Austrian power. In response, Austria, Britain, the United Provinces, and Russia allied against Prussia.

The War of the Austrian Succession, fought between 1740 and 1748, saw Prussia emerge as the clear winner, acquiring Silesia from Austria. This outcome undermined the long-standing Anglo-Austrian Alliance, as Maria Theresa, the Austrian ruler, deeply resented Britain's insistence that she cede Silesia to make peace. She made it her main objective to regain the territory. The war also demonstrated that Hanover, held in personal union with the British Crown, was vulnerable to Prussian attacks.

Prussia's quick occupation of Silesia, a rich province in the Holy Roman Empire, took the Austrians by surprise. The retention of Austrian fortresses in Southern Silesia, such as Glogau, Breslau, and Brieg, prevented Prussia from achieving a quick victory. However, Frederick underestimated Maria Theresa's determination to reverse her loss. The Austrians, under von Neipperg, marched on Brieg, threatening to cut off the Prussians. Despite initial setbacks, the Prussians ultimately achieved a major victory at Hohenfriedberg in June 1745.

After the Treaty of Versailles, Austria reviewed its foreign policy and realized that Prussia posed a greater threat to its interests than France. As a result, in 1756, Austria formed an alliance with France, ending the centuries-long rivalry between the two nations. This realignment set the scene for the outbreak of the Seven Years' War in 1756.

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The War of Austrian Succession

Prussia, often considered the clear winner of the conflict, acquired Silesia from Austria, which undermined the long-standing Anglo-Austrian Alliance. Maria Theresa deeply resented Britain's insistence that she cede Silesia to make peace, and she made it her main objective to regain it. The war demonstrated that Hanover, then held in personal union with the British Crown, was vulnerable to Prussian attacks, and many British politicians felt they received little benefit from the enormous subsidies paid to Austria. This led to a realignment known as the Diplomatic Revolution, in which Austria and France ended their centuries-long rivalry, and Prussia allied with Great Britain. These changes set the stage for the outbreak of the Seven Years' War in 1756.

The war involved several colonial conflicts, particularly between Britain and France. The French seized the British East India Company's trading base of Madras, while the British unsuccessfully besieged Pondicherry. In Canada, British colonists, supported by the Royal Navy, captured the French fortress of Louisbourg. The British pursued a dual strategy of naval blockade and bombardment of enemy ports, harassing enemy shipping, and attacking enemy outposts, frequently using colonists from nearby British colonies. This strategy worked better in North America than in Europe.

The last major French success was Marshal Maurice de Saxe's conquest of the Austrian Netherlands, which culminated with the fall of the capital, Brussels, in February 1746. The British army, now under the command of the King's son, the Duke of Cumberland, clashed with Marshal Maurice de Saxe's French army at Fontenoy in May 1745. Despite occupying a strong position and having the advantage of numbers, the French were defeated. From 1746 to 1748, the war dragged on indecisively, and the financial burden eventually pushed the powers to the conference table. The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, signed in October 1748, preserved the bulk of the Austrian inheritance for Maria Theresa, and France agreed to leave the Austrian Netherlands and return Madras in return for Louisbourg.

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The Pragmatic Sanction

The sanction was the first such document to be publicly announced and therefore required formal acceptance by the estates of the realms affected. Charles VI laboured for ten years to have his sanction accepted by the courts of Europe. The decree received the assent of the individual estates of the Habsburg dominions, so that it became a constitutional law of the developing Habsburg monarchy.

The sanction was prompted by the fact that, as of 1713, Charles and his wife, Elizabeth Christine, had no children. Charles was the sole surviving male member of the House of Habsburg, and his elder brother, Joseph I, had died without male issue, leaving Joseph's daughter as the heiress presumptive. The previous succession laws had also forbidden the partition of the Habsburg dominions and provided for succession by females, but this had been mostly hypothetical. The Pragmatic Sanction streamlined these succession laws and reorganised the territories into an indivisible entity, so that one heir would inherit them.

Despite the promulgation of the Pragmatic Sanction, when Charles was succeeded by his firstborn child, Maria Theresa, in 1740, the outbreak of the War of the Austrian Succession occurred, as Charles Albert of Bavaria, backed by France, contested her inheritance.

The Treaty of Versailles

In the mid-1700s, Austria shifted its alliances due to a change in its foreign policy. After the Treaty of Versailles, Austria viewed Prussia as a greater threat than France. This led to an alliance between Austria and France in 1756, marking a significant shift from their previous alliance with Britain. Austria's decision was influenced by its desire to protect its interests and regain lost territory.

Now, here is some detailed information about the Treaty of Versailles, specifically referring to the Treaty of Versailles of 1919, which was the primary treaty of World War I.

The treaty imposed stringent terms on Germany, requiring territorial concessions, disarmament, and the extradition of alleged war criminals. Approximately 10% of Germany's pre-war European territory was surrendered, with some areas placed under international supervision and others given to neighbouring countries. Germany also lost all its overseas colonies and was compelled to recognize the independence of states that had previously been part of the German Empire.

Additionally, the treaty mandated that Germany accept responsibility for the war and agree to pay substantial reparations to the Allied countries. The specific amount of reparations was determined by the Inter-Allied Commission and presented in 1921, totalling 132 billion gold Reichmarks or 32 billion US dollars. The trial of Kaiser Wilhelm II and other high-ranking German officials as war criminals was also stipulated in the treaty. These punitive measures reflected the wishes of France and Britain to ensure Germany would not pose a future threat.

The Diplomatic Revolution

The immediate cause of the Diplomatic Revolution was the War of the Austrian Succession, which ended in 1748. As a result of this conflict, Prussia acquired Silesia from Austria, an outcome that strained the long-standing Anglo-Austrian Alliance. Maria Theresa, the Habsburg monarch of Austria, deeply resented Britain's insistence on ceding Silesia and made it her primary objective to regain the territory. This created conflicting interests between Austria and Britain, leading Austria to seek alternative alliances that could support its goals.

During this period, France had concerns about British commercial growth and sought to counterbalance British influence. Additionally, France no longer considered Austria an immediate threat, as Frederick II of Prussia had ended the prospect of Habsburg-German dominion bordering French lands. This shift in perception made an alliance between France and Austria more feasible.

In 1756, Austria and France ended their centuries-long rivalry and formed an alliance. The First Treaty of Versailles, signed on May 1, 1756, established a defensive pact between the two nations. Both sides agreed to remain neutral if either party entered into a conflict with a third party and pledged to provide military support in such cases. This treaty marked a significant shift in European affairs, as it brought together two former rivals in a shared cause.

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