Maria Theresa of Austria - Holy Roman Empress Documentary
The People Profiles・2 minutes read
Maria Theresa, the Empress of Austria, faced numerous challenges during her reign, including wars, financial struggles, and domestic reforms influenced by Enlightenment ideas. Despite facing opposition and setbacks, she managed to stabilize and strengthen Austria through alliances and reforms, ultimately leaving a lasting impact on the Habsburg lands.
Insights
- Maria Theresa faced significant challenges upon ascending to the throne, including financial difficulties, military weaknesses, and questioning of her legitimacy due to being a female ruler. Despite these obstacles, she navigated through wars, territorial disputes, and family issues, showcasing her resilience and strategic decision-making skills.
- Maria Theresa's reign was characterized by a multifaceted approach to governance, encompassing domestic reforms, diplomatic negotiations, and medical advancements. Her efforts to promote Enlightenment ideas through bureaucratic, economic, and military improvements, alongside medical reforms such as smallpox vaccination, exemplify her commitment to modernization and progress, leaving a lasting impact on Austria's development and societal well-being.
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Recent questions
Who was Empress Maria Theresa?
Empress Maria Theresa was born in Vienna in 1717 to Emperor Charles VI and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel. She succeeded her father as ruler of Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia, facing significant challenges during her reign.
What were the key events during Maria Theresa's reign?
Maria Theresa faced wars like the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War, dealt with challenges from European powers, implemented domestic reforms post-war, and expanded Austrian influence in various territories.
How did Maria Theresa contribute to medical advancements?
Maria Theresa became an early supporter of vaccination against smallpox, employing Gerard van Swieten to research effective practices. She implemented medical reforms, established a medical academy, and regulated drug providers.
What was Maria Theresa's impact on Habsburg influence?
Maria Theresa strategically arranged marriages for her daughters to strengthen Habsburg influence, played a role in the partitioning of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and acquired new territories in Galicia, Lodomeria, and the Balkans.
How did Maria Theresa's reign shape Austria's future?
Despite facing challenges like the rise of Prussia, Maria Theresa managed to stabilize and strengthen Austria through alliances and reforms, setting the stage for Austria to become a major victor in the Napoleonic Wars and control much of Italy in the early 19th century.
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Summary
00:00
Empress Maria Theresa: Rise to Power
- Empress Maria Theresa was born on May 13, 1717, in Vienna, to Emperor Charles VI and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel.
- Maria Theresa was her parents' only surviving child, with two sisters who did not survive infancy.
- Her education included subjects like Latin, rhetoric, and history, taught by Jesuit tutors, alongside emerging sciences.
- Maria Theresa's childhood was typical of a princess, focusing on courtly pursuits like dancing and music.
- Her father, Charles VI, had a strained relationship with her due to his desire for a male heir.
- Maria Theresa was allowed to sit in on government council meetings at the age of fourteen but was not consulted on policy matters.
- The House of Habsburg, to which Maria Theresa belonged, had a long history of ruling Austria and expanding its territories through strategic marriages.
- Maria Theresa's marriage to Francis Stephen of Lorraine was arranged to strengthen Austria's position in Europe.
- Austria was involved in wars like the War of the Polish Succession and the Russo-Turkish War, impacting Maria Theresa's future reign.
- Maria Theresa succeeded her father as ruler of Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia, facing significant financial challenges and military weaknesses.
15:22
European Succession Wars: Maria Theresa's Reign
- Charles faced desertions due to unpaid soldiers during the Turkish wars of the 1730s.
- Maria Theresa lacked training in statecraft and faced incompetent ministers upon ascending.
- European powers questioned Maria's accession, challenging the Pragmatic Sanction's validity.
- Charles of Bavaria claimed Habsburg territories, rallying German states against a female ruler.
- The War of the Austrian Succession erupted, involving Austria, Britain, Dutch Republic, and Hanover against Bavaria, France, and Prussia.
- Frederick II invaded Austria in 1740, seizing Silesia due to its mineral wealth.
- The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle recognized Maria as Empress but ceded Silesia to Prussia.
- Maria Theresa had sixteen children, with only ten surviving into adulthood.
- Maria's unhappy marriage to Emperor Francis led to his infidelity and her overseeing of governance.
- Maria's reign saw religious issues, with failed attempts to convert Protestants and persecution of Jews.
32:03
Maria Theresa's Reign and Reforms in Austria
- In 1757, a treaty was made with France, providing 12 million florins to aid Austria against Prussia and dividing Prussia's territory among Austria, Sweden, and Russia if they won.
- Maria Theresa agreed to cede territory in the Austrian Netherlands to the House of Bourbon in exchange for French support.
- Austria, with Sweden and Russia, launched offensives against Prussia, winning battles at Kolin, Hockkirk, Kundersdorf, and Landeshut.
- Diplomatic shifts in the early 1760s led to Russia and Sweden making peace with Prussia, leaving Austria to fight alone.
- Frederick II of Prussia defeated Austria at the Battle of Burkersdorf in 1762, leading to peace negotiations and the end of the Seven Years War in 1763.
- The Treaty of Paris favored Britain, granting control over New France and establishing British dominance in India.
- The Treaty of Hubertusburg returned Prussia, Austria, and Saxony to pre-war borders, marking a victory for Austria despite failing to retake Silesia.
- Maria Theresa focused on domestic reforms post-war, influenced by Enlightenment ideas, leading to bureaucratic, economic, and military improvements.
- Maria's reign saw the suppression of witch trials and the prohibition of torture in the Habsburg dominions.
- Maria's policies included the establishment of the Chastity Commission to enforce Catholic morality, while promoting educational and medical reforms in line with Enlightenment principles.
47:38
Maria Theresa: Advocate for Medical Reforms
- In the 1760s, Austria faced a severe smallpox outbreak, resulting in the deaths of three of Maria Theresa's children and her own contraction of the disease in 1767.
- Maria Theresa, influenced by the devastation caused by smallpox, became a strong advocate for medical reforms and initiated efforts to combat the disease.
- Maria Theresa employed Gerard van Swieten as the royal physician in 1745 and tasked him in the mid-1760s to research effective practices against smallpox.
- Van Swieten oversaw successful smallpox vaccination trials in Austria in the late 1760s, following similar experiments in Britain, making Maria Theresa an early supporter of vaccination.
- Maria Theresa implemented various medical reforms, including establishing a medical academy, regulating drug providers, and banning lead in drinking vessels.
- The sudden death of Maria Theresa's husband, Francis, in 1765 led to her son, Joseph, becoming co-ruler and eventually Holy Roman Emperor alongside her.
- Maria Theresa strategically arranged marriages for her daughters to strengthen Habsburg influence, including Maria Antonia, later known as Marie Antoinette, marrying the Dauphin of France.
- Maria Theresa played a significant role in the political landscape, including the partitioning of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and acquiring new territories in Galicia and Lodomeria.
- Maria Theresa expanded Austrian influence in the Balkans, acquiring Bukovina from the Ottoman Empire and engaging in territorial disputes in southern Germany.
- Maria Theresa's health declined in her later years, leading to her passing in 1780 at the age of 63, after which her son Joseph succeeded her as Holy Roman Emperor and initiated extensive reforms.
01:02:41
Austria's Rise Amid European Power Struggles
- Napoleon abolished the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, leading to Francis II declaring himself Emperor of Austria in 1804, setting the stage for Austria to become a major victor in the Napoleonic Wars and control much of Italy in the early 19th century.
- Maria Theresa, the longest-reigning monarch of the Habsburg lands in the 18th century, faced challenges during her rule, including the rise of Prussia as a rival power in Germany. Despite criticisms, she managed to slow Prussia's ascent through alliances and reforms, ultimately stabilizing and strengthening Austria by the time of her death in 1780.
