Maria Theresia of Austria

Maria Theresa of Austria – Francis’s election as Holy Roman Emperor

When Maria Theresa’s father, Emperor Charles VI died in 1740; Maria Theresa’s sex meant that she was barred from becoming Holy Roman Empress in her own right. However, she did inherit many of her father’s family dominions which he had secured for her during his lifetime by pushing through an act called the Pragmatic sanction in [read more]

Maria Theresia of Austria

The Ceding of Lorraine

The marriage of Maria Theresa and Francis of Lorraine came with quite a few consequences. Francis had succeeded his father as Duke of Lorraine in 1729, but as part of a solution to the War of the Polish Succession, Emperor Charles VI asked that Francis give away Lorraine to the deposed King of Poland for [read more]