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Mary Theresa

 

The only woman to ever rule the Austrian Empire had a very hard time proving herself in this position. But it took numerous reforms, war conflicts and centuries for people to understand her significance. She became queen in 1740 after marrying Franz Stephen, Duke of Lorraine. Franz, who was even voted head of the Holy Roman Empire, left the throne to his wife and preferred a comfortable life. Their marriage was a very happy one - they had 16 children and after Franz died, Mary Theresa remained in mourning until her own death.
Mary Theresa was very ambitious and followed the trend of 18th century European absolutism. Her reforms led to centralization of the empire, moving all the important institutions to Vienna. She protected home economy and made school attendance compulsory.
In the rational times of Enlightenment, it was hard for Mary Theresa to hold on to her inherited Catholicism. She didn’t believe in political power of the Church and banished the Jesuit order from the empire. She also cancelled old laws that involved witchcraft and black magic.
No matter how successful her home politics were, she lost Silesia to Frederick the Great, Emperor of Prussia. Frederick was a freemason just like Mary’s husband and they kept up a very friendly correspondence during severe war conflicts. This friendship shocked Mary Theresa more than Franz’s affairs and it was one thing she couldn’t forgive him.
Mary Therese hit at the patriarchal political system and spent 40 years on throne. Her son Joseph II became a great ruler, loved by his people. On the contrary, her youngest daughter Mary Antoinette took her proud Austrian attitude to France and lost her head to the revolution.

 




 

 


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