Maria Theresa: The Holy Roman Empress

Maria Theresa was born on May 13, 1717 in Vienna, Austria. She was the oldest daughter in her family, raised by her dad, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. As she was maturing into an adult, the possibility of her being the one to take over her father’s throne was extremely high. Charles did not have a chance of producing a son, so Maria was a perfect candidate for it. Once her father died in year 1740, for forty years she started to rule and have full command.Gaining power over many lands was not easy.
There were many obstacles in the way of Maria becoming a monarch. There was a Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, meaning Habsburg lands were bound by Salic law, this was so no female can ever have the ability of succession. Charles tried his best to get by the law and it worked. She was the only female monarch of the Habsburg territories. She also had control over Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria, Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma.After getting married, she became the Duchess of Lorraine and Tuscany, and the Holy Roman Empress. She also helped financial and educational reforms, advertised businesses and agriculture, and made the army better, which later on helped Austria’s resources.
During the time she had power, there became conflict that led to the Seven Years’ War and later to the War of the Bavarian Succession. In the end, Maria Theresa brought harmony to the Habsburg Monarchy and is known for being one of the greatest rulers. She died on November 29, 1780