Thread by @Arby_K

The last ruler of a powerful dynasty, a multi national war to retain the rule and old boundaries reformed foreshadowing those of the present.

Story in the evening ...

https://twitter.com/Arby_K/status/1351356399142412289

Maria Theresia was born in 1717 to the Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI and his wife Elisabeth Christine. She, her younger sister and their cousin sisters were the last generation of the Habsburg dynasty that had ruled over many parts of the European and the American continents. 1/10

In 1713, Emperor Karl had issued the Pragmatic Sanction effectively disinheriting his elder brother's daughters over his future daughters, in case he failed to produce a male heir, which he didn't. This made Maria Theresia the heir to the Habsburg realms. 2/10

In 1736, Maria Theresia married Francois Etienne de Lorraine, Duke of Lorraine and Teschen. The Treaty of Vienna to end the War of Polish Succession had Francois lose Lorraine, which had been occupied on and off by France over the past century, and gain Tuscany. 3/10

In 1740, Maria Theresia inherited Austria, Bohemia, Hungary, Croatia, Milan, Parma and the Austrian Netherlands from her father. But the Holy Roman Empire was a different matter altogether. Maria Theresia's cousins were married to the Electors of Saxony and Bavaria. 4/10

The Prussian King, Friedrich II (Also Elector of Brandenburg), seized Habsburg ruled Silesia, before Saxony could take it over. Silesia used to be a part of Poland, which was ruled by the Elector of Saxony. Meanwhile, France backed the Bavarian Elector's claim. 5/10

The Bavarian Elector was elected Emperor in 1742, but as the war raged on with the Bourbons, seeking to break up the Habsburg dominion, it was eventually settled in 1748. With British and Dutch help, Maria Theresia retained all her provinces, except Parma and Silesia. 6/10

Maria Theresia reorganized her realms, centralizing authority in Austria and Bohemia. This helped improve the state's finances and modernize it. Unhappy with the British alliance, she allied with France in 1756, their main rival for centuries. 7/10

The changed alliances and the unresolved issues of the War of Austrian Succession led to the Seven Years War. Her husband's death in 1765 led her son, Joseph, elected as Emperor. Maria Theresia retained her provinces letting her son co-rule. 8/10

The reforms Maria Theresia initiated would lead to more integration of Habsburg realms. The finances also improved considerably from the situation she had received it. 10 of her 16 children became adults, one of them, Maria Antonia, marrying crown prince of France, Louis. 9/10

The last of the Habsburgs finally died in 1780, leaving her realms to her son. In 1804, her grandson, Franz, declared the Empire of Austria, breaking Austria and Bohemia away from the Holy Roman Empire, uniting the Habsburg realms. 10/10