Maria Theresa, not quite the empress

Part three of our series on Maria Theresa.

We last left our heroes, Maria Theresa and Francis, freshly married. Maria Theresa knew that Francis was angry and upset that he’d had to give up Lorraine to marry her, and she genuinely felt guilty about it. I mean, not guilty enough to try to change it. But she definitely knew he’d sacrificed for her.

She also genuinely loved Francis, which is why it was no surprise when she became pregnant with their first child three months after the wedding. She ends up giving birth to a girl.

In the last post, I detailed how much land Charles had to give up to ensure that Maria Theresa could become empress after he died. After Francis and Maria Theresa were married, Charles joined forces with Russia to invade the Ottoman Empire to attempt to claim some land from somewhere. Bonus: he could send Francis off to learn how to be a general.

The short version is: Francis was a terrible general (even though he’d been paired with a capable, experienced military man), the war was unpopular, and Austria ended up losing Serbia and Belgrade.

During the war, Maria Theresa became pregnant and gives birth to her second child, another girl, Maria Anna. (This pace will not slacken, not even after she becomes empress. She gives birth to sixteen children over eighteen years. I cannot imagine, honestly, even with the help that comes from being an empress.)

Francis’ and Maria Theresa’s popularity isn’t great at this point. Public opinion is against Francis because of the war, and people are worried that Maria Theresa has only given birth to two girls so far, and no sons. Charles sends them off to Florence, only to almost immediately recall them, worried about what would happen if he died while his heir was gone.

By the time they return, Maria Theresa is pregnant again, with a baby that turns out to be another daughter. Sadly, her oldest daughter dies from an infection at this point.

Charles is not in a great state of mind at this point. He’s lost a ton of land during his reign, his latest war has been a disaster, and Maria Theresa is only giving birth to girls. He goes hunting in an effort to cheer himself up. But it’s raining, and he gets sick. He dies a few days later.

And so Maria Theresa becomes empress of Austria with an empty treasury, much reduced territory, and an unhappy populace.

Next time: Maria Theresa becomes Queen of Hungary, officially, and has to deal with Frederick (the Great) of Prussia, who is a piece of work.

Source: In the Shadow of the Empress by Nancy Goldstone. Affiliate link to Bookshop.org.