Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, aka Madame de Pompadour. Painted by Francois Boucher.
Part ten of our series on Maria Theresa.
Welcome to another installment of the Stately Quadrille!
Prior to Maria Theresa becoming Empress of Austria and Frederick becoming King of Prussia, it was unthinkable that France and Austria would be allies. Frederick used this longstanding enmity to his advantage: he often brought France into his battles with Austria, who would then bring Britain in.
But in the last installment, we saw how Maria Theresa worked to free herself of entanglement with Britain. The next step after monetary and military independence was allying with someone else: France.
Maria Theresa already has an alliance with Empress Elizabeth of Russia, but that only protects her flank to the east. France would protect her to the West. The problem with this idea is twofold: allying with France is just as radical an idea as taxing the nobles and Louis XV of France is dead-set against it.
Maria Theresa enlists Count Kauntiz’ help with this – he was the advisor who worked so closely with her sister Maria Anna when she went north to rule over Flanders. He travels to Versailles to try to make headway with France.
He hits a brick wall via official channels. However, Versailles is being run by Madame de Pompadour at this time (Louis XV has no interest in actually ruling, so she’s running Versailles and France). In order to stay in power, her mission is to keep Louis XV entertained at all times. There are loads of parties. Kauntiz, being an intelligent man, realizes this (“most things are done by intrigue and cabal” he wrote in a letter to Maria Theresa) and joins in the fun. By the time he goes back to Vienna in 1753, he’s made little official headway, but he’s planted a lot of ideas and has made a friend of Madame de Pompadour.
Then: an incident occurs! France and England are fighting over territory in North America. It’s a long story (and George Washington is involved – this is the incident where he “lead his men straight into a massacre” referenced in Hamilton) but the upshot is that France and England, never happy with each other, use it as an excuse for another war.
Because all the European powers have alliances and pledges to support each other, everyone wants to know who Frederick of Prussia will support?
Frederick of Prussia has also used the downtime after the Wars of Austrian Succession to strengthen his country in much the same way that Maria Theresa did. But a personal thing about Frederick: he hates women. He is a gay man who constantly disparages women, including Maria Theresa, Empress Elizabeth of Russia, and Madame de Pompadour in France. Suffice it to say that he’s militarily strong, but none of Austria, Russia, or France is interested in working with him.
Frederick is secretly negotiating with Britain to come into this conflict on its side, but has also professed loyalty to France. Maria Theresa has Count Kauntiz let Madame de Pompadour know that Frederick is talking with Britain. She takes this information to Louis XV, who has to make the decision, but he doesn’t believe her.
Then, on January 16, 1756, Frederick signs the Treaty of Westminster with Britain. This pushes France into an alliance with Austria.
France signs its treaty with Austria on May 1. On May 17, Britain declares war on France. France responds on June 16. Two months later Francis attacks Saxony (the land he wants to get out of this little war). But, Maria Theresa is waiting for him.
Next time: Austria and Prussia go to war. Again.
Source: In the Shadow of the Empress by Nancy Goldstone. Affiliate link to Bookshop.org.