From downtown Vienna, Austria, it’s a short ride out of town to Schönbrunn Palace. At Schönbrunn, the wealth and power of the Habsburg dynasty comes through loud and clear. But it wasn’t always that way. It wasn’t until one particular Habsburg, Maria Theresa, arrived. She really liked the place, she had unlimited resources, and she didn’t mess around.
Schönbrunn Palace had been in the family since the 16th century. They used it primarily as a hunting lodge. It must have been a rather large, fancy hunting lodge, but it was nothing like it is today.
Maria Theresa Habsburg moved into Schönbrunn around 1740. She hired architects and artisans to transform it into a grand destination. But for Maria Theresa, transforming Schönbrunn into a palace was child’s play. She ran the entire Habsburg empire for forty years.
A Woman? Heir to the Throne?
Maria Theresa’s father, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Habsburg monarchy, had no male heirs. Charles worked hard to ensure that one of his daughters would be legally in charge after his death.
Maria Theresa, born in May of 1717, was destined to be queen of Austria, Hungary, and the rest of the Habsburg empire. But assuming that position wasn’t a slam dunk. Once the king was no longer around, people broke agreements and tried to grab whatever power they could.
Fortunately for Maria Theresa, she was savvy enough to see the writing on the wall. She knew she had to take action or be pushed aside, so she jumped in the driver’s seat, took off, and never looked back. (That’s the simplified version).
Queen of Austria and Hungary
When the dust settled, Maria Theresa was the sovereign queen of Austria, Hungary, and eight other lands. Once in power, she started making changes that were way overdue.
Policies and wars waged by Charles VI had left the Austrian economy in a bad way. The Austrian government was almost broke. She enacted reforms that eventually turned things around.
Marriage-wise, Maria Theresa’s hand would have been quite a prize. After a number of potential prospects came and went, Charles VI managed to arrange her marriage to a guy she actually liked. (My guess is that she did a bit of one-on-one daughterly persuasion with dad).
Theresa Maria married Francis Stephen, a French royal. In those days, their marriage would have typically meant that he’d be king and in charge of everything.
But Francis wasn’t exactly a take-charge sort of guy, at least compared to Maria Theresa. Even after Francis became Holy Roman Emperor Francis I, it was Maria Theresa who ran the show.
As ruler of Austria, she made positive changes on multiple fronts. Education at the time had been just for the wealthy. The general populace was illiterate. Maria Theresa enacted policies that made education available for everyone.
During her rule, Austria fought wars on multiple fronts, sometimes more than one at a time. Maria Theresa acted as commander-in-chief. She won some and lost some, but did pretty well overall.
How Did She Find the Time?
Somehow, even with all of her responsibilities, she found time to have sixteen kids. (Sixteen!) And she had the old Habsburg touch for arranging marriages that strengthened the empire.
Two of Maria Theresa’s sons eventually became the Holy Roman Emperors of their day. Others were kings, queens, and dukes. But she had something special in mind for her last daughter, Marie Antonia.
Maria Theresa suspected that both England and Prussia had intentions of acquiring Habsburg territories. She wanted Austria and France to form a defensive alliance. What better way to team up than to arrange an inter-family marriage?
She went to work, and as usual, succeeded in her quest. She married young Marie Antonia to the heir to the French throne. Nice. But that arrangement would turn out to have a very significant downside.
To be continued…
Photo of young Archduchess Maria Theresa, Credit: Friends in Vienna
