WEDDING DAY AND YOUNG MARRIAGE Carlos. But it was the same old story – the naval powers were keen to avoid either the Bourbons or the Habsburgs The eyes of many European princes now turned to attaining stratospheric levels of influence. And Char - Vienna, for although Maria Theresa was still playing les VI needed their signatures on an important agree- with her dolls, this lovely maiden was blossoming into ment – in short, his daughter would marry an insignifi- a most eligible match for their marriageable sons. In the cant prince without a major power base. In any case, 1720s, Austria was a Great Power, and its emperor’s Charles already knew who should get the little Theresa: daughter represented a desirable dowry for Bavaria or he had selected Leopold Clement, third son of Duke Saxony, for example. In Berlin too, the crown prince Leopold of Lorraine and future prince of a prosperous Fritz was just the right age, only five years older, soldierly but not exactly powerful province west of the Rhine. and strictly reared. Charles VI dismissed all these suitors, One day, he should take the now six-year-old Theresa Fig. 28: Anonymous, Francis Stephen of Lorraine and Ma - however. Even the Spanish Bourbon king, Philip V, had home. Charles had a high opinion of the father, who had ria Theresa, c. 1736. his eye on little Theresa, as a bride for his son Don fought bravely at Prince Eugene’s side against the Turks. And the blood of shared ancestors ran in their veins. They were already preparing for the prince’s arrival in Vienna when Clement was unexpectedly carried off by smallpox. Into his place stepped the younger brother Francis Stephen, also an engaging, vivacious prince, then aged 15. Now he should come to Vienna – there was no need to make other agreements. From August 1726 onwards, he lived at the imperial court in Vienna, and soon a bond of affection joined the two young people. Charles VI was also charmed by the handsome lad, who proved him- “FOR EVERY HAPPINESS self a born Nimrod and soon became a valued IN MARRIAGE IS FOUND companion in the hunt. He might not have been IN MUTUAL TRUST AND a model of erudition, to put it mildly and, as MUTUAL COURTESY. THE FOLLY OF LOVE IS some unkind wags had it, he might speak Ger- SOON PAST – YOU man like a Frenchman and French like a Ger - MUST RESPECT EACH man, yet Charles had confidence in this adoles- OTHER AND EACH cent youth – after all, he didn’t need eloquence MUST SERVE THE to one day bless his daughter with children. No, OTHER, YOU MUST FEEL Francis Stephen of Lorraine was no prodigy, and FRIENDSHIP FOR EACH OTHER TO LIVE HAPPILY this future son-in-law was as lacking in ambition IN A MARRIAGE. ITIS as in decorum and drive. But at least his mother, ONLY THUS THAT ONE a member of the house of Orleans, had taught CAN BEAR THE him good manners, making it hard to bear UNPLEASANTNESS OF a grudge against this simple outdoor lad. THIS WORLD.” Dark clouds soon rolled in, however – Maria Theresa to her daugh- now France was being obstructive. Lorraine fell ter Maria Christina, 1766.

22 23 within the French sphere of influence and after the fiasco amusing and warm-hearted – as much a Vienna girl as of the War of the Polish Succession, Austria had to live if she’d grown up in the suburbs. She made no effort to within its means. In the Treaty of Vienna, France de- hide her broad Vienna accent and saw herself as a Ger - manded that the Duke of Lorraine exchange his heredi- man. She was enraptured with this friendly, casual, loyal, tary lands for the Grand Duchy of Tuscany to stop funny boy, this French rascal; and so, on 12 February Austria playing games with the Grande Nation. Francis 1736, she bestowed her hand upon him with tender Stephen was naturally appalled – this was his home, and affection. It was a real love match, formalised by the the business with Tuscany was little more than a vague Augustinians in the imperial court church, and it would assurance, only redeemable when the last Grand Duke, be a happy marriage, as their sixteen children – five sons Gian Gastone de’ Medici, should die. Francis Stephen and eleven daughters – bore witness. Maria Theresa was Fig. 29: Anonymous, Em - protested, but privy councillor Johann Christoph von not in the least put out by spending the next decade in peror Charles VI, Dressed for Bartenstein knew where to apply pressure: “no signature, the family way – she loved this condition and would Hunting, 18th century. Kunst - no Archduchess Maria Theresa”. Although he put the quite happily always be pregnant. historisches Museum, Vienna. pen aside three times, Francis Stephen did eventually Maria Theresa would never regret having chosen the Fig. 30: Martin van Mey - sign – his future would be on the Danube. “handsome Frenchman”, as the Viennese dubbed him. tens, Francis I Stephen and Meanwhile, Maria Theresa had grown into a tall, Even if his eyes later wandered to other beauties, she Maria Theresa with Eleven Fig. 31: Johan Lundberg, Children, 1764/65. Kunst hi - enchanting beauty with the majestic gait of a queen. She remained faithful to her Franzel, in good times and bad. The Wedding Feast, c. 1736. storisches Museum, Vienna. had remained down-to-earth and natural, however, After the wedding, the couple travelled to Styria, to seek National museum Stock holm.

24 25 Fig. 32: Anonymous, Empress Maria ONAPRECARIOUS THRONE Theresa, between 1741 and 1750. Wilten Abbey, Innsbruck. They were happy days of pregnancy, and if this was indeed a son at last, he should be called Joseph, and would console Charles after the ignominious Treaty of Belgrade. But dreadful news shattered this au - tumn idyll on 20 October 1740: her father was dead! Theresa was dragged abruptly out of the tranquillity of youth as she received this unspeakable message. She was entirely unprepared for this news, unprepared the blessing of Our Lady of Zell. for the office that now fell to her, and unprepared for This was followed by jubilant years the bundle of lands now supposed to be hers to admin- in which the young wife grew ever ister and rule. Her father had never let her attend more beautiful under her husband’s a cabinet meeting, had never discussed matters of state caresses. The days seemed to fly with her. Fig. 33: Representatives of away. A man needs a job, however, By 21 October, the Archduchess of Austria and the Lower Austrian estates pay homage to Maria Theresa so Francis Stephen should make Queen of Hungary and Bohemia had taken part in the in the Hofburg’s Knights himself useful as a field marshal in first meeting of the Privy Conference, with the Grand Hall, 1740. the Turkish wars. Yet despite his participation in the victory at Kor - nia of 4 July 1738, it soon became apparent that he was little good as a commanding officer. Her father was annoyed, and Maria Theresa no longer allowed her husband onto the battlefield. Later she would send his brother to the front, but he too was seldom lucky in bat- tle – the Viennese nicknamed him the “battle loser”. Perhaps this was why Lorraine had remained an insignifi- cant duchy... In December 1738, a journey to Florence awaited, because Francis Stephen had finally become Grand Duke of Tuscany. And as Charles VI had lost the hard-won Balkan provinces again, the young people stayed from January to April 1739, spending their early married life beneath the Italian sun. The couple had not been long back in Vienna when, on 12 January 1740, Maria The - resa gave birth to a child. This was not the first daughter however, they were already onto number three! Francis Stephen was certainly living up to Charles VI’s expect - ations of him. After three trial runs this might actually be the son and heir, so long awaited by his grandfather.

26 27 Fig. 34: Anonymous, The Duke of Tuscany on her left hand. Looking around, she the Lower Austrian estates, for example, took part in Fig. 36: Procession across Coronation of Maria Theresa would have seen a cabinet made up of ice-grey geriatrics, a magnificent procession over the Graben on 22 No vem - Vienna’s Graben on 22 No - of Austria (1740), 1913. vember 1740 on the occa- Liebig trading card. the youngest of whom was still over 70. Only Johann ber, in which the young Maria Theresa was borne up in sion of the declaration of al - Christoph Baron von Bartenstein, the privy secretary a sedan chair, while the fountains in the square flowed legiance to Maria Theresa, of state, offered the young woman any support in these with red and white wine. engraving, c. 1742. difficult days; most of them were waiting to see how Maria Theresa looked over the array of unrolled maps events would play out. One of the first acts of the Arch - – the borders of her enormous empire stretched for duchess-Queen was to release and rehabilitate two gen- thousands of miles, lined with fortresses and military erals her father had imprisoned in anger, setting Neip- installations. Although she knew little about her army, perg and Wallis at liberty again. the answers to her questions made her blanch – her huge Voices among the Viennese citizenry were already inherited lands were a miniature state in military terms, beginning to suggest that the empire would be better in with outdated weapons and crumbling fortifications. the hands of a German prince, and that rule by a woman She had barely taken office before the first fronts was dishonourable. The people’s mood was “wild and opened up: the Bavarian envoy lodged an official protest difficult”, demonstrations and excesses flickered up here in his master’s name against Maria Theresa’s accession to and there. In most provinces, however, the people hon- the throne, basing his case on an old will made by Em- oured the young woman, often with rapturous acclaim; peror Ferdinand I. The Prince-Elector of Bavaria, Karl Al brecht, had in any event refused to guarantee the Prag - matic Sanction of 1731. The testament was dug out of the archives and read out in the presence of all the Fig. 35: Jan Vermeyen, The Crown of Emperor Rudolph II, later the Austrian Imperial Crown, 1602. Imperial Treasury, Kunst histo ri - international ambassadors: Bavaria could inherit the suc- sches Museum, Vienna. cession in the event of a lack not of “male” issue, but

28 29 of “legitimate” heirs. Relief – until the historiographers courageous, bold and reckless. War and shysters took up the case: by “legitimate” offspring, was already in the offing, Silesia was Emperor Ferdinand had really only meant sons, they at stake. claimed. Others were attempting to claim her inherit - Silesia! The jewel in the Habsburg ance with malice and deceit so Maria Theresa sat up for crown! The duchy had come to the hours poring over the files, reaching for her quill pen dynasty in 1526 with the Bohemian even late at night. She was not going to be brought down throne. Liegnitz and Glogau, Ra ti - by pettifogging lawyers. bor and Beuthen, Oppeln and Brieg, The woman did not believe her ears when, in mid Schweidnitz and Breslau – Maria December, the Prussian envoy put forward King Fre - Theresa ran her fingers over the derick II’s offer of help – in return for a small fee: Silesia. provinces and cities, familiar to her Frederick had succeeded his father, the Soldier King, on from her lessons. It would be shabby the Prussian throne. It was the early days of his reign, his and weak to exchange these bustling father had taught him discipline and rigour, and his and prosperous provinces for the other legacy was plain to see: an army drilled like clock- false friendship of Prussia! Indig- work, waiting eagerly for action. And the young king, nantly, the heavily pregnant queen Fig. 37: Martin Helwig, Map only five years older than Maria Theresa, stood at the rejected the demand disguised as of Silesia, 1561. head of his men in person. He was said to be brave and a benevolent offer of help. A few days later, the news reached her that on 16 December 1740, Frederick’s troops had invaded her territory without a declaration of war. Later Frederick would admit that “ambition, interest and the desire to make a name for myself had won the day, and the war Fig. 38: Antoine Pesne, Fre - was determined”. The queen had to endure it – her army derick the Great as Crown Prince, c. 1736. and finances alike were in disarray. Her opponent had proclaimed that he had taken possession of the land with Fig. 39: David Matthieu, Fre- derick II of Prussia as a Young her agreement. Christmas 1740 was a sorry affair. Silesia General, after 1743. was in the hands of the Prussian king, the Austrian regi - Fig. 40: Wilhelm Camp hau- ments were elsewhere. They had 68,000 regular troops sen, The Silesian Estates Pay in total, who were stationed in Belgium, Italy, Hungary Homage to Frederick II in and Transylvania. The coffers contained 87,000 thalers Bres lau, 1741, 1882. in cash, which would not get Her Majesty, the com- mander- in-chief, very far. Dark shadows fell across Maria Theresa’s accession, but one ray of sunshine pierced the gloom, increasing her strength tenfold: on 13 March 1741 she gave birth to a healthy boy, immediately christened Joseph. She would fight for this Joseph, and for all who would come after him. As the heir to an ancient dynasty, she

30 31 thought in terms of generations. The king of Prussia alliance against the Pragmatic Sanction and urged them would pay for his theft! Before the end of March, a body to elect Karl Albrecht, the prince-elector of Bavaria, to of 20,000 troops had been sent to Silesia, and she urged the imperial throne, which had been empty since the Field Marshal Wilhelm Reinhard Count Neipperg to the death of Charles VI. After all, Karl Albrecht was married earliest possible departure. Although he reached Neisse to a Habsburg princess, although Joseph I’s daughter had before it could be occupied, he lost valuable time at also had to renounce her place in the succession. Her Mollwitz. The Prussians were already approaching, com- mother, the old Empress Amalie, was still living in manded by the king himself. The Austrians, encamped Vienna, where she played the Bavarian hand. in an April storm, were not yet ready for battle when the If Maria Theresa’s opponents had their way, she would Prussian columns marched up through the deep snow be fobbed off with Hungary, while her Franzl should on 10 April 1741. The Prussian artillery were already make do with Tuscany. The elderly Cardinal André- shoot ing on the Austrian cavalry when Austrian cavalry Hercule de Fleury remarked sardonically: “It is not our general Karl Joachim von Römer gave the order to intention to despoil the queen entirely, but merely to Fig. 42: Prussian soldiers attack, riding around the firing zone into the Prussians’ pluck one feather from her.” To seal the alliance, two on the attack in the Battle right wing – shock, retreat, flight, particularly among the French armies were equipped; the first prime steak on of Mollwitz, 1741. Colour ranks of the Prussian cavalry. The Prussian king was the menu was Bohemia; the clock was ticking. litho graph, 19th century. among those who fled, his counter - attack having failed. But riding back to the battlefield at midnight, Frederick learnt that his Field Marshal Kurt Chri - stoph von Schwerin had in fact won the battle with bayonets at the ready and to the sound of marching bands. In Vienna, they were appalled at the news; in Munich, meanwhile, it was greeted with interest. There, they were just putting together an alliance against Maria Theresa. One thing led to an - other, and on 18 May 1741, her op- ponents signed a secret agreement at the Nymphenburg Palace in Munich. France, Spain, Bavaria, Prussia and Saxony made up a formidable coalition aiming to wrest her inheritance away from her. The French negotiator, Marshal de Belle-Isle, brokered the

Fig. 41: Martin van Meytens, Archduke Joseph, Later Emperor Joseph II, as Crown Prince, 1743.

32 33 HUNGARIANS’ LIFE AND BLOOD monarchy that would later be established under Francis Joseph I. In May 1741, Europe looked towards Pressburg, where On 25 June 1741, Maria Theresa was crowned queen the Hungarian parliament was assembled. Austria’s op - of Hungary in Pressburg, amid great celebrations. Ac- ponents were counting on Hungary taking this op - cording to tradition, Maria Theresa should ride up the portunity to break away – after all, it had only recently coronation hill and seize the land, swinging her sword fought for its independence. Maria Theresa knew the above her head – no easy manoeuvre for this inexperi- dangers and took action against them. Red, white and enced horsewoman. The Hungarians also recognised her green garlands and pennants fluttered from the ship husband as co-regent, although not without tumultuous Fig. 43: Eduard Schaller, Fig. 45: Franz Messmer, Ma- Hun garians Pay Homage to that bore her to Pressburg on 19 June; even her servants scenes in parliament. Maria Theresa’s request for military ria Theresa Swears an Oath Maria Theresa, c. 1840. Aus - were liveried in red, white and green. But she was pre- aid was studiously ignored by the Magyars, and hopes outside the Church of the trian National Lib rary, Vi - pared to grant special rights and concessions, and these that Hungary might represent their salvation faded by Mer ciful Brothers in Press - enna. burg, 1768-1770. would make a greater impression – they included free- the day. So, as Bavarian troops invaded Passau on 31 July Fig. 44: Hungarian coron - dom from tax for the Hungarian nobility. The essen - 1741, the War of the Austrian Succession began. Fig. 46: Anonymous, Maria ation in St Martin’s Cath - Theresa as Queen of Hungary edral, Pressburg, 25 June tials of her policy of centralisation would not extend to Less than six weeks later, Maria Theresa was in - on the Coronation Hill in 1741. Hungary. This structure revealed the outline of the dual formed by a messenger in Pressburg that her Bavarian Press burg, c. 1750.

34 35 brother-in-law was preparing of them would comply, Maria Theresa was buoyed up. to march into Linz. Things Hungary was on board, long live the Queen of Hungary! were getting serious. On She could not win a war on two fronts, so Maria 10 September 1741, Karl Al - Theresa needed to end hostilities with the Prussian king. brecht and 40,000 French On 9 October 1741, she con- troops marched into Upper ceded Silesia to him in the Con- “THE DEATHLY PALE MINISTERS Austria; on 11 September, vention of Klein-Schnellendorf. FELL BACK IN THEIR CHAIRS; ONLY Ma ria Theresa, wearing black Only now dared she hope to pre- mourning dress and with the vail against the alliance sur- ONE HEART REMAINED STEADFAST: Holy Crown of Hungary on rounding the king of Bavaria. THAT OF THE QUEEN.” her head, prepared to face her This confidence was misplaced, last hope. She had not slept, however, because Frederick was Sir Thomas Robinson, on 20 June, 1741 had wept half the night. Pale in league with Bavaria behind and wan yet composed and the queen’s back. From Silesia, his troops invaded Mo - dignified, trembling inside, ravia; on Boxing Day, 1741, Schwerin conquered the she climbed the dais in Press- episcopal city of Olmütz. The prince-elector’s troops burg Castle, past the assem- struck into Lower Austria while the Prussians marauded bled barons. She barely heard outside Stockerau and Korneuburg. Frederick, dubbed Fig. 48: Anonymous, Queen Maria Theresa is Divested the words of the Hungarian the “monster” by Maria Theresa, had assured Karl Al - of her Clothes, 1742. Alber- imperial chancellor, Count brecht of his vote in the imperial election. tina, Vienna. Ludwig Batthyány; mentally, she was rehearsing the Latin Fig. 47: Georg Desmarées, words that she would now speak with a quavering voice Char les VII, Holy Roman th and glistening eyes: “... forsaken by all, Our sole re- Em peror, 18 century. source is the fidelity, arms and long-tried valour of the Hun garians; exhorting you, the Estates and Orders to deliberate without delay in this extreme danger on the most efficacious measures for the security of Our person, Our children and Our crown, and to carry them into immediate execution.” No Hungarian could withstand a stunningly beautiful woman, begging for protection for herself and her children! Sobbing, she continued: “In regard to Ourself, the faithful Estates and Orders of Hungary will enjoy Our hearty co-operation in all things which may promote the pristine happiness of this ancient kingdom and the honours of the people.” There was a second’s pause for recollection, then the cry whirled like a hurricane through the ranks of barons in the hall of Pressburg Castle: we are ready to offer up our life and our blood! They would hurry to the queen’s aid with 100,000 men. Although later only a fraction

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