Maria Theresa of Austria was one of the most influential women of her time and is often considered one of the most important monarchs in Austria. She was a strong and wise woman who ruled at a time when women were often excluded from political decisions. However, Maria Theresa was not only a great leader and stateswoman, but also a loving wife and mother.
When Maria Theresa was 18 years old, she married Francis Stephen of Lorraine and was crowned Empress of the Holy Roman Empire. She and Franz Stephan had a total of 16 children, only 10 of whom reached adulthood. Maria Theresa personally took care of the upbringing of her children and attached great importance to their receiving a good education. She was a loving mother who made sure that her children always spent enough time with her.
Maria Theresa’s marriage to Franz Stephan was also a happy one. She respected her husband and made him a trustee of the Theresian Military Academy, which she herself had founded. Franz Stephan supported Maria Theresa in all her political decisions and was as involved as Maria Theresa in the upbringing of her children. Together they formed a strong couple that successfully ruled the Holy Roman Empire.
In this series of articles, we would like to pay tribute to Maria Theresa as a wife and mother, focusing on her role as head of the family and in raising her children. We will also take a closer look at her marriage to Franz Stephan and how they worked together as a couple to govern the country.
The early years of Maria Theresa as wife and mother
In 1736, the young Archduchess Maria Theresa became the wife of Francis of Lorraine, later Emperor Francis I., chosen. She was only 16 years old at the time and had little knowledge of the world outside the empire. Despite her youth and inexperience, however, she very quickly developed a deep love and a strong bond with her husband.