20 Oct 1740: Maria Theresa, Austrian ruler

On this day in 1740, Maria Theresa acceded to the Austrian throne upon the death of her father, Charles. When she died in 1780, the House of Habsburg came to an end.

Maria Theresa is often a high-value name, so it’s good to be familiar with her biography. (She is not to be confused with Maria Theresa of Spain, first wife of French king Louis XIV, who died in 1683.)

Most important: associate anything European in the mid-1700s with her, especially if it mentions “archduchess” or “empress”. Some additional facts:

• Prussia, Spain, France and others saw her as ineligible for the throne; they launched the nine-year War of the Austrian Succession
  • In 1742, she had to give up the province of Silesia
• She was also Holy Roman Empress from 1745 to 1765, after she obtained the throne for her husband, Francis Stephen of Lorraine
• The couple had 16(!!!) kids, including Marie Antoinette
• She hosted six-year-old Mozart for a performance in 1762
• She ordered La Scala, the opera house in Milan, built after a fire in 1776*

*fun fact: this appeared as a clue in a category called “FIRE!” on two separate occasions

Image: Martin van Meytens (1695–1770), Academy of Fine Arts Vienna