Maria Theresa of Austria Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Maria Theresa

Born	(1717-05-13)May 13, 1717 Hofburg, Vienna, Austria
Died	1780 Hofburg, Vienna, Austria
Burial	3 December 1780 Imperial Crypt, Vienna
Spouse	Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Issue	Archduchess Maria Anna Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen Archduchess Maria Elisabeth Archduke Charles Joseph Maria Amalia, Duchess of Parma Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor Archduchess Maria Johanna Gabriela Archduchess Maria Josepha Maria Carolina, Queen of Naples and Sicily Ferdinand, Duke of Modena Marie Antoinette, Queen of France Archduke Maximilian Francis
Father	Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Mother	Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

Maria Theresa of Austria (May 13, 1717 – November 29, 1780) was the only female head of the Habsburg Dynasty. She was the Holy Roman Empress, queen of Hungary and Bohemia, and archduchess of Austria. During her rule she changed the royal palace outside Vienna (the Austrian capital) to look much like Versailles. Vienna itself became an important center for the arts, especially music. Maria Theresa added support to her absolute power by tightening her hold on the government. She also improved conditions for the peasants. She is generally known to history as the Empress Maria Theresa.

Biography

Maria Theresa of Austria in 1772.

Maria Theresa was born in Vienna, Austria, on May 13, 1717. Her parents were Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

Maria Theresa was married to Duke Francis Stephan I of Lorraine for love. They had sixteen children who are named here:

Archduchess Maria Elisabeth of Austria (1737–1740)
Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (1738–1789)
Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria (1740–1741)
Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II (1741–1790)
Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria, Duchess of Teschen (1742–1798)
Archduchess Maria Elisabeth of Austria (1743–1808)
Archduke Charles Joseph of Austria (1745–1761)
Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria (1746–1804)
Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II (1747–1792)
Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria (stillborn 1748)
Archduchess Maria Johanna Gabriela of Austria (1750–1762)
Archduchess Maria Josepha of Austria (1751–1767)
Queen Maria Carolina of Austria of Naples and Sicily (1752–1814)
Queen Marie Antoinette of France and Navarre, born Maria Antonia (1755–1793)
Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria (1756–1801)

Maria Theresa died in Vienna, Austria, on November 29, 1780. She was the Archduchess of Austria and queen of Bohemia and Hungary. Oldest daughter of Charles VI.

Images for kids

Painting of three-year-old Maria Theresa in the gardens of Hofburg Palace
Archduchess Maria Theresa, by Andreas Möller
Maria Theresa's procession through the Graben, 22 November 1740. The pregnant queen is on way to hear High Mass at St. Stephen's Cathedral before receiving homage.
Maria Theresa being crowned Queen of Hungary, St. Martin's Cathedral, Pressburg
Maria Theresa as the Queen of Hungary
Engraved by Gustav Adolph Müller after Martin van Mytens, the Younger, Maria Theresa of Austria, 1742, engraving
The Battle of Kolín, 1757
Maria Theresa with her family, 1754, by Martin van Meytens
Mural by Franz Anton Maulbertsch in the Hofburg, Innsbruck, commissioned by Maria Theresa in remembrance of her daughters who died in childhood: Maria Johanna (1750–1762), Maria Elisabeth (1737–1740), Maria Carolina (1740–1741) and Maria Carolina (1748–1748)
Maria Theresa and her family celebrating Saint Nicholas, by Archduchess Maria Christina, in 1762
Joseph, Maria Theresa's eldest son and co-ruler, in 1775, by Anton von Maron
Confirmation of Serbian Privileges, issued by Maria Theresa in 1743
Maria Theresa in 1762, by Jean-Étienne Liotard
Maria Theresa depicted on her Thaler
Maria Theresa as a widow in 1773, by Anton von Maron. Peace holds the olive crown above her head, reaffirming Maria Theresa's monarchical status. This was the last commissioned state portrait of Maria Theresa.
Maria Theresa and her husband are interred in the double tomb which she had inscribed as a widow.
Oath of allegiance ceremony of cabinet II of Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz in the Maria Theresa Room of the Hofburg palace (2020)
Hungarian President László Sólyom with U.S. President George W. Bush in the Maria Theresa Room of Sándor Palace (2006)

Maria Theresa of Austria facts for kids

Biography

Images for kids

See also