Maria Theresa and Francis Stephen (Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia)

Maria Theresa was born on 13th May 1717 as second child of Emperor Charles VI. Her older brother was born in 1716, but died in the same year. Already in 1713 Charles VI had issued the Pragmatic Sanction to ensure that the Habsburg hereditary possessions could be inherited by a daughter. Nevertheless Maria Theresa was not prepared to be a ruler and only got the normal education of a female royal. In 1736 she married Francis Stephen and together they had 16 children. Her father died in 1740 without a male successor and so Maria Theresa became the new ruler of the Habsburg dominions. Although the Pragmatic Sanction was recognised by the other European powers during the life of Charles VI, many of them raised claims to parts of the Habsburg Empire. In the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748) Maria Theresa, backed by Great Britain and the Netherlands, was able to defend her title against Bavaria, France, Prussia, Saxony and Spain. In the contemporaneous First and Second Silesian Wars she lost Silesia to Frederick II of Prussia, her greatest rival for most of her reign. She also lost territories in Italy to Spain. In 1745 her husband became Holy Roman Emperor. Still on war she started to reform the Habsburg Empire. One of the major changes was the abolition of the estatist government in favour of centralism and absolutism. She also reformed the state finances, the army, the judicial system, the education and the economy. After Prussia had formed an alliance with Great Britain, Maria Theresa brought forward alliances with France and Russia. This became known as Diplomatic Revolution. In the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) Maria Theresa tried to regain Silesia, but failed. In the First Partition of Poland in 1772 she acquired Galicia for the Habsburg Empire. The death of Francis Stephen in 1765 was very hard for her. Their son Joseph became new Holy Roman Emperor and co-regent of Maria Theresa, although their relationship was conflictual. Maria Theresa died on 29th November 1780. She was the last sovereign and only female ruler of the House of Habsburg. Furthermore she is considered to be one of the most important rulers of the era of Enlightened Absolutism, although she was still characterised by Catholicism and the Baroque tradition.

To commemorate the 300th birthday of Maria Theresa in 2017 a joint issue of souvenir sheets was issued by Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia and Ukraine. The Czech Republic also issued a single stamp about her.

Francis Stephen was born in 1708 as fourth son of Duke Leopold of Lorraine. In 1723 he met Charles VI for the first time and in 1724 he moved to Vienna. In 1729 his father died and he became Duke of Lorraine. As Charles VI supported the marriage of Maria Theresa and Francis Stephen, Francis Stephen was convinced to assign the Duchy of Lorraine. As Maria Theresa was very likely to inherit the Habsburg Empire from her father, a husband without considerable political power was necessary for her to preserve the equilibrium of the European powers. Francis Stephen and Maria Theresa married in 1736. Despite the politics behind their marriage it was also a love match. In 1737 he got the Grand Duchy of Tuscany as compensation for Lorraine and in 1745 he became Holy Roman Emperor as Francis I. He was in charge of the financial affairs of the new House of Habsburg-Lorraine, which he managed well until his death. The House of Habsburg-Lorraine, which Francis Stephen and Maria Theresa founded, ruled until 1918. As he was not fully stretched as Holy Roman Emperor and co-regent of his wife, he had much time to spend on his personal interests, the natural sciences and his collections of coins and minerals. Francis Stephen died in 1765.

The Schönbrunn Palace was built between 1638 and 1643. From 1743 it was enlarged and rebuilt in the Baroque style at the behest of Maria Theresa. Until 1918 it was the residence of the Austrian Emperor. Today it is one of the most visited sights in Austria. Since 1996 are Palace and Park of Schönbrunn on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Imperial Palace of Innsbruck is a former Habsburg residence. Its construction started in the 15th century. Between 1754 and 1773 the palace was transformed and renovated in the Baroque style at the behest of Maria Theresa. In 1765 the wedding of Maria Theresa's son Leopold was celebrated in Innsbruck and during the celebrations Francis Stephen died. Afterwards Maria Theresa decided to turn the Imperial Palace into a memorial site and representational building in honour of her husband. Today it is considered to be one of the most significant cultural buildings in Austria.

Schloss Hof was purchased by Prince Eugen in 1726 and he left it to a niece in his will. Maria Theresa bought it in 1755. In 1766 Maria Christina, the favourite daughter of Maria Theresa, married in the palace.

For the 300th birthday of Maria Theresa a big four-part special exhibition is shown in Austria. One of the venues is Schloss Hof.