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| Julie on a Bridge in Mondsee countryside near Vienna |
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful kingdom of rolling green pastures that gradually rose into lovely hillsides of almost continuous forests and then majestic mountain peaks.
The clear water of streams and powerful rivers crossed the lands, fed by the snow melt from those distant craggy crests, and filled glorious blue lakes. Alongside those placid pools, quaint villages sprang up like the edelweiss and other flora that added natural highlights to the landscapes.
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| Mondsee in the foothills of the Austrian Alps |
As if to avoid allowing its inhabitants to become too blasé about the overwhelming beauty of spring and summer, in fall the landscape responded to declining temperatures at harvest time with leaves that turned shades of yellow and orange before falling to the ground with a brisk cold snap marking winter's arrival.
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| Cruising Past Church and Vineyards Along the Danube River. |
For a few months each year, the countryside donned the magical white coating of winter, with surfaces of lakes and occasionally rivers freezing into glassy ice, but then spring would arrive again, warming hearts as well as the landscape and all who lived there.
In one of the most magnificent spots of this magical land, amid lush forests beside a wide river, there was beautiful palace.
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| Hofburg Palace in Vienna. |
At birth, she became "heir presumptive" to her father's ancestral claims, because her father was the only surviving male member of his Austrian branch of the Habsburg family tree, and Maria Theresa was his first child.
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| Summer Palace of Schönbrunn, a seasonal 1441-room hunting lodge |
The birth of a brother would immediately make that baby "heir apparent," supplanting her claims to the throne, but no male siblings were to come, so Maria Theresa was destined to eventually become Queen of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Milan and a few other kingdoms. Even that was possible for a woman only because Charles VI had issued a "Pragmatic Sanction" that same year to ensure her right to rule those kingdoms.
In addition to those royal thrones that came as birthrights, her father Charles VI had been elected Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, as had his direct line of ancestors going back to 1521.
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| Julie by Fountains at Schönbrunn Palace a few miles from downown Vienna |
In fact, she could not even vote for the "King of the Romans," because to be a Prince Elector, noble birth was not sufficient.
Only male nobles could vote.
Nonetheless, she was obviously destined to live an extraordinary life from the moment of her birth.
Despite being female, she received a fine education for a Princess, but she did not learn the affairs of state as a Prince would. An arranged marriage to a powerful Prince would delegate those requirements. Still, Maria Theresa became skilled in many subjects including art, archery and music.
Not to be sidetracked from a good potential political union, Charles VI brought Leopold's younger brother Francis Stephen to Vienna to stay with the imperial family.
No engagement was formalized, however, and her father arranged a presumably better strategic marriage for the ever-more refined Maria Theresa to Prince Charles of Spain. By that time, however, Maria Theresa had become quite fond of Francis Stephen, so when other European powers pressured Charles VI to call off his deal with the Queen of Spain, Maria Theresa was elated.
Okay, history books mention nothing about two future draft picks, but I'm sure there must have been some additional inducements offered by France to sweeten the deal for Austria.
Anyway, Maria Theresa had fallen deeply in love with Francis Stephen, though as a stereotypical Frenchman, he was a philanderer both before and after their marriage.
Tuscany's Grand Duke Gian Gastone de' Medici, who had no children or other traditional heirs, passed away in July of the same year of the marriage/super deal, so at the age of 20, Archduchess Maria Theresa joined her husband on a triumphant voyage in Florence. The new rulers were greeted to much fanfare, even if neither of the royals were Tuscan themselves.
They didn't stay long, returning soon to the imperial splendor of Vienna to be close to the Holy Roman Emperor, whose armies were struggling in battles with the Turks in some of the outlying kingdoms.
With his military weakened, the treasury depleted and Viennese citizens rioting over taxes required to finance the high cost of war, Charles VI fortunately managed to negotiate the Treaty of Belgrade to end the war.
Before he could reverse his waning fortunes, the vigorous 40 year-old Charles VI died in 1740, probably from unintentionally ingesting poisonous mushrooms.
As a result, Maria Theresa became the ruling monarch of multiple kingdoms, including Austria, Hungary and Bohemia, at the tender age of 23.
Nonetheless, she was obviously destined to live an extraordinary life from the moment of her birth.
Despite being female, she received a fine education for a Princess, but she did not learn the affairs of state as a Prince would. An arranged marriage to a powerful Prince would delegate those requirements. Still, Maria Theresa became skilled in many subjects including art, archery and music.
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| Vienna Opera House |
In this era long before television, the talented imperial family put on operas, with Emperor Charles VI conducting and Maria Theresa showcasing her own talents.
By the time she was six years old, potential suitors had already been considered for a royal marriage to Archduchess Maria Theresa, and a suitable betrothal to Leopold Clement of Lorraine was arranged. Long before she became of age, the prospective groom died of smallpox.
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| Gardens Among Hedge Mazes at Schönbrunn Palace |
No engagement was formalized, however, and her father arranged a presumably better strategic marriage for the ever-more refined Maria Theresa to Prince Charles of Spain. By that time, however, Maria Theresa had become quite fond of Francis Stephen, so when other European powers pressured Charles VI to call off his deal with the Queen of Spain, Maria Theresa was elated.
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| It's hard to see the distant gate beyond the gardens at Schönbrunn Palace |
When the Archduchess was 12, Francis Stephen ascended to the throne of Lorraine, but a marriage pact was still not finalized until early 1737, when some kind of royal deal that must have been the equivalent of a multi-team trade in the NBA resulted in Francis Stephen turning the kingdom of Lorraine over to the cousin of the King of France in exchange for the promise of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the hand of Archduchess Maria Theresa and two future draft picks to be named later.
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| One of Many Statues at Schönbrunn |
Tuscany's Grand Duke Gian Gastone de' Medici, who had no children or other traditional heirs, passed away in July of the same year of the marriage/super deal, so at the age of 20, Archduchess Maria Theresa joined her husband on a triumphant voyage in Florence. The new rulers were greeted to much fanfare, even if neither of the royals were Tuscan themselves.
They didn't stay long, returning soon to the imperial splendor of Vienna to be close to the Holy Roman Emperor, whose armies were struggling in battles with the Turks in some of the outlying kingdoms.
With his military weakened, the treasury depleted and Viennese citizens rioting over taxes required to finance the high cost of war, Charles VI fortunately managed to negotiate the Treaty of Belgrade to end the war.
Before he could reverse his waning fortunes, the vigorous 40 year-old Charles VI died in 1740, probably from unintentionally ingesting poisonous mushrooms.
As a result, Maria Theresa became the ruling monarch of multiple kingdoms, including Austria, Hungary and Bohemia, at the tender age of 23.
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