Maria Theresa and the Habsburgs, Pt. 3: Prague Castle

On a clear summer night, the illuminated Prague Castle shines dramatically behind the Charles Bridge.

At about 750,000 square feet, the historic complex on a hill doesn't go unnoticed at any other time of day, either.

Imagine how insurmountable this ancient fortress must have seemed 275 years ago in late 1741, when a small French force stormed Prague on behalf of Charles Albert of Bavaria.

Bohemians, however, felt little loyalty to the young Habsburg woman who had only inherited the crown a year earlier.  Maria Theresa's husband Francis Stephen, already in command of troops in Bohemia, had responded too slowly, possibly having assumed the imposing fortress would discourage attack by their newly allied enemies. 

Prussian King Frederick William I had actually passed away just a few months before the Habsburg monarch, but he had a son as his heir.

King Frederick II seized the opportunity of Austria's crisis to invade Silesia, exposing the temporary weakness of the once mighty foe during their troubled transition.

Emboldened by Prussia's impressive Silesian Campaign, France stepped out from the shadows where it had secretly schemed to divide Habsburg kingdoms and sent troops to support its allies Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Spain, attacking them on multiple fronts, including Prague, the capital of Bohemia.

In breaking its peace treaty with Austria, France had shocked Emperor Charles VI's council, who his daughter and heir Maria Theresa hoped would advise her young husband wisely as he learned the ropes of ruling multiple kingdoms.

As far as they were concerned, Maria Theresa had already done about as much as a mere woman could do.

She was pregnant, possibly with a male heir which might prevent this situation recurring for the next generation... if they survived the War of Austrian Succession with a country to rule.

She had also prepared for the coronation ceremony in Hungary scheduled for June 25, 1741, which would require expert equestrian skills to perform regally before a country that prided themselves as being the "riding nation."

Maria Theresa spent months mastering horseback riding, something her father had prohibited her to do as a child because of it being too dangerous for a girl.

She surprised the Magyars (Hungarians) with her skills with her horse, showing deep respect for their traditional ceremony and culture.  Maria Theresa chose to be crowned as King of Hungary, as there was no rule prohibiting her from claiming a masculine title.

Make no mistake; her appearance and riding style remained ladylike as befitted a Queen, and the Hungarians loved every aspect of how she presented herself. 

After she returned to Vienna, awaiting the birth of her child in an uncertain world, Maria Theresa's advisers brought the sad news that the Bohemians would prefer to be ruled by her Bavarian cousin Charles rather than her.

Maria Theresa simply refused to accept this.

"My mind is made up. We must put everything at stake to save Bohemia."

Her commander in Silesia, General Neipperg, negotiated a peaceful surrender of the final fortress held by Austria with terms that allowed his troops to retreat unmolested, probably because Frederick II thought they may be brothers in arms when Austria fell.

But they were not laying down arms.

The Austrian troops from Silesia marched to Prague to join other Austrian forces to defend Bohemia, unsure whether that show of strength would be sufficient to stem the tide.

Fortunately, Hungary, still enchanted by the coronation performance, sent 60,000 heroic troops to support their new King Maria Theresa's efforts to retain Bohemia.

The combined forces were successful.

Spoiler alert: Maria Theresa rebuilt war-damaged Prague Palace to be grander than ever, though she actually only went to this luxuriously refurbished palace three times during her forty-year reign.