Maria Theresa was unrelated to Emperor Charles VI.
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina -LRB- Maria Theresia -LSB- maˈʁiːa teˈʁeːzia -RSB- 13 May 1717 -- 29 November 1780 -RRB- was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg .. Habsburg. House of Habsburg. Habsburg dominions. Habsburg Monarchy. House of Habsburg. House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria , Hungary , Croatia , Bohemia , Transylvania , Mantua , Milan , Lodomeria and Galicia , the Austrian Netherlands and Parma .. Croatia. Kingdom of Croatia ( Habsburg ). Austria. Archduchy of Austria. Hungary. Kingdom of Hungary. Bohemia. Crown of Bohemia. Transylvania. Principality of Transylvania ( 1711–1867 ). Mantua. Mantua. Milan. Milan. Lodomeria and Galicia. Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. Austrian Netherlands. Southern Netherlands#Austrian Netherlands. Parma. Parma. By marriage , she was Duchess of Lorraine , Grand Duchess of Tuscany and Holy Roman Empress .. Holy Roman Empress. Holy Roman Empress. Duchess of Lorraine. Duchess of Lorraine. Grand Duchess of Tuscany. Grand Duchess of Tuscany. She started her 40-year reign when her father , Emperor Charles VI , died in October 1740 .. Emperor Charles VI. Emperor Charles VI. Charles VI paved the way for her accession with the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 and spent his entire reign securing it .. Pragmatic Sanction of 1713. Pragmatic Sanction of 1713. Upon the death of her father , Saxony , Prussia , Bavaria , and France all repudiated the sanction they had recognised during his lifetime .. Saxony. Electorate of Saxony. Prussia. Kingdom of Prussia. Bavaria. Electorate of Bavaria. France. Kingdom of France. Frederick II of Prussia -LRB- who became Maria Theresa 's greatest enemy for most of her reign -RRB- promptly invaded and took the affluent Habsburg province of Silesia in the nine-year conflict known as the War of the Austrian Succession .. Habsburg. House of Habsburg. Prussia. Kingdom of Prussia. Frederick II of Prussia. Frederick II of Prussia. Silesia. Silesia. War of the Austrian Succession. War of the Austrian Succession. Over the course of the war , despite the loss of Silesia and a few minor territories in Italy , Maria Theresa successfully defended her rule over most of the Habsburg empire .. Habsburg. House of Habsburg. Silesia. Silesia. Maria Theresa later unsuccessfully tried to reconquer Silesia during the Seven Years ' War .. Silesia. Silesia. Maria Theresa and her husband , Francis I , Holy Roman Emperor , had eleven daughters , including the Queen of France and Navarre , the Queen of Naples and Sicily , the Duchess of Parma , and five sons , including two Holy Roman Emperors , Joseph II and Leopold II .. Joseph II. Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor. Parma. Parma. France. Kingdom of France. Queen of France and Navarre. Marie Antoinette. Queen of Naples and Sicily. Maria Carolina of Austria. Duchess of Parma. Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria. Leopold II. Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor. Of the sixteen children ten survived to adulthood .. Though she was expected to cede power to Francis and Joseph , both of whom were officially her co-rulers in Austria and Bohemia , Maria Theresa was the absolute sovereign who ruled with the counsel of her advisers .. Austria. Archduchy of Austria. Bohemia. Crown of Bohemia. She criticised and disapproved of many of Joseph 's actions .. Maria Theresa understood the importance of her public persona and was able to simultaneously evoke both esteem and affection from her subjects .. Maria Theresa promulgated financial and educational reforms , with the assistance of Count Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz and Gerard van Swieten , promoted commerce and the development of agriculture , and reorganised Austria 's ramshackle military , all of which strengthened Austria 's international standing .. Austria. Archduchy of Austria. Count Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz. Count Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz. Gerard van Swieten. Gerard van Swieten. However , she refused to allow religious pluralism and advocated for the state church and contemporary adversary travelers criticized her regime as bigoted and superstitious .. As a young monarch who fought two dynastic wars , she believed that her cause should be the cause of her subjects , but in her later years she would believe that their cause must be hers .