Maria Theresa Faces Frederick the Great: The War of Austrian Succession

In this episode of The History of Austria, Lucas and Luna explore the dramatic early years of Maria Theresa's reign. Fresh from the Habsburg throne in 1740, the young archduchess faced a coalition of enemies led by Frederick the Great of Prussia, who seized the rich province of Silesia. This is the story of the War of Austrian Succession — a conflict that tested Austria's very survival. Lucas details Maria Theresa's desperate appeal to the Hungarian Diet at Pressburg, where she appeared with her infant son Joseph in her arms, winning a dramatic military commitment. He explains the diplomatic breakthrough of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which ended the war but left Silesia in Prussian hands — a loss that would define Austrian foreign policy for generations. The episode also covers the military reforms of Field Marshal Count Leopold von Daun, the creation of the Theresian Military Academy, and the beginnings of a modernized Austrian state. Luna's thoughtful questions draw out the personal cost of leadership for Maria Theresa, the strategic blunders on both sides, and the lasting geopolitical consequences. This is narrative history at its best — intimate, specific, and richly contextual. #MariaTheresa #WarOfAustrianSuccession #FrederickTheGreat #Silesia #Hohenzollern #Habsburgs #TreatyOfAixLaChapelle #PragmaticSanction #HungarianDiet #Pressburg #LeopoldVonDaun #TheresianMilitaryAcademy #EmpressMariaTheresa #AustrianHistory #18thCenturyEurope #DiplomaticHistory #History #FexingoHistory #HabsburgDynasty #HolyRomanEmpire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo