Maria Theresa's War of Succession: Austria's Fight for Survival

In 1740, a 23-year-old woman inherited the Habsburg dominions — and within weeks, half of Europe had declared war on her. This episode unpacks the War of the Austrian Succession, a conflict that pitted Maria Theresa against Frederick the Great of Prussia, the French, the Bavarians, and a coalition that aimed to carve up her inheritance. We follow the young archduchess from her father's deathbed to the halls of the Hungarian Diet, where she staged a dramatic appeal for help, holding her infant son in her arms. We cover the brutal winter campaign in Silesia, the fall of Prague, the secret diplomacy of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, and the peace that cost Austria its richest province but forged a ruler who would go on to transform the empire. Along the way, we meet key figures like Field Marshal Count von Khevenhüller, the Saxon turncoat, and the British subsidies that kept Austrian armies in the field. This is the story of a woman who refused to surrender. #MariaTheresa #WarOfTheAustrianSuccession #FrederickTheGreat #Silesia #PragmaticSanction #HungarianDiet #TreatyOfAixLaChapelle #Mollwitz #Chotusitz #Hohenfriedberg #Khevenhüller #Bavaria #France #Prussia #Austria #18thCentury #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo