First page - Vivat Maria Theresia
Second page - Archduchess Maria Theresia
Third page - The Austrian Succession War
Fourth page - The Seven Years' War
Fifth page - The Final Years
Sixth page - Topics
About Me
Previous page: The Austrian Succession War
This page: The Seven Years' War
Next page: The Final Years
The Seven Years' War
In 1756 Maria Theresia started a full-scale war against Prussia with the intention of regaining the lost provinces.
Reforms were underway as soon as the War of the Austrian Succession was over.
The main problem was how to raise and maintain an army that can defeat Prussia?
Maria Theresia had
to deal with this issue and accepted the plans of Count Friedrich Wilhelm
Haugwitz. He wanted to put an end to the annual negotiations with the estates
which were the basis for the financial support (taxation) and to replace them
with negotiations every ten years.
This would give the central government regular annual revenue from the estates
for a ten-year period and a constant flow of revenue. This revenue together
with many reforms in regard to the centralisation of many functions of
government enabled Maria Theresia to raise a 'peacetime' army of some 110,000
men.
In 1756, Prussia allied itself with Britain removing the 'old' ally from its alliance with Austria.
In an effort to win back the rich province
of Silesia, Austria
formed a new alliance with France,
Saxony, Sweden
and Russia - against Prussia, Hanover
and Britain.
The Austrian chancellor, Count Wenzel Anton Kaunitz was a master of foreign policy
and a brilliant adviser and managed to establish an alliance between Austria and France. This reversal of alliances
brought Austria into a
strong position in comparison to Prussia.
By the summer of 1756, the Austrian alliance was ready to attack Prussia, but Prussia,
attacked first and launched an attack on Saxony in August 1756 in an attempt to
detach Saxony from its alliance with the
Austrians.
The Prussians occupied Dresden and Saxony capitulated and this action signalled the
beginning of the Seven Years War (1756-1763).
The 'Haugwitz' reforms had led to a vast improvement in the state of the Austrian army, but these changes were intended for peacetime army and not for war. Austria was forced to abandon a number of projects to gain assets to maintain the war effort.
Austria's allies were having their difficulties too.
France was fighting not just in Europe but also in other parts of the world against the British.
In the spring of 1757, Prussia advanced into Bohemia and defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Prague in May 1757.
The war had raged for more than a year when the Austrian army, under the command of Prince Karl of Lorraine, having already lost the Battle of Prague, withdrew to the city of Prague with the remaining units of his army.
At this critical point Maria Theresia gave the order -
"...the army shall face the enemy and wage a battle"
An
Austrian counter-attack a month later in the Battle of Kolín, led by the
Austrian Field Marshal Count Leopold Joseph von Daun, forced the Prussians to retreat from
Bohemia.
Prussia was now facing a war on several fronts:
- The French advanced towards Prussia's western frontier;
- Sweden joined the Austrian alliance against Prussia;
- Austria moved into Silesia and the Russian army entered into East Prussia
In November 1757, Prussia faced a Franco-German army at Rossbach
in Thuringia. Although heavily outnumbered the
Prussian army inflicted heavy losses on its enemies without suffering any
substantial losses itself. The Prussian army then turned to meet the Austrians
in Silesia
and although again heavily outnumbered they still managed to win the Battle of
Leuthen at the end of that year.
Between 1758 and
1761 the fortunes of war swung back and forth between the adversaries until the
assassination of Tsar Peter of Russia
made way for Tsar Catherine the Great, who immediately put an end to the
conflict.
Prussia was still able to
make gains against the French and Saxons and captured the important town of Göttingen, finally managing to drive the Austrians out of Silesia.
Frederick II was a formidable enemy and managed to hold his enemies at bay
until the end of the war. The Treaty of Hubertusburg, in which Silesia (Schlesien) fell to Prussia, brought an end to the
Seven Years War in February 1763.
The Seven Years War was the last major conflict for Maria Theresia.
Frederick the Great spoke of Maria Theresia with the words:
"Sie hat ihrem Thron und ihrem Geschlechte Ehre gemacht.
Ich habe mit ihr Krieg geführt, aber nie war ich ihr Feind." -
"She has done honour to the throne and to her sex.
- I have warred with her but I have never been her enemy."
The Post War Era
After the two major wars, Maria Theresia continued with her reforms and
concentrated on the health and well-being of her people, and the wealth of the
Empire as a whole. Never-the-less the education reforms did not bring the results wanted and in
some parts of the dominions half of the population was illiterate.
She started to improve the life of the peasants and the conditions that the serfs were exposed to in the crown-lands by imposing restrictions that were intended to regulate their treatment.
Her daily
life ran like clockwork.She rose early in the morning and spent the day with her early morning prayer
and then dressing to go to holy mass. She then had breakfast and spent time
until about nine o'clock working on petitions and reports before attending a
second holy mass.
Her morning was full of work on despatches and the making of decisions of
importance until dinner gave her a short midday break before returning to her
work or even leaving the palace carrying her paperwork in a tray which hung
from her neck as she strolled into the park and probably worked in the shade of
one of the treillage pavilions.The day slowly came to an end and in the early evening at six o'clock she would
attend Vespers and would enjoy an evening game of cards before going to supper
and taking a walk before going to bed.Her children had always been of great importance and she dedicated herself to
their care, education and well-being.As time passed the children left Vienna
one by one and she started to correspond with them and was tireless in giving
them advice.Marie Antoinette caused much anxiety and Maria Theresia corresponded with her
once a fortnight and often reproached her.
She also criticised Joseph, Leopold, Maria Carolina, Ferdinand and Maria Amalia
but her favourite daughter, Maria Christina enjoyed her complete confidence.
First page - Vivat Maria Theresia
Second page - Archduchess Maria Theresia
Third page - The Austrian Succession War
Fourth page - The Seven Years' War
Fifth page - The Final Years
Sixth page - Topics
About Me
Previous page: The Austrian Succession War
This page: The Seven Years' War
Next page: The Final Years
