Maria Theresa And Her Armies example essay topic
432 words
Many great events have happened throughout time. One of which I would have wanted to witness was when Frederick II [more commonly known as Frederick the Great] invaded the lands belonging to the Hapsburgs. When he became King of Prussia in 1740, Frederick to conquer Austria's iron-rich land of Silesia, among others. I believe it would have been an exceptionally captivating incident to observe during Maria Theresa's reign as Austria's new successor as the Hapsburg monarch. During the times of great anguish and combat, the youthful queen remained composed and in control. The Prussian army attacked and occupied Silesia during December of 1740, thus commencing the War of Austrian Succession. After Prussia's actions, other countries also hurdled to take advantage of Maria Theresa's conjectural weakness. Although just having given birth to her first son, Maria Theresa was swift to take action.
Nevertheless, she journeyed across Austria to the Hungarian lands rightfully hers. Maria Theresa held her infant son before an assembly of Hungarian nobles, most of which who were not particularly forthcoming to their Hapsburg rulers. She delivered an exceedingly rousing speech that immediately won over the surly assembly. The Hungarians arranged to give Maria Theresa an army of 100,000 men.
With the assistance of Great Britain, Russia and the Dutch Netherlands, Maria Theresa and her armies managed to impede Prussia and its allies from overtaking Austria and the other Hapsburg lands. Although Silesia was unable to be spared by Austrian rule, and was lost completely in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, Maria Theresa proved to be a wonderful leader in a time of suffering and hostilities. I chose this event because much can be learned from the experiences that Maria Theresa faced. Most would believe Maria Theresa to be a feeble monarch, primarily because she was female, but Maria Theresa was far from weak. Although she had a young son, this did not stop her from helping her country and taking charge when she was needed. She showed strong character and was quick to know what was necessary to overthrow the powers of Frederick II and his armies.
Maria Theresa was a wonderful monarch of the Hapsburg dynasty, and she never let her resistance down. Even though countless great events have happened throughout history, I believe that the War of Austrian Succession, won for the most part by Austria, would have been an incredible event to be present at, to see the powerful actions taken by the Hapsburg monarch of Austria, Maria Theresa.
