Why Is Maria Theresa An Absolute Ruler

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Another great absolute ruler was Maria Theresa who ruled Austria. She didn’t have a good start since she was a female. The reason why she was put in as an absolute ruler in the first place was because her father, Charles VI, wanted the Hapsburgs to continue to rule the Austrian throne but he had no male heir. In order to make sure that other powers in Europe would not seize his kingdom after his death, he convinced European monarchs to accept Maria Theresa, his eldest daughter, as the next ruler of Austria. In 1740, when Charles died, 23 year-old Maria Theresa, inherited the country. At that time, her people were uneasy as they thought that her husband would rule the nation and they did not trust him. Maria Theresa soon learned about these worries by sending one of her ladies in disguise into Vienna to hear what her people were saying. After learning about the worries, she solved her people’s problem. For example, her people didn’t like the fact that wild animals that were owned by the monarchy were eating the food that they would ear. She then won their approval by making sure that those animals were killed. …show more content…

Without money, or army, and without experience and knowledge, she couldn’t do much. Even her father’s old advisors told her to give up Silesia. However, instead of just giving up, she defended her country no matter what it took. She wasn’t just going to give up her country. She became the Queen of Hungary and got an army. Unfortunately, at the end of the War of the Austrian Succession, Austria was forced to give up Silesia. On the other hand, her people and the rest of Europe saw that she was a force to be reckoned with and not just some lady getting the throne. In 1756, the Seven Years’ War began. This was Austria’s attempt to win back Silesia. Although they lost again, she didn’t lose any additional