Maria Theresa

Maria Theresa became sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, and a dozen other territories on 20 October 1740 when her father Charles VI died, leaving behind diplomatic promises but a hollowed-out treasury and a weak military. Within months, Frederick II of Prussia seized Silesia and half of Europe repudiated the succession agreements they'd signed, plunging her into the eight-year War of the Austrian Succession. She rallied Hungarian support and defended most of her inheritance, though Silesia stayed lost despite another attempt in the Seven Years' War. Expected to defer to her husband Franci…