Maria Theresa: The Habsburg Empress in Her Time
- ISBN-10
- 0691219850
- ISBN-13
- 9780691219851
- Series
- Maria Theresa
- Category
- History
- Pages
- 1104
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2022-01-18
- Publisher
- Princeton University Press
- Author
- Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger
Description
A major new biography of the iconic Austrian empress that challenges the many myths about her life and rule Maria Theresa (1717–1780) was once the most powerful woman in Europe. At the age of twenty-three, she ascended to the throne of the Habsburg Empire, a far-flung realm composed of diverse ethnicities and languages, beset on all sides by enemies and rivals. Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger provides the definitive biography of Maria Theresa, situating this exceptional empress within her time while dispelling the myths surrounding her. Drawing on a wealth of archival evidence, Stollberg-Rilinger examines all facets of eighteenth-century society, from piety and patronage to sexuality and childcare, ceremonial life at court, diplomacy, and the everyday indignities of warfare. She challenges the idealized image of Maria Theresa as an enlightened reformer and mother of her lands who embodied both feminine beauty and virile bellicosity, showing how she despised the ideas of the Enlightenment, treated her children with relentless austerity, and mercilessly persecuted Protestants and Jews. Work, consistent physical and mental discipline, and fear of God were the principles Maria Theresa lived by, and she demanded the same from her family, her court, and her subjects. A panoramic work of scholarship that brings Europe's age of empire spectacularly to life, Maria Theresa paints an unforgettable portrait of the uncompromising yet singularly charismatic woman who left her enduring mark on the era in which she lived and reigned.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2022-01-18
- 1104 pages
- Paperback
- Princeton University Press
Similar books
-
Maria Theresa of Austria
By Alexander J. MahanThis book contains the biography of Maria Theresa of Austria, the only female ruler of the Habsburg Dominions written by J. Alexander Mahan, and would make an excellent addition to the bookshelf of anyone with an interest in this ...
-
In Destiny's Hands: Five Tragic Rulers, Children of Maria Theresa
By Justin C. VovkJustin Vovk's In Destiny's Hands is the heartbreaking story of five children of Austria's iconic empress, Maria Theresa, who watched as their royal worlds were ripped apart by tragedy and epic misfortunes.
-
In the Shadow of the Empress: The Defiant Lives of Maria Theresa, Mother of Marie Antoinette, and Her Daughters
By Nancy GoldstoneGoldstone tells her sprawling saga of the Empress, and of three of her daughters, unfolding against a backdrop of brilliant courts from Vienna to Versailles, embracing the exotic lure of Napes and Sicily, and wrapped in desire, adventure, ...
-
Empress Maria Theresa and the Politics of Habsburg Imperial Art
By Michael Elia Yonan39. Klingensmith , Utility of Splendor , 123 . 40. Ziskin , Place Vendôme , 49 . 41. Beales. 33. Ibid .: " Votre Majesté daignera observer cet autre sorte dessin de Zinner à quoi nous avons réduit l'avant - pont .
-
Joseph II: Volume 1, In the Shadow of Maria Theresa, 1741-1780
By Derek BealesThis volume describes the claustrophobic atmosphere, in which Joseph was trained to rule, and his attempts after 1765 as co-regent with his formidable mother.
-
The Army of Maria Theresa: The Armed Forces of Imperial Austria, 1740-1780
By Christopher DuffyThe Army of Maria Theresa: The Armed Forces of Imperial Austria, 1740-1780
-
Maria Theresa (Maria Theresa and Joseph Book 1)
By J. Franck BrightIn this account of Maria Theresa's life and reign, the Reverend Bright explores the various aspects of her life with remarkable detail and with incredible resources.
-
Maria Theresa and the Arts
By Georg LechnerCorrespondingly, this era has left its mark on the countries of the former Habsburg monarchy to this day. Maria Theresa pursued an individual approach with regard to cultural policy.
-
Maria Theresa: And Other Studies
By George Peabody GoochMaria Theresa: And Other Studies
-
In the Shadow of the Empress: The Defiant Lives of Maria Theresa, Mother of Marie Antoinette, and Her Daughters
By Nancy GoldstoneVividly written and deeply researched, In the Shadow of the Empress is the riveting story of four exceptional women who changed the course of history.