in his family, he had a law passed whereby the women of that house were declared the rightful heirs. This law is known in history as the Pragmatic Sanction, and it was solemnly agreed to by all the princes composing the empire, as well as by other European powers. By this law, Charles’s eldest daughter, Maria Theresa, became his immediate heir. In 1736 she was married to Francis Stephen, the Duke of Tuscany, of the house of Lorraine. In 1740, Charles died, and Maria Theresa became Empress of Austria.
MARIA THERESA.
Although the right of inheritance to the Austrian dominions had been confirmed to Maria Theresa by so many solemn promises and agreements, no sooner was her father dead than numerous princes rose up as claimants, either to parts or to the whole of her provinces. Among these were the Electors of Bavaria and Saxony, and the Kings of Spain, Sardinia, and Prussia. All based their claims upon the rights of relationship, or upon the false interpretation of documents long forgotten.
The most dangerous of these claimants was Frederick of Prussia, who began to make immediate preparations to seize a part of Silesia. As Maria Theresa was not prepared for war, Frederick soon gained possession of the whole of that province, and then turned his victorious arms against Bohemia, the Saxons and Bavarians invading it from another direction. Prague was soon in the hands of the enemy.
Charles, the Elector of Bavaria, had himself proclaimed King of Bohemia. Calling together the lords and knights to the number of 400, whose estates were
