Kdo se je poročil s Maria Theresa?

Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position in her own right. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Slavonia, Mantua, Milan, Moravia, Galicia and Lodomeria, Dalmatia, Austrian Netherlands, Carinthia, Carniola, Gorizia and Gradisca, Austrian Silesia, Tyrol, Styria and Parma. By marriage, she was Duchess of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, and Holy Roman Empress.

Maria Theresa started her 40-year reign when her father, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, died on 20 October 1740. Charles VI paved the way for her accession with the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 and spent his entire reign securing it through international diplomacy. He neglected the advice of Prince Eugene of Savoy, who believed that a strong military and a rich treasury were more important than mere signatures. Eventually, Charles VI left behind a weakened and impoverished state, particularly due to the War of the Polish Succession and the Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739). Moreover, upon his death, Saxony, Prussia, Bavaria, and France all repudiated the sanction they had recognised during his lifetime. Frederick II of Prussia (who became Maria Theresa's greatest rival for most of her reign) promptly invaded and took the affluent Habsburg province of Silesia in the eight-year conflict known as the War of the Austrian Succession. In defiance of the grave situation, she managed to secure the vital support of the Hungarians for the war effort. During the course of the war, Maria Theresa successfully defended her rule over most of the Habsburg monarchy, apart from the loss of Silesia and a few minor territories in Italy. Maria Theresa later unsuccessfully tried to recover Silesia during the Seven Years' War.

Although she was expected to cede power to her husband, Emperor Francis I, and her eldest son, Emperor Joseph II, who were officially her co-rulers in Austria and Bohemia, Maria Theresa ruled as an autocratic sovereign with the counsel of her advisers. She promulgated institutional, financial, medical, and educational reforms, with the assistance of Wenzel Anton of Kaunitz-Rietberg, Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz, and Gerard van Swieten. She also promoted commerce and the development of agriculture, and reorganised Austria's ramshackle military, all of which strengthened Austria's international standing. A pious Catholic, she despised Freemasons, Jews and Protestants, and on certain occasions she ordered their expulsion to remote parts of the realm. She also advocated for the Catholic Church.

Franc I. Štefan Lotarinški, lorenski (1729–1735) in toskanski vojvoda (1737–1765), rimsko-nemški cesar (1745), * 8. december 1708 Nancy (Francija), † 18. avgust 1765 Innsbruck (Tirolska).

Franc I. je s poroko (1736) z Marijo Terezijo pričel habsburško-lotarinško dinastijo.

Leta 1740 mu je Marija Terezija priznala sovladarski položaj v dednih habsburških deželah, leta 1745 pa je bil izvoljen za rimsko-nemškega cesarja. Kljub cesarski kroni je ostal v zgodovini v senci svoje žene Marije Terezije, ki je dejansko vladala cesarstvu.

Franca Lotarinškega vladanje ni zanimalo in je sprejemanje odločitev prepustil ženi, stal pa ji je ob strani glede finančnih zadev, veljal je namreč za finačnega genija. Tako je jamčil z lastnim premoženjem, ko je cesarica izvajala finančne reforme.

Po njegovi smrti leta 1765 je cesarska krona prešla na njegovega sina Jožefa II.