War of the Austrian Succession

The causes

In 1713, Emperor Charles VI had the Pragmatic Sanction adopted, which allowed a woman to inherit all Habsburg possessions in the absence of a male heir. He hoped the European powers would guarantee the succession of his daughter Maria Theresa. Several sovereigns agreed, often in exchange for concessions, but this consent remained fragile. On the death of Charles VI, in October 1740, several of them called these commitments into question and claimed a share of the inheritance. Rivalries between France and Austria, and Prussia's ambition, fostered the conflict.

Maria Theresa succeeded her father in October 1740 as Archduchess of Austria, heiress to the crowns of Hungary and Bohemia. But the Elector of Bavaria, Charles Albert, son-in-law of Emperor Joseph I, claimed the succession, and France supported his claims. The King of Prussia, Frederick II, who had just come to the throne, wanted to seize Silesia, a province of the Bohemian crown whose economy and population were significant. It was Frederick II's invasion of Silesia, at the end of 1740, that triggered the war.

The course of the war

In December 1740, Frederick II invaded Silesia without a declaration of war and seized the province within a few weeks. In April 1741, at Mollwitz, the Prussian army defeated the Austrians. Meanwhile, France and Bavaria concluded an alliance against Maria Theresa. The Franco-Bavarian troops entered Bohemia and occupied Prague in November 1741. Maria Theresa thus had to face enemies on several fronts at once. The Habsburgs then lost part of their possessions, which weakened their position in Europe.

In 1742, Charles Albert of Bavaria was elected emperor under the name Charles VII, with French support. The same year, Frederick II signed the Peace of Breslau, which guaranteed him Silesia, and left the war for a time. Maria Theresa, isolated, won the support of the Hungarians. In 1743, at Dettingen, British troops and their allies defeated the French, in the presence of King George II, who led his troops. It was the last time a British sovereign fought at the head of his armies.

In 1744, Frederick II took up arms again against Austria, fearing that it would regain the advantage, and the war continued in Germany and Italy. In January 1745, Emperor Charles VII died, which allowed Francis of Lorraine, husband of Maria Theresa, to be elected emperor under the name Francis I. The same year, Maurice de Saxe won a French victory at Fontenoy, in Belgium, over the allied armies of the United Kingdom, the Dutch Republic and Hanover. This victory opened the way to the conquest of the Austrian Netherlands.

The war spread beyond Europe. In 1745, colonists from New England took the French fortress of Louisbourg, on Cape Breton Island, with the support of the British navy. In India, the French, led by Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais, seized Madras in 1746. The two powers contested trade and trading posts, and their colonial rivalry remained at the heart of the conflict. These distant battles show that the war went beyond the European framework. The colonies were later returned in the peace treaty.

Fighting continued in Italy and in the Netherlands, where the French defeated the allies at Rocourt in 1746, then at Lauffeld in 1747. The lengthy negotiations resulted in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, signed in October 1748. The treaty returned most of the conquered territories to the belligerents, including the colonies, and Maria Theresa kept her hereditary states. She nevertheless had to cede Silesia to Frederick II, a loss that remained permanent. The treaty did not settle the rivalry between Prussia and Austria, which lasted until the Seven Years' War.

The consequences

The treaty confirmed the loss of Silesia, which became Prussian: Frederick II gained the status of a great power. Maria Theresa kept her throne and undertook reforms of the army and administration. Determined to recover Silesia, she drew closer to France in 1756, leading to the Seven Years' War. The Anglo-French conflict continued overseas, where the colonies remained a decisive stake. Frederick II, for his part, established himself as one of the most influential sovereigns on the continent.

Historians stress that the war fits a single logic: the rivalry between France and the United Kingdom, played out in Europe as well as overseas. They debate the role of Frederick II, who took Silesia at a moment when Austria was weakened, and thus established himself as a European power. The memory of the war remains muted, as it is often overshadowed by the Seven Years' War. The peace treaties show that the great powers often preferred agreements to lasting conquests.

Timeline

1. 1740Death of Charles VI, then Frederick II of Prussia invades Silesia
2. 1742Charles Albert of Bavaria is elected emperor as Charles VII
3. 1743The British and their allies defeat the French at Dettingen
4. 1745French victory at Fontenoy, won by Maurice de Saxe
5. 1748Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle: Maria Theresa keeps her states, but loses Silesia

Key figures

• Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, who defended her inheritance
• Frederick II, King of Prussia, who invaded Silesia in 1740
• Louis XV, King of France, ally of Bavaria and Spain
• Maurice de Saxe, Marshal of France, victor at Fontenoy in 1745