Editing Maria Theresa (section)

==Birth and early life==
[[File:Maria Theresa, age 3.jpeg|thumb|left|Painting of three-year-old Maria Theresa in the gardens of [[Hofburg Palace]]]]

The second and eldest surviving child of Holy Roman Emperor [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles VI]] and [[Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel]], Archduchess Maria Theresa was born on 13 May 1717 in [[Vienna]], six months after the death of her elder brother, Archduke [[Archduke Leopold Johann of Austria|Leopold Johann]],{{sfn|Goldsmith|1936|p=17}} and was baptised on that same evening. The [[dowager]] empresses, her aunt [[Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] and grandmother [[Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg]], were her godmothers.{{sfn|Morris|1937|p=21}} Most descriptions of her baptism stress that the infant was carried ahead of her cousins, [[Maria Josepha of Austria|Maria Josepha]] and [[Maria Amalia, Holy Roman Empress|Maria Amalia]], the daughters of Charles VI's elder brother and predecessor, [[Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor|Joseph I]], before the eyes of their mother, Wilhelmine Amalia.{{sfn|Mahan|1932|p=6}} It was clear that Maria Theresa would outrank them,{{sfn|Mahan|1932|p=6}} even though their grandfather, Holy Roman Emperor [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold I]], had his sons sign the [[Mutual Pact of Succession]], which gave precedence to the daughters of the elder brother.{{sfn|Mahan|1932|p=12}} Her father was the only surviving male member of the [[House of Habsburg]] and hoped for a son who would prevent the extinction of his dynasty and succeed him. Thus, the birth of Maria Theresa was a great disappointment to him and the people of Vienna; Charles never managed to overcome this feeling.{{sfn|Mahan|1932|p=12}}

Maria Theresa replaced Maria Josepha as [[heir presumptive]] to the Habsburg realms the moment she was born; Charles VI had issued the [[Pragmatic Sanction of 1713]] which had placed his nieces behind his own daughters in the line of succession.{{sfn|Ingrao|2000|p=129}} Charles sought the other European powers' approval for disinheriting his nieces. They exacted harsh terms: in the [[Treaty of Vienna (1731)]], [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] demanded that Austria abolish the [[Ostend Company]] in return for its recognition of the Pragmatic Sanction.{{sfn|Crankshaw|1970|p=24}} In total, Great Britain, [[Kingdom of France|France]], [[Electorate of Saxony|Saxony]], [[Dutch Republic|United Provinces]], [[History of Spain (1700–1810)|Spain]], [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]], [[Russian Empire|Russia]], [[Denmark-Norway|Denmark]], [[Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861)|Sardinia]], [[Electorate of Bavaria|Bavaria]], and the [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)|Diet of the Holy Roman Empire]] recognised the sanction.<ref name=Brittanica1>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/473697/Pragmatic-Sanction-of-Emperor-Charles-VI |title=Pragmatic Sanction of Emperor Charles VI|author=<!--Not stated--> |encyclopedia= Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date= 29 November 2018}}</ref> France, Spain, Saxony, Bavaria, and Prussia later reneged.

[[File:Andreas Moeller - Erzherzogin Maria Theresia - Kunsthistorisches Museum.jpg|thumb|right|Archduchess Maria Theresa, by [[Andreas Møller (portrait painter)|Andreas Möller]]]]

Little more than a year after her birth, Maria Theresa was joined by a sister, [[Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (1718–1744)|Maria Anna]], and another one, named Maria Amalia, was born in 1724.{{sfn|Ingrao|2000|p=128}} The portraits of the imperial family show that Maria Theresa resembled Elisabeth Christine and Maria Anna.{{sfn|Mahan|1932|p=23}} The Prussian ambassador noted that she had large blue eyes, fair hair with a slight tinge of red, a wide mouth and a notably strong body.{{sfn|Mahan|1932|p=228}} Unlike many other members of the House of Habsburg, neither Maria Theresa's parents nor her grandparents were closely related to each other.{{efn|Members of the Habsburg dynasty often married their close relatives; examples of such inbreeding were uncle-niece pairs (Maria Theresa's grandfather [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold]] and [[Margaret Theresa of Spain]], [[Philip II of Spain]] and [[Anna of Austria (1549–1580)|Anna of Austria]], [[Philip IV of Spain]] and [[Mariana of Austria]], etc). Maria Theresa, however, descended from Leopold I's third wife who was not closely related to him, and her parents were only distantly related.{{harvnb|Beales|1987|pp=20–21}}.}}

Maria Theresa was a serious and reserved child who enjoyed singing and archery. She was barred from horse riding by her father, but she would later learn the basics for the sake of her [[Coronation of the Hungarian monarch|Hungarian coronation ceremony]]. The imperial family staged opera productions, often conducted by Charles VI, in which she relished participating. Her education was overseen by [[Jesuits]]. Contemporaries thought her [[Latin]] to be quite good, but in all else, the Jesuits did not educate her well.{{sfn|Crankshaw|1970|pp=19–21}} Her spelling and punctuation were unconventional and she lacked the formal manner and speech which had characterised her Habsburg predecessors.{{efn|Rather than using the formal manner and speech, Maria Theresa spoke (and sometimes wrote) [[Viennese German]], which she picked up from her servants and ladies-in-waiting.{{harvnb|Spielman|1993|p=206}}.}} Maria Theresa developed a close relationship with Countess [[Marie Karoline von Fuchs-Mollard]], who taught her etiquette. She was educated in drawing, painting, music and dancing – the disciplines which would have prepared her for the role of [[queen consort]].{{sfn|Mahan|1932|pp=21–22}} Her father allowed her to attend meetings of the council from the age of 14 but never discussed the affairs of state with her.{{sfn|Morris|1937|p=28}} Even though he had spent the last decades of his life securing Maria Theresa's inheritance, Charles never prepared his daughter for her future role as sovereign.{{sfn|Browning|1994|p=37}}