Editing Maria Theresa (section)

==Marriage==
The question of Maria Theresa's marriage was raised early in her childhood. [[Léopold Clément, Hereditary Prince of Lorraine|Leopold Clement of Lorraine]] was first considered to be the appropriate suitor, and he was supposed to visit Vienna and meet the Archduchess in 1723. These plans were forestalled by his death from [[smallpox]] that year.{{sfn|Mahan|1932|pp=24–25}}

Leopold Clement's younger brother, [[Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor|Francis Stephen]], was invited to Vienna. Even though Francis Stephen was his favourite candidate for Maria Theresa's hand,{{sfn|Crankshaw|1970|p=22}} the Emperor considered other possibilities. Religious differences prevented him from arranging his daughter's marriage to the Protestant prince [[Frederick II of Prussia|Frederick of Prussia]].{{sfn|Mahan|1932|p=27}} In 1725, he betrothed her to [[Charles III of Spain|Charles of Spain]] and her sister, Maria Anna, to [[Philip, Duke of Parma|Philip of Spain]]. However, other European powers compelled him to renounce the pact he had made with the Queen of Spain, [[Elisabeth Farnese]], and the betrothal to Charles was broken off. Maria Theresa, who had become close to Francis Stephen, was relieved.{{sfn|Mahan|1932|p=26}}{{sfn|Morris|1937|pp=25–26}}

[[File:Festmåltid vid hovet i Wien En grand couvert (Johan Lundberg) - Nationalmuseum - 15746.tif|thumb|upright=1.4|left|Maria Theresa and Francis Stephen at their [[wedding breakfast]], by [[Martin van Meytens]]. Charles VI (in the red-plumed hat) is seated at the centre of the table.]]

Francis Stephen remained at the imperial court until 1729, when he ascended the throne of [[Duchy of Lorraine|Lorraine]],{{sfn|Mahan|1932|p=27}} but was not formally promised Maria Theresa's hand until 31 January 1736, during the [[War of the Polish Succession]].{{sfn|Mahan|1932|p=37}} [[Louis XV]] of France demanded that Maria Theresa's fiancé surrender his ancestral Duchy of Lorraine to accommodate his father-in-law, [[Stanisław I Leszczyński|Stanisław I]], who had been deposed as king of Poland.{{efn|Maria Theresa's father compelled Francis Stephen to renounce his rights to Lorraine and told him: "''No renunciation, no archduchess."''{{harvnb|Beales|1987|p=23}}.}} Francis Stephen was to receive the [[Grand Duchy of Tuscany]] upon the death of childless Grand Duke [[Gian Gastone de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Gian Gastone de' Medici]].{{sfn|Crankshaw|1970|p=25}} The couple were married on 12 February 1736 at the [[Augustinian Church, Vienna|Augustinian Church]] in [[Vienna]].{{sfn|Mahan|1932|p=38}}

The Duchess of Lorraine's love for her husband was strong and possessive.{{sfn|Mahan|1932|p=261}} The letters she sent to him shortly before their marriage expressed her eagerness to see him; his letters, on the other hand, were stereotyped and formal.{{sfn|Goldsmith|1936|p=55}}{{sfn|Mahan|1932|p=39}} She was very jealous of her husband and his infidelity was the greatest problem of their marriage,{{sfn|Mahan|1932|pp=261–262}} with [[Maria Wilhelmina von Neipperg|Maria Wilhelmina, Princess of Auersperg]], as his best-known mistress.{{sfn|Mahan|1932|pp=262–263}}

[[File:Rosalba Carriera - Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Habsburg (1717-1780) - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Maria Theresa in 1730, by Venetian painter, [[Rosalba Carriera]].]]

Upon Gian Gastone's death on 9 July 1737, Francis Stephen ceded Lorraine and became grand duke of Tuscany. In 1738, Charles VI sent the young couple to make their formal entry into Tuscany. The [[Triumphal Arch of the Lorraine, Florence|Triumphal Arch of the Lorraine]] was erected at the Porta Galla in celebration, where it remains today. Their stay in [[Florence]] was brief. Charles VI soon recalled them, as he feared he might die while his heiress was miles away in Tuscany.{{sfn|Crankshaw|1970|p=26}} In the summer of 1738, Austria suffered defeats during the ongoing [[Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739)|Russo-Turkish War]]. The Turks reversed Austrian gains in [[Ottoman Serbia|Serbia]], [[Wallachia]], and [[Bosnia Eyalet|Bosnia]]. The Viennese rioted at the cost of the war. Francis Stephen was popularly despised, as he was thought to be a cowardly French spy.{{sfn|Crankshaw|1970|pp=25–26}} The war was concluded the next year with the [[Treaty of Belgrade]].{{sfn|Roider|1972}}{{page needed|date=June 2023}}