War of the Austrian Succession

The War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748). Maria Theresa of Austria succeeded her father Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor in his Habsburg dominions in 1740, namely becoming Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, Archduchess of Austria, and Duchess of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla. For a woman to inherit such vast territories involved many complications, which were perceived long before, and Emperor Charles VI had long anticipated them, getting all the other powers to agree to the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713. The plan was for her to succeed to the hereditary Habsburg domains, and her husband, Francis I, Duke of Lorraine, to be elected Holy Roman Emperor. Frederick II of Prussia, having not himself agreed to the Pragmatic Sanction, invaded Silesia, using some unsettled dynastic claims as a pretext. Maria Theresa, as a woman, was perceived (incorrectly) as weak, and some other princes (such as Charles Albert of Bavaria) alleged rights to the crown.

Other Theaters of Operations

The war was also conducted beyond Europe, in North America and India. In North America the conflict was known as King George's War, and the most remarkable incident was the capture of the French Fortress Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island (Île Royale) by a British expedition (April 29 - June 16, 1745) of colonial militia under Colonel William Pepperrell of Maine (then part of Massachusetts). Louisbourg was then regarded merely as a nest of privateers, but at the peace it was returned to France.

Related Topics:
North America - India - King George's War - Fortress Louisbourg - Cape Breton Island - April 29 - June 16 - 1745 - William Pepperrell - Maine - Massachusetts - Privateer

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~