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Text | History of the Journey
Edit | History of the journey
Maria Theresia 's eldest daughter, Maria I, became a female ruler in Vienna, Austria, on December 23, 1740. As her first priority on the throne, Mary I faced many challenges and opportunities. Maria I's first tasks since her accession to the throne included how she dealt with the question of the Austrian succession, her role in foreign policy and among European powers, and her influence on domestic policy and economic development.
01
The question of the succession to the throne of Maria I
The accession to the throne of Maria I was disputed by the succession to the throne. Her father Charles VI had intended to pass the throne to his daughter Maria Theresia , but since both France and Bavaria claimed the Austrian throne at that time, Maria I had to demonstrate her rights and legitimacy to the throne when she ascended the throne. Therefore, one of Mary I's first tasks was to ensure her successful ascension to the throne.
She chose a tough strategy: she displayed her crown of Holy Roman Emperor in the center of Vienna, showing her power and status to the public. In addition, she declared to the people throughout Austria that she was the rightful heir to the throne.
Although both France and Bavaria claimed the right to inherit the Austrian throne, Maria I eventually succeeded in ascending the throne and became the first female ruler in Austrian history.
And Mary I inherited a large but impoverished empire with frequent wars. She worked very hard to try to improve the situation of the empire. In foreign policy, her priority was to strengthen the ties between empires in order to ensure their stability and unity. Therefore, she advocated achieving this goal by forging marriage alliances and uniting against a common enemy. She forged many alliances, including with Britain and Tsarist Russia, which served to protect Austria's stability and unity and made Austria an important player on the European political scene.
The other side also tried to improve Austria's international standing by expanding the empire. She fought in many wars, including the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War. Although none of these wars led directly to Austrian expansion, they enabled Maria I to demonstrate Austrian power on the European political stage, increasing her influence among the European powers.
In addition to her foreign policy, Mary I was concerned with domestic policy and economic development. One of her first tasks is to promote the development of education and culture. She supports the establishment of schools and universities and encourages artists to create. She also focused on improving agricultural and industrial production, while implementing fiscal and tax reforms to progressively improve Austria's economic situation.
As a Catholic, Mary I's persecution of the Reformation and Protestants was also one of her concerns. She introduced anti-Reformation policies, prohibiting Protestants from meeting and worshiping in places like Italy and the Czech Republic, which caused some to resent and resist Mary I.
As the first female ruler in Austrian history, Maria I faced many challenges and opportunities. She successfully ascended the throne and achieved many achievements in foreign and domestic policy. She made Austria an important player on the European political scene by forging marriage alliances, expanding empires, promoting educational and cultural development, and improving economic conditions. Although her anti-Reformation policies caused some discontent, her place in Austrian history remained important and she had a profound impact on European and global political and cultural developments.
02
Internal affairs achievements
Mary I attached great importance to the development of education and culture. She supports the establishment of schools and universities and encourages artists to create. She also supported the construction of the theater and invited artists and musicians from Italy, Germany and France to perform and perform. These initiatives by Mary I helped to raise the level of Austrian culture and also made Austria one of the centers of European culture.
It is committed to economic and fiscal reforms. She introduced a series of measures, including reducing the power of feudal lords and strengthening centralization, and improving the tax system to increase state revenue. In addition, she encouraged the establishment of factories and the improvement of agricultural production in order to increase national income and raise the living standards of the people. These measures laid the foundation for Austria's economic development and, later, for its rise.
She abolished many of the privileges of local feudal lords and established a unified legal system, increasing the fairness and transparency of the law and weakening the privileges of the nobility. These initiatives contribute to the stability of the country and the authority of its laws.
And as a Catholic, Mary I took very strict measures against Protestants, forbidding Protestants to meet and worship in places such as Italy and the Czech Republic. These policies aroused some discontent and resistance, leading to a series of political and social problems. These policies of Mary I severely suppressed and persecuted Protestants in the region, weakening Austria's social stability. At the same time, these policies also scared away some merchants and craftsmen, which had a certain impact on Austria's economic development.
Although Mary I achieved many achievements in economic and financial reforms, she established relatively liberal economic policies. These policies led to a modest increase in productivity and economic growth, but left Austria with a large fiscal deficit. This fiscal deficit forced her to introduce a new tax system, which further exacerbated the poverty and discontent of the people.
Because of her short-sightedness and ignorance in foreign policy, she started a series of wars. She fought in wars such as the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and extreme financial difficulties for the Austrian treasury. These wars reduced her position among the European powers and weakened Austria's influence in Europe.
She was a very visionary and able ruler, and she achieved a lot in domestic affairs. She introduced educational and cultural development, economic and financial reforms, and the establishment of the legal system, which made an important contribution to Austria's social stability and economic development.
However, she also made a number of mistakes, the biggest of which was her adoption of the Counter-Reformation policy, which led to a series of political and social problems and weakened the social stability of Austria. In addition, she established relatively liberal economic policies, but this also left Austria with a large fiscal deficit and exacerbated poverty and discontent among the people. Therefore, in terms of internal affairs, the achievements and mistakes of Mary I deserve our in-depth consideration and discussion.
03
Diplomatic influence
During the reign of Mary I, Europe was in turmoil. There are constant disputes and wars between countries, and the international situation is extremely complex. At the same time, there are huge differences in the national strength, political system and cultural level of European countries, and the relationship between countries is very complicated. Against this background, Maria I committed herself to an active foreign policy that wanted to strengthen Austria's position and influence in Europe.
Foreign policy consisted mainly of two aspects: a united front against France and Prussia through alliances and alliances, and a strengthening of political and economic ties with other countries to expand Austria's influence in Europe.
A series of foreign policy measures have greatly enhanced Austria's position and influence in Europe. Maria I forged alliances with England, the Netherlands, and Portugal, which not only strengthened Austria's defense system in Europe, but also strengthened Austria's diplomatic influence.
Second, Maria I also established friendly relations with Russia, Poland and Sweden, which were not only beneficial to Austrian diplomatic power in Europe, but also to the maintenance of peace and stability in Europe.
Prussia and France were both European powers, and their status and power were very strong. Mary I urgently needed good relations with both countries in order to maintain the security and prosperity of his own country. Through many negotiations and consultations, Maria I finally succeeded in establishing some cooperative relations with the two countries, which not only strengthened Austria's position and influence, but also contributed to peace and stability in Europe.
04
The influence of Mary I on the European economy
On the economic front, Maria I took a series of measures to promote Austria's economic development and expand Austria's foreign economic exchanges. First, she introduced a series of tax reforms and business-friendly policies that supported Austria's economic development. Second, she actively promoted trade with other countries and strengthened economic ties with other countries. Through these measures, Maria I succeeded in promoting Austria's economic development and expanding its economic influence in Europe.
Although Mary I's foreign policy had achieved many achievements, it also faced many challenges and difficulties. First, her policy against France and Prussia, as well as the establishment of alliances, required considerable resources and support. Austria's financial situation at the time was inadequate, which had an impact on her strategic planning and decision-making.
On the other hand, the other party also has to face various domestic political issues, such as the opposition of the aristocracy and the dissatisfaction of the people, which will affect her thinking and decision-making, and bring certain obstacles to foreign policy. In addition, she also needs to deal with changes and uncertainties in the international situation, as well as complex conflicts and competition between the interests of other countries. These challenges and difficulties have tested her leadership and diplomatic acumen.
Through the above analysis and summary of the foreign policy of Mary I, it can be found that she has made remarkable achievements in the implementation of foreign policy. She succeeded in establishing friendly and allied relations with other countries and strengthened Austria's position and influence.
At the same time, she adopted a number of trade and economic policies that contributed greatly to Austria's economic prosperity. However, while Mary I achieved many things, she also encountered many challenges and difficulties. These challenges and difficulties tested her leadership and diplomatic wisdom, while also showing us the tenacity, courage and wisdom of a great female ruler in leading and running her country.