As we mentioned above, Teresa ushered in a major test in her life as soon as she took the throne, and those who had vowed to defend her in front of her father turned against her one after another. (See Maria Theresa, Austria's only female ruler (above).)
Among them was Frederick II of Prussia (also Teresa's cousin), whose remorse dealt a fatal blow to Theresa.
In the First Silesian War, the first battle, Frederick was victorious, and when news of the defeat reached Theresa, she was in confinement.
What to do? In desperation, Theresa had no choice but to ask for help from the powerful country that had signed the "Edict of State".
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Before that, it is necessary to explain more about Frederick II's motives for sending troops.
Frederick II's father, Frederick William I, was a "soldier king" known for his rigorous military training, but he was politically suppressed by pro-Austrian forces and there was always a sentiment of opposition, which naturally influenced Frederick II.
When the young Frederick II ascended to supremacy, his ambitions swelled with his position.
He wants to fight for the supreme right of his country. So after the death of Charles VI, he took the opportunity to make a territorial claim to Theresa for Silesia
In Frederick's eyes, this cousin is a little girl with no ambition, no political literacy, just likes literature and dancing, but he does not know that it is his action that has caused great psychological trauma to Theresa, so much so that it affects her life creed.
Later, Frederick mentioned that the reason for starting the Silesian War was that he had just taken the throne to gain fame and to get rid of his father's contempt for his neutrality.
But in any case, Frederick's dispatch was a heavy blow to Austria, because because of his actions, many countries completely tore off their masks and began to stare at the fat meat of Austria.
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On December 23, 1740, Frederick's army crossed the border into Silesia, two days before his envoy arrived in Vienna. Prussia's intentions were self-evident, and the First Silesian War broke out.
Frederick II was an extremely accomplished monarch, and his ability to think, lead and command military command was not weak. As early as the War of the Polish Succession, he studied on the battlefield with the famous Prince Eugen, who also praised him for his calm and resourcefulness.
In this war, Prussia won Silesia.
Of course, the process did not go so smoothly, and Maria Theresia was very angry at her cousin's treacherous behavior and began to seek help from all parties.
But the relationship between European countries was so delicate that Mary's husband was even persuading his wife to make concessions.
The Kingdom of Great Britain believed that it would unite with Austria to contain France, and the king declared that he was ready to help Austria, but Great Britain was also considering the adverse consequences of offending Prussia;
Not to mention France, Maria was even more careful with him.
As the situation on the battlefield changed, Maria had to make concessions to Frederick II through the ambassador of the Kingdom of Great Britain.
When Mary gave in a little, Frederick's conditions were raised a little, until in the end, Frederick overturned all concessions, ended the negotiations, and indignantly stated that "these concessions made him disloyal to his allies."
At the mention of "allies", France immediately had a breakthrough, and France immediately united with Bavaria, Prussia and Bourbon Spain against the alliance of England and Habsburg.
In this world, there are few people who see unevenness on the road and draw their swords to help, and there are many people who take advantage of the fire and robbery to take advantage of people's dangers.
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Seeing that she was in a situation of isolation and helplessness, Maria suddenly made a move, and she took advantage of the contradiction of the interests of all parties to decisively seize the Hungarian side.
In fact, Hungary's position has always been delicate.
Hungary occupied a large part of the territory of the Archduchy of Austria, and although they had recently shown loyalty, the Austrian dynasty had been deeply disturbed by Hungary's past secession and the people's desire for freedom.
Mary first sent a letter to ensure the freedom of the Hungarian people, entrusting the governor of John Balfi, the most beloved by Hungarians, with the responsibility of Hungarian affairs.
When she appeared in front of the Hungarian people in Hungarian national costume and holding her young eldest son, the Hungarian nobles excitedly shouted "to die for our queen".
In the shouting of "Long live the Queen", Maria tearfully told the Hungarian people about her plight, saying that she believed in the patriotic feelings of the Hungarian people and was willing to entrust herself, her children and the throne to the loyal and brave Hungarians.
The excited Hungarian nobles immediately supplied Austria with 50,000 troops.
In hindsight, these armies did not provide the desired results on the Austrian battlefield, but stable internal relations gave Maria enough confidence to fight the outside enemy.
One of the factors that really turned Austria around was the mutual suspicion among the rival Allies, which made them unable to command on the battlefield.
There is no common enemy, only common interests, and the collapse of the alliance is only a problem in the distribution of interests, I wonder if Maria Theresa will seize this key point and buy time for Austria?