War of Austrian Succession

The War of Austrian Succession was a global armed struggle which took place in Europe, North America, and India, from December 1740 to October 1748. Austria, Great Britain, Holland and Russia fought against Prussia, France, Spain, Bavaria, and Sweden over the succession to the Austrian throne, the region of Silesia, and the territories in Northern Italy. The conflict became global and spread to North America due to a system of alliances. After nine years of savage fighting, the war was put to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle on October 18, 1748, by which Prussia gained control of Silesia, which was an Austrian province of the Habsburg; Maria Theresa consolidated as the Empress of Austria and Sovereign of Hungary and Croatia; and Spain obtained territories in Northern Italy.

When her father, Emperor Charles VI, died in October 1740, Maria Theresa succeeded him as the Empress of Austria of the House of Habsburg. Charles VI had paved the way for her accession with the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, as the Habsburg lands were bound by Salic law which prevented female succession. But after the death of her father, Prussia, Saxony, Bavaria and France repudiated the sanction they had recognized during his lifetime. Then, Prussia proceeded to invade the affluent Habsburg province of Silesia, sparking the War of the Austrian Succession. In 1744, the war intensified with an alliance of Prussia, France and the Emperor of Bavaria Charles VII against Austria. Although Charles VII died in 1745, forcing Bavaria out of the war, the French Army defeated the British, Austrian, and Dutch forces at the Battle of Fontenoy on May 11, 1745, ending Britain’s direct military intervention on the continent. From then on, the war began to subside in intensity until the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle was signed.