Maria
Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only
female ruler of the Habsburg
dominions and the last of the House of
Habsburg. She was the sovereign ofAustria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, theAustrian Netherlands and Parma. By marriage, she
was Duchess of Lorraine,Grand Duchess of Tuscany and Holy Roman Empress.
All of Maria Theresa's
children were subject to her emotional blackmail. She would be solicitous to
the point of smothering, and then demand total obedience as just recompense for
her care and toil.
Maria Theresa was perfectly prepared to
destroy Marie Antoinette's happiness if it increased Austria's
strength.
