Maria Theresa: The Habsburg Empress in Her Time

Description

A major new biography of the iconic Austrian empress that challenges the many myths about her life and rule Maria Theresa (1717-1780) was once the most powerful woman in Europe. At the age of twenty-three, she ascended to the throne of the Habsburg Empire, a far-flung realm composed of diverse ethnicities and languages, beset on all sides by ene

Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger is professor of early modern history at the University of Munster and rector of the Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin. Her books include The Holy Roman Empire: A Short History (Princeton) and The Emperor's Old Clothes: Constitutional History and the Symbolic Language of the Holy Roman Empire. She lives in Berlin.

"A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year" "A Financial Times Best History Book of the Year" "A monumental feat of scholarship that represents the first comprehensive reappraisal of the empress' life and legacy since the mid-19th century. . . . Ms. Stollberg-Rilinger excels at both detail and grand scale, and translator Robert Savage never lets her down. Her description of the Habsburg Monarchy's complex machinery, her analysis of the arcane workings of the Holy Roman Empire, and her exposition of the family's marriage strategies are all masterpieces in miniature."---A. Wess Mitchell, Wall Street Journal "An outstanding work that repaints the entire history of mid-eighteenth-century Europe . . . . The great woman has found a truly great biographer."---A. N. Wilson, Times Literary Supplement "Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger's biography is a landmark in the historiography of the Habsburg Monarchy. All praise and thanks are due to Princeton University Press for such a beautifully produced and well-translated volume, and also to the original German publisher (C. H. Beck) for allowing the author enough space to do justice to Maria Theresa's life and times."---Tim Blanning, Times Literary Supplement "This sweeping work by Stollberg-Rilinger, an expert on the Holy Roman Empire, will stand as the definitive study for many years to come."---Tony Barber, Financial Times. "More than a biography of a remarkable figure, this study presents a sweeping view of the eighteenth century."---Ben Riley, New Criterion "Impressive"---John Adamson, Literary Review "A behind the scenes guide to Maria Theresa's rule . . . an examination of the historiographical layers that have gone into creating her image."---Catriona Seth, London Review of Books "An entertaining masterpiece that reveals sides of an extraordinary woman never before seen."---A. N. Wilson, Catholic Herald "What marks this work out from previous efforts is surely its well-rounded, holistic approach to its subject . . . .Stollberg-Rilinger's text is long but not excessive in Robert Savage's attractive translation. Her book could be a model for how such biographies of the great and the good are constructed: a wealth of contextual detail and quirky anecdotes are marshalled in pursuit of a grand vision which becomes more than the sum of its parts."---Miles Pattenden, Australian Book Review "The near-definitive biography of a brilliant, complex woman at the heart of European affairs is a work of the highest scholarship."---Paul Lay, Aspects of History "Epic and scholarly."---Elizabeth Fitzherbert, The Lady "This sweeping work . . . . will stand as the definitive study for many years to come."---Tony Barber, Financial Times