Pragmatic Sanction — Habsburg Succession Law
Emperor Charles VI had no male heir and was determined to pass the Habsburg lands intact to his eldest daughter Maria Theresa. The Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 established that the Habsburg territories were indivisible and could pass through the female line. Charles VI spent the rest of his reign (until 1740) extracting recognition of the Pragmatic Sanction from European powers — Austria's estates, then foreign courts — in exchange for territorial and commercial concessions. By 1738 he had obtained recognition from Spain, France, Britain, the Dutch Republic, Russia, and the German princes — at enormous cost. When Charles VI died on 20 October 1740, the agreements proved worthless almost instantly. Within weeks, Frederick the Great of Prussia invaded Silesia, launching the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–48). France, Bavaria, Saxony, and Spain backed Bavarian claims to the Habsburg throne. Maria Theresa, 23 years old, rallied Hungarian and Austrian support to fight for her inheritance — one of the most dramatic reversals in 18th-century European history.
- Year: 1713 CE
- Category: Political
