Hello and welcome to a History of Europe Key Battles podcast.

This is Part 3 of the War of Austrian Succession.

In October 1740, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, the last Mel Habsburg died.

Though unexpected when it happened, his death had been long anticipated, for Charles had devoted huge amounts of time

and political capital, persuading European states to agree to the so-called pragmatic sanction.

That is, the succession of his eldest daughter Maria Theresa to his titles in Austria, Bohemia and Hungary,

and the passing of the Imperial Crown to her husband, Francis Stephen.

The court in Vienna had reasonable hopes that the succession could go smoothly.

The Chief Minister in France, André Herculet de Fleury,

appeared to want to avoid continental war and instead

help Spain with a struggle against the British overseas.

The Russian Empress, Anna, died just three days before Charles, but the regency of young

Ivan Iveron the 6th was pro-Austrian. However, then in December, news arrived in Vienna that the

Prussian army looked as if it was mobilizing to the north. The king of Prussia, Frederick

II, known to history as Frederick the Great, had acceded to the throne a few months

before. It was hoped he would humanise the Prussian state which had become heavily

militarised under Frederick's father's rule. Frederick threw up a diplomatic smoke screen,

indicating that the preparations were aimed at

seizing the long disputed duchies of Ullick and Berg in Western Germany. His intentions became

more clear on 13th of December when he boarded his travelling coach and headed south, not west,

and amassed over 27,000 troops on the Sarasian border.

As for his motivation, the reason was essentially that he saw an opportunity.

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