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Hello, I'm Professor Susanna Lipscomb and welcome welcome to Not Just the Tudors from History Hit,

the podcasts in which we explore everything from Anne Boleyn to the Aztecs,

from Holbein to the Huguenots, from Shakespeare to Samarise,

relieved by regular doses of murder, espionage and witchcraft.

Not in other words, just the Tudors,

but most definitely also the Tudors.

Maria Theresa was 23 years old when in 1740 she inherited the Habsburg Empire, a vast power that stretched from the Netherlands

to Croatia. As the first female Habsburg ruler, her succession was, however, contested,

and her reign was immediately characterized by war as she sought to defend her inheritance.

Taking her position and her dynasty very seriously, she considered herself to be entrusted by God with a sacred mission.

She reigned with an almost inexhaustible energy, devoting herself to the mastery of every detail.

Hers was an uncompromising life, and her engagement as a military leader who gave birth 16 times

has given her a cherished place in the hearts of the Austrian people to this day.

In death, she was held up in memory as a fairy tale figure, not only a mother to a vast brood of

children, but a maternal embodiment of imperialism. An empress whom, we're told, was constantly accessible by her subjects,

the founder of the modern state,

...