Maria Theresa 2

Maria Theresa (1717-1780) was Holy Roman empress from 1740 to 1780. Ruling in the most complicated period of Austrian history, she modernized her dominions and saved them from closure.  
In 1736 Maria Theresa was permitted to marry for love. Her choice was Duke Francis Stephen of Lorraine. So that France might not object to the prospect of an final merging of Lorraine into the empire, Francis Stephen was forced to exchange his beloved province for the less valuable Tuscany.
She was the eldest daughter of Charles VI, who had no sons therefore Maria Theresa succeeded his thrown when he died in October of 1740.
Maria Theresa (1717-1780) was Holy Roman empress from 1740 to 1780. Ruling in the most complicated period of Austrian history, she modernized her dominions and saved them from closure.  
In 1736 Maria Theresa was permitted to marry for love. Her choice was Duke Francis Stephen of Lorraine. So that France might not object to the prospect of an final merging of Lorraine into the empire, Francis Stephen was forced to exchange his beloved province for the less valuable Tuscany.
She was the eldest daughter of Charles VI, who had no sons therefore Maria Theresa succeeded his thrown when he died in October of 1740.
Like all members of the Habsburg family Maria Theresa was a Roman Catholic, and a devoted one as well. She believed that religious unity was necessary for a peaceful public life and clearly rejected the idea of religious toleration.
However, she never allowed the Church to interfere with what she considered to be privileges of a monarch and kept Rome at arm's length.
Her approach to religious faithfulness differed from the approach of her predecessors, as she was influenced by Jansenism ideas. The empress actively supported conversion to Roman Catholicism by securing pensions to the converts.
She tolerated Greek Catholics and emphasized their equal status with Roman Catholics.