Quem se casou com Francisco I do Sacro Império Romano-Germânico?

Francisco I (Nancy, 8 de dezembro de 1708 – Innsbruck, 18 de agosto de 1765) foi o Arquiduque da Áustria de 1740 até sua morte e também Sacro Imperador Romano a partir de 1745, porém sua esposa Maria Teresa da Áustria era quem realmente exercia o poder real. Também foi Duque da Lorena entre 1729 e 1737, quando recebeu em troca o título de Grão-Duque da Toscana. Era filho de Leopoldo, Duque de Lorena, e sua esposa Isabel Carlota de Orleães.

Juntamente com a sua esposa, a imperatriz Maria Teresa, fundou a dinastia Habsburgo-Lorena. Entre 1729 e 1737, foi duque de Lorena. Em 1737, o Ducado da Lorena passou a ser gerido pela França de acordo com os termos que resultaram da Guerra de Sucessão da Polônia. Francisco e a Casa de Lorena receberam o Grão-ducado da Toscana no tratado de paz que pôs termo à guerra. Depois de subir ao trono como imperador romano-germânico, o Ducado da Lorena passou, em nome, para as mãos do seu irmão mais novo, o príncipe Carlos Alexandre de Lorena que era também governante dos Países Baixos austríacos. Devido a uma série de alianças estratégicas, o ducado acabaria por ser anexado pela França em 1766.

Embora, nominalmente, ocupasse uma posição superior à sua esposa, Francisco que, apesar de competente, era mais calmo, foi sempre ofuscado pela personalidade forte da sua esposa.

Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position in her own right. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Slavonia, Mantua, Milan, Moravia, Galicia and Lodomeria, Dalmatia, Austrian Netherlands, Carinthia, Carniola, Gorizia and Gradisca, Austrian Silesia, Tyrol, Styria and Parma. By marriage, she was Duchess of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, and Holy Roman Empress.

Maria Theresa started her 40-year reign when her father, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, died on 20 October 1740. Charles VI paved the way for her accession with the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 and spent his entire reign securing it through international diplomacy. He neglected the advice of Prince Eugene of Savoy, who believed that a strong military and a rich treasury were more important than mere signatures. Eventually, Charles VI left behind a weakened and impoverished state, particularly due to the War of the Polish Succession and the Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739). Moreover, upon his death, Saxony, Prussia, Bavaria, and France all repudiated the sanction they had recognised during his lifetime. Frederick II of Prussia (who became Maria Theresa's greatest rival for most of her reign) promptly invaded and took the affluent Habsburg province of Silesia in the eight-year conflict known as the War of the Austrian Succession. In defiance of the grave situation, she managed to secure the vital support of the Hungarians for the war effort. During the course of the war, Maria Theresa successfully defended her rule over most of the Habsburg monarchy, apart from the loss of Silesia and a few minor territories in Italy. Maria Theresa later unsuccessfully tried to recover Silesia during the Seven Years' War.

Although she was expected to cede power to her husband, Emperor Francis I, and her eldest son, Emperor Joseph II, who were officially her co-rulers in Austria and Bohemia, Maria Theresa ruled as an autocratic sovereign with the counsel of her advisers. She promulgated institutional, financial, medical, and educational reforms, with the assistance of Wenzel Anton of Kaunitz-Rietberg, Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz, and Gerard van Swieten. She also promoted commerce and the development of agriculture, and reorganised Austria's ramshackle military, all of which strengthened Austria's international standing. A pious Catholic, she despised Freemasons, Jews and Protestants, and on certain occasions she ordered their expulsion to remote parts of the realm. She also advocated for the Catholic Church.