Habsburg Monarchy · 1740-1780

Maria Theresa and Habsburg Austria

At 23 Maria Theresa inherits the Habsburg lands, and enemies attack at once. Students follow how she held her lands together, won the support of Hungary, reformed schools and government, and why she never forgave Frederick for Silesia.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
45 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, AD 1740
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

At 23 Maria Theresa inherits the Habsburg lands, and enemies attack at once. Students follow how she held her lands together, won the support of Hungary, reformed schools and government, and why she never forgave Frederick for Silesia.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain why Maria Theresa's inheritance in 1740 led to a European war.
  • Locate Vienna, Pressburg (Bratislava), Prague and Silesia on the map.
  • Describe two reforms of Maria Theresa and who benefited from them.
2

Explore the map

12 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1740

The Habsburg lands

Open the map in 1740 and find the Austrian Habsburg lands around Vienna. How many peoples and languages might live inside these borders?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1740

Enemies around her

Find Brandenburg-Prussia to the north and France to the west. In 1740-1741 both turned against Maria Theresa. Which of her lands was easiest to attack?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1740

Hungary's choice

Zoom in on the Danube between Vienna and Pressburg (Bratislava), only about 60 km apart. In 1741 the Hungarian nobles met in Pressburg. Why did their support matter so much?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

14 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. As a woman, Maria Theresa could not be elected emperor. How did that weaken her in 1740?
  2. She asked the Hungarian nobles for help in 1741. Why would proud nobles who often resisted Vienna support her?
  3. In 1774 she made school compulsory for children aged 6 to 12. Why would a ruler want everyone to learn to read?
  4. She had 16 children and married many of them into other royal families. Why?
  5. In 1756 Austria allied with its old enemy France. What does that tell you about alliances?
4

Game round

9 min

Play a round of Rule History as Frederick the Great, Maria Theresa's great rival, who took Silesia from her in 1740. Afterwards, imagine the same choices from her side. What would you have done in her place?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

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