The Rise of Austria and Prussia.
Maria Theresa: The Hapsburg Austrian empress at the age of 23. She became ruler of Hapsburg Austria after her father, Emperor Charles VI, had passed away. She helped fight against the Prussians in the War of Austrian Succession.
Frederick William II: Frederick was the King of Prussia from 1786 until his death in 1797. He had seven children with two women and had an affair with his mistress in his life time, which explains why his people also called him der Vielgeliebte ("the much loved") and der dicke Lüderjahn ("the fat scallywag"). He favored his son Graf Alexander von der Mark, the son of the mistriss.
Interesting Facts about Prussia and Austria
- The most prominent state of Germany prior to World War II, Prussia was partitioned among the four Allied occupation zones after 1945.
- In 1947 the Allied Control Council for Germany formally abolished the state of Prussia.
- The Austrian flag is one of the oldest national flags in the world. It dates from 1191 when Duke Leopold V fought during the Third Crusade.
- The oldest zoo in the world, founded in 1752, is located in Vienna, Austria's capitol.
The War of Austrian Succession
- Because the Emperor of Austria died without a son, his daughter Maria Theresa took the throne. Frederick Williams II took this as a chance to invade Silesia in 1740.
- Nearly every state of Europe was involved in the battle as an ally or an enemy of Austria.
- Austria had England as an ally and Prussia had France and some help from Spain, since Spain was fighting England at the time as well.
- The war of the Austrian succession had many complications by the fact that almost all of the allies were fighting for their own interests rather than for a unified cause.
- In the end, Prussia was able to keep Silesia and the war was finished with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.
- While Austria was molding into a strong Catholic state, Prussia emerged as a new Protestant power in the 1600's.
- The Hohenzollern family ruled scattered islands in northern Germany, but became ambitious of other rulers, so they joined the states to make Prussia.
- Prussia had a motto of "Suum cuique," meaning "To each his own."
- The map shows the Prussian Empire at it's peek, leading the German Empire.