Page:A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country (1804).djvu/835

Rh of Tuscany, consort to Maria-Theresa, was immediately declared a candidate for the Imperial throne, while his pretensions were warmly opposed by Lewis and his allies.

The court of Vienna, taking advantage of the late Emperor's death, sent an army into Bavaria, and expelled the forces of the electorate. The young elector was obliged to abandon his capital, where he found himself in danger of losing all his dominions. In this emergency, he suffered the dictates of reason to prevail over the suggestions of ambition, and acceded to a negociation with the court of Vienna. A negociation was opened, and the treaty concluded. The queen consented to recognize the Imperial dignity as having been vested in the person of his father; to acknowledge his mother, as empress dowager; to restore his dominions, fortresses, artillery, stores and ammunition, which she had taken. While, on his part, he renounced all claim to the succession of his father; became guarantee of the Pragmatic Sanction, and also engaged his vote for the grand-duke at the ensuing election, and acknowledged the validity of that of Bohemia in the person of the queen.

A war, the avowed object of which was to place and preserve Charles VIIth on the throne, ought to have terminated with his death, particularly after his son had formally renounced the dignity enjoyed by his father. But the French ministry, intent on having an Emperor of their own choice, had cast their eyes on the King of Poland, a monarch whom they had long considered as an usurper; but the minister of Augustus prevented his falling into the snare. The other efforts of Lewis were fruitless; the Grand-duke repaired to Frankfort, where, by a majority of votes, he was declared King of the