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 mian crown. Nor was he the only invader; the Elector of Saxony and the Kings of Sardinia, Spain and France combined their forces with those of the Elector of Bavaria, whom these rulers wanted to have on the Bohemian throne. They maintained that he had more right to the throne than Maria Theresa, because he was a descendant of Anna Jagelonka, the wife of Ferdinand I., who was the last daughter of the Bohemian kings, and that the Hapsburg dynasty ended with the death of Charles VI.

The armies of these allies besieged Prague, and took it in one night. The regiments which Francis of Lorraine, Maria Theresa’s husband, led against them were defeated near Čáslavi. But the Prague people could not complain against the victorious armies, for they were not allowed to plunder. They were ordered to deal kindly with the people and to demand only what was necessary for immediate use. The very first day a frightful warning was given. A soldier who had stolen a woman’s dress and sold it, was immediately hanged.