Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 13.djvu/79

* MAKIA THERESA. 59 MARIE ANTOINETTE. founded on the extinction of tlie male line of the House of Hapsburg and in eontiavention of the Pragmatic Sanction. The War of the Austrian Succes.sion (1740-48) ensued, in which England supported Austria. (See SrccESSiox Wars.) Frederick II. of Prussia soon made himself master of Silesia; Spain and Naples laid hands on the Austrian dominions in Italy; and the French, Bavarians (whose ruler was elected Holy Roman Emperor as Charles VIl. in 1742), and Saxons overran the hereditary Austrian territories. The young Queen was in the utmost danger of seeing her realms dismembered, but was saved by the chivalrous fidelity of the Hun- garians, the assistance of England, and most of all by her own resolute spirit. Her enemies quarreled among themselves ; and the war of the Austrian Succession was terminated by the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748. Maria Theresa lost Silesia and Glatz and the duchies of Parma. Piacenza, and Guastalla. In 1745 her husband (Francis I.) had been raised to the Im- perial throne of Germany on the death of Charles VII. During the period of peace that followed she initiated great financial reforms; agriculture, manufactures, and commerce flourished, the na- tional revenues greatly increased, and the bur- dens of the peasantrv" were diminislied. All this time she was strengthening her resources in an- ticipation of a renewal of the war with Freder- ick the Great. Her indomitable pride and her devout Catholicism would not permit her to re- linquish Silesia as long as she could fight for it. She found in Kaunitz (q.v.) a minister pos- sessed of the wisdom and energy- requisite for the conduct of afTairs, and in him she placed almost unlimited confidence. He effected the alliance with France which disturbed all existing inter- national arrangements (17.50). In the Seven Years' War (q.v.) ilaria Theresa and her allies well-nigh achieved the ruin of Frederick the Great; but the generalship of the indomitable Prussian King, the incapacity of the generals of Louis X'., and Russia's abandonment of the cause of Maria Theresa, enabled Frederick to emerge from the struggle with his dominions intact. The war reduced Austria to a state of great exhaustion: but when it was concluded, Jla- ria Theresa renewed her efforts to [irnmote the na- tional prosperity, and made many important re- forms, ameliorating the condition of "the peasan- try and mitigating the penal code. Her son .Toseph (II.) became Holy Roman Emperor on the death of her husband in 1705. Maria Tlieresa associated him with herself in the government of her hereditary States, but in reality committed to him the charge only of military affairs. She joined with Russia and Prussia in the first parti- tion of Poland (1772). Galicia falling to her share. She also compelled the Porte to give up Bukowina to her (1777). The brief War of the Bavarian Succession (1778-70) ended in her ac- quisition of a di.strict along the Inn (Innviertel), but led to the formation of the Fiirstenbund or League of German Princes, which set bounds to the Austrian power in Germany. Maria Theresa died in Vienna. November 20, 1780. Throughout her reign she displayed a resolute and masculine character. Although a zealous Roman Catholic, she maintained the rights of the Crown against the Court of Rome, and endeavored to correct some of the worst abuses in the Church. She prohibited the presence of priests at the making Vol. XIII.— 6. of wills, abolished the right ut u^ylum in churches and convents, and suppressed the Inquisition ia Milan. Her son succeeded her as Joseph II. (q.v.). Consult: Arneth, (Jcschichte Maria Theresias (10 vols., Vienna, 1803-70); Kern, "Die Refor- men der Kaiserin Maria Theresias," in Bistor- isches Tascliciibiich, xi. (I.«ipzig. 1809) ; Broghe, Frederick the (Jreat and Maria Theresa, from unpublished documents, translated (London, 1883) ; id., Marie Thcrese, Iinpiratriee, i7.J.}-.}6" (Paris, 1888) ; Villermont, Marie Therese, 77/7- 80 (Paris. 1895); Bright, Maria Theresa (Lon- don, 1807). Her correspondence has been edited by Kervyn de Lettenhove, Lettres inedites de Marie Thirese et de Joseph II.. Royal Academy of Belgium, and by Arneth (Vienna, 1807-81). MARIA THERESA, Order of. An Aus- trian order conferred exclusively for distin- guished conduct in war, founded in 1757. The monarch is the head of the order. Pensions rang- ing from 000 to 0000 llorins are given to mem- bers. The distinction is very sparingly conferred. MARIA-THERESIOPEL. See Theresio- rr.L. MARIAZELIi, ma're-a-tsel'. A village in the Crownland ot' Styria, Austria, CO miles southwest of Vienna (Map: Austria, D 3). It is the great- est pilgrim resort of Austria-Hungary, being visited annually hy about 200,000 people. The church containing the famous image of the Vir- gin was originally founded in 1363 and rebuilt in 1827. Population, in 1890, 1152. MARIBOJOC, mu're-bo-Hok'. A town of Bo- liol. Philippines, situated on high ground on the southwestern coast, 7% miles north of Tag- bilaran (Jlap: Philippine Islands, H 10). It is an important road centre. Population, in 1800, 10,852. MARICOPA, mii're-kcypa, or Coco-3Lvricop.. A tribe of Yuman stock (q.v.), formerly living about the junction of the Gila and Coloradn rivers, soutliwestern Arizona. About seventy years ago. on account of the hostility of the Yuma, they moved up the Gila and confederated with the Pima (q.v.), with whom they are now living upon the Gila River reservation. They de pend upon agriculture by irrigation and formerly raised large crops, but both they and the Pima are now reduced to a condition of chronic starva- tion on account of the cutting off of their water supply by white settlers. They live in hou.se.s of corn-stalks and straw woven upon a framework of poles, with storehouses and arbors surround- ing. Their women arc superior potters, basket- makers, and weavers of native cotton. The men formerly wore only the G-string. while the women wound a strip of cotton cloth about the waist. The hair was worn flowing and cut across the forehead. At present they are practically civil-, ized through missionary effort and have a high reputation for industry and general good quali- ties. They number abovit .150. . sample of their work is shown on the Plate of Indi.x Baskets. MARIE AMELIE DE BOURBON, m4'ry a'mA'lf dp boor'hoN'. Queen of the French. See Amai.ie, ■T.rie. MARIE ANTOINETTE, iix'twa'ngt' (1755- 93). Wife of Louis XVI. of France. She was the youngest daughter of Emperor Francis I. and