War of the Austrian Succession

War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748), conflict caused by the rival claims for the hereditary dominions of the Habsburg family. The conflict arose on the death in 1740 of Charles VI, Holy Roman emperor and archduke of Austria. Before his death, many of the great powers of Europe, including Britain, France, Prussia, Russia, and the Netherlands, had guaranteed that Charles's daughter Maria Theresa would succeed him. However, three other claimants appeared when he died. They were Charles Albert, elector of Bavaria (later, Charles VII, Holy Roman emperor); Augustus III, elector of Saxony and king of Poland; and the Bourbon King Philip V of Spain. The first two rulers based their claims on marriages to members of the Habsburg family who had claims superior to that held by Maria Theresa. Philip V claimed the Habsburg lands because Habsburg Holy Roman emperor Charles V had been king of Spain from 1516 to 1556. Thus the Spanish monarchy had legal right to the Habsburg dominions outside Spain. All three claimants depended on the presumed weakness of Maria Theresa to make good their demands. In addition, King Frederick II of Prussia took the opportunity to lay claim to Silesia, then part of the Grand Duchy of Austria. He precipitated the war by invading and occupying Silesia in 1740.

The war was fought by an alliance of Bavaria, France, Spain, Sardinia, Prussia, and Saxony against Austria, the Netherlands, and Britain, with the three claimants fighting against Maria Theresa. Britain and Spain had already been at war since 1739. The course of the fighting, which took place in various parts of Europe, was complicated. Frederick II conquered Silesia in two campaigns, known as the First Silesian War (1740-1742) and the Second Silesian War (1744-1745), each of which was concluded by a separate peace between Prussia and Austria. During the Battle of Dettingen am Main in Bavaria (June 27, 1743), an army of British, Hannoverians, and Hessians, under the command of George II, king of Great Britain and elector of Hannover, defeated the French. At the Battle of Fontenoy in Flanders (May 11, 1745), the French under Marshal de Saxe (see Saxe, Maurice Comte de) defeated the Austrians and their allies and began the conquest of the Austrian Netherlands. This conquest was completed by Saxe's victory at Rocourt, Flanders in 1746. Other battles of the war were fought in Italy between armies of Spain and France on one side and of Austria on the other; and in North America and India between Britain and France.

The War of the Austrian Succession was ended in 1748 by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which provided that all conquests made during the war revert to their original possessors, with some exceptions. Maria Theresa kept most of her lands except Silesia, which was granted to Prussia. In addition, Austria ceded the duchies of Parma and Piacenza and other of its Italian holdings to the heir of the Spanish throne.

The principal beneficiary of the war—aside from Maria Theresa—was Prussia, which, through its military successes and its acquisition of Silesia, became one of the stronger powers in Europe. A later attempt on the part of Austria to regain Silesia led to the Seven Years' War, which also continued the indecisive colonial conflict between France and Britain.

See also Carnatic Wars; King George's War.