AR Thaler

Struck: 1765
Mint: Hall
Size: 40.6mm
Weight: 27.7g
Die Axis: 0°
Grade: XF
Ref: KM1799, Dav-1122A.

Obv: M • THERESIA • D: G • R • IMP • GE • HU • BO • REG •. Mature armored bust right.
Rev: ARCHID • AUST • DUX • BU • COM • TYR •. Crowned imperial double eagle with crowned arms on breast.
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Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position in her own right. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma. By marriage, she was Duchess of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany and Holy Roman Empress from 1745 until her death.

Maria Theresa started her 40-year reign when her father, Emperor Charles VI, died on 20 October 1740. Charles VI paved the way for her accession with the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 and spent his entire reign securing it. He neglected the advice of Prince Eugene of Savoy, who believed that a strong military and a rich treasury were more important than mere signatures. Eventually, Charles VI left behind a weakened and impoverished state, particularly due to the War of the Polish Succession and the Russo-Turkish War.

Though she was expected to cede power to her husband, Emperor Francis I, and her eldest son, Emperor Joseph II, who were officially her co-rulers in Austria and Bohemia, Maria Theresa was the absolute sovereign. Maria promulgated institutional, financial, medical and educational reforms, promoted commerce and the development of agriculture, and reorganized Austria's ramshackle military, all of which strengthened Austria's international standing. She was a strong promoter of the new small pox vaccine and had herself and her children inoculated. Many of her own family had died of the disease and it was one of the leading causes of death at the time.

Maria Theresa fell ill on 24 November 1780. Her physician thought her condition serious, although her son Joseph was confident that she would recover in no time. On 29 November, she died surrounded by her remaining children. Her body is buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna next to her husband in a coffin she had inscribed during her lifetime.