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The Works of Voltaire: History of the war of 1741
The Works of Voltaire History of the war of 1741 Author:Voltaire Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: France, Spain, Bavaria, and Saxony were all now busy about the election of an emperor. The elector of Bavaria solicited France to procure him at least a share of... more » the Austrian succession. He pretended, indeed, a title to the whole inheritance in his writings, but he dared not demand the whole by his ministers. Maria Theresa, however, the great duke of Tuscany's spouse, immediately took possession of all the dominions which had been left her by her father, and received the homages of the states of Austria at Vienna, on Nov. 7, 1740. Bohemia, and the provinces of Italy presented their testimonies of allegiance by their deputies. But she particularly gained the affections of the Hungarians by consenting to take the ancient coronation oath of King Andrew II., made in 1222, and couched in these terms: " If I or any of my successors shall, at any time whatever, violate your privileges, be it permitted, in virtue of this promise, both to you and your descendants, to defend yourselves without being liable to be treated as rebels." The greater the aversion which the ancestors of the archduchess-queen had always shown to the performance of such engagements, the more this prudent step endeared her to the Hungarians. This people, who had so often attempted to shake off the Austrian yoke, embraced that of Maria Theresa; and after they had been two hundred years engaged in seditions, quarrels, and civil wars they suddenly began to adore their sovereign. The queen was notcrowned till some months after, which ceremony was performed at Presburg, on June 24, 1741; yet her authority was not the less complete: she had already gained the hearts of the whole nation by that popular affability which her ancestors had seldom practised; and she had laid aside that ceremonious and fastidious air which is ...« less