The Voice Behind the Crown: Gender and Power in the Literary Legacy of Maria Theresia

Authors

Elizabeth McFarland, Brigham Young University
Dr. Michelle Scott James, Brigham Young University

Keywords

gender and power, literary legacy, Maria Theresia

College

Humanities

Department

Germanic and Slavic Languages

Abstract

As one of the most powerful and charismatic leaders of Enlightenment-era Europe, Maria Theresia von Habsburg is well-known for her widespread political and social reforms and for her skillful political maneuvering which centralized the disintegrating Austrian Empire and led to a golden age of education, commerce, art, and science. Despite Maria Theresia’s influential position vis-à-vis European philosophy, political theory and aesthetics, this amazing woman is known only through second-hand histories of the Habsburgs.

Recommended Citation

McFarland, Elizabeth and James, Dr. Michelle Scott (2014) "The Voice Behind the Crown: Gender and Power in the Literary Legacy of Maria Theresia," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2014: Iss. 1, Article 658.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2014/iss1/658