Maria Theresia is a historical and biographical drama which premiered in 2017. This television series has three seasons:
Season 1 = episodes 1 and 2
(2017)
Season 2 = episodes 3 and 4
(2019)
Season 3 = episode 5
(2022)
In June 2025, season 3 episode 5 was shown on French and German television (arte).
The topic of this drama is the life of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresia (known in English as Maria Theresa) who ruled the Austrian-Hungarian Empire for forty years (1740-1780).
Here is some basic information about this drama:
** Director = Robert Dornhelm
** Writer = Miroslava (Mirka) Zlatnikova
How long is this drama?
** Episode 1 = 99 minutes
** Episode 2 = 102 minutes
** Episode 3 = 93 minutes
** Episode 4 = 99 minutes
** Episode 5 = 112 minutes
Four countries were involved in the production of the first season: Austria, Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia.
During the production of the second and the third season, Hungary was replaced by Germany and France (ZDF and arte).
Actors from all these countries were used in the production. The actors spoke their lines in their own language when the drama was filmed. Afterwards, the dialogue was dubbed into different languages, so it could be broadcast in different countries. When it was shown in Germany and Austria, the whole dialogue was dubbed into German.
While this drama is about the life of Maria Theresia, it does not cover her whole life from the beginning in 1717 to the end in 1780. The director and the screenwriter have chosen to cover three parts of her life:
** Season 1 = 1723-1741
** Season 2 = 1741-1743
** Season 3 = 1758-1780
The cast includes a large number of actors. Some actors appear only once or twice, while other actors are seen on many occasions.
Here are the names of the most important actors:
** Marie Louise Stockinger as Maria Theresia in season 1
** Stephanie Reinsperger as Maria Theresia in season 2
** Ursula Strauss as Maria Theresia in season 3
** Vojtěch Kotek as Franz Stefan (known as Francis Stephen in English) in all three seasons
*****
Maria Theresia was the daughter of Charles VI who was the Holy Roman Emperor 1711-1740. When he was chosen to be the Holy Roman Emperor, he was already married but he had no children. He did not know how many children he would have. He did not know if he would have a son or a daughter.
At that time, only a son was regarded as a proper heir. A daughter was not regarded as a proper heir.
He wanted to make sure that his oldest child could inherit his personal lands, even if this child was a daughter. In order to be prepared for this situation, he decided to issue a proclamation known as the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713.
According to this proclamation, a daughter is allowed to inherit his personal lands, in case there is no son. He could only hope and pray that his powerful neighbours would accept and respect his wish.
In the years following 1713, many powerful nations declared that they were prepared to accept and respect his wish. This sounded good.
Obviously, he could not know if these nations were going to keep the promise they had made to him. One of them or several of them might change their mind at a later date.
Charles VI had four children, but two of them died when they were young. Only two of them lived to be adults. The two children who survived were both daughters. His oldest surviving child was Maria Theresia, who was born in 1717, four years after he had issued his Pragmatic Sanction.
In this drama, we see Maria Theresia in 1723 when she is only six years old. In that year she meets Franz Stefan who is nine years older than her. She falls in love with him. She says she wants to marry him when she grows up. He likes her, but he cannot think that she is serious.
She is serious.
When she grows up, she still says she wants to marry Franz Stefan.
In 1723, when they met for the first time, he was going to be the Duke of Lorraine (Lothringen). Was he a suitable candidate for the daughter of emperor Charles?
At that time, a marriage among the elite was almost never based on love, it was almost always based on political and economic considerations.
But things can change. A candidate who is regarded as unsuitable at one moment may be regarded as a suitable candidate later on.
Franz Stefan was asked to give up his position as the Duke of Lorraine. Instead, he was told, he could before long be the Duke of Tuscany. If he was ready to make the switch, he was regarded as a suitable candidate for Maria Theresia.
At first, he hesitated, but after a while he decided that this was a good offer. In 1736, Maria Theresia and Franz Stefan were married.
In the drama, we follow the numerous discussions regarding this relationship, from 1723 when Maria Theresia is only six years old until the time when the wedding takes place in 1736.
In 1740, Charles VI dies. What will happen now? Is his daughter allowed to inherit his personal lands? Are the powerful neighbours prepared to keep the promise they made when her father issued the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713?
In 1740, Prussia is ruled by Frederick II, who is later known as Frederick the Great. Frederick decides that the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 is irrelevant. He says:
A woman cannot inherit the land of her father!
A woman cannot be a ruler!
Frederick had his eye on Silesia, which was located between Prussia and Austria. It had been ruled by Charles VI. But now, according to Frederick, it was ruled by nobody. He wanted to have it, and in 1740, when Charles died, Frederick saw his chance to take it.
Without any warning, his army invaded Silesia. This was the beginning of a long conflict known as the war of the Austrian succession.
How did Maria Theresia respond?
She was furious. She was not going to surrender without a fight. She ordered her army to begin a counter-attack to drive the Prussian army out of Silesia.
In the drama, we follow the development of the conflict as it is seen from her residence in Vienna.
The war is not going well for the Austrian army. She needs some support. Who will help her? She decides to ask the Hungarians for help. The Hungarians are persuaded. They offer to help her in the war against Prussia.
Is the Hungarian support enough to turn the tide? Can she win the war against Prussia? Can she defeat Frederick?
In the drama, we can see that the answer is no. The Prussian army is stronger than the Austrian army. The conflict continues for several years.
It is covered in season 1 and season 2. When season 2 ends, the year is 1743. The conflict is not yet over.
*****
In 1745, there is a solution which is not mentioned in the drama. Frederick makes an offer to Maria Theresia. His plan involves Silesia and Maria Theresia's husband Franz Stefan.
When Charles VI died, he wanted his daughter to inherit his personal lands. He knew she could not inherit his position as Holy Roman Emperor, because this title is not hereditary. The Holy Roman Emperor is always chosen by a special body of electors.
Maria Theresia could inherit most of her father's personal lands. But maybe she could not hold on to Silesia, because Frederick wanted to have it. Maria Theresia could never become the Holy Roman Emperor, because she was a woman. But what about her husband, Franz Stefan?
Frederick had a plan. He said: Let me have Silesia. In return I can make sure that your husband will become the next Holy Roman Emperor.
This was a bold suggestion. Maria Theresia was not too happy about it, but there was a positive element in it: her husband would become the next Holy Roman Emperor. In this way her husband could reach the same position as her father had.
The offer was accepted.
Frederick took control of Silesia and in 1745, Franz Stefan became the Holy Roman Emperor (known in English as Francis I).
This development is not covered in the drama, because it happens between the end of season 2 and the beginning of season 3.
*****
Season 3 covers the final twenty-two years of Maria Theresia's life, the time from 1758 to 1780.
The focus is on the children in season 3. Maria Theresia and her husband had sixteen children. Six of them died when they were young, but ten survived to be adults.
Maria Theresia explains the hard facts to her children. She and her husband will find a suitable spouse for each them. Each marriage must benefit and secure the future of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire.
Love is not a relevant factor. The children are used as tools in her political plans to rule the Austrian Empire.
Two children are more important than the others:
Joseph is important, because he is the oldest son. He will inherit her personal lands and she wants him to succeed his father Franz Stefan as the Holy Roman Emperor.
This plan works well.
In 1765, when Franz Stefan dies, his son Joseph is chosen as his successor with the name Joseph II. He rules for twenty-five years until his death in 1790.
Maria Antonia is important, because she is going to marry the crown prince of France: Louis. In France she will be known as Marie Antoinette.
Negotiations are conducted during the 1760s. In 1770, the young Antonia leaves Vienna. She is on the way to Paris.
In the drama, we can follow some discussions between Maria Theresia and her son Joseph II who is chosen as her successor. He wants to reform the old class society. He wants to give the people (the peasants) more freedom. But his mother says no.
At first, she is against any reform. Later, she says she understands him and that she agrees with him, but she says it is too soon. She says he must wait.
When we see her in 1778, she is an old and tired and fat woman. She is close to the end. She begins to plan her own funeral which takes place two years later, in 1780.
The funeral procession in Vienna is the final moment of season three.
*****
What do reviewers say about this drama?
On IMDb it has a rating of 67 percent. Six user reviews are posted on IMDb. Here are the headlines and the ratings offered:
** Another movie that pretends to be historic
(50 percent)
** Just another historic drama
(60 percent)
** Decent
(No specific rating - perhaps 70 percent)
** Brilliant
(100 percent)
** Fantastic European Cooperation
(100 percent)
** Motivational and witty, with honesty and justice
(100 percent)
As you can see, the reviews are mixed. Some are positive, while others are negative.
What about historical truth? This drama about Maria Theresia and her family is based on a true story. How true is the story presented here?
The Wikipedia entry about the drama mentions the question and offers two cases where historical truth is violated.
# 1. According to the drama, the Prussian Marshall Grumbkow was arrested and executed by his own government.
This detail is not true. He died of old age.
# 2. According to the drama, Maria Theresia is unfaithful to her husband on one occasion. She has a brief affair with a general named Hadik.
There is no historical evidence for this detail, and it does not seem very likely, since she was a devoted member of the Catholic Church.
While watching the drama, I noticed several other cases where historical truth is violated.
# 3. According to the drama, Maria Theresia's husband is making money by selling military equipment to Prussia, even though this country is the arch-enemy of Austria.
At first, he sells only uniforms and tents. Later, he sells gunpowder.
There is no historical evidence to support this claim.
# 4. According to the drama, the mother of Franz Stefan pays a visit to Vienna, because she is working as a spy for France.
There is no historical evidence to support this claim
# 5. The chronology regarding the Prussian Marshall Grumbkow is false.
He died in 1739, but in the drama, he is still alive in 1740 when Maria Theresia has inherited her father's lands.
# 6. The chronology regarding the controversial warrior Baron Franz von der Trenck is false.
He died in 1749. But in the drama, he is killed in 1741 or 1742.
# 7. The chronology regarding the son Joseph and the daughter Johanna is wrong.
The daughter Johanna dies in 1762. The son Joseph marries his second wife Josepha of Bavaria in 1765.
But in the drama, Johanna dies after Joseph has married Josepha.
# 8. According to the drama, the Holy Roman Emperor Franz Stefan had so many affairs with other women that he was the father of six illegitimate children.
There is no historical evidence to support this claim.
# 9. The chronology regarding the death of Franz Stefan is false.
The son Leopold marries Maria Ludovica of Spain in Innsbruck on 05 August 1765. His father Franz Stefan dies only two weeks after the wedding, on 18 August 1765.
But in the drama, Franz Stefan dies just after the family has reached Innsbruck. In other words, before the wedding has taken place.
# 10. Season 3 begins two years before Joseph is married to his first wife Isabella di Parma. The wedding is in 1760. This means the opening scene of episode 5 takes place in 1758.
In this scene, Maria Theresia is talking to her children. She says she is planning a good future for them. She says the daughter Maria Antonia will one day be married to the crown prince of France: Louis.
But negotiations regarding this marriage were not conducted in 1758. Negotiations regarding this marriage began four years later, in 1762. This is one of many cases where the chronology of events is wrong.
# 11. Countess Elisa Fritz plays an important and sometimes a nasty role in the drama. But she is not a real historical person. She is a fictional character created to increase the dramatic level of the story.
What is the conclusion?
This drama has positive and negative elements.
One negative aspect is the structure of the drama.
It does not cover the whole life of Maria Theresia. As stated above, seasons 1 and 2 cover the time 1723–1743, while season 3 covers the time 1758–1780. There is a gap of fifteen years between the end of season 2 and the beginning of season 3.
This means the director and his screenwriter do not have to cover the year 1744. Why is this important? Because this year marks the absolute low point in Maria Theresia’s life.
She was a devoted member of the Catholic Church. She did not like the Protestants and she hated the Jews. In 1744, this aspect of her personality came out with full force:
In December 1744, she issued a special proclamation. She said the Jews in Prague must leave the city within one month and they must leave her land (Bohemia) within six months.
How many persons were affected by this proclamation? A low estimate is more than 10,000. A high estimate is more than 20,000.
Her advisors tried to tell her that this was not a wise decision, since it would cause economic problems, not only in the city of Prague but also in the surrounding area.
At first, she refused to listen to them. But after a while, it was obvious that they were right. She had to cancel the proclamation. She had to allow the Jews to return to Prague.
This dark chapter of Maria Theresia’s life is not covered in the drama, because season 2 ends in 1743 and season 3 begins in 1758.
I can understand the positive reviews. On the surface, this is a great drama. If you do not know the basic historical facts about her life and the time in which she lived, this drama seems to be an honest account of her life. But if you know the basic historical facts, you can see the flaws. You can see that there are numerous violations of historical truth.
The story about Maria Theresia is important. It deserves to be told. But this drama is not quite successful. There are several flaws which cannot be ignored. In my opinion, it deserves a rating of 50 percent.
REFERENCES
# 1. Film and video
Preußens Friedrich und die Kaiserin
This documentary film was shown on German television (ARD) in November 2008. It is available on the ARD website until November 2028.
** Language = German
** Subtitles = German
** Run time = 43 minutes
The Dark Side of Maria Theresa
This documentary film premiered in 2023. In 2024, it was shown on French and German television (arte)
This film is about the Austrian Empress and her decision to expel the Jews from Prague and from Bohemia.
** Writer and director = Monika Czernin
** Language = German
** Subtitles = not available
** Run time = 52 minutes
# 2. Books
Maria Theresa of Austria
By J. Alexander Mahan
(2008 = hardcover)
(2010 = paperback)
In the Shadow of the Empress: The Defiant Lives of Maria Theresa, Mother of Marie Antoinette, and her Daughters
By Nancy Goldstone
(2021 = hardcover)
(2022 = paperback)
Maria Theresa:
The Habsburg Empress in Her Time
By Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger
(2022)
(the original German version was published in 2017)
*****
Maria Theresia
A television drama
Based on a true story
Three seasons shown 2017-2022
This is the poster for season 3 episode 5
*****
