HIS103Y1 Lecture Notes - Charles Vi, Holy Roman Emperor, Pragmatic Sanction
Document Summary
The operation of the balance of power: the war of the austrian succession. The pragmatic sanction was drafted due to the lack of direct male descendant of charles vi. Maria theresa, arch duchess, was the female heir to the holy. The pragmatic sanction was thought to be successful, however, with the rise of prussia challenged that success. Holy roman emperor charles vi died in october 1740. Counted as an ally to other great powers, but didn"t have much influence. The diplomatic instrument, the pragmatic sanction tried to solve the problem of the austrian succession prior to the rise of the problem itself. So that there would be no diplomatic confrontation or military conflict over the succession. The pragmatic sanction seemed to be proof to the extent to which international order, or better yet, the 18th century balance of power was now functioning effectively.
