Maria Theresa

[muh-ree-uh tuh-rey-suh, -zuh]

noun

1. 1717–80, archduchess of Austria; queen of Hungary and Bohemia 1740–80 (wife of Francis II; mother of Joseph II, Leopold II, Marie Antoinette).

Maria Theresa

/ məˈriːə təˈreɪzə /

noun

1. 1717–80, archduchess of Austria and queen of Hungary and Bohemia (1740–80); the daughter and heiress of Emperor Charles VI of Austria; the wife of Emperor Francis I; the mother of Emperor Joseph II. In the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–48) she was confirmed in all her possessions except Silesia, which she attempted unsuccessfully to regain in the Seven Years' War (1756–63)