How did Maria Theresa gain military support from the Hungarian Estates?

Maria Theresa secured the support of the Hungarian Estates primarily by respecting their most cherished political privilege: the exemption of the lesser nobility from taxation.12

While her rule was generally autocratic, she maintained a benign relationship with the Hungarian magnates, on whom she bestowed numerous favors. By upholding the tax-exempt status of the nobility, she ensured their cooperation during a period when the monarchy required financial and military contributions to sustain its defense and reform efforts.123

Although she later implemented financial reforms—such as negotiating tax contributions with the diets on a ten-year basis rather than annually—her initial ability to govern and draw resources from Hungary relied heavily on these established social and political concessions to the nobility.34