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What caused the War of the Bavarian Succession?
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Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa.
The War of the Bavarian Succession (1778–1779) was caused by the efforts of Joseph II of Austria to acquire Bavaria in order to restore Austria’s influence in Germany.1
The conflict was triggered by the following sequence of events:
- Failure of the Bavarian Line: Upon the death of the Bavarian elector Maximilian Joseph on December 30, 1777, the Wittelsbach electoral line failed.1
- Austrian Territorial Claims: Joseph II and his chancellor, Wenzel Anton, Prince von Kaunitz, secured a treaty with the new elector, Charles Theodore, which ceded Lower Bavaria and the lordship of Mindelheim to Austria.1
- Prussian Opposition: Frederick II of Prussia intervened, declaring war on July 3, 1778, to support the competing claims of Charles, duke of Zweibrücken, effectively blocking Austria's expansion.1
Although Maria Theresa had reluctantly consented to the occupation of Bavaria, she ultimately opposed her son Joseph II’s aggressive foreign policy and worked to secure a peaceful resolution, which was achieved in 1779 at the Treaty of Teschen.12