Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why did Francis Stephen give up Lorraine before marrying Maria Theresa?

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Francis Stephen was required to cede the Duchy of Lorraine as a condition set by the Holy Roman emperor Charles VI for his marriage to Maria Theresa.1

This sacrifice was a diplomatic necessity to end the War of the Polish Succession. France had failed to secure the Polish throne for Stanisław Leszczyński, and as part of the peace settlement, France demanded that Lorraine be ceded to him. In exchange for relinquishing his ancestral lands, Francis Stephen was granted the right to succeed the childless Gian Gastone as the grand duke of Tuscany. These terms were formally confirmed by the Treaty of Vienna in 1738.1