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How did Francis Stephen of Lorraine become the dynastic successor to the Habsburgs?

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Stone ruins of Habsburg Castle, also known as Habichtsburg, stand on a hill above green vineyards in Aargau canton, Switzerland, with a flag flying atop the tower. — House of Habsburg Ruins of the castle of Habsburg, or Habichtsburg (“Hawk's Castle”), built 1020, the original seat of the house of Habsburg, Aargau canton, Switzerland.

Francis Stephen of Lorraine became the dynastic successor to the Habsburgs primarily through his marriage to Maria Theresa, the daughter and heiress of the Holy Roman emperor Charles VI.12

The path to this succession was established by the Pragmatic Sanction of Emperor Charles VI, a decree issued in 1713 to ensure that the Habsburg lands remained an integral, undivided inheritance. Because Charles VI died without a male heir, his daughter Maria Theresa inherited the Habsburg dominions.12

Francis Stephen, who had lived at the Viennese court since 1723, married Maria Theresa in 1736. Following the death of Charles VI in 1740 and the subsequent War of the Austrian Succession, Maria Theresa retained her father's hereditary lands, and Francis Stephen was recognized as Holy Roman emperor in 1745. Together, they founded the house of Habsburg-Lorraine, which continued the original Habsburg dynasty.213