Abstract
After the death of Elector Maximilian III Joseph of Bavaria (r.
1745-77) brought the Bavarian line of the Wittelsbach dynasty to an end,
Joseph II attempted (against the advice of his mother, Maria Theresa) to
exchange the Austrian Netherlands (Belgium) for the heartlands of
historic Bavaria. Charles Theodore, the Wittelsbach Elector Palatinate
(1742-99) and designated heir, agreed to the bargain because he wanted
his illegitimate children to be recognized as princes in the Holy Roman
Empire. However, Frederick II (“the Great”) of Prussia, the Habsburgs’
perennial foe, opposed the exchange. Austria’s failure to withdraw from
the territories it already occupied resulted in the War of the Bavarian
Succession (1778/79), an inglorious affair that saw poorly provisioned
troops on both sides digging through fields to supply themselves with
potatoes. After inconclusive minor engagements, Maria Theresa
corresponded directly with Frederick, and Russian and French arbitration
led to the Peace of Teschen on May 13, 1779. The treaty ceded the tiny
Inn Quarter [Innviertel] to Austria,
confirmed Prussia’s claim to Ansbach-Bayreuth, and compensated other
German princes for their claims. Charles Theodore was confirmed as
Elector of Bavaria. The image below is an allegorical depiction of the
Peace of Teschen. It shows imperial and royal Austrian troops marching
back to Vienna (in the background is St. Stephen’s Cathedral) and
praises Joseph II as a prince of peace, calling the olive branch of
peace a greater credit to him than the laurel wreath of victory.