2021-05-12 Wed

The Maria Theresa thaler (MTT) is a silver bullion coin and a type of Conventionsthaler that has been used in world trade continuously since it was first minted in 1741. It is named after Empress Maria Theresa, who ruled Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia from 1740 to 1780, and is depicted on the coin.

Maria Theresa was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions, ruling from 1740 until her death in 1780. She started her 40-year reign when her father, Emperor Charles VI, died in October 1740.

Maria Theresa was the absolute sovereign who ruled with the counsel of her advisers. She promulgated institutional, financial, medical, and educational reforms. She was as conservative in matters of state as in those of religion, but she implemented significant reforms to strengthen Austria's military and bureaucratic efficiency. She employed Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz, who modernized the empire by creating a standing army of 108,000 men, paid for with 14 million guldens extracted from crown lands.

Maria was a key figure in the power politics of 18th-century Europe. To the Habsburg monarchy, a dynastic agglomeration of disparate lands, she gave a measure of unity. A princess of engaging naturalness, she was one of the most capable rulers of her house and, according to one historian, “the most human of the Habsburgs.”

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