January 7, 1744, marked the wedding day of Maria Theresa’s beloved sister, Archduchess Maria Anna of Habsburg, and Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine.
There was a minor but nevertheless significant issue over the union that I’d like to point out. By that time, Maria Theresa and Francis Stephan had produced several daughters but only one son, the three-year-old Joseph. Considering the high mortality rate among children, the dynastic lineage could not be secure enough. Perhaps not voiced aloud, but in the worst case, if the Imperial couple had failed to produce a male offspring, Maria Anna and Charles Alexander would have featured as a “spare couple” to provide the dynasty with a legitimate son. As an extra bonus, that hypothetical heir would have been of Habsburg-Lorraine.
However, that precaution proved to be unnecessary. The Imperial couple’s exemplary fertility produced five sons, two of whom, Joseph and Leopold, became emperors. Maria Anna, on the other hand, gave birth to a stillborn daughter and died soon afterwards. So the plan B was never needed to be set in motion.
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