Election of Francis I as Holy Roman Emperor

Background. Maria Theresa became ruler of the Habsburg domains after her father Charles VI died in 1740. Because women could not be elected Holy Roman Empress, she sought to secure the imperial office for her husband, Francis Stephen, who lacked sufficient rank and land to qualify independently.

Securing Eligibility. To make Francis Stephen eligible for the imperial throne and allow him to vote as King of Bohemia, Maria Theresa made him co-ruler of the Austrian and Bohemian lands on 21 November 1740. This move addressed the legal barriers preventing her husband from holding the imperial dignity.

Election and Coronation. After the death of Charles VII in January 1745, Maria Theresa secured Francis Stephen's election as Emperor. The election took place on 13 September 1745, and his coronation occurred at the Imperial Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew in Frankfurt am Main on 4 October 1745.