Theresa, Maria

People also claim that there are certain qualities in a woman s mind or heart which should debar her from the enjoyment of her natural rights. Let us study the facts. Queen Elizabeth of England, Maria-Theresa and the two Catherines of Russia all proved that women lack neither strength of mind nor the courage of their convictions. 

Frederick II of Prussia was the first to invade when Maria Theresa was pregnant with her first child. But far from buckling, she used the birth of her son to rally support. Although some territory was lost, the empire survived, and Maria Theresa bore nine more children, one of whom we encounter again as the French queen Marie Antoinette. 

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