Conclusion: The Enlightenment Empress

This chapter explores Maria Theresa's fusion of deep Catholic spirituality with Enlightenment-inspired statecraft, revealing how her values shaped both her domestic and foreign policies. It underscores her ability to balance moral conviction with political pragmatism, even as her Catholicism challenges anglophone historiography's view of her as an Enlightenment ruler. It also argues that her Jesuit education and admiration for Erasmus guided her belief in virtuous governance, moderation, and a zeal for the common good. The chapter outlines Maria Theresa's achievements, such as the abolition of the Robot and serfdom, the commercial opening of the Orient, and the promotion of a social contract, that reflected strategic calculation and a sincere faith in moral duty. It demonstrates how Maria Theresa's legacy surpasses that of her contemporaries through her lasting reforms and principled leadership grounded in what is now recognised as a Catholic Enlightenment.