"Assured [and] impressively researched."--Alice Hunt, Times (UK) "A robust overview of the imperial conflicts that shook Europe in the mid-18th century."--Daniel Brooks, The Telegraph "Bassett is an energetic, appealing chronicler."--Gavin Plumley, Literary Review "From the empress's taste for marzipan to her collections of porcelain, and from her administrative reforms to her diplomatic triumphs, Richard Bassett gives a comprehensive biography of the Habsburg monarch Maria Theresa, which reaches in its scope from Transylvania and the Tyrol to Trieste and the Low Countries. Eighteenth-century Europe has three ruling 'greats'--Peter and Catherine of Russia, and Frederick the Great of Prussia. There is a compelling case for a Maria Theresa the Great, and Richard Bassett makes it with assurance, zest, and scholarly rigour."--Martyn Rady, author of The Middle Kingdoms "Richard Bassett deftly brings to life the world of the eighteenth-century Habsburg Monarchy in this sweeping biography of Empress Maria Theresa. Deeply researched, beautifully written, and rich in detail, it is an absolute tour de force.

A must-read for anyone interested in this part of the world."--Nancy M. Wingfield, author of The World of Prostitution in Late Imperial Austria.