WI: Maria Theresa of Austria marries a Romanov

What if Maria Theresa herself marries the Tsar himself, is it possible for Russia to unite with Catholicism and be uniate and be on personal union with Austria and the HRE.
 
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Interesting. What's the POD for your TL?

My PoD is that the German Empire forms in 1848 and the new German nation actually prods Italy to unify a lot earlier. The new Italian Empire is also offered a chance to restore the Roman Empire, and to actually convene a second Council of Florence where Catholicism and Orthodoxy unite to form the Uniate religion. The Russian Orthodox Church is furious because they were not consulted, but Bismarck had intended to alienate the Russians to the point where they made a critical error in trying to invade the Balkans, only to find hostile Slavs not wanting Russians to liberate them, seeing as they did it by themselves. Frustrated at the fact that even Russia's European territories broke away, such as Ukraine and Belorussia, the Russians decided to renounce Christianity and their role as the Third Rome and to now consider themselves as the Second Karakorum, or the reincarnation of the Mongol Empire. Me and Reichenfaust actually discussed it together.
 
There were no male Romanovs in 1730-1740

Yeah, you've really got to ASB this to even get a Romanov for her to marry. Peter II was the right age, but he died young; even if he lived, the other great European powers wouldn't have stood for the unification of the Russian-Hapsburg thrones.

Here's a possible scenario though:

1708: Charles VI marries Elisabeth-Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
1711: Charlotte of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel marries the Tsarevitch Aleksei Petrovitch.
1715: Peter Alekseivitch is born to Charlotte and Aleksei. His mother dies shortly after.
1716: Leopold, first child of Charles VI and Elisabeth-Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, is born. POD: he survives infancy.
1717: Maria Theresa, daughter of Charles VI and Elisabeth-Christine, is born.
1718: Aleksei Petrovitch dies.
1725: Peter I dies. POD: On his deathbed, he names his ten-year-old grandson Peter Alekseivitch as his successor.
1727: Death of Empress Catherine I of Russia. Peter II proclaimed emperor, is backed with more support than in OTL due to the recognition of his grandfather. Immediately negotiations begin with an eye to a suitable empress for him.
1728: Maria Theresa of Austria is tapped as the most likely candidate for Peter II. Her mother Elisabeth-Christine promotes the match, as Peter is her own sister's child. It is expected that Maria Theresa will make Peter II more sympathetic to the Catholic/Hapsburg cause. Peter II for his part is tickled by the idea of having such a blue-blooded bride.
1730: Maria Theresa is dispatched to Russia to marry her cousin Peter II. Her elder brother Leopold is expected to succeed as their father's heir in Austria-Hungary. POD: Peter II does not die young but instead marries Maria Theresa.
1731: Marriage of Maria Theresa to Peter II.
1735: Birth of *Aleksei, first child of Peter II and Maria Theresa.
1739: Sudden death of the Archduke Leopold, heir to Charles VI. A succession crisis ensues. Tsar Peter II makes it clear in letters to his father-in-law that he considers his own son, Aleksei, the natural successor to Charles VI.
1740: Death of Charles VI. A new War of the Austrian Succession ensues as Peter II presses his five-year-old son's claim to the Hapsburg empire.
 
There still are a few issues. IOTL Leopold and Maria Theresia had a younger sister Maria Anna, IOTL she married the younger brother of her brother in law Francis Stephan of Lorraine, Charles Alexander of Lorraine.

Furthermore their older uncle and predecessor of their father, emperor Joseph of Habsburg, also had two surviving daughters; Maria Josepha married to king August III of Poland (elector of Saxony, house of Wettin), and Maria Amalia married to elector Charles of Bavaria (house of Wittelsbach, IOTL he later became HRE).

Originally the surviving children of hre Charles VI, Maria Theresia and Maria Anna, were according to the mutual pact of succession preceded by the surviving children of hre Joseph, Maria Josepha and Maria Amalia.

I don't see hre Charles VI succeeded in getting support for a pragmatic sanction ITTL, if it will mean a union between the Russian and Habsburg empire. Other powers will prefer Poland-Saxony, Bavaria or at best for Charles VI a succession by Maria Anna.

IOTL the duke of Lorraine & Bar was a safe choice, because Lorraine & Bar was less important than either Saxony-Poland or Bavaria. Furthermore it also resulted in a merger of the imperial and royal house of Habsburg with the old house of Lorraine (together with the house of Capet one of the oldest dynasties). Possibly unions with the houses of Romanov, Wittelsbach and Wettin, would end up retaining less of the Habsburg background.

TTL Maria Anna might be the one marrying Francis Stephan. Although IOTL emperor Charles VI of Habsburg at first didn't like her marriage with Charles Alexander, especially after Maria Theresia already married Francis Stephan, instead he would have preferred a more politically advantageous marriage.
So IMHO instead of Maria Theresia marrying Peter II, Maria Anna marrying Peter II would be a more likely option.
 
Maria Theresa, you mean? If you count Marie Antoinette, then that would fit the bill. If Maria Theresa does marry a Romanov, then chances are that Louis XVI marries another woman instead.

they could always make a time share out of the deal.. after all .. "It is good to be the king" :D
 
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