In 1740, destiny sweeps the young Maria Theresa of Austria to the top of the Habsburg throne. The twenty-three-year-old greenhorn turns out to be dynamite: with vigor, determination and great charm, Habsburg's only woman ruler parries the onslaught of a host of enemies, has sixteen children in twenty years by her beloved husband, Francis of Lorraine, reforms her huge Habsburg Empire from head to toe and parties as if there were no tomorrow. The unusually rich array of topics – politics, economics, religion, the military, child rearing, marital politics, fun and games, contemporary morals and lifestyle – as well as its focus on the strong, colorful personalities of Maria Theresa, her family and other leading figures of her age, makes this thoroughly researched book a most informative, entertaining and immensely readable historical account.