Res bello gestae auspiciis M. Theresiae Augustae ab eius regni initio, ad annum MDCCLXIII. Inscriptionibus explicatae. Vienna, ex officina Trattneriana,

£450 · Offered by Maggs Bros Ltd

A rare work in praise of Empress Maria Theresa, this pristine copy in the original binding celebrates her military achievements in the form of 124 inscriptions, all printed in capitals, presented by the author to one of the Empress’ noblemen A tradition started by Augustus with his Res Gestae Divi Augusti , as a means of writing his own legacy, this practice is taken up for the much later Empress Maria Theresa (dates) here in this volume, which specifically addresses and lauds her deeds in war. Published in the last decade of her life, just as the American Revolution was getting started and ten years after the Seven Years War, this book recounts Maria Theresa’s own deeds in warfare, ending with an inscription about how she has fought so that now the people can enjoy peace. Guido Ferrarius (1717-1791), its author, was an Italian Jesuit who served as a historian, teacher, and writer. He wrote a similarly elegiac work about Prince Eugene of Savoy, and notes in the front matter to the present work that it was put together during a period of ill health that caused him to revisit inscriptions he had made previously for his students. Maria Theresa, born to a father with no sons, was little prepared for succeeding her father, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, who, despite bending over backwards to secure her inheritance, did not prepare her for the practicalities of governance. Having received the minimal education thought to befit a woman, Maria Theresa ascended the Austrian throne aft

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