Maria Theresa

Source: Czech Centres / FDULS

Czech and Hungarian Queen and Austrian Archduchess, who became the only woman in history to rule the Habsburg monarchy.

Source: Czech Centres / FDULS

Czech and Hungarian Queen and Austrian Archduchess, who became the only woman in history to rule the Habsburg monarchy. Her enlightenment reforms, which included the introduction of compulsory schooling, permanent surnames, and the unification of measures and weights, contributed significantly to the modernization of the empire and influenced the lives of the population for the next few centuries.

The illustrated project Czech Heroines was inspired by the centenary of voting rights for Czech women and the 200th anniversary of the birth of the prominent Czech writer Božena Němcová. It is a joint project by the Czech Centres, the Faculty of Design and Art at the University of West Bohemia and Radio Prague International.