Pragmatic Sanction of 1713
Pragmatic Sanction of 1713
a law issued by the Haps-burg king Charles VI on April 19 that established the succession to the throne. It was adopted by all of the Austrian Empire between 1720 and 1723.
The Pragmatic Sanction established the indivisibility of the Hapsburg hereditary lands and the order of succession to the throne; if the monarch had no sons, the throne would pass to his daughters. The Pragmatic Sanction was recognized by the majority of European states. However, after the death of Charles VI, in 1740, the rights of inheritance of his daughter Maria Theresa were disputed, which led to the War of the Austrian Succession. The Pragmatic Sanction was guaranteed by the Peace of Aachen (1748) and later became one of the fundamental laws of the Austrian monarchy.