<P> The war ended with the Treaty of Aix - la - Chapelle in 1748, by which Maria Theresa was confirmed as Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Hungary, but Prussia retained control of Silesia . The peace was soon to be shattered, however, when Austria's desire to recapture Silesia intertwined with the political upheaval in Europe, culminating in the Seven Years' War (1756 - 1763). </P> <P> The immediate cause of the War of the Austrian Succession was the death in 1740 of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VI, and the inheritance of Hapsburg lands in Austria, Hungary, Croatia, the Netherlands, Bohemia and Italy (often collectively referred to as' Austria'). </P> <P> When Charles succeeded his elder brother Joseph I in 1711, he was the last male Hapsburg heir in the direct line; this meant their lands would be divided on his death as Salic law prevented women inheriting in their own right . A family issue became a European one due to tensions within the Holy Roman Empire, a loose confederation of Germanic states whose monarch was officially chosen by seven prince - electors . The Thirty Years' War of 1618 - 48 divided the Empire into Protestant and Catholic regions, substantially weakening the bonds holding it together, while by the mid 18th century states like Bavaria, Prussia and Saxony had increased dramatically in both size and power . The same was also true of the Hapsburgs, who now viewed the title of Emperor as being hereditary in practice if not principle (Sigismund the last non-Hapsburg Emperor ruled from 1368 - 1437 .) These centrifugal forces led to a war that reshaped the traditional European balance of power; the various legal claims were largely pretexts and seen as such . </P> <P> The Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 secured the integrity of the Hapsburg inheritance by allowing a female successor, a principle approved by the various Hapsburg territories, the Imperial Diet, Spain, Russia, Prussia, Britain and France . However, when his own daughter Maria Theresa was born in 1717, Charles had disinherited his two nieces Maria Josepha and Maria Amalia, married respectively to the rulers of Bavaria and Saxony who now refused to be bound by the decision of the Imperial Diet . In addition, despite publicly agreeing to the Pragmatic Sanction in 1735, France then signed a secret treaty with Bavaria in 1738 promising to back the' just claims' of Charles Albert of Bavaria . </P>

What were the principal issues of the war of austrian succession