I've often wondered what would happen if an Austrian Archduchess did not marry. Maria Theresa was able to rule in place of a man, but what would an unmarried Archduchess do, and where would she live if unmarried? Were they assigned titles such as: Archduchess of <insert province>, and if so, were they able to reside in the province and manage it without a husband?

Regards,

Jean-François

A few archduchesses never married, as you know. Two of MA's sisters, to begin with, Maria-Anna, who was invalid, and Maria-Elisabeth, who had been disfigured by the smallpox : Louis XV had considered her as a possible bride, and she used to be very beautiful indeed before the ill-fated disease broke out. Both became nuns.