During the 18th century, in the Germanic lands, the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VI, traveled the country asking the local lords to accept his daughter as the heir to his throne in Austria. Charles VI was so desperate that sometimes he would give up land for a “yes.” Eventually, his daughter, Maria Theresa, was accepted by all the lords, including Frederic I of Prussia. Unfortunately, Frederic I passed away soon after giving his fealty to Maria Theresa, and his son, Frederic II, was coronated as the Prussian King. Frederic II desperately coveted the Austrian province of Silesia because of its prosperity; but unfortunately, the land belonged to Austria, and his father had already agreed to recognize the new empress. He had no decent excuse for taking Silesia, but completed the deed anyway, starting the War of Austrian Succession. Eventually everyone except Hungary teamed up against Austria, and Prussia managed to hold onto Silesia throughout the war, which ended in 1748. Austria’s resentment simmered until 1756 when they joined forces with their new allies, the French and the Russians, in what was later dubbed the Diplomatic Revolution. Fearing the united power of these collective forces, Frederic lashed out at Austria, thus beginning the Seven Years War. An Austrian victory was expected when the Russian Czarina died. Her successor, Peter III, tuned out to be an admirer of Frederic II, and promptly withdrew all of his troops and support from the war. Prussia was able to retain all of its territories, Silesia among them, and this coupled with the fact that Frederic II was a fairly forward thinking ruler lead to the consolidation of the German States in the 19th century. So in a round about way, the War of Austrian Succession lead to the creation of modern day Germany.