 Maria Theresa was a serious and reserved child who enjoyed singing and archery . She was barred from horse riding by her father , but she would later learn the basics for the sake of her Hungarian coronation ceremony . The imperial family staged opera productions , often conducted by Charles VI , in which she relished participating . Her education was overseen by Jesuits . Contemporaries thought her Latin to be quite good , but in all else , the Jesuits did not educate her well . Her spelling and punctuation were unconventional and she lacked the formal manner and speech which had characterized her Habsburg predecessors . Maria Theresa developed a close relationship with Countess Marie Karoline von Fuchs @-@ Mollard , who taught her etiquette . She was educated in drawing , painting , music and dancing – the disciplines which would have prepared her for the role of queen consort . Her father allowed her to attend meetings of the council from the age of 14 but never discussed the affairs of state with her . Even though he had spent the last decades of his life securing Maria Theresa 's inheritance , Charles always expected a son and never prepared his daughter for her future role as sovereign . 
