 Among other reforms was the Codex <unk> , begun in 1752 and finished in 1766 , that defined civil rights . In 1776 , Austria outlawed witch burnings and torture . It was later reintroduced , but the progressive nature of these reforms remains noted . Much unlike Joseph , but with the support of religious authorities , Maria Theresa was opposed to the abolition of torture . Born and raised between Baroque and Rococo eras , she found it hard to fit into the intellectual sphere of the Enlightenment , which is why she only slowly followed humanitarian reforms on the continent . 
