Abolished judicial torture and death penalty in Austria on January 2, 1776.
On January 2, 1776, Maria Theresa enacted sweeping penal reforms that abolished the use of judicial torture and the death penalty throughout Austria, replacing them with forced labor as an alternative punishment. This pioneering reform effort illuminated her commitment to Enlightenment ideals and humanizing the legal process amidst an era when such punitive measures were commonplace across Europe. Her advocacy for judicial restraint marked a crucial step towards a more humane justice system, influencing future legal reforms across the continent and demonstrating the potential for change in deeply entrenched punitive traditions.