by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2023
Archduke Peter Ferdinand of Austria, Prince of Tuscany was the Pretender to the former Grand Ducal throne of Tuscany from 1921 until he died in 1948.
Archduke Peter Ferdinand of Austria – source: Wikipedia
Peter Ferdinand (Pietro Ferdinando) was born in Salzburg, Austria on May 12, 1874, the third son of Ferdinando IV, the last Grand Duke of Tuscany, and his second wife, Princess Alicia of Parma. He had 9 siblings:
- Archduke Leopoldo Ferdinando (1868) – married 3 times, no issue
- Archduchess Luisa (1870) – married (1) Crown Prince Friedrich August of Saxony, had issue; (2) Enrico Toselli, had issue
- Giuseppe Ferdinando (1872) – married (1) Rosa Kaltenbrunner, no issue; (2) Gertrude Tomanek von Beyerfels-Mondsee, had issue
- Archduke Enrico Fernando (1878) – married Maria Ludescher, had issue
- Archduchess Anna Maria (1879) – married Johannes, Prince of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein, had issue
- Archduchess Margherita (1881) – unmarried
- Archduchess Germana (1884) – unmarried
- Archduke Roberto Ferdinando (1885) – died in childhood
- Archduchess Agnese (1891) – unmarried
He also had an older half-sister from his father’s first marriage to Princess Anna of Saxony:
- Archduchess Maria Antonietta (1858) – unmarried
Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. source: Wikipedia
On November 8, 1900, in Cannes, France, Peter Ferdinand married Princess Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. She was the daughter of Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta and Princess Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. The couple had four children:
- Archduke Gottfried of Austria, Prince of Tuscany (1902) – married Princess Dorothea of Bavaria, had issue
- Archduchess Helena (1903) – married Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg, had issue
- Archduke Georg (1905) – married Countess Marie Valerie of Waldburg-Zeil-Hohenems, had issue
- Archduchess Rosa (1906) – married Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg, had issue
Pietro Ferdinando with his wife and children, c1911. source: Wikipedia
Peter Ferdinand had a long military career, quickly climbing through the ranks to become Fieldmarshal in 1914. At the beginning of World War I, he was commanding the 25th Infantry Division, fighting against Russian forces in Galicia and southern Poland. However, he was blamed for the force’s failures and was relieved of his command in June 1915. Two years later, in April 1917, he was reinstated as General of the Infantry and took command of army troops on the Italian front. He continued to command positions until the end of the war.
Archduke Peter Ferdinand died in St. Gilgen, Salzburg, Austria on November 8, 1948. He is buried in the local cemetery.
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