Category Archives: Austrian Royals

Maria Karoline of Austria, Crown Princess of Saxony

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Maria Karoline of Austria, Crown Princess of Saxony; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Karoline of Austria, Crown Princess of Saxony

Maria Karoline of Austria was the first wife of the future King Friedrich August II of Saxony. She never served as Queen, as she died before her husband’s accession. She was born Maria Karoline Ferdinande Theresia Josephine Demetria in Vienna, Austria on April 8, 1801, one of twelve children of Franz II, Holy Roman Emperor (later Emperor Franz I of Austria) and his second wife Maria Theresa of the Two Sicilies. Maria Karoline was named after an elder sister who had died as a child.

Maria Karoline (center, holding a basket) with her parents and siblings, painting by Josef Kreutzinger c1805. source: Wikipedia

Maria Karoline had eleven siblings:

Maria Karoline’s mother died when she was just six years old, and her father went on to remarry twice.

Friedrich August of Saxony. source: Wikipedia

At the age of 18, Marie Karoline married Prince Friedrich August of Saxony on October 7, 1819, in Dresden. He was the son of Prince Maximilian of Saxony and Princess Caroline of Parma. At the time, he was third in line to the throne of Saxony. The couple had no children.

From all accounts, the marriage was not a happy one. Maria Karoline suffered from epilepsy, often plagued with seizures which more or less left her incapacitated for long periods of time. She became Crown Princess in 1830 when her father-in-law relinquished his rights to the throne in favor of Friedrich August, who was also proclaimed Prince Co-Regent with his uncle, King Anton.

Dresden Cathedral; Credit – By User:Kolossos – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5032853

After much suffering, Crown Princess Marie Karoline died at Schloss Pillnitz, in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony, on May 22, 1832. She is buried in the Wettin Crypt at the Dresden Cathedral, formerly known as the Katholische Hofkirche (Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony) in Dresden.

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Maria Theresia of Austria, Queen of Saxony

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Maria Theresia of Austria, Queen of Saxony; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Maria Theresia was the wife of King Anton of Saxony. She was born Archduchess Maria Theresia Josepha Charlotte Johanna of Austria, in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy, on January 14, 1767, the eldest child of Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany (later Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor) and Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain. Maria Theresia’s paternal grandparents were the formidable and powerful  Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa, who was in her own right Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary, Queen of Croatia, and Queen of Bohemia, and Francis Stephen, Holy Roman Emperor, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Duke of Lorraine. Even though her husband was the nominal Holy Roman Emperor, Maria Theresa wielded real power.  Maria Clementina’s maternal grandparents were Carlos III, King of Spain and Maria Amalia of Saxony.

She had fifteen younger siblings:

Maria Theresia and her siblings were raised by their parents instead of a household of servants and governesses – something quite unusual for the time. Despite their father’s position, they were brought up very simply and kept away from the pomp and ceremony of court. As Maria Theresia grew up, she became a very private person and enjoyed a simple and religious home life.

Anton of Saxony. source: Wikipedia

On October 18, 1787, in Dresden, Maria Theresia married, as his second wife, Prince Anton of Saxony. They were previously married by proxy in Florence on September 8, 1787. At the time, Anton was heir-presumptive to his brother, the Elector of Saxony, who later became King Friedrich August I of Saxony. However, it was assumed that Friedrich August would have children, and Anton would not inherit the throne which pleased the very private princess. The couple had four children, none of whom lived past infancy:

  • Maria Ludovika (1795-1796) – died in infancy
  • Friedrich August (born and died 1796) – died at birth
  • Maria Johanna (1798-1799) – died in infancy
  • Maria Theresia (born and died 1799) – died at birth

After the death of her sister-in-law, Princess Caroline of Parma (married to Prince Maximilian of Saxony) in 1804, Maria Theresia helped to raise Caroline’s children.

Dresden Cathedral; Credit – By User:Kolossos – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5032853

Upon her brother-in-law’s death on May 5, 1827, Maria Theresia and her husband became King and Queen of Saxony. Sadly, her tenure as Queen was short-lived. Just six months after her husband’s accession, Queen Maria Theresia died in Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony, on November 7, 1827. She is buried in the Wettin Crypt at the Dresden Cathedral, formerly known as the Katholische Hofkirche (Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony).

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Marie Louise of Austria, Empress of the French

by Scott Mehl and Susan Flantzer   © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Marie Louise of Austria, Empress of the French; Credit – Wikipedia

Archduchess Maria Ludovica Leopoldina Franziska Therese Josepha of Austria was the second wife of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French and later Duchess of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla in her own right. She was born on December 12, 1791, at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria, the eldest child of Franz II, Holy Roman Emperor (later Emperor Franz I of Austria), and Maria Teresa of Naples and Sicily. She had eleven siblings:

Maria Ludovica (far right) with her parents and siblings, circa 1805. source: Wikipedia

Maria Ludovica spent her childhood living at Hofburg Palace and Schönbrunn Palace and was her father’s favorite daughter. She did not, however, have a close relationship with her mother, who showed little affection for her children. Maria Ludovica received a traditional education at court, focusing on religion and languages, becoming fluent in at least six languages. From a young age, she developed a dislike for all things French. This was greatly influenced by her grandmother a sister of the French Queen Marie Antoinette who was killed during the French Revolution when Maria Ludovica was just a toddler. She lost her mother in 1807 but became close to her stepmother, Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, who was very close in age.

Marriage of Napoleon and Maria Ludovica, painted by Georges Rouget, 1810. source: Wikipedia

By the end of 1809, the French Emperor Napoleon was searching for a new bride who could bear him an heir and set his sights on the leading royal families of Europe. When his focus turned toward a Russian Grand Duchess, the Austrian Prime Minister, Count Metternich, encouraged Emperor Franz I of Austria to suggest his daughter Maria Ludovica. Ending his quest for a Russian bride, Napoleon began negotiations to marry Maria Ludovica. A marriage contract was signed in February 1810, and the couple was married by proxy on March 11, 1810, at the Augustinian Church in Vienna. The young Maria Ludovica became Empress of the French and Queen of Italy, taking on the French version of her name, Marie Louise.

After leaving Vienna, she arrived in France and met her husband for the first time on March 27, 1810, in Compiègne, France. A civil wedding was held on April 1, 1810, in the Grand Hall of the Château of Saint-Cloud, and the following day, the couple made their grand entrance into Paris, arriving at the Tuileries Palace. They then went to the Louvre Palace, where their religious ceremony was held in the Salon Carré.

Quickly adapting to her role as Empress of the French, Marie Louise found the French court was not welcoming. Too recent memories of Marie Antoinette, Marie Louise’s great aunt and the last Austrian consort, had many wary of their new Empress. Marie Louise was also timid and reserved and did not speak much publicly, which did not reassure many people that she was different from her great-aunt. Emperor Napoleon went out of his way to make her as comfortable as possible and appears to have developed quite a love for his second wife. Soon, the couple had their only child:

Empress Marie Louise with her son by François Gérard, 1813 source: Wikipedia

On a trip to Austria in 1812, just before France invaded Russia, Marie Louise met Count Adam Albert von Neipperg for the first time. Little did she know that their paths would cross again in a few years, in a much different manner. After disastrous results against Russia, Napoleon soon saw the collapse of his empire. Prussia and the United Kingdom soon joined forces with Russia, declaring war on France. Marie Louise tried to get her father to join forces with France, but Austria soon joined the coalition against Napoleon.

On March 29, 1814, with her husband leading his troops attempting to stave off an invasion, Marie Louise and her court left Paris and moved to Blois. Days later, the French Senate deposed Emperor Napoleon and he formally abdicated on April 11, 1814, at the Château of Fontainebleau. Under the terms of the Treaty of Fontainebleau, Marie Louise retained her rank and style and was granted the duchies of Parma, Placentia, and Guastalla, with her son as her heir.

Dissuaded from joining her husband, Marie Louise soon returned to Vienna, taking up residence at Schönbrunn Palace. Several months later, she planned a visit to the spas in Aix-les-Bains. To keep her from trying to join her husband in Elba, her father sent Count von Neipperg to accompany her. The two soon fell in love, and von Neipperg became her Chamberlain and represented her at the Congress of Vienna. The news of this romance caused a scandal in France and Austria.

Count Adam Albert von Neipperg. source: Wikipedia

Following Napoleon’s escape and return to power in 1815, Marie Louise remained in Austria, and her husband to agree to an amicable separation.  After Napoleon’s final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo and his exile to Saint Helena in October 1815, Marie Louise had no further contact with her husband. Meanwhile, the Congress of Vienna modified the decisions of the Treaty of Fontainebleau. Maria Louise remained Duchess of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla, but only for her lifetime, and she was prohibited from bringing her son to Italy. She also lost her title as Empress and was then styled as Her Majesty Archduchess of Austria, Duchess of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla. Accompanied by Count von Neipperg, she arrived in Parma in early 1816. Despite still being legally married to Napoleon, she and von Neipperg had three children:

  • Albertine, Countess of Montenuovo (1817 – 1867), married Luigi Sanvitale, Count of Fontanellato
  • William Albert, Prince of Montenuovo (1819 – 1895), married Countess Juliana Batthyány von Németújvár, had three children
  • Mathilde, Countess of Montenuovo (1822 – circa 1823)

Following Napoleon’s death, Marie Louise and von Neipperg were married morganatically on August 8, 1821, before their third child was born. Count Adam Albert von Neipperg died on February 22, 1829, leaving Marie Louise devastated.

In 1831, Marie Louise found herself caught up in the uprisings spreading around Italy against the Austrian-appointed Prime Minister. Initially prevented from leaving Parma, she managed to escape to Piacenza. She asked her father to replace the Prime Ministe, but instead he sent Austrian forces to suppress the rebellion. The following year, Marie Louise traveled back to Vienna and was at the bedside of her son when he died of tuberculosis in July 1832.

Count Charles-René de Bombelles. source: Wikipedia

Soon, Marie Louise would marry for the third time. In the summer of 1833, the Austrian court sent Count Charles-René de Bombelles to Parma to serve as head of the court. Six months later, on February 17, 1834, Bombelles and Marie Louise were married.

Daguerreotype of Marie Louise, 1847. source: Wikipedia

As Duchess of Parma, Marie Louise supported many causes, with much of her efforts going toward improving medical care and treatment. She established a childbirth hospital and a training school for nurses, as well as a hospital for those with mental illness. She worked toward ensuring that the Duchy was as prepared for potential disease outbreaks and her efforts helped to minimize the number of deaths in a cholera outbreak that came to Parma in 1836. She also promoted the establishment of roads and bridges and was a great supporter of music and theater. Having established a new Ducal Theater in the 1820s, she made sure that tickets were made available at prices that would allow the less fortunate to attend. She established the Conservatory of Parma and supported numerous artists, including the famed composer Giuseppe Verdi. She also brought libraries, museums, and art galleries to Parma, and founded several schools and colleges.

Marie Louise’s tomb in the Imperial Crypt. source: Wikipedia

In early December 1847, Marie Louise fell ill with pleurisy and her condition quickly worsened. She died on December 17, 1847, in Parma, Duchy of Parma, now in Italy, at the age of 56, and was interred at the Capuchin Church in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, the traditional burial site of the Austrian Habsburgs.

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Maria Antonia of Austria, Queen of France (Marie Antoinette)

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Marie Antoinette, painted by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, c1783. source: Wikipedia

Marie Antoinette, painted by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, c1783. source: Wikipedia

Queen Marie Antoinette of France was born Archduchess Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna of Austria, Princess of Hungary and Bohemia, on November 2, 1755, at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. Her parents were Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia in her own right and Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Holy Roman Emperor Maria Antonia was the fifteenth of her parents’ sixteen children.

Maria Antonia’s siblings:

Educated privately at home, Maria Antonia was not a very good student, especially compared to her siblings. However, she did become an accomplished musician, playing the flute, harp, and harpsichord. She was particularly close to her sister Maria Carolina who was just three years older.

The marriage of Marie Antoinette and Louis-Auguste, 17xx. source: Wikipedia

The marriage of Marie Antoinette and Louis-Auguste, 1770. source: Wikipedia

After establishing peace with France, Empress Maria Theresa agreed to a marriage between Maria Antonia and Louis-Auguste, Dauphin of France (the future King Louis XVI). Maria Antonia was just 13 when the engagement was announced on June 13, 1769. The couple married by proxy on April 19, 1770, at the Augustinian Church in Vienna, Austria. She took the French version of her name, becoming Marie Antoinette, Dauphine of France. The following month, she arrived in her new country and met her husband for the first time. Two days later, on May 16, 1770, she and Louis-Auguste were married in a grand ceremony held in the Chapel Royal of the Palace of Versailles. They went on to have four children:

As the new Dauphine of France, Marie Antoinette received a mixed reception.  Well-liked by the common people, particularly due to her beauty and warm personality, she was distrusted by those who still held resentment over the country’s contentious relationship with Austria.  Upon becoming Queen when King Louis XV in May 1774, she found that she had little influence on her husband, often finding her requests being blocked by two of his ministers. To appease her, King Louis XVI gave her the Petit Trianon on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, built by King Louis XV as a home for his mistress Madame de Pompadour.  However, she died before its completion, and it became the home of her successor Madame du Barry who had a tense relationship with Marie Antoinette.  The chateau became Marie Antoinette’s retreat, where she could escape the immense pressure and judgment she faced in the French court.

Marie Antoinette also had a small hamlet built within the grounds of the Petit Trianon, known as the Queen’s Hamlet (Hameau de la reine).  The hamlet contained numerous buildings, including the Queen’s House, a mill, a dairy, and a farm.  It was here that the Queen truly found her privacy, allowing only her closest friends and family to visit her there.

Two years later, King Louis XVI purchased the Château de Saint-Cloud from Louis Phillipe I, Duke of Orleans for his wife.  Marie Antoinette felt the clear air outside the city would be better for her children.  As she had done with the Petit Trianon, Marie Antoinette transformed her new home, expanding the building and decorating it with lavish furniture commissioned specifically for the chateau.

Marie Antoinette in court dress, c1788. Painted by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun. source: Wikipedia

Marie Antoinette in court dress, c1788. Painted by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun. source: Wikipedia

As Queen, Marie Antoinette was often criticized for her spending, indulging in lavish gowns and other luxuries while the country was in a financial crisis.  This would contribute to a growing animosity from the French people and the “old guard” within the French court.  She introduced new styles in clothing and hairstyles and indulged herself in music and theater.  Over time, she began to exert more political influence, encouraging her husband to replace several of his older ministers, and prodding him to become involved in the American Revolution.  Along with gaining the support of Russia and Austria in efforts to block Great Britain’s attack, she also pushed strongly for the appointment of several ministers who helped in the American defeat of the British.

By the mid-1780s, Marie Antoinette was the subject of endless gossip and character attacks from the French people.  Rumors abounded that her second son was not fathered by her husband, that she was treating the French treasury as her own bank account, and that she held Austrian interests ahead of French interests.  In 1785, she was falsely accused in the Diamond Necklace Affair, further damaging her reputation.  Attempting to improve her image, she began to focus more publicly on the upbringing and education of her children, and spending more time in her public role and duties as Queen.  However, the tides of revolution were soon to come to the shores of France.  By 1789, the King had lost much of his absolute power to the National Assembly, and the majority of French people saw no benefit in retaining the monarchy.

Marie Antoinette facing the mob at the Tuileries Palace, June 1792. source: Wikipedia

Marie Antoinette facing the mob at the Tuileries Palace, June 1792. source: Wikipedia

After a failed attempt to escape Paris in 1791 ended what little support was left for the monarchy, the royal family was held under house arrest at the Tuileries Palace.  On June 20, 1792, a mob broke into the Palace, threatening the Queen’s life.  Spared this time, her luck would not be so good several months later when another mob stormed the palace on August 10, 1792.  This time, the family sought refuge at the Legislative Assembly but were arrested several days later, and imprisoned at the Temple.  On September 21, 1792, France officially abolished the monarchy and became a Republic.  Marie Antoinette, her husband, and their family were stripped of their titles and honors, becoming known simply as Monsieur and Madame Capet.

King Louis XVI was soon separated from his family and charged with undermining the French Republic.  He was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death.  The former King Louis XVI was executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793.

Marie Antoinette while a prisoner at The Temple, painted by Alexandre Kucharski c1792. source: Wikipedia

Marie Antoinette while a prisoner at The Temple, painted by Alexandre Kucharski c1792. source: Wikipedia

While held as a prisoner in the Temple, Marie Antoinette and her children were the cause of much debate, as the National Convention tried to determine what should be done with the former Queen.  While some argued she should be put to death, others suggested holding her for ransom from the Holy Roman Empire, exchanging her for French prisoners of war, or exiling her to America.  In July 1793, her son was taken from her, with the intent of turning him against his mother.  Weeks later, on August 1, she was taken from the Temple and placed in a small cell in the Conciergerie. The once Queen of the French was now known as ‘Prisoner No. 280’.

On October 14, 1793, Marie Antoinette was tried by the Revolutionary Tribunal.  Among other things, she was charged with organizing orgies at Versailles, sending millions in French treasury money to Austria, and planning the massacre of the National Guards. There were also charges of incest with her son.  Two days later, she was found guilty of the main charges and sentenced to death.

Execution of Marie Antoinette, source: Wikipedia

Execution of Marie Antoinette, source: Wikipedia

Just after noon on October 16, 1793, Marie Antoinette was executed by guillotine in the Place de la Révolution (now the Place de la Concorde). She was buried in an unmarked grave in the Madeleine Cemetery. In 1815, her remains, along with those of her husband, were re-interred at the Basilica of Saint-Denis.

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Auguste of Austria, Princess of Bavaria

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Auguste of Austria, Princess of Bavaria.source: Wikipedia

The wife of Prince Luitpold of Bavaria, Regent of Bavaria, Archduchess Auguste Ferdinande of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, was born in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy, on April 1, 1825. She was the second of three daughters of Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Princess Maria Anna of Saxony.

Auguste had two sisters who both died before they were twenty:

  • Archduchess Carolina Auguste (1822 – 1841), died in her teens
  • Archduchess Maria Maximiliana (1827 – 1834), died in childhood

Auguste’s mother died in 1832, and the following year her father married Princess Maria Antonietta of the Two Sicilies.

Auguste had ten half-siblings from her father’s second marriage:

Auguste was a very intelligent child, interested in the arts and science from a young age. Raised in a strict Catholic background, it was expected that she would marry into one of the Catholic ruling families in Europe. This came to be on April 15, 1844, in Florence, when she married Prince Luitpold of Bavaria, a younger son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The King had initially opposed the marriage, as Auguste was already showing signs of pulmonary tuberculosis which would later take her life. However, he soon relented and allowed the couple to marry.

Over the next eight years, they had four children:

Auguste of Austria, Princess of Bavaria.source: Wikipedia

Because of her health, Auguste had difficulty adjusting to the Bavarian climate. A few years after marrying, she and her husband built a home on Lake Constance, which they used as a summer residence. She was a devoted mother to her four children, speaking to them only in Italian, and a strong supporter of her husband and the Bavarian monarchy. In 1848, she publicly criticized her father-in-law, King Ludwig I, for his relationship with his mistress Lola Montez, and its negative effects on the monarchy. King Ludwig I soon abdicated, and Auguste made many public appearances encouraging support for her brother-in-law, the new King Maximilian II.

Photo © Susan Flantzer

Tomb of Auguste of Austria, Princess of Bavaria. Photo © Susan Flantzer

Sadly, on April 26, 1864, Princess Auguste died, aged 39, in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria, from the effects of tuberculosis she had suffered for many years. She is buried in the crypt of the Theatinerkirche in Munich.

Years later, her husband would be named Prince Regent of Bavaria, due to the mental incapacity of his two nephews, King Ludwig II and King Otto. Following Luitpold’s death, the couple’s son Ludwig assumed the regency and eventually, formally deposed his cousin King Otto, taking the throne himself as King Ludwig III.

Bavaria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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Zita of Bourbon-Parma, Empress of Austria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Zita of Bourbon-Parma, Empress of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma (Zita Maria delle Grazie Adelgonda Micaela Raffaela Gabriella Giuseppina Antonia Luisa Agnese) was born on May 9, 1892, at the Villa Pianore in Lucca, Tuscany (Italy). She was the daughter of the deposed Robert I, Duke of Parma and his second wife, Maria Antonia of Portugal, daughter of the deposed King Miguel I of Portugal and Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg. Duke Robert I of Parma had a total of 24 children, 12 children with his first wife Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and 12 children with his second wife, Zita’s mother. Zita was the 17th of her father’s 24 children. Six of the children from Duke Robert’s first marriage were mentally disabled. Zita’s half-sister Marie Louise married King Ferdinand I of Bulgaria. Zita’s full brother Felix married Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg and the present Grand Ducal family descends from them. Another full brother René married Princess Margrethe of Denmark, daughter of Prince Valdemar of Denmark, youngest son of King Christian IX of Denmark. René and Margrethe’s daughter Anne married King Michael I of Romania. Four of Zita’s full sisters became nuns.

Zita had eleven siblings:

  • Maria della Neve Adelaide (1885 – 1959), a Benedictine nun at the Monastery of Solesmes, France
  • Sixtus (1886 – 1934), married Hedwige de La Rochefoucauld, had issue
  • Xavier, Duke of Parma (1889 – 1977), married Madeleine de Bourbon-Busset, had issue, the Carlist claimants to the Spanish throne descend through this line
  • Francesca (1890 – 1978), Benedictine nun at the Monastery of Solesmes, France
  • Felix (1893 – 1970), married Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, had issue
  • René (1894 – 1962), married Princess Margrethe of Denmark, had issue including Anne who married King Michael I of Romania
  • Maria Antonia (1895 – 1937), a Benedictine nun at the Monastery of Solesmes, France
  • Isabella (1898 – 1984), nun
  • Luigi (1899 – 1967), married Princess Maria Francesca of Savoy, had issue
  • Henrietta Anna (1903 – 1987), unmarried, was deaf
  • Gaetano (1905 – 1958), married and divorced Princess Margarete of Thurn and Taxis, had issue

From her father’s first marriage to Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Zita had twelve half-siblings. Six of the siblings were mentally disabled and two died in infancy. The twelfth child was stillborn and Maria Pia died in childbirth at the age of 33.

  • Marie Louise (1870 – 1899), married Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria, had issue including Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria
  • Ferdinando (born and died 1871) died in infancy
  • Luisa Maria (1872 – 1943), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Enrico, Duke of Parma (1873 – 1939), unmarried, mentally disabled, Titular Duke of Parma 1907-1939, his brother Elias took up the role as regent and head of the family
  • Maria Immacolata (1874 – 1914), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Giuseppe, Duke of Parma (1875 – 1950), unmarried, mentally disabled, Titular Duke of Parma 1939-1950, his brother Elias continued the role as regent and head of the family
  • Maria Teresa (1876 – 1959), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Maria Pia (1877 – 1915), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Beatrice (1879 – 1946), married Pietro Lucchesi-Palli, had issue
  • Elias, Duke of Parma (1880- 1959), married Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, had issue; Head of the Ducal Family of Parma (1950–1959)
  • Maria Anastasia (born and died 1881), died in infancy
  • Stillborn child (September 22, 1882), Maria Pia died in childbirth

The family of Robert I, Duke of Parma in 1906, From left to right, first row: Immaculata, Antonia, Isabella, Duke Robert, Henrietta, Luigi, Gaetano, Duchess Maria Antonia, Renato, Zita (sitting on the far right). From left to right, second row: Francesca, Pia, Luisa, Adelaide, Teresa, Joseph, Xavier, Henry, Sixtus, Felix; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Despite losing his throne due to the unification of Italy, Zita’s father Robert of Bourbon-Parma Robert was considerably wealthy, traveled in a private train, and owned castles at Schwarzau am Steinfeld near Vienna and Villa Pianore in northwest Italy, and the magnificent Château de Chambord in France. Zita grew up in a multi-language home. French was the main language spoken at home, but Italian and English were also spoken. Zita’s mother spoke Portuguese and German because her father was Portuguese and her mother was German. Zita’s German was perfected when she attended the school for aristocratic girls at the Salesian Sisters convent in Zangberg, Bavaria (now in Germany) from 1903 – 1908. The convent school followed the Bavaria Gymnasium curriculum, and Zita studied math, geography, history, natural history, and music. Zita then ended her formal education at Benedictine Abbey of St. Cecilia on the Isle of Wight in England where Zita’s grandmother Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg was the prioress. Here Zita studied theology and philosophy and perfected her English. She was also introduced to Gregorian chant and began playing the organ.

A young Zita;  Credit – Wikipedia

Zita’s maternal aunt Maria Teresa of Portugal had married a younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. Because of this, Zita and her future husband, then Archduke Karl of Austria, met as children. Karl was under pressure to marry and produce an heir because his uncle and the current heir, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, had married morganatically and children from that marriage were excluded from the succession. Zita and Karl married on October 21, 1911, at Schwarzau Castle in Schwarzau am Steinfeld, Austria. Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and his heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand were among the prominent guests at the wedding.

Zita and Karl on their wedding day; Credit – Wikipedia

Both Zita and Karl were devout Catholics and on the day after their wedding, Karl told Zita, “Now, we must help each other to get to Heaven.” Zita gave birth to eight children in less than 10 years. When Karl died in 1922, Zita was only 29 and pregnant with her eighth child. She never married again and wore black for the 67 years of her widowhood.

Zita, Karl, and their children in 1921; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo made Karl the heir to the Austrian throne. Emperor Franz Joseph was almost 84 years old, and Karl and Zita would become Emperor and Empress decades earlier than previously thought. The two were now under constant public attention. During the early days of World War I, Karl was often away with the army. For security reasons, Zita and her children stayed with Emperor Franz Joseph at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. During this time the Emperor expressed his deep pessimism about the future of the monarchy to Zita. Emperor Franz Joseph died on November 21, 1916, and 29-year-old Karl was now Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, and King of Bohemia.

Funeral Procession for Emperor Franz Joseph, in front: Zita and Karl with their oldest son Otto; Credit – Wikipedia

Austria was on the losing side of World War I. At the end of the war, the armistice required that the Austrian-Hungarian Empire allow for autonomy and self-determination of government by its various ethnic populations. The various areas of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire proclaimed independence and by October 1918 there was not much left of the empire. On November 11, 1918, the same day as the armistice ending World War I, Karl issued a proclamation in which he recognized the rights of the people of the empire to determine their form of government and released his government officials from their loyalty to him. Karl did not use the term “abdicate” in his proclamation and would never admit that he abdicated.

On March 23, 1919, Karl and his family left for Switzerland. On April 3, 1919, the Austrian Parliament passed the Habsburg Law that forbade Karl or his wife Zita from returning to Austria. The law also prevented other Habsburgs from returning to Austria unless they renounced all intentions of claiming the throne and accepted the condition of living as ordinary citizens. On the same day, all noble titles were abolished. In 1921, Karl returned to Hungary twice, attempting to regain the throne of Hungary. After the second attempt, the Council of Allied Powers decided to exile Karl and his family to the Portuguese island of Madeira.

In March of 1922, Karl caught a cold that developed into bronchitis and further developed into pneumonia. After suffering two heart attacks and respiratory failure, Karl died on April 1, 1922, at the age of 34. Due to the Habsburg Law, Karl could not be buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna. He was buried at the Church of Our Lady of Monte on the island of Madeira in Portugal. His heart was buried at the Muri Abbey, a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, near Basel, Switzerland. When Karl’s wife Zita died in 1989, she requested that her heart be buried with her husband’s. Two of their sons, Rudolf and Felix, are also buried at Muri Abbey. On October 3, 2004, Pope John Paul II beatified Karl and he is known as Blessed Karl of Austria. Beatification is the third of four steps toward sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church.

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Many churches in Austria have portraits of Blessed Karl of Austria. This altar dedicated to him is in the Augustinerkirche in Vienna, the parish church of the Austrian Imperial Family; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

The years following Karl’s death were difficult financially and Zita and her family moved often. They lived in Spain, Belgium, the United States (two of Zita’s sons served in the US Army during World War II), and Canada. In 1952, Zita moved back to Europe, living in Luxembourg and Switzerland. One of her daughters died in Austria in 1971 and Zita could not attend the funeral. The restrictions on the Habsburgs entering Austria had been rescinded, but only for those Habsburgs born after April 10, 1919. In 1982, the restrictions were eased and after 63 years Zita could return to Austria for visits. Zita had large family birthday celebrations for her 90th and 95th birthdays. Her health had been failing since her 90th birthday and the former Empress Zita died on March 14, 1989, at her home in Zizers, Switzerland at the age of 96.

Zita with eight of her children in 1962, Standing in the back from left to right: Archdukes Carl Ludwig, Rudolf, and Robert, In the middle: Archduchesses Adelheid, Elisabeth, and Charlotte with Archduke Felix, In the front Empress Zita and Archduke Otto; Credit – Wikipedia

The government of Austria allowed the funeral to take place in Austria provided that the Habsburg family paid the cost. The funeral mass was held at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. At least 200,000 people had filed past her coffin during the two days it lay in state at the cathedral. Zita’s casket was borne to the Capuchin Church, where the Imperial Crypt is located, by the same coach she had walked behind during the funeral of Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1916. Over 200 Habsburg and Bourbon-Parma family members and 8,000 other guests attended the funeral on April 1, 1989. Zita was buried in the Crypt Chapel of the Imperial Crypt. Her husband’s remains are still interred at the Church of Our Lady of Monte on the island of Madeira in Portugal but their hearts were buried together at the Habsburg Crypt in the Loretto Chapel at the Muri Abbey near Basel, Switzerland.

On December 10, 2009, Yves Le Saux, Bishop of Le Mans, France, opened the diocesan process for the beatification of Zita. Zita spent several months each year in the diocese of Le Mans at St. Cecilia’s Abbey, Solesmes, where three of her sisters were nuns.

Tomb of Empress Zita; on the right is the tomb of her son Karl Ludwig; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Austria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of Austria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie, Duchess in Bavaria, known as Sisi, was born on December 24, 1837, at Herzog-Max-Palais (Duke Max Palace) in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany. Today the palace is the Munich headquarters of the Deutsche Bundesbank, formerly the State Central Bank of Bavaria, and there is a plaque on the building commemorating Sisi’s birth.

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Plaque on the Deutsche Bundesbank in Munich commemorating the birth of Elisabeth, Empress of Austria; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Sisi’s father was Maximilian Joseph, Duke in Bavaria, from a junior branch of the House of Wittelsbach.  Maximilian Joseph did much to promote Bavarian folk music. He played the zither, the national instrument of Bavaria, and composed music for it.

Maximilian Joseph, Duke in Bavaria playing the zither; Credit – Wikipedia

Sisi’s mother was Princess Ludovika of Bavaria, the daughter of Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria and his second wife Caroline of Baden.

Ludovika of Bavaria; Credit – Wikipedia

Although the family had a home in Munich, Herzog-Max-Palais (Duke Max Palace), Sisi’s parents had no obligations with the Bavarian royal court and their nine children spent much time living a carefree, unstructured, unrestrained childhood at Schloss Possenhofen on Lake Starnberg.  Sisi had a close relationship with her father, and he allowed her to stay away from classes to spend time with him. Her hobbies included horseback riding, drawing, and writing poems.

Equestrian portrait of Sisi at Schloss Possenhofen, 1853; Credit – Wikipedia

Sisi’s eight siblings:

The painting below is a group portrait of Sisi’s siblings given to her by her brother Karl Theodor on the occasion of her wedding.

(left to right) Sophie, Maximilian Emanuel, Karl Theodor, Helene, Ludwig Wilhelm, Mathilde and Marie; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1848, Emperor Ferdinand of Austria abdicated and his 18-year-old nephew Franz Joseph succeeded him. The feeling in the Imperial Court was that the young emperor should marry and produce heirs as soon as possible. Franz Joseph’s domineering mother, Princess Sophie of Bavaria was the sister of Sisi’s mother. Sophie considered several princesses as the future empress, however, Sophie wanted to forge a relationship with her familial House of Wittelsbach of Bavaria and the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. She arranged for a match between Franz Joseph and Helene, Duchess in Bavaria, Sisi’s eldest sister. In 1853, Helene traveled with her mother and her younger sister Sisi to the resort of Bad Ischl, Upper Austria to meet her first cousin Franz Joseph with the hopes that she would become his bride. Instead, Franz Joseph fell in love with the 15-year-old Sisi. Franz Joseph told his mother that if he could not marry Sisi, he would not marry at all. Five days later their engagement was officially announced.

Franz Joseph in 1853; Credit – Wikipedia

Sisi in 1855; Credit – Wikipedia

Franz Joseph and Sisi were married at 4 PM on April 24, 1854, at the Augustinerkirche, the parish church of the Imperial Court of the Habsburgs, a short walk from Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. It had taken an hour for the wedding procession to walk through the palace corridors and courtyards and down the street to the church. The ceremony was conducted by Cardinal Joseph Othmar Rauscher, Archbishop of Vienna with 1,000 guests in attendance including 70 bishops.

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Augustinerkirche in Vienna, Austria; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Wedding of Franz Joseph and Sisi; Credit – Wikipedia

Sisi, who had been brought up in a relaxed atmosphere, was bored and tired after the wedding, but her duties were not yet done. After the wedding, the newlyweds proceeded down a 50-yard carpet back to the Hofburg Palace where for two hours they received their wedding guests. When dinner was finally served at 10 PM, Sisi had no appetite. The strict and formal reality of the Habsburg court’s protocol had astonished her. When her family left Vienna to return to Bavaria, Sisi’s father told her that he could not tolerate the Vienna court etiquette and that she would have to visit him at Schloss Possenhofen. Her sister Helene expressed her relief that Franz Joseph had not chosen her as his bride.

The couple had four children:

Sisi with her two eldest surviving children, Gisela and Rudolf in 1858; Credit – Wikipedia

Sisi’s youngest child, Marie Valerie in 1870; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage was not a happy one for Sisi. Although her husband loved her, Sisi had difficulties adjusting to the Austrian court and did not get along with Imperial family members, especially her mother-in-law. Sisi felt emotionally distant from her husband and fled from him as well as her duties at court, by frequent traveling.  In 1885, Franz Joseph began a long-standing private relationship with actress Katharina Schratt that would last the rest of his life. The exact nature of their relationship is unclear. Some believe that Katharina and Franz Joseph were lovers while others believe that their relationship was platonic. Katharina always maintained the strictest discretion regarding her relationship with Franz Joseph. Sisi tolerated the relationship and even seemed to encourage it.

Empress Elisabeth of Austria in Courtly Gala Dress with Diamond Stars by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1865; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1860, Sisi suffered from severe coughing. The diagnosis of lung disease and the recommendation of a cure in Madeira, Portugal was used by Sisi as a pretext to escape from court life and take her first trip alone away from Vienna. When Sisi returned to Vienna, she suffered a severe relapse. The doctors diagnosed pulmonary consumption and Sisi escaped to the Greek island of Corfu in the Ionian Sea. Sisi quite liked Corfu and in 1889-1891, she had the Achilleion Palace built there. Sisi’s travels to escape life at court continued for the rest of her life.

Achilleion Palace in Corfu, Greece; By Marc Ryckaert (MJJR) – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23107846

Sisi had very rigorous exercise habits. Besides riding every day for hours, she had a gymnasium with wall bars, a high bar, and rings in the frame of a door. When she was in her 40s, Sisi began to suffer from sciatica and could not ride anymore. She then increased her gymnastic routines and began fencing lessons. In addition, she took long walks, sometimes walking 20 miles a day.

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Sisi’s dressing and exercise room at Hofburg Palace; Photo Credit – http://www.hofburg-wien.at

Franz Joseph kept his heir Crown Prince Rudolf away from all state affairs. Under pressure from his father, Rudolf married Princess Stephanie of Belgium, daughter of King Leopold II of the Belgians. The couple had one child, Elisabeth Marie. On January 30, 1889, at Mayerling, a hunting lodge in the Vienna Woods which Rudolf had purchased, in an apparent suicide plot, Rudolf shot his 17-year-old mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera, and then shot himself. Crown Prince Rudolf had no sons, so the succession would pass to Emperor Franz Joseph’s brother, Archduke Karl Ludwig and his eldest son, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. In a matter of days, Archduke Karl Ludwig renounced his succession rights in favor of his son Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination in 1914 sparked World War I.

Crown Prince Rudolf; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

After Rudolf’s death, Sisi spent little time with her husband, preferring to travel. However, a warm and friendly correspondence between the couple existed. In 1898, despite being warned about possible assassination attempts, Sisi traveled incognito to Geneva, Switzerland. She stayed at the Hotel Beau-Rivage, where she enjoyed a meal of timbale de volaille, crème glacèe à l’Hongroise, and iced champagne. She asked her lady-in-waiting Irma, Countess Sztáray to send the menu to Franz Joseph because she had enjoyed the meal so much. Afterward, Sisi visited the aviaries, aquarium, and conservatories, and bought presents for her grandchildren.

Last photograph of Sisi and her lady-in-waiting shortly before her death; Credit – Wikipedia

The next day, September 10, 1898, Sisi was due to take a ferry across Lake Geneva to the town of Territet. As Sisi and her lady-in-waiting were walking to the ferry’s landing, the Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni rushed at her and stabbed her in the heart with a pointed file. The puncture wound was so small that it was initially not noticed and it was thought that Sisi had just been punched in the chest. Sisi thanked all the people who had rushed to help and conversed with her lady-in-waiting about the incident. Only when onboard the ferry did she finally collapse and then the severity of her wound came to light. The ferry captain ordered the ferry back to Geneva and Sisi was taken back to the hotel on an improvised stretcher. A doctor and a priest were summoned. The doctor confirmed that there was no hope and the priest administered the Last Rites. Sisi died without regaining consciousness.

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The file that was used to stab Sisi on display at the Hofburg Palace; Credit – http://www.hofburg-wien.at

An artist’s rendition of the stabbing of Sisi by the Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni; Credit – Wikipedia

Luigi Lucheni originally wanted to assassinate Prince Philippe, Duke of Orléans, but the duke had left Geneva earlier. He then selected Sisi as his victim when a Geneva newspaper revealed that the woman traveling under the pseudonym of “Countess of Hohenembs” was Empress Elisabeth of Austria.  Lucheni was sentenced to life imprisonment, and in 1910 he hanged himself with his belt in his prison cell.

Franz Joseph never fully recovered from his wife’s death. Sisi was buried in Franz Josephs Gruft (Franz Joseph’s Crypt) in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria where her son Rudolf had been buried. When Franz Joseph died in 1916, his tomb was placed between the tombs of his wife and son.

Emperor Franz Joseph at Sisi’s coffin in the Imperial Crypt

Sisi’s tomb on the left, Franz Joseph’s tomb in the middle, Rudolf’s tomb on the right; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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Austria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

The fourth longest-reigning European monarch (67 years) after King Louis XIV of France (72 years), Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (70 years), and Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein (70 years), Franz Joseph Karl was born on August 18, 1830, at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. He was the eldest of the four children of Archduke Franz Karl of Austria (son of Emperor Franz I of Austria and his second wife Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily)  and Princess Sophia of Bavaria (daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and Princess Caroline of Baden).

Archduke Franz Joseph in 1840; Credit – Wikipedia

Franz Joseph had three brothers and one sister:

Franz Joseph with his three brothers, left to right: Karl Ludwig, Franz Joseph, Maximilian, and Ludwig Viktor, circa 1860; Credit – Wikipedia

Franz Joseph was born during the reign of his grandfather Emperor Franz I. Franz’s eldest son and successor Ferdinand suffered from epilepsy, hydrocephalus, neurological problems, and a speech impediment and although he married in 1831, the marriage was probably never consummated and therefore no children were expected. Franz Joseph’s father was the third, but the second surviving son of Emperor Franz I, so Franz Joseph was expected to eventually succeed to the throne. When his father died on March 2, 1835, Ferdinand became Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, and King of Bohemia. Ferdinand has been depicted as feeble-minded and incapable of ruling, but he kept a coherent and legible diary. His epilepsy caused him to have as many as twenty seizures per day, and this severely restricted his ability to rule with any effectiveness. His father’s will stipulated that Ferdinand’s uncle Archduke Ludwig be consulted on government matters and during Ferdinand’s reign a council called the Secret State Conference controlled the government.

Franz Joseph was educated with his brother Maximilian, and they were first taught by their governess Baroness Louise von Sturmfeder. In 1836, Count Heinrich Bombelles became responsible for the young archdukes’ education. Bombelles created a rigorous course of study for Franz Joseph. He was expected to study 18 hours a week when he was six years old. The hours of study per week increased to 36 hours at age eight and 46 hours at age 11. Franz Joseph became seriously ill at the age of 13 due to the stress of his studies. However, his rigorous education continued and he was studying 56 hours a week at the 15. It was important for Franz Joseph to learn the languages of the Austrian empire, and so he studied not only French, Latin, and Greek, but also Hungarian, Czech, Italian, and Polish. His studies also included mathematics, physics, history, geography, jurisprudence, political science, and physical education. On his 13th birthday, Franz Joseph was appointed Colonel of the Dragoons Regiment, and the focus of his education shifted to military strategies and tactics.

The biggest ambition of Franz Joseph’s mother Sophie was to place her oldest son on the Austrian throne. During the Revolution of 1848, she persuaded her husband to give up his rights to the throne in favor of their son Franz Joseph, and on December 2, 1848, Emperor Ferdinand abdicated the throne in favor of his 18-year-old nephew. Franz Joseph was now Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, and King of Bohemia.

Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1851; Credit – Wikipedia

Members of the Imperial Court felt the young emperor should marry and produce heirs as soon as possible. Franz Joseph’s domineering mother considered several princesses as the future empress including Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria, Princess Anna of Prussia, and Princess Sidonia of Saxony. However, Sophie wanted to forge a relationship with her familial House of Wittelsbach of Bavaria and the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. She arranged for a match between Franz Joseph and Helene, Duchess in Bavaria, the eldest daughter of her sister Ludovika of Bavaria and her husband Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria. In 1853, Helene traveled with her mother and her younger sister Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria (Sisi) to the resort of Bad Ischl, Upper Austria to meet her cousin Franz Joseph, hoping to become his bride. Instead, Franz Joseph fell in love with the 15-year-old Elisabeth. Franz Joseph told his mother that if he could not marry Elisabeth, he would not marry at all. Five days later their engagement was officially announced.

Franz Joseph and Sisi were married on April 24, 1854, at the Augustinerkirche, the parish church of the imperial court of the Habsburgs, a short walk from Hofburg Palace in Vienna. The ceremony was conducted by Cardinal Joseph Othmar Rauscher, Archbishop of Vienna with 1,000 guests in attendance including 70 bishops.

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Augustinerkirche in Vienna, Austria; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

Emperor Franz Joseph in 1853; Credit – Wikipedia

Empress Elisabeth in 1855; Credit – Wikipedia

The couple had four children:

Empress Elisabeth with her two eldest surviving children, Gisela and Rudolf in 1858; Credit – Wikipedia

Franz Joseph’s youngest child, Marie Valerie in 1870; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage was not a happy one for Sisi. Although her husband loved her, Sisi had difficulties adjusting to the Austrian court and did not get along with Imperial family members, especially her mother-in-law. In 1885, Franz Joseph began a long-standing private relationship with actress Katharina Schratt that would last the rest of his life. The exact nature of their relationship is unclear. Some believe that Katharina and Franz Joseph were lovers while others believe their relationship was platonic. Katharina always maintained the strictest discretion regarding her relationship with Franz Joseph. Empress Elisabeth tolerated the relationship and even seemed to encourage it. Sisi felt emotionally distant from her husband and fled from him and her duties at court, by frequent traveling.

Franz Joseph had many affairs but mostly short-term ones. His longest affair of a sexual nature was with Anna Nahowski who was his mistress from 1875 – 1889. Anna’s husband was agreeable with his wife being Franz Joseph’s mistress and with the generous gifts Anna received. Franz Joseph and Anna’s affair overlapped with Franz Joseph’s long-standing private relationship with actress Katharina Schratt. Franz Joseph found the 29-year age gap and the lack of common interests between Anna and himself difficult. He found Katharina Schratt a more compatible companion. Anna and Franz Joseph’s affair ended shortly after the suicide of Crown Prince Rudolf. Anna was given a severance payment “for the fourteen years in the service of the emperor” of 200,000 guldens, worth millions today.

Franz Joseph’s brother Maximilian entered into a plan with Emperor Napoleon III of France to invade, conquer, and rule Mexico. Napoleon III invited Maximilian to establish a new Mexican monarchy. With the support of the French army and a group of conservative Mexican monarchists hostile to Mexican President Benito Juárez, Maximilian traveled to Mexico and declared himself Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864. In 1866, the French withdrew their armies from Mexico and the Mexican empire collapsed. The Mexican government captured and executed Maximilian in 1867.

Édouard Manet’s famous painting “Execution of Emperor Maximilian;” Credit – Wikipedia

Franz Joseph kept Crown Prince Rudolf away from all state affairs. Under pressure from his father, Rudolf married Princess Stephanie of Belgium, daughter of King Leopold II of the Belgians. The couple had one child, Archduchess Elisabeth Marie of Austria. On January 30, 1889, at Mayerling, a hunting lodge in the Vienna Woods which Rudolf had purchased, in an apparent suicide plot, Rudolf shot his 17-year-old mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera and then shot himself. Crown Prince Rudolf had no sons, so the succession would pass to Emperor Franz Joseph’s brother, Archduke Karl Ludwig and his eldest son Archduke Franz Ferdinand. In a matter of days, Archduke Karl Ludwig renounced his succession rights in favor of his son Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Crown Prince Rudolf; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

At the time of Crown Prince Rudolf’s death, the new heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand was unmarried. In 1894, Franz Ferdinand fell in love with Countess Sophie Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin, the daughter of Count Bohuslaw Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin and Countess Wilhelmine Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau. Because Sophie was not a member of a reigning or formerly reigning family, she could not marry a member of the Imperial Family. Franz Ferdinand refused to give Sophie up and he was helped in his efforts to marry her by Archduchess Maria Theresa (born Infanta Maria Theresa of Portugal), Emperor Franz Joseph’s sister-in-law and Franz Ferdinand’s stepmother. The emperor finally agreed to the marriage, but there were some catches. Franz Ferdinand would keep his place in the succession, but Sophie could never be empress and their children would never have succession rights.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

In 1898, despite being warned about possible assassination attempts, Sisi traveled incognito to Geneva, Switzerland. On September 10, 1898, while walking to the shore of Lake Geneva to catch a steamship, Sisi was stabbed by a 25-year-old Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni. The 60-year-old empress died shortly afterward. Franz Joseph never fully recovered from his wife’s death. Empress Elisabeth was buried in Franz Josephs Gruft (Franz Joseph’s Crypt) in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna where her son had been buried.

Emperor Franz Joseph at Empress Elisabeth’s coffin in the Imperial Crypt

In June of 1914, Emperor Franz Joseph sent Archduke Franz Ferdinand to Sarajevo, Bosnia to observe military maneuvers and Sophie accompanied him out of fear for his safety. After the military maneuvers, the couple was to open a state museum in Sarajevo. The Black Hand, a secret military society formed by members of the Serbian Army, conspired to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand on his visit to Sarajevo. Seven conspirators were in the crowds lining the streets of Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, each ready to assassinate the Archduke should there be an opportunity. One attempt, a bomb thrown at the archduke’s car, failed. Later, after a reception at the Town Hall, 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip saw his chance and fired two shots at the couple as they rode in their car. The first shot hit Sophie in the abdomen and the second shot hit Franz Ferdinand in the neck. Sophie died soon after being shot and Franz Ferdinand died about 10 minutes later. Upon Franz Ferdinand’s death, Archduke Karl became the heir. Karl’s father was Archduke Otto Franz, the second son of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, the younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph.

 

After living through the violent deaths of so many relatives, Emperor Franz Joseph died on November 21, 1916, in the middle of World War I, at the age of 86 in Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna. His great-nephew succeeded him as Emperor Karl I of Austria but only reigned for two years as the monarchy was abolished at the end of World War I. Emperor Franz Joseph was buried in Franz Josephs Gruft (Franz Joseph’s Crypt) in the Imperial Crypt between the tombs of his wife and his son.

Tomb of Emperor Franz Joseph with Empress Elisabeth’s tomb on the left and Crown Prince Rudolf’s tomb on the right; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Austria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Ferdinand I, Emperor of Austria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Ferdinand I, Emperor of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria, the eldest son of the Holy Roman Emperor Franz II (later Emperor Franz I of Austria) and his second wife Maria Theresa of the Two Sicilies, who were double first cousins, was born on April 19, 1793, in Vienna, Austria. The overjoyed father wrote to his relatives that “a healthy prince” was born, but that proved to be wrong. Ferdinand was a weak infant with a too-large head and was kept alive only with great difficulty by the doctors and the nursing staff. He was developmentally delayed and suffered from epilepsy, hydrocephalus, neurological problems, and a speech impediment

Ferdinand had eleven siblings with seven surviving childhood. While pregnant with her twelfth child, his mother Maria Theresa fell ill with the lung infection pleurisy. Her doctor bled her and this caused premature labor. Maria Theresa gave birth to her twelfth child who lived only three days. On April 13, 1807, a week after giving birth, Maria Theresa died at the age of 34.

Ferdinand had eleven siblings:

Franz, Maria Theresa, and their children; Credit – Wikipedia

Ferdinand had a half-sister, Archduchess Ludovika Elisabeth of Austria, from his father’s first marriage to Elisabeth of Württemberg. Elisabeth died the day after her daughter’s birth and her daughter died when she was 16 months old. Emperor Franz made two more marriages, both childless, to another first cousin, Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, who died of tuberculosis, and to Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, who survived him.

Ferdinand learned to walk and talk late, and his condition and behavior caused great concern. Because of his frail constitution, he did not receive the education appropriate for the heir to the throne. It was not until 1802, when Ferdinand was nine years old, that he began to receive anything like a formal education. Franz Maria, Freiherr von Carnea-Steffaneo, head of the Imperial Court Library, took over Ferdinand’s upbringing. He treated Ferdinand with a great deal of understanding and furthered Ferdinand’s development considerably. However, Ferdinand’s mother did not think much of Carnea-Steffaneo and dismissed him.

Ferdinand’s stepmother Maria Ludovica, who married Ferdinand’s father in 1808, dismissed Ferdinand’s teachers whom she considered unfit. She engaged Josef Kalasanz, Freiherr von Erberg, who served as Ferdinand’s tutor from 1809 – 1814. Freiherr von Erberg was a botanist, cultural historian, collector, and patron of the arts and had served as a chamberlain at the Imperial Court. Previously, Ferdinand had been shielded from the public because he had tantrums when he did not get his way. His new tutor increased Ferdinand’s independence and began teaching him reading and writing. Ferdinand also had lessons in riding, dance, fencing, and piano. His drawing talent was encouraged, and he learned about gardening. In 1814, Freiherr von Erberg became ill and he was dismissed. Maria Ludovika decided that Ferdinand’s education was complete, however, he received additional instruction in military affairs and scientific and technical subjects.

In February 1831, Ferdinand married Maria Anna of Savoy, the daughter of Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy and Archduchess Maria Teresa of Austria-Este. The marriage was childless and probably never consummated, but the couple remained devoted to each other.

Maria Anna of Savoy; Credit – Wikipedia

When his father died on March 2, 1835, Ferdinand became Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, and King of Bohemia. Ferdinand has been depicted as feeble-minded and incapable of ruling, but he kept a coherent and legible diary. His epilepsy caused him to have as many as twenty seizures per day, and this severely restricted his ability to rule with any effectiveness. His father’s will stipulated that Ferdinand’s uncle Archduke Ludwig be consulted on government matters and during Ferdinand’s reign a council called the Secret State Conference controlled the government. Ferdinand is famous for telling his cook, “I am the Emperor and I want dumplings” when the cook told him that the apricots needed for the traditional apricot dumplings (German: Marillenknödel) were not in season.

Emperor Ferdinand in the 1860s; Credit – Wikipedia

Ferdinand abdicated the throne in favor of his nephew Franz Joseph during the Revolutions of 1848 and lived the rest of his life at Hradčany Palace in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). He died on June 29, 1875, at the age of 82, and was buried in the Ferdinandsgruft (Ferdinand’s Vault) in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna. Maria Anna survived her husband by nine years and died at the age of 80 on May 4, 1884, in Prague (now the Czech Republic) which was then part of the Kingdom of Bohemia. Empress Maria Anna was buried next to her husband in the Imperial Crypt.
Unofficial Royalty: A Visit to the Kaisergruft (Imperial Crypt) in Vienna

Tomb of Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, Empress of Austria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2016

Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Augusta of Bavaria was born on February 8, 1792, in Mannheim, then in the Electorate of the Palatinate, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. She was the third daughter and the fourth of the five children of Maximilian IV Joseph, Prince-Elector of Bavaria and his first wife Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt. At the age of two, Caroline Augusta contracted smallpox and her face was left scarred. When Caroline Augusta was four years old, her mother died of tuberculosis.

Caroline Augusta had four siblings:

In 1797, Caroline Augusta’s father married his second wife Caroline of Baden, and Caroline Augusta had seven half-siblings, including two sets of identical twin sisters:

Caroline Augusta’s father was an ally of Napoleon and as a consequence of a treaty signed in December 1805 by Napoleon and Caroline of Augusta’s future husband Emperor Franz I of Austria, certain Austrian holdings in Germany were passed to her father and he became King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria.  Napoleon had also elevated another ally Friedrich Wilhelm Karl, Elector of Württemberg to the status of King. As a symbol of this alliance with Napoleon, Friedrich’s daughter Catharina was married to Napoleon’s youngest brother Jérôme Bonaparte, the king of the newly created Kingdom of Westphalia. In order to prevent Napoleon from arranging a marriage for his heir Crown Prince Wilhelm, King Friedrich I of Württemberg arranged for a marriage of convenience between his son Wilhelm and Caroline Augusta of Bavaria. The couple was married in Lutheran and Catholic ceremonies in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Germany, on June 8, 1808. After the marriage ceremony, Wilhelm told Caroline Augusta, “We are victims of politics.”

Wilhelm and Caroline Augusta’s marriage was never consummated and the couple lived apart in separate wings in the Royal Palace in Stuttgart, the capital of the Kingdom of Württemberg. Wilhelm, who was nine years older, paid no attention to the 16-year-old Caroline Augusta, who was often lonely. She spent her time writing letters to her favorite brother Crown Prince Ludwig, learning Italian and English, walking, reading, and painting. After Napoleon’s fall in 1814, Wilhelm and Caroline Augusta’s marriage was dissolved by a Lutheran consistory set up by King Friedrich I of Württemberg. Caroline Augusta received a generous financial settlement and went to live with an aunt in Neuburg an der Donau, Bavaria. Pope Pius VII dissolved her first marriage on January 12, 1816, so she could be married again in the Catholic Church.

Emperor Franz I with his wife Caroline Augusta at the theater; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Augusta’s brother Crown Prince Ludwig held some marriage negotiations for his sister without the knowledge of their father. Ludwig had communicated with the widowed Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, the brother of Franz I, Emperor of Austria. However, when Emperor Franz heard of his brother’s possible marriage plans with Caroline Augusta, he became interested in her for himself. Franz had been widowed for a third time in April 1816. Ferdinand withdrew his marriage proposal for Caroline Augusta in favor of his brother. On October 29, 1816, Caroline Augusta and Franz were married by proxy in Munich, Bavaria. The groom was represented by the bride’s brother Crown Prince Ludwig. On November 10, 1816, Caroline Augusta and Franz were married in person at the Augustinerkirche near the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria.

Family of Franz I, Emperor of Austria: From left to right: Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, Empress of Austria; Franz I, Emperor of Austria; Napoleon II of France, Duke of Reichstadt (Franz’s grandson); Princess Sophie of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria; Marie-Louise of Austria, Duchess of Parma (Franz’s daughter and Napoleon II’s mother); the future Ferdinand I, Emperor of Austria; and Archduke Franz Karl of Austria in 1826 by Leopold Fertbauer; Credit – Wikipedia

The couple had no children and Caroline Augusta played no role in politics instead, she devoted herself to charitable activities. Through her efforts, child-care institutions, hospitals, and homes for workers were built. After her husband, Emperor Franz I of Austria died in 1835, Caroline Augusta lived in Salzburg to stay out of the way of her half-sister Sophie who had married Franz’s son Archduke Franz Karl in 1824. Emperor Franz I had been succeeded by his son Ferdinand who abdicated in 1848. At that time, Archduke Franz Karl was persuaded to renounce his succession rights in favor of his eldest son Franz Joseph, who reigned from 1847 – 1916. Caroline Augusta was on good terms with Franz Joseph, who was her nephew and his wife Elisabeth of Bavaria (Sissi) who was her niece.

Caroline Augusta in old age; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

The Dowager Empress Caroline Augusta died on February 9, 1873, a day after her 81st birthday. She was buried in Vienna at the Capuchin Church in the Imperial Crypt in the Franzensgruft (Franz’s Vault) where her husband and his three other wives are also buried.

Tomb of Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, fourth wife of Holy Roman Emperor Franz II/Emperor Franz I of Austria; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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