Category Archives: Austrian Royals

Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, Empress of Austria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, Empress of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Ludovika was the third of the four wives of Franz I, Emperor of Austria. On December 14, 1787, Archduchess Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, Princess of Modena was born at the Royal Villa of Monza, built between 1777 and 1780, when Lombardy (now in Italy) was part of the Austrian Empire. She was the youngest of the ten children of Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria-Este and Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d’Este. Maria Ludovika’s father was the fourth son and fourteenth child of Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and (in her own right) Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia, and Franz Stefan, Duke of Lorraine, Holy Roman Emperor.  Maria Theresa had arranged a treaty whereby her son Ferdinand would marry the only child of Ercole III d’Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio, become his heir, and form the House of Austria-Este, a cadet branch of the House of Habsburg and the House of Este.

Maria Ludovika’s parents, Ferdinand and Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d’Este; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Ludovika had nine siblings:

Maria Ludovika’s education was overseen by her strict grandmother Maria Theresa, who had arranged the marriage of her parents. She spent her early years at her birthplace, the beautiful Royal Villa of Monza in Milan, modeled after her father’s birthplace Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. In 1796, when Maria Ludovika was nine years old, Napoleon‘s invasion of Milan forced the family to flee the French forces. The family first fled to Trieste, and then to Wiener Neustadt, a city just south of Vienna. Finally, the family settled in the Palais Dietrichstein in Minoritenplatz in Vienna. This experience gave Maria Ludovika a lifelong hatred of Napoleon. Maria Ludovika’s father died in Vienna in 1806, but after Napoleon’s final defeat, the Congress of Vienna recognized her eldest brother Ferdinand as Duke of Modena.

In 1807, Maria Ludovika’s first cousin, Franz I, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Bohemia became a widower for the second time when his second wife Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily (his double first cousin, also a first cousin of Maria Ludovika) died after childbirth along with her 12th child. The 39-year-old Emperor consoled his grief with visits to his aunt (by marriage) Maria Beatrice Ricciarda and fell in love with the beautiful and literate Maria Ludovika who was 19 years old. Maria Ludovika and Franz were married on January 6, 1808, in a ceremony conducted by the bride’s brother Karl, Archbishop of Esztergom, Primate of Hungary. The marriage was childless.

Franz’s father Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II and Maria Ludovika’s father were brothers. Franz became Holy Roman Emperor at age 24 in 1792 after the two-year reign of his father. Holy Roman Emperor Franz II feared that Napoleon could take over his personal lands within the Holy Roman Empire, so in 1804 he proclaimed himself Emperor Franz I of Austria. Two years later, after Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of Austerlitz, the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved. Lands that had been held by the Holy Roman Emperor were given to Napoleon’s allies creating the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Kingdom of Württemberg, and the Grand Duchy of Baden.

The French had protested Franz’s marriage to Maria Ludovika and there were fears in Vienna that the new Empress’ hatred of Napoleon could cause Austria to go back to war. In 1809, Austria did attack France again, hoping to gain an advantage over Napoleon because of France’s involvement in the Peninsular War in Spain and Portugal. Austria was again defeated, and this time Franz was forced to ally himself with Napoleon. He had to cede territory to the French Empire, join the Continental System, and marry his eldest daughter Marie-Louise to Napoleon, who had divorced his first wife Joséphine because she had failed to produce an heir. Maria Ludovika, who was only four years older than her stepdaughter, was vehemently against the marriage. After the final defeat of Napoleon, Franz and Maria Ludovika hosted the Congress of Vienna from September 1814 to June 1815. The objective of the Congress was to provide a long-term peace plan for Europe by settling critical issues arising from the Napoleonic Wars.

Maria Ludovika, Empress of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

During the years of the Napoleonic conflicts, Maria Ludovika was ill with tuberculosis. After the Congress of Vienna, she visited her former home in Modena, now liberated, and other Italian cities with her husband. Maria Ludovika was now very ill and weak and told her mother that she wanted to die. In March 1816, she was in Verona, too ill to continue her travels. Her physician who was traveling with her, called in numerous famous doctors, but to no avail. On April 7, 1816, 28-year-old Maria Ludovika died at the Palazzo Canossa in Verona, Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, now in Italy, with her husband at her bedside. Maria Ludovika was buried at the Capuchin Church in the Imperial Crypt in the Franzensgruft (Franz’s Vault) in Vienna, Austria, where her husband and his three other wives are also buried.

Tomb of Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este; Credit – Wikipedia

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Austria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Franz I, Emperor of Austria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2016

Credit – Wikipedia

One day in February 1768, Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia in her own right, rushed into the court theater at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna shouting, “Our Leopold has a boy!”, announcing the birth of her grandson, the future Franz II, Holy Roman Emperor who would later be Franz I, Emperor of Austria.

Maria Theresa had been the only surviving child of her father Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI. Throughout his reign, Charles expected to have a male heir and never really prepared Maria Theresa for her future role as sovereign.  Upon her father’s death in 1740, Maria Theresa became Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia in her own right.  She was unable to become the sovereign of the Holy Roman Empire because she was female. Maria Theresa’s right to succeed to her father was the cause of the eight-year-long War of the Austrian Succession.

The Habsburgs had been elected Holy Roman Emperors since 1438, but in 1742 Holy Roman Emperor Karl VII from the German House of Wittelsbach was elected. He died in 1745 and via a treaty Maria Theresa arranged for her husband Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine to be elected Holy Roman Emperor.  Despite the snub, Maria Theresa wielded the real power. Upon the death of her husband, Maria Theresa’s eldest son Joseph was elected Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, but Maria Theresa continued to wield the real power. Joseph had married twice, but both wives died of smallpox. His first marriage had produced two daughters, one had died at age seven and the other died shortly after birth. Maria Theresa’s Leopold was her second surviving son, and therefore the heir and the birth of his son ensured the succession of the throne.

The Holy Roman Empire was a limited elective monarchy composed of hundreds of kingdoms, principalities, duchies, counties, prince-bishoprics, and Free Imperial Cities in central Europe. The Holy Roman Empire was not really holy since, after Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1530, no emperors were crowned by the pope or a bishop. It was not Roman but rather German because it was mainly in the regions of present-day Germany and Austria. It was an empire in name only – the territories it covered were mostly independent each with its own rulers. The Holy Roman Emperor directly ruled over only his family territories, and could not issue decrees and rule autonomously over the Holy Roman Empire. A Holy Roman Emperor was only as strong as his army and alliances, including marriage alliances, made him, and his power was severely restricted by the many sovereigns of the constituent monarchies of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century, prince-electors, or electors for short, elected the Holy Roman Emperor from among the sovereigns of the constituent states.

Frequently but not always, it was common practice to elect the deceased Holy Roman Emperor’s heir. The Holy Roman Empire was an elective monarchy. No person had a legal right to the succession simply because he was related to the current Holy Roman Emperor. However, the Holy Roman Emperor could and often did, while still alive, have a relative (usually a son) elected to succeed him after his death. This elected heir apparent used the title King of the Romans.

Learn more at Unofficial Royalty: What was the Holy Roman Empire?

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Franz’s grandmother Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia

Franz Joseph Karl was born on February 12, 1768, in Florence, the capital of Tuscany, now in Italy, where his father reigned as Grand Duke from 1765–90. Franz was the eldest son and the second of the sixteen children of Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany (later Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor) and Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain, the daughter of King Carlos III of Spain. Franz’s paternal grandparents were the formidable and powerful 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 the real power.  Franz’s maternal grandparents were Carlos III, King of Spain and Maria Amalia of Saxony.

Franz at the age of 2, 1770, by Anton Raphael Mengs; Credit – Wikipedia

Franz had fifteen siblings:

Franz with his parents and siblings, circa 1784-1785; Credit – Wikipedia

Franz had a happy childhood surrounded by his numerous siblings in Florence. His father Leopold was active in his children’s upbringing and encouraged freedom and self-expression. His children were encouraged to run about freely and participate in energetic play. Archduchess Maria Christina, the children’s paternal aunt, recalled with delight being rolled on the floor with her nieces and nephews. The children’s education was a hands-on one. The British ambassador Sir Horace Mann was impressed with Franz’s education: “He played at Geography by the dissected maps that I was desired to get from England, and on all his walks and rides he is accompanied by people who amuse him and instruct him. He has learned the principal modern languages as the natives do, having attendants of different nations who always speak their own language to him, by which means, they are familiar to him.” This pleasant life ended for Franz in 1784 when he was 16 years old. His uncle, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, summoned him to the imperial court in Vienna to be prepared as a future emperor.

Soon after his arrival in Vienna, Franz received a memo from his uncle listing his deficiencies: “physical development has been completely neglected,” “stunted in growth,” “very backward in bodily dexterity,” “a spoiled mother’s boy.” Joseph told Franz that if he did not improve methods involving “fear and unpleasantness” would be used. Franz learned to control his feelings and the expression of his opinions based on his uncle’s demands. He was sent to join a military regiment in Hungary to complete his education.

Emperor Joseph II, in the middle, with Elisabeth of Württemberg, on the left, and Franz, on the right; Credit – Wikipedia

A bride was chosen for Franz by the Emperor. Duchess Elisabeth of Württemberg, daughter of Friedrich II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg and Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt, was chosen for political reasons and sent to Vienna in 1762 when she was 15-years old. Brought up as a Lutheran, Elisabeth was educated at the Monastery of the Salesian Sisters in Vienna, where she converted to Roman Catholicism. Franz and Elisabeth were married on January 6, 1788. On February 18, 1790, Elisabeth gave birth to a premature daughter Archduchess Ludovika Elisabeth of Austria, and then she died early on the morning of February 19, 1790, at the age of 22. The next day, on February 20, 1790, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II died at the age of 49. The infant Archduchess did not survive long, dying on June 24, 1791. Within a week of his 22nd birthday, Franz became a widower and the heir to the throne, which now passed to his father, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II. Franz’s father’s reign was only two years and at age 24, he became Franz II, Holy Roman Emperor.

Elisabeth of Württemberg, Archduchess of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

Franz married again, a little more than six months after the death of his first wife. On September 15, 1790, Franz married Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, the eldest daughter of King Ferdinand IV and III of Naples and Sicily (later King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies) and Archduchess Marie Caroline of Austria. Franz and Maria Theresa were double first cousins, which meant they shared all of their other grandparents in common. The couple had twelve children with seven surviving childhood. While pregnant with her twelfth child, 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. Franz was inconsolable and had to be forcibly removed from his wife’s body.

Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily; Credit – Wikipedia

Franz and Maria Theresa’s children:

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

Austria took part in the French Revolutionary Wars, lasting from 1792 until 1802, resulting from the French Revolution, which saw the rise of an unknown French general named Napoleon Bonaparte. During the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th-century, Holy Roman Emperor Franz II feared that Napoleon could take over the personal, hereditary Habsburg lands within the Holy Roman Empire, so in 1804 he proclaimed himself Emperor Franz I of Austria. Two years later, after Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of Austerlitz, the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved and lands that had been held by the Holy Roman Emperor were given to Napoleon’s allies creating the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Kingdom of Württemberg, and the Grand Duchy of Baden. In 1809, Franz attacked France again but was again defeated. This time, Franz was forced to ally himself with Napoleon, ceding territory to the French Empire, and marrying his daughter Marie-Louise to Emperor Napoleon. In 1813, for the final time, Austria turned against France and joined Great Britain, Russia, Prussia, and Sweden in their war against Napoleon. Austria played a major role in the final defeat of France, and Emperor Franz I of Austria, represented by Clemens von Metternich, presided over the Congress of Vienna and held in Vienna from September 1814 to June 1815. The objective of the Congress was to provide a long-term peace plan for Europe by settling critical issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.

Napoleon meets Franz following the Battle of Austerlitz; Credit – Wikipedia

Franz married two more times. On January 6, 1808, he married another first cousin, Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, the daughter of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este and Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d’Este. She was a great enemy of Napoleon and protested the marriage of her stepdaughter Marie-Louise to Napoleon. Franz and Maria Ludovika had no children, and Maria Ludovika died on April 7, 1816, of tuberculosis at the age of 28.

Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este; Credit – Wikipedia

Franz’s fourth and last wife was Princess Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, daughter of Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria and Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt. The couple married on October 29, 1816, but had no children.

Caroline Augusta of Bavaria; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 2, 1835, the day after the 43rd anniversary of his father’s death, Franz died suddenly of a fever at the age of 67. For three days, the people of Vienna filed past his coffin. His coffin was then brought in the traditional procession to the Capuchin Church (German: Kapuzinerkirche) in Vienna, Austria, where the Imperial Crypt (German: Kaisergruft), the traditional burial place of the Habsburgs, lies underneath the rather plain church. Franz’s remains lie in the Franzensgruft (Franz’s Vault) surrounded by the tombs of his four wives.

Tomb of Holy Roman Emperor Franz II/Emperor Franz I of Austria; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Austria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Adelheid of Austria, Queen of Sardinia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Adelheid of Austria, Queen of Sardinia – source: Wikipedia

Archduchess Adelheid of Austria, Queen of Sardinia

Archduchess Adelheid of Austria was the first wife of King Vittorio Emanuele II of Sardinia (the future King of Italy). She was born Adelheid Franziska Marie Rainera Elisabeth Clotilde on June 3, 1822, at the Royal Palace of Milan, the daughter of Archduke Rainer Joseph of Austria and Princess Elisabeth of Savoy.  Adelheid’s father was the Viceroy of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, a constituent land of the Austrian Empire.

Adelheid had seven siblings:

  • Archduchess Maria Karolina (1821 – 1844) – unmarried
  • Archduke Leopold Ludwig (1823 – 1898) – unmarried
  • Archduke Ernst Karl (1824 – 1899) – married morganatically Laura Skublics de Velike et Bessenyö, had issue
  • Archduke Sigismund (1826 – 1891) – unmarried, no issue
  • Archduke Rainer (1827 – 1913) – married Archduchess Maria Karoline of Austria, no issue
  • Archduke Heinrich (1828 – 1891) – married morganatically to Leopoldine Hoffman, had issue
  • Archduke Maximilian (1830 – 1839) – died as a child

Adelheid and Vittorio with their six oldest children, c1854. source: Wikipedia

On April 12, 1842, at the Palazzina di caccia di Stupinigi in Italy, she married Vittorio Emanuele, the son of King Carlo Alberto I of Sardinia and Archduchess Maria Theresia of Austria. The two were first cousins (her mother and his father were siblings), and also first cousins once removed through their mutual descent from Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor. At the time of their marriage, Vittorio Emanuele was heir to the Sardinian throne and held the title Duke of Savoy. The couple had eight children:

Adelheid with her son, Umberto, c1850. Source: Wikipedia

Adelheid became Queen of Sardinia on March 23, 1849, following her father-in-law’s abdication and her husband’s accession to the throne. However, she never lived to become the Queen of Italy. Just days after giving birth to her last child, Adelheid fell ill after attending the funeral of her mother-in-law in Turin. Adelheid herself died four days later, on January 20, 1855, at the Royal Palace of Turin in the Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy. She was interred at the Royal Basilica of Superga in Turin.

The Royal Basilica of Superga. Source: Wikipedia, photo by Rolopack

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Italy Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Maria Christina of Austria, Queen of Spain

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Maria Christina of Austria, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

The second wife of King Alfonso XII of Spain, Her Imperial and Royal Highness Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria, Princess of Hungary and Bohemia, was born on July 21, 1858, at Židlochovice Castle near Brno, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. She was given the names Maria Christina Henriette Desideria Felicitas Raineria but was called Christa in her family. Maria Christina was the third of the six children of first cousins Archduke Karl Ferdinand of Austria-Teschen and Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria.

Maria Christina had one half-sister from her mother’s first marriage to Archduke Ferdinand Karl Viktor of Austria-Este:

Maria Christina had five siblings, but two died in infancy:

Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska and her children – standing: Friedrich, his wife Isabella; sitting left to right – Maria Theresia, Maria Christina, and Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Christina grew up in Vienna at the court of her second cousin Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria. She was well-educated and excelled in languages, literature, and history. In 1868, Queen Isabella II of Spain was deposed and her family went into exile in Paris, France. Isabella’s eldest son Alfonso later attended the Theresianum, an elite secondary school in Vienna. It was during his time in Vienna that Alfonso first met Maria Christina. The Spanish monarchy was restored in 1874 and Alfonso became King Alfonso XII at the age of 17. He married his first cousin Princess Maria de las Mercedes of Orléans, but tragically she died five months later from typhoid fever. A year later, Alfonso agreed to marry Mercedes’ sister Maria Cristina, but she developed tuberculosis and died during their engagement.

Alfonso’s choice of a bride then fell upon Maria Christina, and the couple married on November 29, 1879, at the Royal Basilica of Our Lady of Atocha in Madrid, Spain.

Maria Christina and Alfonso had three children:

King Alfonso XII and his second wife Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

Alfonso was not faithful to Maria Christina and at the beginning of their marriage, she endured these infidelities. Alfonso had an affair with Italian opera singer Adela Borghi, however, the affair with Spanish opera singer Elena Sanz, with whom Alfonso had two children, Alfonso Sanz (1880 – 1970) and Fernand Sanz  (1881-1925), was the final straw. Maria Christina was finally able to prevail and Elena Sanz was sent into exile in Paris. Competing for the French Olympic Team, Fernand Sanz won a silver medal in cycling at the 1900 Olympics in Paris.

“The Death of Alfonso XII” or “The Last Kiss” by Juan Antonio Benlliure, 1887; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 25, 1885, three days before his 28th birthday, King Alfonso XII died from tuberculosis at the Royal Palace of El Pardo in Madrid, Spain, leaving two daughters and Maria Christina pregnant with their third child. It was decided that Maria Christina would rule as regent until the child was born. If the child were a male, he would become king.  If the child were a female, Alfonso and Maria Christina’s elder daughter María Mercedes would become queen. On May 17, 1886, a son was born who immediately became King Alfonso XIII.

Maria Christina continued as regent until Alfonso XIII reached the age of 16 and took control of the monarchy in 1902. After 1902, she was styled Su Majestad la Reina Madre, Her Majesty The Queen Mother. Despite her political responsibilities, Maria Christina was an exemplary mother and spent much time dealing with her children’s education. She developed interests in many aspects of Spanish culture and even grew to tolerate bullfighting.

Maria Christina with her three children in 1897; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1905, on a state visit to the United Kingdom, King Alfonso XIII met Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (known as Ena), the only daughter of Queen Victoria’s youngest child Princess Beatrice, and the two developed a strong interest in each other. However, several issues would need to be resolved before they could consider marriage. The first issue was religion. Alfonso was Catholic while Ena was Protestant. The second issue was potentially Ena could bring hemophilia into the Spanish royal family. Ena’s brother suffered from the disease and there was a possibility that Ena was a hemophilia carrier. The third obstacle was Alfonso’s mother Maria Christina. She did not feel the Battenbergs were royal enough due to the morganatic marriage that started that family. Maria Christina wanted her son to marry a member of the Habsburg dynasty of Austria. Eventually, all three obstacles were overcome, and the couple married on May 31, 1906, at the Royal Monastery of San Jerónimo in Madrid, Spain in a wedding attended by many royals from around the world. Alfonso and Ena had seven children and their oldest and youngest sons had hemophilia. See Unofficial Royalty: Hemophilia.

Maria Christina and her grandchildren around 1911; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

On February 5, 1929, Maria Christina attended the theater with Queen Ena and her daughters. The family dined as usual at the Royal Palace of Madrid, at nine in the evening. Following the meal, the family moved to the living room, where they viewed a film each night. They retired to their rooms for the night just after midnight. Shortly after going to bed, Maria Christina felt a sharp pain in the chest and could barely breathe. Her maid, seeing her pain, asked if she wanted to call her son the king, but Maria Christina said no. Soon, Maria Christina had another very strong pain, a fatal heart attack.

Maria Christina in the 1920s; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Christina was buried in the Pantheon of Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain. Two years later, in 1931, in the face of overwhelming popular rejection, King Alfonso XIII fled the country when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed, followed by Francoist Spain after the Spanish Civil War. The monarchy was restored in 1975 when Maria Christina’s great-grandson Juan Carlos became king.

Maria Christina tomb

Tomb of Maria Christina; Credit – www.findagrave.com

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Marie Henriette of Austria, Queen of the Belgians

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Marie Henriette of Austria, Queen of the Belgians; Credit – Wikipedia

Archduchess Marie Henriette of Austria (Marie Henriette Anne) was born on August 23, 1836, at Buda Castle in Budapest, Hungary. She was the youngest of the five children of Joseph, Archduke of Austria, Palatine of Hungary and his third wife Maria Dorothea of Württemberg.

Her father’s first wife Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia, daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, died from puerperal fever, a childbirth complication, shortly after giving birth to a daughter, who died on the day of her birth.

Marie Henriette had two half-siblings, fraternal twins, from her father’s second marriage to Princess Hermine of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym.  Princess Hermine died from childbirth complications at the age of 19, after giving birth to the twins.

Marie Henriette had two full sisters and two full brothers:

Marie Henriette’s father Archduke Joseph was appointed Palatine of Hungary in 1796. The Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor was also King of Hungary, and the Palatine of Hungary was a deputy of the King of Hungary when he was absent from the country. Archduke Joseph was very popular with the Hungarian people and his statue stands in a square named after him in Budapest, Hungary.

Athletic and energetic, Marie Henriette grew up with her brothers and sisters in Hungary, where she rode the horses she loved. She was interested in painting and music, and even composed an opera, Wanda. On August 22, 1853, 16-year-old Marie Henriette married 18-year-old Prince Leopold, Duke of Brabant, the heir to the Belgian throne, and the future King Leopold II of the Belgians. The marriage had been carefully orchestrated to strengthen the infant Belgian monarchy by marrying its future second monarch to a member of a prestigious Catholic dynasty. Marie Henriette had tearfully protested the marriage. Princess Pauline von Metternich wrote the marriage was “between a stable-boy and a nun, and by a nun, I mean the Duke of Brabant.”

Leopold and Marie Henriette;  Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold and Marie Henriette had four children:

The marriage started unhappy, remained unhappy, and the couple lived mostly separate lives. Leopold had many mistresses and made no real attempt to have a successful marriage. Marie Henriette was cold and inaccessible. Her only passion remained her Hungarian horses. Their children were brought up very strictly and with discipline. In 1869 when her only son Leopold died, Marie Henriette was devastated. King Leopold blamed Marie Henriette for their son’s death. Little Leopold had fallen into a pond, caught pneumonia, and died.

Marie Henriette and her son Leopold; Credit – Wikipedia

Hoping for a crown prince Marie Henriette became pregnant again, but the long-awaited crown prince did not materialize as the child was a girl named Clémentine. The couple completely separated after the birth of Clémentine and in 1895 Marie Henriette moved to Spa, Belgium where she lived out the rest of her life at Hôtel du Midi, the home she had bought there. Her youngest daughter Clementine replaced her as the first lady of the Belgian court.

Marie Henriette in 1875; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Marie Henriette suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 66 on September 19, 1902, at her home Hôtel du Midi in Spa, Belgium. She was buried in the Royal Crypt at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium. King Leopold II died seven years later and was buried with her, but not before marrying (not legally as it was a religious and not a civil marriage) his long-time mistress Caroline Lacroix five days before his death.

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Tomb of King Leopold II and Queen Marie Henriette; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Kingdom of Belgium Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Archduke Carl Christian of Austria

by Scott Mehl

Embed from Getty Images 

Archduke Carl Christian of Austria (Carl Christian Maria Anna Rudolph Anton Marcus d’Aviano), known as Christian, is the husband of Princess Marie Astrid of Luxembourg.  He was born on August 26, 1954, at the Château de Belœil in Belgium, the second son of Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria and Princess Yolande of Ligne.  Carl Christian is a grandson of the last Austrian Emperor Karl I and his wife, Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma.

Carl Christian has three siblings:

  • Archduke Rudolf of Austria (born 1950), married Baroness Hélène de Villenfagne de Vogelsanck, had eight children
  • Archduchess Alexandra of Austria (born 1952), married Héctor Riesle, Chilean ambassador to the Holy See, had three children
  • Archduchess Maria Constanza of Austria (born 1957) married Franz Josef, Prince of Auersperg-Trautson, had three daughters and one adopted daughter

On February 6, 1982, Archduke Carl Christian married his second cousin, Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg, the daughter of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium. A civil ceremony was held at the Grand Ducal Palace followed by a religious ceremony at the Cathédrale Notre Dame, both in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.

The couple had five children:

  • Archduchess Marie-Christine of Austria (born 1983), married Count Rodolphe de Limburg-Stirum, had three children
  • Archduke Imre of Austria (born 1985), married Kathleen Elizabeth Walker, had five children
  • Archduke Christoph of Austria (born 1988), married Adélaïde Marie Béatrice Drapé-Frisch, had four children
  • Archduke Alexander of Austria (born 1990), married married Natacha Roumiantzeff-Pachkevitch
  • Archduchess Gabriella of Austria (born 1994), married Prince Henri of Bourbon-Parma, had two children

Carl Christian was very close to his uncle Archduke Otto (Dr. Otto von Habsburg), and traveled extensively with him, often speaking on his behalf. He was also a very visible member at any events relating to the beatification of his grandfather Emperor Karl of Austria.

The Archduke works in Geneva, Switzerland where he manages a company specializing in audit and control of financial institutions. In addition, he serves as President of the Board of Directors of G&C Kreglinger.

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Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg, Archduchess of Austria

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

 

Princess Marie-Astrid Liliane Charlotte Léopoldine Wilhelmine Ingeborg Antoinette Élisabeth Anne Alberte of Luxembourg was born on February 17, 1954, at Betzdorf Castle in Luxembourg, the eldest child of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium.

Marie-Astrid has four younger siblings:

Marie-Astrid was educated in Luxembourg and Belgium, and earned her certification as a registered nurse in 1974, with a specialized certificate in tropical medicine in 1977. Since 1970, she has been President of the Red Cross for Luxembourg Youth. In the late 1970s, she was rumored to be a prospective bride for Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. However, these rumors proved to be unfounded, and quite unlikely. Marie-Astrid is a devout Catholic and a marriage between the two would not have been permitted under the British Royal Marriages Act.

Marie-Astrid was married on February 6, 1982, in Luxembourg, to her second cousin, Archduke Carl Christian of Austria. A civil ceremony was held at the Grand Ducal Palace followed by a religious ceremony at the Cathédrale Notre Dame, both in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Upon marriage, her full title became Her Imperial and Royal Highness Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria, Princess Imperial of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, Princess of Luxembourg, Princess of Nassau, Princess of Bourbon-Parma. The couple had five children:

  • Archduchess Marie-Christine of Austria (born 1983), married Count Rodolphe de Limburg-Stirum, had three children
  • Archduke Imre of Austria (born 1985), married Kathleen Elizabeth Walker, had five children
  • Archduke Christoph of Austria (born 1988), married Adélaïde Marie Béatrice Drapé-Frisch, had four children
  • Archduke Alexander of Austria (born 1990), married married Natacha Roumiantzeff-Pachkevitch
  • Archduchess Gabriella of Austria (born 1994), married Prince Henri of Bourbon-Parma, had two children
photo: ©2013 Cour grand-ducale/Vic Fischbach

photo: ©2013 Cour grand-ducale/Vic Fischbach

Marie-Astrid is typically in attendance at family functions in Luxembourg, as well as the occasional official events. Amongst several patronages and involvements, she serves on the Board of Directors of l’Arche International, an organization that works with people with intellectual disabilities.  In the photo above, she is seen, along with her father, Grand Duke Jean, and the Hereditary Grand Duke and Grand Duchess in October 2013, at a concert of the Luxembourg Philharmonic held in memory of her late mother, Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte.

Embed from Getty Images 

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Karl I, Emperor of Austria

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Karl I, Emperor of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 3, 2004, Pope John Paul II beatified Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, and he is known as Blessed Karl of Austria. Beatification is the third of four steps toward sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church.  On January 31, 2008, the Roman Catholic Church, after a 16-month investigation, formally recognized a second miracle attributed to Karl I which is required for his canonization as a saint.  However, no word on his canonization has been forthcoming.

 

Karl’s beatification in 2004 was not without controversy.  Although Karl was a devout Catholic, some of his actions have been questioned because they do not seem saint-like.  During World War I, when Karl was Supreme Commander, the Austrian army used poison gas on the Italian front.  In addition, Karl was accused of being a liar.  As the war ended, Karl deserted Austria’s ally Germany and secretly attempted to make peace with France. When news of this was leaked, Karl denied all involvement.  However, the French published letters from him proving his involvement.  Furthermore, after the war, Karl attempted twice to regain the throne of Hungary which he had also formerly held, resulting in the deaths of many in street fighting. The Roman Catholic Church’s view is that Karl showed “heroic virtue” by being the only leader during World War I to put his faith first when making political decisions.

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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

Karl Franz Joseph Ludwig Hubert Georg Otto Marie was born an Archduke of Austria on August 17, 1887, at Persenbeug Castle in the current Austrian state of Lower Austria.  His parents were Archduke Otto Franz of Austria and Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony. Karl’s father, Archduke Otto Franz, was the second son of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, the younger brother of the Emperor of Austria at that time, Franz Joseph I.

Karl had one younger sibling:

Archduke Otto Franz and his family; Credit – Wikipedia

Karl had a very religious upbringing and spent his early childhood years traveling with his father’s army regiment. He attended the Schottengymnasium in Vienna, a public secondary school, which was an unusual occurrence for a member of the Imperial Family.  Karl served in the military from 1903-1906, mostly in areas of Bohemia.  From 1906-1908, he served in the military in Prague and also attended Charles-Ferdinand University there, studying law and political science.

On October 21, 1911, Karl married Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma at Schwarzau Castle, an Austrian home of Zita’s family.  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.”  The couple had eight children. Their oldest child Otto, who was Crown Prince during his father’s short reign, was the longest surviving of their children and died on July 4, 2011, at the age of 98.

Karl and Zita on their wedding day; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Karl and Zita’s children:

Karl and Zita with their children; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

In 1889, after the suicide of Crown Prince Rudolf, the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph I, the next heir was Karl’s grandfather Archduke Karl Ludwig, with his elder son Archduke Franz Ferdinand the second in the line of succession. There have been suggestions that Karl Ludwig renounced his succession rights in favor of his son Franz Ferdinand. However, an act of renunciation was never formally signed and Karl Ludwig was never officially designated heir to the throne. He was only three years younger than Franz Joseph and not a realistic choice. When Karl Ludwig died in 1896, Franz Ferdinand became the heir to his uncle’s throne.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir until his assassination on June 28, 1914, an event that was one of the causes of World War I. Archduke Franz Ferdinand had been allowed to make a morganatic marriage with the condition that the children of the marriage would not have succession rights. Upon Franz Ferdinand’s death, Karl became the heir. He succeeded to the throne upon the death of Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1916.

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

At the end of World War I, the armistice required that the Austrian-Hungarian Empire allow for autonomy and self-determination of the government of its various ethnic populations. The various areas 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 Austrian people to determine their form of government and released his government officials from their loyalty to him.  On November 13, 1918, Karl issued a similar proclamation for Hungary. Karl did not use the term “abdicate” in his proclamations 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 in attempting to regain the throne of Hungary. After the second attempt, the Council of Allied Powers exiled Karl and his family to the Portuguese island of Madeira.

In March 1922, Karl caught a cold that developed into bronchitis and then 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 in the Loreto Chapel 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 was buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria, but requested that her heart be buried with her husband’s. Two of their sons, Rudolf and Felix, are also buried at Muri Abbey.

Tomb of Karl I, Emperor of Austria at the Church of Our Lady of Monte on the island of Madeira in Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

In the Imperial Crypt (Kaisergruft) in Vienna, Austria, the traditional burial place of the Habsburgs, there is a memorial to Karl near the tomb of his wife Zita. (Photo below)

Memorial to Karl I, Emperor of Austria in the Imperial Crypt; Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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Austria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2013

Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este; Credit –  Wikipedia

Prince Lorenz of Belgium was born December 16, 1955, in the Belvedere Clinic in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France, the second child and eldest son of Archduke Robert of Austria-Este, the second son of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, and Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta. Since 1996, Lorenz has been the head of the House of Austria-Este, a cadet branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.

Lorenz’s full name and title at birth was His Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke Lorenz Otto Carl Amadeus Thadeus Maria Pius Andreas Marcus d’Aviano of Austria-Este, Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary.

Lorenz has four siblings:

  • Archduchess Maria Beatrice of Austria-Este (born 1954), married Count Riprand of Arco-Zinneberg, a great-grandson of Ludwig III, the last King of Bavaria, had six daughters
  • Archduke Gerhard of Austria-Este (born 1957), married Iris Jandrasits
  • Archduke Martin of Austria-Este (born 1959), married Princess Katharina of Isenburg, had three sons and one daughter
  • Archduchess Isabella of Austria-Este (born 1963), married Count Andrea Czarnocki-Lucheschi, had three sons and one daughter

Lorenz attended secondary school in France, after which he fulfilled his military obligations in the Austrian Army. He then attended the University of St Gallen in Switzerland, and the University of Innsbruck in Austria, where he received a degree in Economics and Social Science. He worked at several banks in Paris, London, and Rome, before joining a private firm in Switzerland in 1983.

In September 1984, Lorenz married Princess Astrid of Belgium, the only daughter of the future King Albert II and Queen Paola at the Church of Notre-Dame au Sablon in Brussels, Belgium. The couple had five children, who all have the styles Imperial and Royal Highness and titles Prince/Princess of Belgium and Archduke/Archduchess of Austria-Este:

  • Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (born 1986). married Elisabetta “Lili” Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein, had two daughters and one son
  • Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 1988), married William Isvy
  • Prince Joachim of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este (1991)
  • Princess Luisa Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 1995)
  • Princess Laetitia Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (born 2003)

Initially, the children of Lorenz and Astrid were not in the line of succession to the Belgian throne, as Belgium followed male-only primogeniture. They were born as Archdukes and Archduchess of Austria-Este. However, the laws were changed in 1991, and Astrid and their children were added to the line of succession. Their children were also granted the title of Prince/Princess of Belgium. In 1995, Lorenz was created Prince of Belgium in his own right. The following year, upon the death of his father, Lorenz became head of the House of Austria-Este.

Photo: Zimbio

Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz; Photo: Zimbio

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Archduchess Elisabeth Marie of Austria, Princess of Windisch-Graetz

by Emily McMahon © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Credit – Wikipedia

Born on September 2, 1883, at the Austrian imperial summer residence of Schloss Laxenburg, in Laxenburg, Austria, Elisabeth Maria Henriette Stephanie Gisela was the only child of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria and Stéphanie of Belgium. Elisabeth was the granddaughter of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria and his wife, Elisabeth of Bavaria (Sissi) as well as Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Marie-Henriette of Austria. Named in honor of her famous paternal grandmother, the younger Elisabeth was known by the nickname of “Erszi,” short for the Hungarian version of her name.

Shortly after her birth, the relationship between Elisabeth’s parents began to deteriorate. It is likely that Rudolf infected Stéphanie with a sexually transmitted disease, rendering her sterile and unable to provide a male heir for the Austrian throne. Both Stéphanie and Rudolf began affairs with other people in the following years and intermittently spoke of divorce.

Elisabeth with her mother in 1894; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

In 1889, Rudolf was found shot to death with his mistress, Baroness Mary von Vetsera, at the imperial hunting lodge in Mayerling. Although the deaths were officially ruled a murder-suicide or double suicide, some evidence suggests the two may have been murdered. Imperial dislike of Stéphanie had been high, and as a result, her paternal grandfather took Elisabeth into his care. The two were close to the end of the Emperor’s life. Following her mother’s remarriage to a Hungarian count in 1900, Elisabeth broke off all contact with her mother.

Despite her unusual family history, as the granddaughter of the Emperor, Elisabeth was still considered politically and financially valuable as a possible royal bride. She was strongly considered as a wife for her distant cousin Albert I of the Belgians, but he married one of Elisabeth’s Bavarian relations (another Elisabeth of Bavaria) instead.

Elisabeth met minor Prince Otto of Windisch-Grätz at a court function and immediately persuaded her grandfather to allow her to marry him despite his low rank. Franz Joseph agreed to the engagement and a generous dowry. Otto, who barely knew Elisabeth, was forced to accept the engagement and break off a previous betrothal. The two married at Hofburg in 1902.

Elisabeth Marie and Prince Otto zu Windisch-Grätz; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage was fraught with problems from the start. Otto naturally resented Elisabeth for forcing the union and began having an affair with an Austrian actress. It is said that Elisabeth shot the actress (who later died), but the incident was covered up due to Elisabeth’s high status. Within ten years of their wedding, both Otto and Elisabeth were seeing other people. Nevertheless, the marriage produced three sons and a daughter:

  • Prince Franz Josef of Windisch-Grätz (1904-1981), married Ghislaine d’Arschot Schoonhoven, had one daughter and one son
  • Prince Ernst of Windisch-Grätz (1905-1952), married  (1) Ellen Skinner, divorced  (2) Eva Isbary
  • Prince Rudolf of Windisch-Grätz (1907-1939), unmarried
  • Princess Stéphanie of Windisch-Grätz (1909-2005), married  (1) Count Pierre d’Alcantara de Querrieu, had one son  (2) Karl-Axel Björklund, had one son

Elisabeth and Otto separated officially following World War I, and a battle over custody of their children followed. The two, however, did not legally divorce for nearly 30 years.

Elisabeth enthusiastically joined the Austrian Social Democratic Party following her separation from Otto. She also met and began a relationship with Leopold Petznak, a socialist leader. Her association with the Social Democratic Party and her devotion to Leopold earned Elisabeth the nickname of “the Red Archduchess.” Leopold and Elisabeth married in 1948 and remained together until his death in 1956.

Elisabeth was in ill health and rarely ventured out in public after Leopold’s death. Her relationship with her two surviving children was poor, and she left them few possessions upon her death on March 16, 1963, at Villa Windisch-Graetz in Hütteldorf, Vienna, Austria, choosing instead to leave the majority to the Austrian state. Elisabeth is buried in a simple grave with her second husband in the Hütteldorfer Cemetery in Vienna, Austria.

Unmarked grave of Elisabeth Marie and Leopold Petznek; Photo Credit – By Artsunlimited – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16424510

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