Category Archives: German Royals

Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen was Head of the House of Saxony and pretender to the former throne of Saxony from 1968 until he died in 2012. Having no children, his death brought about a dispute over the headship of the family between several of his relatives.

Maria Emanuel, Prince of Saxony was born on January 31, 1926 at Prüfening Abbey in Regensburg, the eldest child of Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony, Margrave of Meissen, and Princess Elisabeth Helene of Thurn und Taxis. He had four younger siblings:

  • Princess Maria Josepha (1928) – unmarried
  • Princess Anna (1929) – married Roberto de Afif, had issue
  • Prince Albert, Margrave of Meissen (1934) – married Elmira Henke, no issue
  • Princess Mathilde (1936) – married Prince Johannes Heinrich of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, had issue

In 1944, Maria Emanuel was arrested due to a letter he wrote against the Nazi regime following the attempted assassination of Hitler. He was transferred to Potsdam to be put on trial. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts and connections of his father, he was charged as a juvenile and avoided the death penalty. At the end of World War II in 1945, he was released and rejoined his family. After studying at the Düsseldorf Art Academy, Maria Emanuel worked as a painter and graphic artist in Munich, before moving to Switzerland in 1958.

 

On June 22, 1962, in La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland, Maria Emanuel married Princess Anastasia of Anhalt. She was the daughter of Prince Eugen of Anhalt and Anastasia Jungmeier. The couple had no children. Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen died in La Tour-de-Peilz on July 23, 2012. He is buried alongside his parents in the grounds next to the Königskapelle in Karrösten, North Tyrol.

SUCCESSION DISPUTE

Having no children, in May 1977 Maria Emanuel named his nephew, Prince Alexander of Saxe-Gessaphe, as his heir. Alexander was the son of the Margrave’s eldest sister Anna. A document was drafted, agreed to, and signed by all the other members of the former royal house. Two years later, in September 1999, Maria Emanuel legally adopted Alexander. However, in 2002, three of the family members retracted their agreement. One of them was Maria Emanuel’s younger brother, Albert, who stated that the headship of the family should eventually pass to Prince Rüdiger – the son of their late cousin, Prince Timo of Saxony. Despite this disagreement, Maria Emanuel continued to assert that Prince Alexander was his rightful heir. Following Maria Emanuel’s death in July 2012, Albert and Alexander both claimed the headship of the family. When Albert died just three months later, the dispute intensified. Prince Rüdiger of Saxony claimed that he was the rightful heir, and assumed the title Margrave of Meissen, just as Prince Alexander had done upon Maria Emanuel’s death.

In 2015, the heads of three Ernestine branches of the House of Wettin – Michael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Andreas, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Konrad, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen – issued a statement stating that they did not recognize Prince Alexander as Head of the House of Saxony, nor as Margrave of Meissen. It is notable that their statement did not specifically recognize Prince Rüdiger either.

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Saxony Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Adelgunde of Bavaria, Duchess of Modena and Reggio

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Duchy of Modena and Reggio was a small northwestern Italian state that existed from 1452 to 1859, except during the Napoleonic Wars (1796 – 1814). The House of Este ruled the duchy from 1452 – 1796, and then the House of Austria-Este ruled from 1814 – 1859. In 1796, Modena was occupied by a French army under Napoleon Bonaparte, who deposed Ercole III d’Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio, and added the duchy to the French Empire. Ercole III died in exile in 1803.

Ercole III’s only surviving child of Maria Beatrice d’Este, the heiress of Modena and Reggio married Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria, son of Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Theresa, in her own right Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. The son of Maria Beatrice and Ferdinand Karl regained the Duchy of Modena and Reggio as Francesco IV in 1814, after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The Duchy of Modena and Reggio was abolished during the Italian unification movement. It was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1860. In 1861, Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy.

Below is an indexed listing with links to biographical articles about the Modena royal family at Unofficial Royalty. If it says “Notable Issue” before a name, that means not all of the children for the parent of that person are listed.

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Adelgunde of Bavaria, Duchess of Modena and Reggio; Credit – Wikipedia

Adelgunde of Bavaria was the wife of Francesco V, the last Duke of Modena and Reggio. Adelgunde Auguste Charlotte Caroline Elisabeth Amalie Marie Sophie Luise was born on March 19, 1823, at the Würzburger Residenz, a palace in Würzburg, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. She was the sixth of the nine children and the third of the five daughters of Ludwig I, King of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Adelgunde’s paternal grandparents were King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his first wife Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt. Her maternal grandparents were Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (later Duke of Saxe-Altenburg) and Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Adelgunde and her family, Adelgunde is on the left next to her mother and the painting; Credit – Di Baranzoni Angela – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=107172103

Adelgunde had eight siblings:

Adelgunde’s husband Francesco, circa 1845 – 1850; Credit – Wikipedia

Adelgunde first met her future husband Francesco, then heir to the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, in 1839 when his parents Francesco IV, Duke of Modena and Reggio and his wife and niece Maria Beatrice of Savoy visited the Kingdom of Bavaria. On March 30, 1842, 19-year-old Adelgunde married 23-year-old Francesco at the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche (Court Church of All Saints), a church in the Munich Residenz, the royal palace of the Bavarian royal family in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. The newlyweds made their entrance into Modena on April 16, 1842.

Francesco and Adelgunde had one daughter who died in infancy:

  • Princess Anna Beatrice (1848 – 1849), died in infancy

Francesco became Duke of Modena and Reggio upon the death of his father on January 21, 1846. Two years later, during the Revolutions of 1848, Adelgunde and Francesco were expelled by revolutionaries and fled to Austria for a short time before they were able to return to Modena. Soon thereafter, King Vittorio Emanuele II of Sardinia and Giuseppe Garibaldi, a general and politician became the driving forces behind the Italian unification movement. During the Second Italian War of Independence (April – July 1859), following the Battle of Magenta, Francesco V and his wife were forced to permanently flee the Duchy of Modena and Reggio. In 1860, the Duchy of Modena and Reggio was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia. Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

Adelgunde and her husband Francesco in 1870; Credit – Wikipedia

Adelgunde and Francesco lived the rest of their lives in exile, mostly at the Palais Modena in Vienna, Austria, and at their summer residence Schloss Wildenwart (link in German) in the Kingdom of Bavaria. On November 20, 1875, in Vienna, Austria, Francesco died at the age of 75 and was buried in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna. After Francesco’s death, Adelgunde lived at the Palais Modena in Vienna, Austria, the Munich Residenz in Munich, Bavaria, and Schloss Wildenwart in Frasdorf, Bavaria.

In 1886, Adelgunde’s brother Luitpold became Prince Regent of Bavaria after their nephew King Ludwig II of Bavaria was declared mentally incompetent. Ludwig II died three days later under mysterious circumstances, and the throne passed to Ludwig’s brother King Otto of Bavaria. However, Otto had also been declared mentally incompetent, and Luitpold continued as Prince Regent. During this time, Adelgunde became a grey eminence, a powerful decision-maker or adviser who operates behind the scenes. At the Bavarian court, she was known as Tante Modena (Aunt Modena) and had a great influence on her brother Luitpold. The formidable Adelgunde was considered the voice of the Viennese Habsburg court in Munich and was viewed with suspicion by Bavarian government ministers. In 1889, after the death of Marie of Prussia, Queen Dowager, the mother of King Ludwig II and King Otto, and the sister-in-law of Adelgunde and Luitpold, Adelgunde took on the role of the first lady of Bavaria and took on all the necessary family and social obligations.

A postcard celebrating Adelgunde’s 90th birthday; Credit – Wikipedia

Adelgunde survived her husband Francesco V, former Duke of Modena and Reggio by thirty-nine years, dying on October 28, 1914, at the age of 91. She was buried with her husband at the Imperial Crypt in Vienna.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Adelgunde Auguste von Bayern – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelgunde_Auguste_von_Bayern> [Accessed 9 October 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Adelgunde_of_Bavaria> [Accessed 9 October 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Francesco V, Duke of Modena and Reggio. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/francesco-v-duke-of-modena-and-reggio/> [Accessed 9 October 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Adelgonda di Baviera – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelgonda_di_Baviera> [Accessed 9 October 2021].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2016. King Ludwig I of Bavaria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-ludwig-i-of-bavaria/> [Accessed 9 October 2021].

Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp was the wife of Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden, and served as regent during the minorities of her son Karl XI, King of Sweden and her grandson Karl XII, King of Sweden. She was born on October 23, 1636, at Gottorp Castle at Schleswig, in the Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Hedwig Eleonora was the sixth of the sixteen children and the fourth of the eight daughters of Friedrich III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and Marie Elisabeth of Saxony. Hedwig Eleonora’s paternal grandparents were Johann Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and Augusta of Denmark, a daughter of Frederik II, King of Denmark. Her maternal grandparents were Johann Georg I, Elector of Saxony and Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia.

Hedwig Eleonora had fifteen siblings but only six survived childhood:

Hedwig Eleonora’s husband Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Hedwig Eleonora’s future husband Karl Gustav became King of Sweden in 1654 upon the abdication of his cousin Christina, Queen of Sweden. The 32-year-old new King of Sweden was unmarried as he expected he would marry his cousin Queen Christina, and he needed to find a bride as soon as possible to provide an heir. The former Queen Christina of Sweden had met Hedwig Eleonora on her way to Rome, where she would spend the rest of her life. Concerned that Karl Gustav was unmarried, Christina suggested the match. However, Hedwig Eleonora was already engaged to Gustav Adolph, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, and so Christina recommended Hedwig Eleonora’s elder sister Magdalene Sibylle instead. After seeing portraits of both sisters, Karl Gustav chose Hedwig Eleonora because of her beauty, and her current fiancé was instead married to her sister Magdalena Sibylle.

The marriage of Karl Gustav and Hedwig Eleonora; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 24, 1654, the day after her eighteenth birthday, Hedwig Eleonora married Karl Gustav at the Tre Kronor Castle in Stockholm, Sweden. Three days later, Hedwig Eleonora was crowned Queen of Sweden at the Storkrykan (Great Church) in Stockholm.

Karl Gustav and Hedwig Eleonora had only one child, a son who succeeded his father:

Sweden was involved in the Second Northern War against Denmark-Norway and Poland-Lithuania and Karl Gustav was often away on military campaigns. However, after the birth of her son Hedwig Eleonora frequently accompanied Karl Gustav on his military campaigns. She was very interested in the arts, particularly painting and architecture. Under her leadership, Drottningholm Palace, the current residence of the Swedish monarch, was built. Sadly, Hedwig Eleonora’s marriage lasted less than six years. Her husband Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden died at the age of 37 on February 13, 1660, from influenza and pneumonia, leaving his four-year-old son to succeed him as Karl XI, King of Sweden.

Hedwig Eleonora’s son Karl XI, King of Sweden at five years old; Credit – Wikipedia

After the death of her husband, Hedwig Eleonora was the dowager queen for 55 years. She remained visible in Swedish politics and society until her death. Karl X Gustav left specific instructions in his will for the regency of his son. Hedwig Eleonora was to be the Regent of Sweden and her son’s guardian until he reached his majority. She would be the chairperson of the regency council and be responsible for the government along with five senior government officials. However, Hedwig Eleonora would have the advantage of having two votes on the regency council. Throughout her son’s regency, Hedwig Eleonora was present at all council meetings except when she was away to administrate her dower lands. She did not take an active part in politics but used her position as regent to protect her son’s interests and rights. Aware that she lacked the knowledge and support to pursue politics, Hedwig Eleonora did not want to give the regency council any excuse to prevent her from attending the meetings. She learned about the issues discussed, made statements, and suggested solutions, but did not actively pursue any of her own opinions.

Hedwig Eleonora was only 24-years-old when her husband died and in 1661, she was considered a possible wife for King Charles II of England. She refused the proposal with the official excuse that she wished to remain faithful to her deceased husband. In 1667, 18-year-old Count Carl Gyllenstierna (link in Swedish) became Hedwig Eleonora’s chamberlain. He became her favorite and his career quickly advanced. It is possible that he also became her lover.

Left to Right: Hedwig Eleonora; her son Karl XI; her grandson the future Karl XII; her daughter-in-law Ulrika Eleonora; her granddaughter Ulrika Eleonora; husband of her granddaughter Hedwig Sofia Fredrik IV, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp; her sister-in-law and the mother of Fredrik IV, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Fredrika Amalia of Denmark, Dowager Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp; and her granddaughter Hedwig Sofia; Credit – Wikipedia

Even after her son married Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark, Hedwig Eleonora remained the first lady of the court. Foreign ambassadors always paid their respects to Hedwig Eleonora first, and then Ulrika Eleonora. The hostility between Hedwig Eleonora’s homeland Holstein-Gottorp and Ulrika Eleonora’s homeland Denmark made the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law even more tense.

Hedwig Eleonor’s tomb at Riddarholmen Church; Credit – Wikipedia

Hedwig Eleonora survived her husband by fifty-five years and her son by eighteen years, dying on November 24, 1715, in Stockholm, Sweden at the age of 79. She was buried with her husband at Riddarholmen Church.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_III,_Duke_of_Holstein-Gottorp> [Accessed 29 August 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedwig_Eleonora_of_Holstein-Gottorp> [Accessed 29 August 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2021. Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/karl-x-gustav-king-of-sweden/> [Accessed 29 August 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Hedvig Eleonora av Holstein-Gottorp – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedvig_Eleonora_av_Holstein-Gottorp> [Accessed 29 August 2021].

Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony, Margrave of Meissen

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony, Duke of Saxony, Margrave of Meissen was the first pretender to the former throne of Saxony, and head of the House of Saxony, from 1932 until his death in 1968.

Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony, Margrave of Meissen photo: Wikipedia

Prince Friedrich Christian Albert Leopold Anno Sylvester Macarius of Saxony was born in Dresden on December 31, 1893, the second son of the last King of Saxony, King Friedrich August III of Saxony and his wife Archduchess Luise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany. He had six siblings:

After studying at the Military Academy in Dresden, Friedrich Christian served during World War I in the General Staff on the Western Front. Due to his fluency in several languages, he was sent on diplomatic missions to Spain, Turkey, and Austria. The Saxony monarchy ended in November 1918 when the German Empire collapsed and his father abdicated. Friedrich Christian then devoted his time to academics, studying law at universities in Cologne, Freiburg, Wroclaw, and Würzburg. After earning his degree, he taught art history privately before being asked by his father to take over the management of the family’s estates in Saxony and Silesia.

On June 16, 1923 in Regensburg, Friedrich Christian married Princess Elisabeth Helene of Thurn und Taxis, the daughter of Albert, 8th Prince of Thurn und Taxis and Archduchess Margarethe Klementine of Austria. Together, the couple had five children:

  • Prince Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen (1926) – married Princess Anastasia of Anhalt, no issue
  • Princess Maria Josepha (1928) – unmarried
  • Princess Anna (1929) – married Roberto de Afif, had issue
  • Prince Albert, Margrave of Meissen (1934) – married Elmira Henke, no issue
  • Princess Mathilde (1936) – married Prince Johannes Heinrich of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, had issue

That same year, Friedrich Christian became heir apparent to the former throne of Saxony when his elder brother renounced his rights to the throne and entered the priesthood. Nine years later, in February 1932, his father died and Friedrich Christian became Head of the House of Saxony and pretender to the former throne. At that time, he took on the historic title Margrave of Meissen. Over the next years, the family moved around quite a bit – living in Bamberg for several years before settling at Wachwitz Castle in Dresden until 1945. Moving several more times, they eventually settled in Munich in 1955.

Burial site at the Königskapelle. photo: Wikipedia

Friedrich Christian, Margrave of Meissen, died on August 9, 1968 in Samedan, Switzerland. Some years earlier, he had chosen the Königskapelle in Karrösten, North Tyrol to be his future burial site, instead of Dresden Cathedral, the traditional burial site for the Saxon family. He had a crypt designed in the grounds next to the chapel and is buried there alongside his wife and eldest son.

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Saxony Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse is the current pretender to the former grand ducal throne of Hesse and by Rhine, and Head of the House of Hesse. He succeeded to both upon his father’s death in 2013.

 

Heinrich Donatus Philipp Umberton, Prince of Hesse, was born in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein on October 17, 1966, the son of Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse and Princess Tatiana of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. He has three siblings:

  • Mafalda (1965) – married (1) Enrico dei Conti Marone Cinzano, no issue; (2) Carlo Galdo, has issue; (3) Ferdinando Peretti, has issue
  • Elena (1967) – unmarried, has issue
  • Philip (1970) – married Laetitia Bechtoff, has issue

 

In 2003, Donatus married Countess Floria Franziska von Faber-Castell. A civil ceremony was held in Wiesbaden on April 25, 2003, followed by a religious ceremony held at St. John’s Church in Kronberg on May 17, 2003. Their reception was held in the Green Salon at the former Schloss Friedrichshof (now Schlosshotel Kronberg). Guests included Princess Benedikte of Denmark (the groom’s aunt), and Princess Caroline of Monaco, The Princess of Hanover. Donatus and Floria have three children:

  • Paulina Princess of Hesse (born 2007)
  • Moritz, Hereditary Prince of Hesse (born 2007)
  • August, Prince of Hesse (born 2012)

Having studied Business Administration at the University of Hamburg, the Landgrave runs the Hesse Family Foundation which manages the numerous estates and assets of the Hessian family. These include the former Schloss Friedrichshof, Schloss Fasanerie, the Grandhotel Hessischer Hof, the Prince of Hesse Winery, Schloss Wolfsgarten, and the Gut Panker estate (the latter two are the family’s private residences).

 

Donatus maintains close ties with the British Royal Family and is often invited to events such as the Royal Windsor Horse Show. In 2016, he was seated next to the Duchess of Cambridge at an event for the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations. In 2021, he was part of a very small group of family members invited to attend the funeral of The Duke of Edinburgh. Donatus and his wife also attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and Donatus attended the coronation of King Charles III.

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Anna of Saxony, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Tuscany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Anna of Saxony, Princess of Tuscany; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna of Saxony was the first wife of the future Ferdinando IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany. However, she died before her husband became Grand Duke. Anna Maria Maximiliane Stephania Karoline Johanna Luisa Xaveria Nepomucena Aloysia Benedicta was born in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony on January 4, 1836. She was the seventh of the nine children and the fourth of the six daughters of Johann, King of Saxony and Amalie Auguste of Bavaria. Anna’s paternal grandparents were Maximilian, Hereditary Prince of Saxony and his first wife Carolina of Bourbon-Parma. Her maternal grandparents were Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria and his second wife Caroline of Baden.

Anna had eight siblings:

Ferdinando of Tuscany, Anna’s husband; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna’s father was a close friend of Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany. The two families were linked by several marriages. A marriage between Anna and Leopoldo’s eldest son and heir Ferdinando, Hereditary Grand Duke of Tuscany was negotiated when the future bride and groom were still children. Anna and Ferdinando were married on November 24, 1856, in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony.

Anna gave birth to a daughter in 1858. On February 6, 1859, during a trip to Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, now in Italy, Anna miscarried a daughter due to typhoid fever. Four days later Anna died at the age of twenty-three. She was buried at the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy.

Anna and Ferdinando’s daughter Maria Antonietta, circa 1875; Credit – Wikipedia

Ferdinando and Anna had one surviving daughter:

Shortly after Anna’s death, on April 27, 1859, the Grand Ducal family was forced to flee Florence because of the wars caused by the Italian unification movement, and the family took refuge in Austria. On July 21, 1859, Leopoldo II abdicated in favor of his son Ferdinando IV who was Grand Duke of Tuscany in name but never really reigned. The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1860, as a part of the unification of Italy. In 1861, Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy, and Ferdinando’s hopes to reclaim the throne were ended. Ferdinando spent the rest of his life in exile in the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. On January 11, 1868, Ferdinando married Princess Alice of Bourbon-Parma, the daughter of Carlo III, Duke of Parma and Louise Marie Thérèse of France and the couple had ten children.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Grand Duchy of Tuscany Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Anna Maria von Sachsen – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Maria_von_Sachsen> [Accessed 29 September 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Princess Anna of Saxony (1836–1859) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Anna_of_Saxony_(1836%E2%80%931859)> [Accessed 29 September 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Ferdinando IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/ferdinando-iv-grand-duke-of-tuscany/> [Accessed 29 September 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Anna Maria di Sassonia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Maria_di_Sassonia> [Accessed 29 September 2021].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2017. Johann, King of Saxony. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/johann-king-of-saxony/> [Accessed 29 September 2021].
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew, 1995. The Habsburgs. New York: Viking.
  • Wilson, Peter, 2016. Heart of Europe – A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

Maria Anna of Saxony, Grand Duchess of Tuscany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was located in present-day northwest Italy. It existed, with a few interruptions, from 1569 – 1859. Tuscany was ruled by the de Medici family from 1434–1494 and from 1512 until the extinction of its senior branch in 1737. In 1569, Pope Pius V elevated Tuscany to a Grand Duchy and Cosimo I de’ Medici became its first Grand Duke.

In 1737, the House of Habsburg-Lorraine obtained control of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.  François Étienne, Duke of Lorraine exchanged the Duchy of Lorraine for the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Stanisław I, the father-in-law of King Louis XV of France, had abdicated the throne of Poland in 1736 and now became the Duke of Lorraine.

Except for a period of thirteen years from 1801 – 1814 during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars, the House of Habsburg-Lorraine retained the Grand Duchy of Tuscany until Tuscany was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1860, as a part of the unification of Italy. In 1861, Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy.

Two Grand Dukes of Tuscany were also Holy Roman Emperors: Francesco II Stefano, Grand Duke of Tuscany (reigned 1737 – 1765) also Franz I, Holy Roman Emperor (reigned 1745 – 1765) and Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany (reigned 1765 – 1790) also Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (reigned 1790 – 1792).

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Maria Anna of Saxony, Grand Duchess of Tuscany; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Anna of Saxony was the first wife of Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Maria Anna Carolina Josepha Vincentia Xaveria Nepomucena Franziska de Paula Franziska de Chantal Johanna Antonia Elisabeth Cunigunde Gertrud Leopoldina was born on November 15, 1799, at the Royal Palace of Dresden in the Electorate of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony. She was the fifth of the seventh children and the third of the four daughters of Maximilian, Hereditary Prince of Saxony and his first wife Princess Carolina of Parma. Maria Anna’s paternal grandparents were Friedrich Christian, Elector of Saxony, and Maria Antonia Walpurgis of Bavaria. Her maternal grandparents were Ferdinando, Duke of Parma and Maria Amalia of Austria.

Maria Anna had six siblings:

Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1817, Maria Anna became betrothed to the future Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany. The couple had a proxy marriage on October 28, 1817, in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony. However, Maria Anna was so terrified of meeting her bridegroom that she refused to leave Saxony unless her sister Maria Ferdinanda accompanied her. Accompanied by her sister Maria Ferdinanda, Maria Anna finally met Leopoldo and they were married in person on November 16, 1817, at the Basilica of the Most Holy Annunciation in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy.

Maria Ferdinanda, sister of Maria Anna, in the year of her marriage; Credit – Wikipedia

Four years later, when his son Leopoldo and his daughter-in-law Maria Anna had not produced any children, Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany decided to marry twenty years after the death of his first wife Luisa of Naples and Sicily. During his son’s wedding celebrations, Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony, the bride’s sister, had caught the eye of Ferdinand III, who was twenty-seven years older than Maria Ferdinanda. He remembered Maria Ferdinanda and chose her as his second wife. They were married on May 6, 1821, in Florence. Ferdinando III hoped to have more children but his marriage to Maria Ferdinadna remained childless.

Maria Anna as Grand Duchess of Tuscany; Credit – Wikipedia

Three years after his second wedding, Ferdinando I, Grand Duke of Tuscany, aged 55, died on June 18, 1824, in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy. Maria Anna’s husband succeeded to the throne as Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Maria Anna replaced her sister Maria Ferdinanda as the Grand Duchess of Tuscany. Maria Anna and her husband were the founding patrons of L’Istituto Statale della Ss. Annunziata, the first female boarding school in Florence to educate aristocratic and noble young ladies. The school is still in existence.

The three daughters of Maria Anna and Leopoldo; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Anna and Leopoldo eventually had children – three daughters who could not succeed to the throne. If Leopoldo did not have a male heir, the throne of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany would revert to Leopoldo’s Austrian Habsburg relatives.

Maria Anna’s inability to produce a male heir caused depression and coupled with her chronic ill health, made her developing tuberculosis more severe. The doctors advised Maria Anna to move to Pisa because of its milder and healthier climate. The court moved to Pisa in the winter of 1832 but Maria Anna showed no improvement. Her condition worsened in March 1832 and it became clear that she would soon die. Maria Anna serenely awaited her death with her confessor at her bedside but she regretted abandoning her husband and children. On March 24, 1832, 32-year-old Maria Anna died at the Royal Palace (link in Italian) in Pisa, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy. She was interred at the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence in a beautiful red porphyry sarcophagus surmounted by a crown.

Maria Anna’s husband Leopoldo greatly grieved his beloved wife. However, because he had three daughters and needed a male heir to ensure the succession he married again the following year to his first cousin Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies. Leopoldo and Maria Antonia had ten children including Leopoldo’s heir and the last Grand Duke of Tuscany, Ferdinand IV.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Grand Duchy of Tuscany Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_II,_Grand_Duke_of_Tuscany> [Accessed 27 September 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Princess Maria Anna of Saxony (1799–1832) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Maria_Anna_of_Saxony_(1799%E2%80%931832)> [Accessed 27 September 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/leopoldo-ii-grand-duke-of-tuscany/> [Accessed 27 September 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony, Grand Duchess of Tuscany. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/maria-ferdinanda-of-saxony-grand-duchess-of-tuscany/> [Accessed 27 September 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Anna Carolina di Sassonia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Anna_Carolina_di_Sassonia> [Accessed 27 September 2021].
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew, 1995. The Habsburgs. New York: Viking.
  • Wilson, Peter, 2016. Heart of Europe – A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony, Grand Duchess of Tuscany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony, Grand Duchess of Tuscany; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony was the second wife of Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Born at the Royal Palace in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony, on April 27, 1796, Maria Ferdinanda was the second of the seven children and the second of the four daughters of Maximilian, Hereditary Prince of Saxony and Princess Carolina of Parma. She was given the names Maria Ferdinanda Amalia Xaveria Theresia Josepha Anna Nepomucena Aloysia Johanna Vincentia Ignatia Dominica Franziska de Paula Frances de Chantal. Maria Ferdinanda’s paternal grandparents were Friedrich Christian, Elector of Saxony, and Maria Antonia Walpurgis of Bavaria. Her maternal grandparents were Ferdinando, Duke of Parma and Maria Amalia of Austria.

Maria Ferdinanda had six siblings:

Engraving of Maria Ferdinanda in 1822, the year of her wedding; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Ferdinanda’s younger sister Maria Anna was to marry the future Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, son of Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany. However, Maria Anna was so terrified of meeting her bridegroom that she refused to leave Saxony unless her sister Maria Ferdinanda accompanied her. During the wedding celebrations, Maria Ferdinanda caught the eye of the groom’s father Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, twenty-seven years older than Maria Ferdinanda.

husband Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany; Credit – Wikipedia

Four years later, when his son Leopoldo and his wife Maria Anna had not produced any children, Ferdinando decided to marry twenty years after the death of his first wife Luisa of Naples and Sicily. He chose Maria Ferdinanda as his second wife and they were married on May 6, 1821, in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy. Ferdinando hoped to have more children but his marriage to Maria Ferdinadna remained childless. Three years after his second wedding, Ferdinando I, Grand Duke of Tuscany, aged 55, died on June 18, 1824, in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy.

Maria Anna of Saxony, sister of Maria Ferdinanda; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Ferdinanda became a widow at the age of twenty-eight but she never remarried. After Ferdinando III’s death, his son Leopoldo succeeded him and Maria Ferdinanda’s sister Maria Anna became the new Grand Duchess of Tuscany. Maria Anna and Leopoldo eventually had children – three daughters who could not succeed to the throne of Tuscany. After Maria Anna died in 1832 from tuberculosis, Leopoldo married Princess Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies and the couple had ten children including Leopoldo’s heir and the last Grand Duke of Tuscany, Ferdinando IV.

In 1859, the Grand Ducal family was forced to flee Florence because of the wars caused by the Italian unification movement, and the family, including Maria Ferdinanda, took refuge in Austria. On July 21, 1859, Leopoldo II abdicated in favor of his son Ferdinando IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany in name but never really reigned. The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1860, as a part of the unification of Italy. In 1861, Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy.

Maria Ferdinanda lived partly in the Kingdom of Bohemia, part of the Austrian Empire, and also in Dresden at the court of her brother King Johann of Saxony. She had a very close relationship with her unmarried sister Amalie, a comedic opera composer under the pen name A. Serena, and a dramatist under the name Amalie Heiter.

Maria Ferdinanda survived her husband Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany by forty-one years, dying on January 3, 1865, aged 68, at the Chateau Brandýs nad Labem, a private property of the former Tuscany grand ducal family, in the Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic. She was buried in the Ferdinand Vault at the Imperial Crypt in the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria where her husband’s first wife was also buried.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Princess Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Maria_Ferdinanda_of_Saxony> [Accessed 26 September 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/ferdinando-i-king-of-the-two-sicilies/> [Accessed 26 September 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Archduke of Austria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/ferdinando-iii-grand-duke-of-tuscany-archduke-of-austria/> [Accessed 26 September 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Ferdinanda di Sassonia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Ferdinanda_di_Sassonia> [Accessed 26 September 2021].
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew, 1995. The Habsburgs. New York: Viking.
  • Wilson, Peter, 2016. Heart of Europe – A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse was head of the House of Hesse, and pretender to the former Grand Ducal throne of Hesse and by Rhine from 1980 until his death in 2013.

Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse, Head of the House of Hesse; photo: Wikipedia

Moritz Friedrich Karl Emanuel Humbert, Prince of Hesse-Kassel, was born at the Castle of Racconigi in Italy on August 6, 1926. He was the eldest child of Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse and Princess Mafalda of Savoy. Moritz had three younger siblings:

  • Heinrich of Hesse-Kassel (1927) – unmarried
  • Otto of Hesse-Kassel (1937) – married (1) Angela von Doering, no issue; (2) Elisabeth Bonker, no issue
  • Elisabeth of Hesse-Kassel (1940) – married Count Friedrich von Oppersdorff, had issue

Moritz with his mother and younger brother. photo: Wikipedia

Raised primarily in Italy, Moritz returned to Germany in 1943 and served briefly in the German forces. That year, both of his parents were arrested by the Nazis and placed in different concentration camps. His mother died in 1943 as a result of injuries after the Buchenwald concentration camp was bombed. His father was released but then taken into custody by Allied forces until his eventual release in 1947. After his military service, Moritz studied agriculture and took over the administration of the family’s estate at Gut Panker in Schleswig-Holstein (link in German).

In 1960, Moritz was adopted by his distant relative  Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine. Ludwig had no children and would be the last member of the House of Hesse and by Rhine. This adoption ensured that the former grand ducal family’s estates and assets would remain in the Hesse family upon his death.

 

In June 1964, Moritz married Princess Tatiana of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, the daughter of Gustav Albrecht, 5th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Margareta Fouché d’Otrante. The couple had four children before divorcing in 1974:

  • Mafalda (1965) – married (1) Enrico dei Conti Marone Cinzano, no issue; (2) Carlo Galdo, has issue; (3) Ferdinando Peretti, has issue
  • Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse (1966) – married Countess Floria Franziska of Faber-Castell, has issue
  • Elena (1967) – unmarried, has issue
  • Philip (1970) – married Laetitia Bechtoff, has issue

Moritz succeeded his father as Head of the House of Hesse and pretender to the former grand ducal throne of Hesse and by Rhine in 1980. Having also inherited the holdings of the former House of Hesse and by Rhine some years earlier, Moritz contributed many of these assets and much of his vast personal art collection to the Hesse Family Foundation which oversees and manages the family’s estates and collections. These include the Schlosshotel Kronberg, which was originally built as Schloss Friedrichshof by his great-grandmother, Empress Friedrich (nee Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom); the Prinz von Hessen winery; Gut Panker; and Schloss Wolfsgarten (which Moritz inherited from Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine).

Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse died in Frankfurt on May 23, 2013. Following his funeral at St. John’s Church in Kronberg, he was buried in the family cemetery on the grounds of the former Schloss Friedrichshof.

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Francis Stephen of Lorraine, Duke of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Holy Roman Emperor

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Francis Stephen of Lorraine, Duke of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was located in present-day northwest Italy. It existed, with a few interruptions, from 1569 – 1859. Tuscany was ruled by the de Medici family from 1434–1494 and from 1512 until the extinction of its senior branch in 1737. In 1569, Pope Pius V elevated Tuscany to a Grand Duchy and Cosimo I de’ Medici became its first Grand Duke.

In 1737, the House of Habsburg-Lorraine obtained control of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.  François Étienne, Duke of Lorraine exchanged the Duchy of Lorraine for the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Stanisław I, the father-in-law of King Louis XV of France, had abdicated the throne of Poland in 1736 and now became the Duke of Lorraine.

Except for a period of thirteen years from 1801 – 1814 during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars, the House of Habsburg-Lorraine retained the Grand Duchy of Tuscany until Tuscany was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1860, as a part of the unification of Italy. In 1861, Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy.

Two Grand Dukes of Tuscany were also Holy Roman Emperors: Francesco II Stefano, Grand Duke of Tuscany (reigned 1737 – 1765) also Franz I, Holy Roman Emperor (reigned 1745 – 1765) and Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany (reigned 1765 – 1790) also Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (reigned 1790 – 1792).

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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. 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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The subject of this article was François III Étienne, Duke of Lorraine (reigned 1729 – 1737), Francesco II Stefano, Grand Duke of Tuscany (reigned 1737 – 1765), and Franz I, Holy Roman Emperor (reigned 1745 – 1765). To avoid confusion, Francis Stephen, his English name will be mostly used in this article.

Born François Étienne of Lorraine on December 8, 1708, at the Ducal Palace of Nancy in the  Duchy of Lorraine, now in France, he was the ninth but the eldest surviving of the fourteen children and the fifth but the eldest surviving of the six sons of Leopold, Duke of Lorraine and Princess Élisabeth Charlotte of Orléans. His paternal grandparents were Charles V, Duke of Lorraine and Eleanor of Austria, daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III. His maternal grandparents were Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (son of King Louis XIII of France and brother of King Louis XIV of France) and his second wife Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, known as Liselotte.

Francis Stephen with his mother, born Princess Élisabeth Charlotte of Orléans  Credit – Wikipedia

Francis Stephen had thirteen siblings but only three of his siblings reached adulthood. Four of his siblings died from smallpox, with three of them dying during one week in May 1711. Six additional siblings died in infancy or childhood.

  • Léopold, Hereditary Prince of Lorraine (1699 – 1700), died in infancy
  • Élisabeth Charlotte of Lorraine (1700 – 1711), died in childhood of smallpox
  • Louise Christine of Lorraine (born and died 1701), died in infancy
  • Marie Gabrièle Charlotte of Lorraine (1702 – 1711), died in childhood of smallpox
  • Louis, Hereditary Prince of Lorraine (1704 – 1711), died in childhood of smallpox
  • Joséphine Gabrièle of Lorraine (1705 – 1708), died in childhood
  • Gabrièle Louise of Lorraine (1706 – 1710), died in childhood
  • Léopold Clément, Hereditary Prince of Lorraine (1707 – 1723), died in his teens of smallpox
  • Eléonore of Lorraine (born and died 1710), died in infancy
  • Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine (1711 – 1741), married Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia (his third wife), had three children, died due to childbirth complications
  • Charles Alexander of Lorraine (1712 – 1780), married Maria Anna of Austria who died giving birth to a stillborn son
  • Anne Charlotte of Lorraine (1714 – 1773), unmarried
  • Marie Louise of Lorraine (1716 – 1723), died in childhood

Francis Stephen and Maria Theresa at their wedding breakfast; Credit – Wikipedia

Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI favored the family of Leopold, Duke of Lorraine because they were not only related but also because the House of Lorraine had supported the Holy Roman Empire in its recent wars. Karl had planned to have his elder surviving daughter Maria Theresa of Austria marry Francis Stephen’s elder brother Léopold Clément, Hereditary Prince of Lorraine but he died from smallpox at the age of sixteen. Instead, Francis Stephen was chosen as Maria Theresa’s future husband and he was educated in Vienna, Austria with Maria Theresa. On February 12, 1736, in the Augustinian Church in Vienna, Austria, Francis Stephen married Maria Theresa.

Francis Stephen and Maria Theresa with their family; Credit – Wikipedia

Even though Francis Stephen had 16 children with his wife, he was not faithful during his marriage and had many affairs. Eight of the couple’s sixteen children died in childhood and four of the eight died from smallpox:

Tuscany had been ruled by the House of Medici from 1434–1494 and again from 1512 until the extinction of its senior branch in 1737. The House of Habsburg-Lorraine obtained control of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. François Étienne, Duke of Lorraine exchanged the Duchy of Lorraine for the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and became Francesco II Stefano, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Stanisław I Leszczyński, the father-in-law of King Louis XV of France, had abdicated the throne of Poland in 1736 and now became the Duke of Lorraine.

Maria Theresa; Credit – Wikipedia

Throughout his reign, Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI expected to have a male heir and never really prepared his daughter Maria Theresa for her future role as sovereign.  Upon her father’s death in 1740, Maria Theresa became the sovereign ruler of the Habsburg territories in her own right of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma, and she was the only female to hold the position.

Francis Stephen as Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

However, Maria Theresa was unable to become the sovereign of the Holy Roman Empire because she was female. The Habsburgs had been elected Holy Roman Emperors since 1438, but in 1742 Karl Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria and Prince-Elector of Bavaria from the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach was elected Holy Roman Emperor Karl VII. He died in 1745 and via a treaty Maria Theresa arranged for her husband Francis Stephen to be elected Holy Roman Emperor as Franz I. Despite the snub, Maria Theresa wielded the real power and Francis Stephen was content to leave the act of reigning to his wife. Francis Stephen had a good business sense and Maria Theresa let him be in charge of financial affairs while she dealt with governing and the complicated politics and diplomacy of the Habsburg dominions.

Francis Stephen lying in state; Credit – Wikipedia

Francis Stephen died suddenly of a stroke or heart attack on August 18, 1765, at the age of 56, in his carriage while returning from the opera in Innsbruck, Austria. His son Joseph succeeded him as Holy Roman Emperor although Maria Theresa continued to wield the real power. His second surviving son Leopold succeeded him as Grand Duke of Tuscany as Pietro Leopoldo I. Later Leopold was elected to succeed his brother Joseph as Holy Roman Emperor reigning as Leopold II. Francis Stephen and Maria Theresa, who survived her husband by fifteen years, are buried together in a magnificent tomb in the Maria Theresa Crypt at the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria.

Tomb of Francis Stephen and Maria Theresa; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Grand Duchy of Tuscany Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Franz I. Stephan (HRR) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_I._Stephan_(HRR)> [Accessed 19 September 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_I,_Holy_Roman_Emperor> [Accessed 19 September 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Leopold, Duke of Lorraine – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold,_Duke_of_Lorraine> [Accessed 19 September 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2013. Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/maria-theresa-archduchess-of-austria-queen-of-hungary-croatia-and-bohemia/> [Accessed 19 September 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Francesco I di Lorena – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_I_di_Lorena> [Accessed 19 September 2021].