Category Archives: Holy Roman Empire Royals

Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor, Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola, Archduke of Austria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

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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Friedrich III reigned as Holy Roman Emperor effectively from 1440 to 1493, as Friedrich V, Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola from 1424 to 1493, and as Friedrich V, Duke (Duchy of Austria) and then Archduke of Austria (Archduchy of Austria) from 1457 to 1493. He would lay the foundation that would keep the House of Habsburg in a power play position until its fall after World War I. Friedrich was born on September 21, 1415, in Innsbruck, County of Tyrol, now in Austria. He was the eldest of the nine children and the eldest of the six sons of Ernst II, Duke of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola, the Inner Austrian duchies, and his second wife Cymburgis of Masovia, a member of the Polish Piast dynasty. Friedrich’s paternal grandparents were Leopold III, Duke of Austria and Viridis Visconti, a member of the House of Visconti which ruled in Milan, now in Italy. His maternal grandparents were Siemowit IV, Duke of Masovia and Alexandra of Lithuania.

Friedrich had eight siblings but only three survived infancy:

Margaretha of Austria (1416 – 1486), married Friedrich II, Elector of Saxony, had eight children
Albrecht VI, Archduke of Austria (1418 – 1463), married Mechthild of the Palatinate, no children
Katherina of Austria (1420 – 1493), married Karl I, Margrave of Baden-Baden, had six children
Ernst of Austria (1420 – 1432), died in childhood
Alexander of Austria (born and died 1421)
Anna of Austria (1422 – 1429), died in childhood
Leopold of Austria (1423 – 1424), died in infancy
Rudolph of Austria (born and died 1424), died in infancy

In 1424, when Friedrich was nine years old, his father Ernst II died and Friedrich became the Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola. Although the young duke lived with his mother in Graz or in Wiener Neustadt, both in Duchy of Styria, now in Austria, Friedrich’s paternal uncle Friedrich IV, Duke of Austria, Count of Tyrol became the guardian of Friedrich and his brother Albrecht and the Regent of the Duchies of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola. Friedrich’s uncle ensured that his nephews received a good education. In 1429, when he was fourteen years old Friedrich’s mother Cymburgis of Masovia died.

In 1435, Friedrich was deemed old enough to rule over his duchies although his younger brother Albrecht tried to assert himself as co-ruler, the beginning of a long rivalry. In 1436, Friedrich made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and was knighted by the Order of the Holy Sepulchre which greatly increased his status. When his uncle Friedrich IV, Duke of Austria, Count of Tyrol died in 1439, Friedrich served as Regent for his twelve-year-old first cousin Sigismund until 1446.

Friedrich also served as Regent of Austria for Ladislaus the Posthumous, Duke of Austria. As his name indicates, Ladislaus was born four months after the death in 1439 of his father Albrecht V, Duke of Austria. In 1438, Albrecht V had been elected King of the Romans, a title used after the election but before the coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor. Albert was effectively the Holy Roman Emperor, however, due to his death, he was never crowned Holy Roman Emperor and could not use the title. When Ladislaus died at the age of seventeen, unmarried, his branch of the House of Habsburg became extinct, and Friedrich became Duke of Austria. Friedrich was now the ruler of all the sovereign Austrian states and was the undisputed head of the House of Habsburg. Because of the death in 1439 of Albert V, who would have been Holy Roman Emperor upon his coronation, a successor had to be elected by the prince-electors. On February 2, 1440, 25-year-old Friedrich was unanimously elected King of the Romans and although effectively Holy Roman Emperor, he would not officially become Holy Roman Empire until his coronation by the pope in Rome.

The woman Friedrich would eventually marry was Infanta Eleanor of Portugal, the daughter of King Duarte of Portugal and Eleanor of Aragon. A marriage with Friedrich was probably suggested by her aunt Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy. Eleanor was also suggested as a bride for the future King Louis XI of France but Eleanor preferred Friedrich because a marriage with him would make her an empress instead of a queen. Marriage negotiations were conducted by Eleanor’s maternal uncle King Alfonso V of Aragon and Naples.

Friedrich meets Eleanor of Portugal for the first time by Pinturicchio, circa 1502-1507; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1452, 37-year-old Friedrich traveled to Rome to marry 18-year-old Infanta Eleanor of Portugal and be crowned Holy Roman Emperor. On March 16, 1452, Friedrich and Eleanor were married by Pope Nicholas V. Finally, on March 19, 1452, Friedrich and Eleanor were anointed in St. Peter’s Basilica by Cardinal Francesco Condulmer, Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church, and Friedrich was then crowned with the Imperial Crown by Pope Nicholas V. Friedrich III was the last Holy Roman Emperor to be crowned in Rome.

Empress Eleanor and her son Maximilian from Empress Eleanor’s Book of Hours; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich and Eleanor had five children but only two survived childhood:

Archduke Christoph of Austria (1455 – 1456), died in infancy
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1459 – 1519), married (1) Mary, Duchess of Burgundy (in her own right), had three children including Philip of Austria, Lord of the Netherlands, Duke of Burgundy (2) Anne, Duchess of Brittany (in her own right), no children, marriage annulled (3) Bianca Maria Sforza, no children
Helene of Austria (1460 – 1462), died in early childhood
Kunigunde of Austria (1465 – 1520), married Albrecht IV, Duke of Bavaria, had seven children
Johannes of Austria (1466 – 1467), died in early childhood

During his reign, Friedrich concentrated on re-uniting the Habsburg hereditary lands of Austria. In 1453, Friedrich elevated the Duchy of Austria to an Archduchy and took on the title Archduke of Austria. Mary, Duchess of Burgundy, was, in her own right, the ruler of the Burgundian State which consisted of parts of the present-day Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Germany. Mary had many suitors and Friedrich had the good fortune that Mary chose his eldest surviving son Maximilian, the future Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, as her husband. The couple married in 1477 and Maximilian became her co-ruler. With the inheritance of the Burgundian State, the House of Habsburg began to rise to predominance in Europe. Looking into the future, Maximilian and Mary’s son Philip of Habsburg, also known as Philip the Handsome, was the heir to both his father’s and mother’s dominions. Philip married Juana I, Queen of Castile and León and Queen of Aragon, thereby adding Spain’s dominions to the House of Habsburg. Philip and Juana’s son Charles, best known as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, was one of the most powerful ever monarchs and had a large number of titles due to his vast inheritance of the Austrian, Burgundian, and Spanish realms.

Friedrich’s wife Eleanor, aged 32, died on September 3, 1467, from dysentery in Wiener Neustadt, Duchy of Styria, now in Austria. She was buried at the Neukloster Abbey in Wiener Neustadt where her three children who died in childhood were buried. In 1486, Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor ensured that his son Maximilian would succeed him as Holy Roman Emperor when the prince-electors unanimously elected Maximilian King of the Romans.

Friedrich III, Holy Roman in old age; Credit – Wikipedia

In February 1493, Friedrich’s health began to worsen. He had an issue with his left leg which contemporary sources referred to as gangrene but in today’s modern medicine, the issue was caused by arteriosclerosis. Friedrich’s doctors decided to amputate the affected leg. Although Friedrich survived the amputation, he died on August 19, 1493, in Linz, Duchy of Austria, now in Austria, at the age of 77. Contemporary sources say the cause of his death was complications from the leg amputation, old age, or dysentery-like diarrhea from eating melon. Friedrich III’s reign of 53 years, from the time he was elected King of the Romans in 1440 until he died in 1493, is the longest reign of a Holy Roman Emperor.

Tomb of Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – By Uoaei1 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24993194

Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor, Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola, Archduke of Austria was initially buried at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria, in the Ducal Crypt. In 1463, thirty years before his death, Friedrich commissioned Dutch sculptor Nikolaus Gerhaert van Leyden to build a monumental tomb in St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Van Leyden died in 1473 and the work was completed by Austrian stonemason and sculptor Michael Tichter (link in German). On November 12, 1513, the remains of Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor were transferred in a grand ceremony from the Ducal Crypt to the tomb. The tomb lid shows Emperor Friedrich in his coronation regalia surrounded by the coats of arms of all his dominions. The sides of the tomb are decorated with 240 small statues. The tomb is considered a masterpiece of medieval sculptural art.

Depiction of the tomb lid; Credit – Von Georges Jansoone – Selbst fotografiert, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1061466

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Works Cited

Eleanor of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_of_Portugal,_Holy_Roman_Empress (Accessed: March 2, 2023).
Ernest, Duke of Austria (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest,_Duke_of_Austria (Accessed: March 2, 2023).
Flantzer, Susan. (2022) St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/st-stephens-cathedral-in-vienna-austria/ (Accessed: March 2, 2023).
Flantzer, Susan. (2021) What was the Holy Roman Empire?, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/what-was-the-holy-roman-empire/ (Accessed: March 2, 2023).
Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_III,_Holy_Roman_Emperor (Accessed: March 2, 2023).
Friedrich III. (HRR) (2023) Wikipedia (German). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_III._(HRR) (Accessed: March 2, 2023).
Wheatcroft, Andrew. (1995) The Habsburgs. London: Viking.
Wilson, Peter H. (2016) Heart of Europe – A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Anna of Austria, Queen of Spain, Queen of Portugal

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Anna of Austria, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna of Austria was the niece and the fourth of the four wives of Felipe II, King of Spain, King of Portugal. Born on November 2, 1549, in Cigales, Spain, Anna was the eldest of the six daughters and the eldest of the fifteen children of first cousins Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and Croatia, Archduke of Austria and Maria of Spain. Anna’s paternal grandparents were Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anne of Bohemia and Hungary. Her maternal grandparents were Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, among many other titles, and Isabella of Portugal.

Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II, his wife Maria of Spain with their three eldest surviving children Anna, Rudolf, and Ernst in the cradle; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna had fourteen younger siblings:

Archduke Ferdinand of Austria (1551 – 1552), died in infancy
Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (1552 – 1612), unmarried
Archduke Ernst of Austria (1553 – 1595), unmarried
Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria (1554 – 1592), married Charles IX, King of France, had one daughter
Archduchess Marie of Austria (1555 – 1556), died in infancy
Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor (1557 – 1619), married Anna of Tyrol, no children
Maximilian III, Archduke of Austria (1558 – 1618), unmarried
Albrecht VII, Archduke of Austria (1559 – 1621), married his first cousin Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain, had three children who died in infancy
Archduke Wenceslaus of Austria (1561 – 1578), unmarried, died in his teens
Archduke Friedrich of Austria (1562 – 1563), died in infancy
Archduchess Marie of Austria (born and died 1564), died in infancy
Archduke Karl of Austria (1565 – 1566), died in infancy
Archduchess Margaret of Austria (1567 – 1633), a Poor Clare nun under the name of Sister Margaret of the Cross at the Monastery of Santa Clara de las Descalzas Reales in Madrid, Spain
Archduchess Eleanor of Austria (1568 – 1580), died in childhood

As the eldest daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor, Anna was considered a desirable royal wife. Her parents thought that a Spanish marriage would strengthen the relationships between the Austrian branch and the Spanish branch of the House of Habsburg. Talks began to arrange a marriage between Anna and her first cousin Carlos, Prince of Asturias, the only son of Felipe II, King of Spain and his deceased first wife and double first cousin Maria Manuela of Portugal. However, the marriage plans were scrapped when Carlos died in 1568 at the age of twenty-three.

Felipe II, King of Spain, circa 1568; Credit – Wikipedia

Later in 1568, Felipe II’s third wife Elisabeth of Valois died a few hours after giving birth to a premature daughter who also died. Felipe was a widower for a third time, with two young daughters who had lost their mother. He planned to remarry because he no longer had a male heir. Despite being his niece and twenty-two years younger than him, Felipe decided to marry Anna. The consanguinity or close genetic relationship between Felipe and his niece Anna caused Pope Pius V to have serious reservations but eventually he granted the necessary dispensation. The marriage contract was signed in Madrid on January 24, 1570, and a proxy wedding was held at Prague Castle on May 4, 1570.

In the autumn of 1570, Anna traveled from Austria to Spain accompanied by her brothers Albrecht and Wenceslaus. When Anna traveled through the English Channel, Queen Elizabeth I of England sent her admirals, Charles Howard and William Wynter, to offer support and safe passage. Anna arrived in Spain on October 3, 1570. Anna and Felipe were married in person on November 14, 1570, in the chapel of the Alcázar of Segovia. Anna’s new household was under the direction of Margarita de Cardona, who Anna knew well as she had previously been the lady-in-waiting of her mother Maria of Spain, Felipe II’s sister.

Anna and Felipe II’s only surviving child, the future Felipe III, King of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna and Felipe had five children but only one survived childhood:

Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias (1571 – 1578), died in childhood of dysentery
Infante Carlos Lorenzo of Spain (1573 – 1575), died in childhood
Diego, Prince of Asturias (1575 – 1582), died in childhood of smallpox
Felipe III, King of Spain (1578 – 1621), succeeded his father as king, married Margaret of Austria, had eight children
Infanta Maria of Spain (1580 – 1583), died in childhood

Isabella Clara Eugenia and Catalina Micaela, Anna’s stepdaughters, the daughters of Felipe II and his third wife Elisabeth of Valois; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna was the stepmother of Felipe’s two daughters from his third marriage to Elisabeth of Valois who died in 1568:

Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain (1566 – 1633), married her first cousin Albrecht VII, Archduke of Austria, no children
Infanta Catalina Micaela of Spain (1567 – 1597), married Carlo Emanuele I, Duke of Savoy, had ten children

Contemporary accounts show that Anna and Felipe’s marriage was happy and that Anna was Felipe’s most beloved wife. There are no records of Felipe having lovers during his marriage to Anna. Anna was a good stepmother to Isabella Clara Eugenia and Catalina Micaela. She also managed to ease some of the rather stiff atmosphere of the Spanish court.

In 1578, King Sebastian of Portugal from the House of Aviz was killed in battle without any heirs, causing a succession crisis. He was succeeded by his elderly great-uncle Henrique, a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who had no descendants because he had taken a vow of chastity as a priest. When Cardinal-King Enrique died two years later, three grandchildren of Manuel I, King of Portugal (1469 – 1521) claimed the Portuguese throne. Ultimately, the grandchild who was successful in his claim was Felipe II, King of Spain. The Iberian Union was the union of the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal that existed between 1580 and 1640, under the Spanish Habsburg kings Felipe II, Felipe III, and Felipe IV who reigned in Portugal under the names and regnal numbers Filipe I, Filipe II, and Filipe III.

Tomb of Anna of Austria, Queen of Spain in the Pantheon of the Kings, Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial; Credit – www.findagrave.com

In 1580, Felipe’s court was in the Spanish city of Badajoz, close to the border with Portugal, because of Felipe’s claim to the Portuguese throne. While in Badajoz, Anna died from influenza at the age of 30, on October 26, 1580, eight months after giving birth to her youngest child Maria. Initially, Anna was buried in the Royal Monastery of Santa Ana in Badajoz. Several years later, Anna’s remains were transferred to the Pantheon of Kings in the Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in El Escorial, Spain. Anna’s entrails were allowed to remain buried in the floor of the choir at the Royal Monastery of Santa Ana in Badajoz, and they remain buried there today.

The Pantheon of Kings where Anna and Felipe II are interred; Credit – By Bocachete – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6493547

Felipe never remarried. He survived Anna by eighteen years, dying after a long illness, at the age of 71 on September 13, 1598, in his chambers at the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. He was buried in the Pantheon of Kings in the Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

Works Cited

En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Anna of Austria, Queen of Spain – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_of_Austria,_Queen_of_Spain> [Accessed 18 August 2022].
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_II,_Holy_Roman_Emperor> [Accessed 18 August 2022].
Es.wikipedia.org. 2022. Ana de Austria (reina de España) – Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre. [online] Available at: <https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ana_de_Austria_(reina_de_Espa%C3%B1a)> [Accessed 18 August 2022].
Flantzer, Susan, 2019. King Philip II of Spain. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-philip-ii-of-spain/> [Accessed 18 August 2022].
Louda, Jiri and Maclagan, Michael, 2002. Lines of Succession. London: Little, Brown.

Isabella of Portugal, Queen of Spain, Holy Roman Empress

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Isabella of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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Isabella, Infanta of Portugal was the wife of her first cousin Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor who was also King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, Lord of the Netherlands, Duke of Burgundy, among many other titles. She was born on October 24, 1503, in Lisbon, Portugal, the second of the nine children and the elder of the two daughters of Manuel I, King of Portugal and his second wife Infanta Maria of Aragon. Isabella’s paternal grandparents were Fernando, Duke of Viseu (son of Duarte, King of Portugal) and Beatriz of Portugal (daughter of Infante João, Constable of Portugal). Her maternal grandparents were Ferdinand II, King of Aragon and Isabella I, Queen of Castile and León. Isabella was named for her maternal grandmother and her paternal aunt Isabella, Princess of Asturias who was her father’s first wife.

King Manuel I with his second wife Maria of Aragon and their children; On the center-right is Maria of Aragon, followed by her daughters Isabella and Beatriz; On the center-left is King Manuel I, followed by his sons in descending order of age; Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella had nine siblings:

João III, King of Portugal (1502 – 1557), married Catherine of Austria, had nine children, only two survived to their teens
Infanta Beatriz (1504 – 1538), married Charles III, Duke of Savoy, had nine children, only one son survived childhood
Infante Luis, Duke of Beja (1506 – 1555), unmarried
Infante Fernando, Duke of Guarda (1507 – 1534), married Guiomar Coutinho, Countess of Marialva, no surviving children
Cardinal-Infante Afonso (1509 – 1540)
Cardinal-King Enrique I of Portugal (1512 – 1580)
Infanta Maria (1511 – 1513), died in childhood
Infante Duarte, Duke of Guimarães (1515 – 1540), married Isabella of Braganza, had three children
Infante António de Portugal (born and died 1516)

Isabella had one half-sibling from her father’s first marriage to Isabella of Aragon, Princess of Asturias who died giving birth to:

Miguel da Paz, Prince of Asturias, Prince of Portugal (1498 – 1500), heir to the Kingdoms of Portugal, Castile, León and Aragon, died a month short of his second birthday

Isabella had two half-siblings from her father’s third marriage to Eleanor of Austria (Isabella’s first cousin):

Infante Carlos (1520 – 1521), died in infancy
Infanta Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu (1521 – 1577), unmarried, was the richest woman in Europe of her time

Isabella was educated under the supervision of Elvira de Mendoza, who had accompanied Isabella’s mother, Maria of Aragon, to Portugal as her lady-in-waiting when she married King Manuel. Isabella studied mathematics, the Renaissance classics, French, Latin, Portuguese, Spanish, and Catholic doctrine. When Isabella was fourteen years old, her 34-year-old mother died, exhausted from nine pregnancies in fourteen years.

Isabella’s future husband Charles; Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella’s father had started preliminary negotiations for a marriage between Isabella and her first cousin Charles of Austria, best known in history as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Charles was the son and heir of both his parents, Philip of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, the ruler of the Burgundian State from the House of Habsburg, and Juana I, Queen of Castile and León from the House of Trastámara. His paternal grandparents were Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and the ruler of the Archduchy of Archduke of Austria, and the Duchies of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola, and the first of his three wives, Mary, Duchess of Burgundy, the ruler of the Burgundian State in her own right. Charles’ maternal grandparents were Ferdinand II, King of Aragon and Isabella I, Queen of Castile and León. Charles would be the heir of all four of his grandparents.

Before the marriage negotiations were completed, Isabella’s father Manuel I, King of Portugal died and was succeeded by his eldest son João III, King of Portugal. Eventually, negotiations between the two kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula resulted in double Spanish-Portuguese weddings. João III, King of Portugal married Catherine of Austria, daughter of Philip of Austria, Duke of Burgundy and Juana I, Queen of Castile. Isabella would marry Catherine’s brother Charles of Austria. On March 11, 1526, at the Royal Alcázar of Seville in Seville, Spain, Isabella and Charles were married.

Twenty-six-year-old Charles had already inherited and reigned over the dominions of his mother Juana (Castile and León, and Aragon which would be united under Charles as the Kingdom of Spain), the dominions of his father Philip (the Burgundian State which Philip had inherited from his mother Mary, Duchess of Burgundy, consisting of parts of the present-day Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Germany), and also the Habsburg dominions of his paternal grandfather Maximilian (Archduchy of Austria, Duchy of Styria, Duchy of Carinthia, and Duchy of Carniola, today parts of Austria and Slovenia). Charles had been elected Holy Roman Emperor after the death of his paternal grandfather Maximilian in 1519.

Isabella and her eldest child Felipe, a portrait in the manner of the Virgin and Child; Credit – Wikipedia

Charles and Isabella had five children but only three survived to adulthood. Their son Felipe (also known as Philip) would become King of Spain (1555 – 1598), King of Portugal (1581 – 1598), King of Naples and Sicily (1554 – 1598), Duke of Milan (1540 – 1598), Lord of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands (1555 – 1598) and jure uxoris (by right of his wife) King of England and Ireland during his marriage to his second wife Queen Mary I of England from 1554 until Mary died in 1558. Felipe is probably best remembered for sending the Spanish Armada on its unsuccessful mission to invade England in 1588.

Felipe II, King of Spain (1527 – 1598), married (1) his double first cousin Maria Manuela, Infanta of Portugal who died giving birth to a son who predeceased his father (2) his first cousin once removed Queen Mary I of England, no children (3) Elisabeth of Valois, had five pregnancies but only two surviving daughters, Elisabeth died a few hours after the loss of her last child (4) his niece Anna of Austria had five children but only one son Felipe III, King of Spain survived childhood, Anna died of heart failure eight months after giving birth to her last child
Maria of Austria (1528 – 1603), married her first cousin Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, had sixteen children
Ferdinand of Austria (1529 – 1530), died in infancy
Juana of Austria (1535 – 1573), married her first cousin João Manuel, Hereditary Prince of Portugal, had one son Sebastian, King of Portugal
Juan of Austria (1537 – 1538), died in infancy

Charles and Isabella’s main residence was in Spain because the Spanish nobles had insisted that their children be raised there. Charles was often away from his family to lead military campaigns and administer his other realms, and Isabella was appointed regent in his absence. She attended meetings of the governing councils and consulted with the ministers. Isabella took an active role in the policy-making process, suggesting her own solutions rather than merely accepting recommendations. She supervised her children’s education and taught them Portuguese. Isabella wrote to her husband regularly but often spent months without receiving letters from him.

Double portrait of Charles and Isabella by Peter Paul Rubens after a portrait by Titian; Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella and Charles’ happy marriage lasted for thirteen years. In 1539, during the third month of Isabella’s seventh pregnancy, she developed a fever causing her to miscarry. The fever caused her condition to worsen and Isabella died two weeks later in Toledo, Spain, on May 1, 1539, aged thirty-five. Isabella was interred in the Royal Chapel of Granada in Spain, the burial place of Charles’ parents Philip of Austria, Duke of Burgundy and Juana I, Queen of Castile and León and his maternal grandparents Ferdinand II, King of Aragon and Isabella I, Queen of Castile and León. Charles was so grief-stricken that he shut himself up in a monastery for two months where he prayed and mourned for Isabella in solitude. He never recovered from her death, dressed in black for the rest of his life, and despite being only thirty-nine, never remarried.

Titian’s La Gloria, one of the several paintings commissioned by Charles V in memory of his wife Isabella; On the right are Charles, his wife Isabella, his son Felipe, his daughter Juana, and his sisters Mary and Eleanor, all wearing their shrouds Credit – Wikipedia

In memory of Isabella, Charles commissioned several musical and artistic tributes to her. Probably his favorite tributes were the portraits of Isabella that he commissioned from his favorite painter Tiziano Vecelli, better known as Titian. Titian painted several portraits of Isabella, which included his Portrait of Isabella of Portugal (the portrait of Isabella at the beginning of this article), La Gloria (directly above, read about the painting at the link), and a double portrait of Isabella and Charles (above). Charles kept these paintings with him whenever he traveled and after he retired to the Monastery of Yuste.

Physically exhausted after forty years of ruling and suffering from crippling gout, Charles abdicated in 1555 and retired to the peace of the Monastery of Yuste in Extremadura, Spain. In August 1558, Charles became seriously ill with malaria. He survived Isabella by nineteen years, dying at the age of fifty-eight, at the Monastery of Yuste on September 21, 1558, holding the same cross Isabella had been holding when she died. Charles was originally buried in the chapel at the Monastery of Yuste. However, in his will, he asked for the establishment of a new religious site where he could be reburied with his beloved Isabella.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Vista_aerea_del_Monasterio_de_El_Escorial.jpg

To fulfill his father’s wish, in 1563, Charles and Isabella’s son King Felipe II of Spain started building the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial about 28 miles/45 kilometers from Madrid, Spain. The complex includes a palace, basilica, monastery, and library. When the Royal Crypt was completed in 1574, the remains of Charles and Isabella were re-interred in a small vault directly underneath the altar of the Royal Chapel. In 1654, after the basilica and royal tombs were finally completed during the reign of their great-grandson Felipe IV, King of Spain, the remains of Charles and Isabella were moved into the Royal Pantheon of Kings. Since then, the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial has been the burial place of Spanish monarchs and many members of the Spanish royal family.

The Royal Pantheon of Kings where Isabella and Charles are interred; Credit – Wikipedia

En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_V,_Holy_Roman_Emperor> [Accessed 21 July 2022].
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Isabella of Portugal – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_Portugal> [Accessed 23 July 2022].
Es.wikipedia.org. 2022. Carlos I de España – Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre. [online] Available at: <https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_I_de_Espa%C3%B1a> [Accessed 21 July 2022].
Es.wikipedia.org. 2022. Isabel de Portugal – Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre. [online] Available at: <https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel_de_Portugal> [Accessed 23 July 2022].
Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, Lord of the Netherlands, Duke of Burgundy. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/charles-v-holy-roman-emperor-carlos-i-king-of-spain-karl-i-archduke-of-austria-charles-ii-lord-of-the-netherlands-duke-of-burgundy/> [Accessed 23 July 2022].
Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Isabel de Portugal, Imperatriz Romano-Germânica – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel_de_Portugal,_Imperatriz_Romano-Germ%C3%A2nica> [Accessed 23 July 2022].
Wilson, Peter, 2016. Heart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, Lord of the Netherlands, Duke of Burgundy

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, Lord of the Netherlands, Duke of Burgundy; Credit – Wikipedia

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Best known as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles was one of the most powerful ever monarchs and had a large number of titles due to his vast inheritance of the Burgundian, Spanish, and Austrian realms. He was born on February 24, 1500, at the Prinsenhof in Ghent, County of Flanders, Burgundian State, now in Belgium. He was the second of the six children and the elder of the two sons of Philip of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, the ruler of the Burgundian State from the House of Habsburg, and Juana I, Queen of Castile and León from the House of Trastámara.

A portrait of the extended Habsburg family: standing (left to right) Maximilian I. Holy Roman Emperor; Maximilian and Mary’s son Philip of Austria; Maximilian’s first wife Mary of Burgundy; sitting (left to right) Maximilian and Mary’s grandsons Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor; and Louis II, King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, the husband of Maximilian and Mary’s granddaughter Mary of Austria; (Note: This portrait is anachronistic. Mary of Burgundy died in 1482 when her son Philip of Austria was 4 years old and her son Philip died in 1506 when his son Charles was 6 years old); by Bernhard Strigel painted after 1515; Credit – Wikipedia

Charles’ paternal grandparents were Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and the ruler of the Archduchy of Austria, and the Duchies of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola, and the first of his three wives, Mary, Duchess of Burgundy, the ruler of the Burgundian State in her own right. His maternal grandparents were Ferdinand II, King of Aragon and Isabella I, Queen of Castile and León. Charles would turn out to be the heir to all four of his grandparents’ dominions.

The three eldest children of Philip and Juana: Eleanor, Charles, and Isabella; Credit – Wikipedia

Charles had five younger siblings who were all monarchs or consorts of monarchs:

Eleanor of Austria, Queen of Portugal, Queen of France (1498 – 1558), married (1) Manuel I, King of Portugal (his third wife), had two children (2) François I, King of France (his second wife), no children
Isabella of Austria, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (1501 – 1526), married Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, had five children, only two daughters survived childhood
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, (1503 – 1564), married Anna of Bohemia and Hungary, had fifteen children
Mary of Austria, Queen of Bohemia and Hungary, Governor of the Spanish Netherlands (1505 – 1558), married Louis II, King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, no children
Catherine of Austria, Queen of Portugal (1507 – 1578), married João III, King of Portugal, had nine children

Four years after his birth, Charles’ maternal grandmother Isabella I, Queen of Castile and León died. His mother Juana became Queen of Castile and León but her father Ferdinand II, King of Aragon proclaimed himself Governor and Administrator of Castile and León. In 1506, Juana’s husband Philip became King of Castile and León jure uxoris (by the right of his wife) as Philip I, initiating the rule of the Habsburgs in the Spanish kingdoms which would last until 1700 when the Spanish branch of the House of Habsburg became extinct. However, Philip’s rule lasted only from July 12, 1506 to September 25, 1506, when he died, aged 28, apparently of typhoid fever, although an assassination by poisoning was rumored at the time.

Philip had spread rumors about Juana’s supposed madness and her misunderstood behavior after his death may have reinforced these rumors. Juana decided to transfer Philip’s remains from Burgos in the north of present-day Spain, where he had died and had already been buried, to Granada in the south of present-day Spain, a journey that took eight months. This trip was used as evidence of Juana’s madness. Juana did show excessive grief as she traveled through Castile with Philip’s coffin. What is overlooked is that her 28-year-old husband died suddenly after a five-day illness and that Juana was fulfilling Philip’s wish to be buried in Granada. In addition, her father Ferdinand deliberately blocked Philip’s burial in Granada causing major delays in Juana’s journey.

Charles in 1519; Credit – Wikipedia

As can be seen in the above portrait, Charles suffered from an enlarged lower jaw, often called the Habsburg jaw, a congenital deformity that became considerably worse in later Habsburg generations. The deformity was probably caused by the family’s long history of inbreeding, commonly practiced in royal families of that time to maintain dynastic control of territories.

In 1509, Juana’s father Ferdinand II, King of Aragon convinced the parliament that Juana was too mentally ill to govern and was appointed her guardian and the regent of Castile and León. Juana was confined in the Royal Convent of Santa Clara in Tordesillas, Castile, now in Spain, under the orders of her father. In 1516, Ferdinand II, King of Aragon died. In his will, Ferdinand named his daughter Juana and her eldest son Charles the co-heirs of the Kingdom of Aragon. However, Juana would never reign as her son Charles would continue keeping her confined. Juana would not be released from her confinement until she died in 1555. Was Juana mad or was she manipulated by her father, her husband, and her son? Juana’s father Ferdinand and her son Charles had much to gain from Juana being declared unfit to rule and confined.

Territories controlled by the 19-year-old Charles in 1519; Credit – by Lucio Silla, modification by Paul2, recreated by Schoeneh – Modification of Europa02.jpg, using Europe-central-blank.svgEste archivo deriva de: Empire-Roman-Emperor-Charles-V.jpg de original author, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=106952839

Charles would inherit and reign over the dominions of his mother Juana (Castile and León, and Aragon which would be united under Charles as the Kingdom of Spain), the dominions of his father Philip (the Burgundian State Philip had inherited from his mother Mary, Duchess of Burgundy, consisting of parts of the present-day Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Germany), and also the Habsburg dominions of his paternal grandfather Maximilian (Archduchy of Austria, Duchy of Styria, Duchy of Carinthia, and Duchy of Carniola, today parts of Austria and Slovenia). Charles would be elected Holy Roman Emperor after the death of his paternal grandfather Maximilian in 1519. In addition, Charles oversaw the continuation of the Spanish colonization of the Americas.

Charles’ Titles

Titular Duke of Burgundy as Charles II
Duke of Brabant as Charles II
Duke of Limburg as Charles II
Duke of Lothier as Charles II
Duke of Luxemburg as Charles III
Margrave of Namur as Charles II
Count Palatine of Burgundy as Charles II
Count of Artois as Charles II
Count of Charolais as Charles II
Count of Flanders as Charles III
Count of Hainault as Charles II
Count of Holland as Charles II
Count of Zeeland as Charles II
King of Castile and León as Carlos I
King of Aragon and Sicily as Carlos I
Count of Barcelona as Carlos I
King of Naples as Carlo IV
Archduke of Austria as Karl I
Holy Roman Emperor as Charles V
Count of Zutphen
Duke of Guelders as Charles III

Portrait of Isabella of Portugal by Titian; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 11, 1526, at the Royal Alcázar of Seville in Seville, Spain, Charles married his first cousin Isabella of Portugal, daughter of Manuel I, King of Portugal and his second wife Maria of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand II, King of Aragon and Isabella I, Queen of Castile and León. Charles and Isabella’s main residence was in Spain. Charles was often away from his family to lead military campaigns and administer his other realms, and Isabella was appointed regent in his absence.

Charles and his son and successor Felipe; Credit – Wikipedia

Charles and Isabella had five children but only three survived to adulthood:

Felipe II, King of Spain (1527 – 1598), married (1) his double first cousin Maria Manuela, Infanta of Portugal who died giving birth to a son who predeceased his father (2) his first cousin once removed Queen Mary I of England, no children (3) Elisabeth of Valois, had five pregnancies but only two surviving daughters, Elisabeth died a few hours after the loss of her last child (4) his niece Anna of Austria had five children but only one son Felipe III, King of Spain survived childhood, Anna died of heart failure eight months after giving birth to her last child
Maria of Austria (1528 – 1603), married her first cousin Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, had sixteen children
Ferdinand of Austria (1529 – 1530), died in infancy
Juana of Austria (1535 – 1573), married her first cousin João Manuel, Hereditary Prince of Portugal, had one son Sebastian, King of Portugal
Juan of Austria (1537 – 1538), died in infancy

Double portrait of Charles and Isabella by Peter Paul Rubens after a portrait by Titian; Credit – Wikipedia

Charles and Isabella’s happy marriage lasted for thirteen years. In 1539, during the third month of Isabella’s seventh pregnancy, she developed a fever causing her to miscarry. The fever caused her condition to worsen and Isabella died two weeks later on May 1, 1539, aged thirty-five. Charles was so grief-stricken that he shut himself up in a monastery for two months where he prayed and mourned for her in solitude. He never recovered from Isabella’s death, dressed in black for the rest of his life, and despite being only thirty-nine, never remarried.

In memory of Isabella, Charles commissioned several musical and artistic tributes to Isabella. Probably his favorite tributes were the portraits of Isabella that he commissioned from his favorite painter Tiziano Vecelli, better known as Titian. Titian painted several portraits of Isabella, which included his Portrait of Isabella of Portugal (the portrait of Isabella above in this article), La Gloria (directly above, read about the painting at the link), and a double portrait of Isabella and Charles (above). Charles kept these paintings with him whenever he traveled and after he retired to the Monastery of Yuste.

Charles several years before his abdication; Credit – Wikipedia

Physically exhausted after forty years of ruling, Charles abdicated in 1555, the same year his 75-year-old mother Juana, confined for forty-six years, died. Charles retired to the peace of the Monastery of Yuste in Extremadura, Spain. He suffered from epilepsy and had a serious case of gout. As he aged, his gout progressed from painful to crippling. In his retirement, Charles was carried around the monastery in a sedan chair. A ramp was specially constructed to allow him easy access to his rooms.

Charles’ bedroom at the Monastery of Yuste; Credit – By Alonso de Mendoza – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78867364

Upon Charles’s abdication, his younger brother Ferdinand, who had already been given Charles’ Austrian lands in 1521, became the Holy Roman Emperor. The Spanish Empire, including the possessions in the Netherlands and Italy, was inherited by Charles’ son who reigned as Felipe II, King of Spain. In addition, Felipe II also added the Kingdom of Portugal to the House of Habsburg’s dominions. In 1578, King Sebastian of Portugal from the House of Aviz was killed in battle without any heirs, causing a succession crisis. He was succeeded by his elderly great-uncle Henrique who was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and had no descendants because he had taken a vow of chastity as a priest. When Cardinal-King Enrique died two years later, three grandchildren of Manuel I, King of Portugal claimed the Portuguese throne. Ultimately, the grandchild who was successful in his claim was Felipe II, King of Spain. The Iberian Union was the union of the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal that existed between 1580 and 1640, under the Spanish Habsburg kings Felipe II, Felipe III, and Felipe IV who reigned in Portugal under the names Filipe I, Filipe II, and Filipe III. In 1640, the Portuguese House of Braganza came to power in Portugal after deposing the Spanish Habsburgs in the Portuguese Restoration War.

In August 1558, Charles became seriously ill with malaria. He died, aged fifty-eight, at the Monastery of Yuste on September 21, 1558, holding the same cross his wife Isabella had been holding when she died. Charles was originally buried in the chapel at the Monastery of Yuste. However, in his will, he asked for the establishment of a new religious site where he could be reburied with his beloved wife Isabella.

Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial; Credit – By Turismo Madrid Consorcio Turístico from Madrid, España – Monasterio EscorialUploaded by Ecemaml, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6581920

To fulfill his father’s wish, in 1563, Charles’s son King Felipe II of Spain started building the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial about 28 miles/45 kilometers from Madrid, Spain. The complex includes a palace, basilica, monastery, and library. When the Royal Crypt was completed in 1574, the remains of Charles and Isabella were re-interred in a small vault directly underneath the altar of the Royal Chapel. In 1654, after the basilica and royal tombs were finally completed during the reign of their great-grandson Felipe IV, King of Spain, the remains of Charles and Isabella were moved into the Royal Pantheon of Kings. Since then, the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial has been the burial place of Spanish monarchs and many members of the Spanish royal family.

The Royal Pantheon of Kings where Charles and his wife Isabella are interred; Credit – Wikipedia

Works Cited

En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_V,_Holy_Roman_Emperor> [Accessed 21 July 2022].
Es.wikipedia.org. 2022. Carlos I de España – Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre. [online] Available at: <https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_I_de_Espa%C3%B1a> [Accessed 21 July 2022].
Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Juana I, Queen of Castile and León and Queen of Aragon. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/juana-i-queen-of-castile-and-leon-and-queen-of-aragon/> [Accessed 21 July 2022].
Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Philip of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, King of Castile and León. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/philip-of-austria-duke-of-burgundy-king-of-castile/> [Accessed 21 July 2022].
Wilson, Peter, 2016. Heart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Maria Luisa of Spain, Holy Roman Empress, Grand Duchess of Tuscany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Maria Luisa of Spain; 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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Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain was Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, and Grand Duchess of Tuscany as the wife of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor/Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Born on November 24, 1745, at the Palace of Portici in Naples, Kingdom of Naples, Maria Luisa was the fifth of the thirteen children and the fifth of the seven children of Carlo VII, King of Naples/Carlo IV, King of Sicily (later Carlos III, King of Spain) and Maria Amalia of Saxony. Maria Luisa’s paternal grandparents were Felipe V, King of Spain and his second wife Elisabeth Farnese of Parma. Her maternal grandparents were Augustus III, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and Elector of Saxony and Maria Josepha of Austria.

In 1759, upon the death of his childless half-brother King Ferdinand VI of Spain, Maria Luisa’s father Carlo VII of Naples/Carlo IV of Sicily succeeded him as King Carlos III of Spain. Because of treaties, Carlos could not be the sovereign of all three kingdoms. His eldest son Felipe was excluded from the succession because of mental disability and his second son Carlos was the heir apparent to the Spanish throne. That left the third son Ferdinando to become King of Naples and King of Sicily. Ferdinando was only eight years old when he became King of Naples and Sicily and a regency council ruled until his sixteenth birthday. Fourteen-year-old Maria Luisa and her family, minus her brother Ferdinando, moved to Spain. Maria Luisa and her surviving siblings received the Spanish royal titles Infante or Infanta.

Maria Luisa with her brother Francisco Javier on the left and Carlos on the right; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Luisa had twelve siblings but six did not survive childhood:

Princess Maria Isabel of Naples and Sicily (1740 – 1742), died in early childhood
Princess Maria Josefa of Naples and Sicily (born and died 1742), died in infancy
Princess Maria Isabel of Naples and Sicily (1743 – 1749), died in childhood.
Infanta Maria Josefa of Spain (1744 – 1801), unmarried
Prince Felipe of Spain, Duke of Calabria (1747 – 1777), excluded from succession to the throne due to his mental disability, died from smallpox
Carlos IV, King of Spain (1748 – 1819), married Princess Maria Luisa of Parma, had fourteen children
Princess Maria Teresa of Naples and Sicily (1749 – 1750), died in infancy
Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies (1751 – 1825), married (1) Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria, had issue (2) Lucia Migliaccio, Duchess of Floridia (morganatic 2nd wife of Ferdinando I, no children
Infante Gabriel of Spain (1752 – 1788), married Mariana Vitória of Portugal, had three children
Princess Maria Ana of Naples and Sicily (1754 – 1755), died in infancy
Infante Antonio Pascual of Spain (1755 – 1817), married his niece Infanta Maria Amalia of Spain who died in childbirth with her son
Infante Francisco Javier of Spain (1757 – 1771), died in his teens

Maria Luisa was supposed to marry the future Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, the eldest son of 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. However, King Louis XV of France disapproved of the match and instead wanted Joseph to marry his granddaughter Isabella of Parma. Not about to give an alliance with Spain, the formidable and powerful Maria Theresa substituted her second surviving son Leopold who was heir to his father’s Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

Maria Luisa’s husband Leopold; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Luisa and Leopold were married by proxy on February 16, 1764, in Madrid, Spain. 18-year-old Leopold and 20-year-old Maria Luisa were married in person on August 5, 1765, in Innsbruck, Austria. Sadly, just thirteen days later, Leopold’s father Francis Stephen died suddenly in Innsbruck of a stroke or heart attack, at the age of 56, in his carriage while returning from the opera. The eldest son was elected Holy Roman Emperor and reigned as Joseph II. The second (surviving) son and Maria Luisa’s husband Leopold succeeded his father as Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany. The newlyweds settled at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, where they would live for the next twenty-five years.

Maria Luisa and Leopold with their children; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Luisa and Leopold had sixteen children. Because his elder brother Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor had no children, Leopold became the founder of the main line of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.

Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria (1767 – 1827), married Anton I, King of Saxony, had four children who all died in infancy
Franz II, Holy Roman Emperor (later Franz I, Emperor of Austria) (1768 – 1835), married (1) Elisabeth of Württemberg, died in childbirth giving birth to a daughter who died in infancy (2) Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, had twelve children, died after giving birth to her twelfth child who died three days later (3) Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, no children, died from tuberculosis (4) Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, no children
Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1769 – 1824), married (1) Luisa of Naples and Sicily, had five children, died in giving birth to a stillborn son (2) Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony, no children
Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (1770 – 1809), unmarried
Archduke Karl of Austria (1771 – 1847), married Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg, had seven children including Maria Theresa who married Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies
Archduke Alexander Leopold of Austria (1772 – 1795), unmarried, accidentally burned to death from a mishap while conducting a fireworks show
Archduke Albrecht Johann Joseph of Austria (1773 – 1774), died in infancy
Archduke Maximilian Johann Joseph of Austria (1774 – 1778), died in childhood
Archduke Joseph of Austria (1776 – 1847), married (1) Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia, died due to childbirth complications after giving birth to a daughter who died in early childhood (2) Hermine of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, had children, died in childbirth (3) Maria Dorothea of Württemberg, had five children including Marie-Henriette who married Leopold II, King of the Belgians
Archduchess Maria Clementina of Austria (1777 – 1801), married Francesco, Duke of Calabria, later King Francesco I of the Two Sicilies, had two children, died from tuberculosis
Archduke Anton of Austria (1779 – 1835), unmarried
Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria (1780 – 1798), unmarried
Archduke Johann of Austria (1782 – 1859), married morganatically to Countess Anna Plochl, had one son
Archduke Rainer of Austria (1783 – 1853), married Elisabeth of Savoy, had eight children including Adelaide of Austria who married Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia, later King of Italy
Archduke Louis of Austria (1784 – 1864), unmarried
Archduke Rudolph of Austria, Cardinal-Archbishop of Olomouc (1788 – 1831)

Maria Luisa remained largely unknown to the Tuscan aristocracy and maintained contact with a small group of friends in her private life. She mostly spent her time on the upbringing of her children. As parents, Maria Luisa and Leopold allowed their children a great deal of freedom without being tied to formal court life, and occasionally took them on excursions to rural areas and the coast.

Maria Luisa’s coronation as Queen of Hungary; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold was elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1790 after the death of his childless brother Joseph. Maria Luisa became Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Hungary, and Queen of Bohemia. At that time, he abdicated the throne of Tuscany in favor of his second son Ferdinand. Leopold, Maria Luisa, and their family moved to Vienna, Austria. After only seventeen months as Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold II died suddenly and unexpectedly on March 1, 1792, aged 44, in Vienna, Austria. He was buried at the Capuchin Church in the Tuscan Crypt of the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria. Leopold’s eldest son Franz was elected (the last) Holy Roman Emperor and later was the first Emperor of Austria.

Maria Luisa’s tomb in the Imperial Crypt; Credit – Wikipedia

Less than three months after the sudden death of her husband, Maria Luisa also died suddenly, aged 46, on May 15, 1792, at Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. She was buried next to her husband at the Capuchin Church in the Tuscan Crypt at the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria. Their early deaths left their nine youngest children, all under the age of 18, orphans.

Grand Duchy of Tuscany Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Luisa of Spain – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Luisa_of_Spain> [Accessed 23 September 2021].
Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/leopold-ii-holy-roman-emperor-pietro-leopoldo-i-grand-duke-of-tuscany/> [Accessed 23 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. Maria Luisa di Borbone-Spagna (1745-1792) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Luisa_di_Borbone-Spagna_(1745-1792)> [Accessed 23 September 2021].
Wilson, Peter, 2016. Heart of Europe – A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany; Credit – Wikipedia

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Grand Duke of Tuscany as Pietro Leopoldo I from 1765 – 1790 and Holy Roman Emperor as Leopold II from 1790 – 1792, Peter Leopold Josef Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard was born on May 5, 1747, in Vienna, Austria. Leopold, as was known, was the ninth of the sixteen children and the third but the second surviving of the five sons of Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia in her own right. His mother was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma. Maria Theresa, who had arranged for her husband to be elected Holy Roman Emperor, wielded the real power and Francis Stephen was content to leave the act of reigning to his wife. Leopold’s paternal grandparents were Leopold, Duke of Lorraine and Élisabeth Charlotte of Orléans. His maternal grandparents were Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

Leopold’s parents and his siblings; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold had fifteen siblings but six of them died in childhood. His youngest sister Maria Antonia married King Louis XVI of France and became the ill-fated Queen Marie Antoinette of France.

Archduchess Maria Elisabeth (1737-1740), died in childhood
Archduchess Maria Anna (1738-1789), died unmarried, no issue
Archduchess Maria Carolina (1740-1741), died in childhood
Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II (1741-1790), married 1) Infanta Isabel of Spain, married 2) Princess Marie Josephe of Bavaria, had issue from his first marriage (two daughters, who died young)
Archduchess Maria Christina (1742-June 1798), married Prince Albert of Saxony, Duke of Teschen, had one stillborn daughter
Archduchess Maria Elisabeth (1743-1808), died unmarried, no issue
Archduke Charles Joseph (1745-1761), died of smallpox, no issue
Archduchess Maria Amalia (1746-1804), married Ferdinand, Duke of Parma, had issue
Archduchess Maria Carolina (born and died 1748), died hours after baptism
Archduchess Maria Johanna (1750-1762), died of smallpox, no issue
Archduchess Maria Josepha (1751-1767), died of smallpox, no issue
Archduchess Maria Carolina (1752-1814), married King Ferdinand IV of Naples and Sicily, the future King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies after her death, had seventeen children
Archduke Ferdinand (1754-1806), married Maria Beatrice d’Este, had issue
Archduchess Maria Antonia (1755-1793), married King Louis XVI of France, became Queen Marie Antoinette of France
Archduke Maximilian Franz (1756–1801) became Archbishop-Elector of Cologne

When Leopold’s father became Grand Duke of Tuscany, it was decided that the second son would inherit that title and territory. However, Karl Joseph, the second son, died from smallpox at the age of fifteen, and Leopold, the third son became the second surviving son and the heir to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Like all of his siblings, Leopold received an excellent education as befitted a prince during the Age of the Enlightenment. He was particularly interested in the natural sciences and all the new discoveries and ideas. In addition to German, Leopold mastered Latin, spoke French and Italian, and also spoke a little Czech.

Maria Luisa of Spain, Leopold’s wife; Credit – Wikipedia

On February 16, 1764, in Madrid, Spain Leopold was married by proxy to Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain, daughter of Carlos III, King of Spain and Maria Amalia of Saxony. 18-year-old Leopold and 20-year-old Maria Luisa were married in person on August 5, 1765, in Innsbruck, Austria. Sadly, just thirteen days later, Leopold’s father Francis Stephen died suddenly In Innsbruck of a stroke or heart attack, at the age of 56, in his carriage while returning from the opera. The eldest son was elected Holy Roman Emperor and reigned as Joseph II. The second (surviving) son Leopold succeeded his father as Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and the newlyweds settled at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, where they would live for the next twenty-five years.

Leopold with his wife Maria Luise and their children; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold and Maria Luisa had sixteen children. Because his elder brother Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor had no children, Leopold became the founder of the main line of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.

Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria (1767 – 1827), married Anton I, King of Saxony, had four children who all died in infancy
Franz II, Holy Roman Emperor (later Franz I, Emperor of Austria) (1768 – 1835), married (1) Elisabeth of Württemberg, died in childbirth giving birth to a daughter who died in infancy (2) Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, had twelve children, died after giving birth to her twelfth child who died three days later (3) Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, no children, died from tuberculosis (4) Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, no children
Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1769 – 1824), married (1) Luisa of Naples and Sicily, had five children, died in giving birth to a stillborn son (2) Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony, no children
Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (1770 – 1809), unmarried
Archduke Karl of Austria (1771 – 1847), married Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg, had seven children including Maria Theresa who married Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies
Archduke Alexander Leopold of Austria (1772 – 1795), unmarried, accidentally burned to death from a mishap while conducting a fireworks show
Archduke Albrecht Johann Joseph of Austria (1773 – 1774), died in infancy
Archduke Maximilian Johann Joseph of Austria (1774 – 1778), died in childhood
Archduke Joseph of Austria (1776 – 1847), married (1) Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia, dieddue to childbirth complications after giving birth to a daughter who died in early childhood (2) Hermine of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, had children, died in childbirth (3) Maria Dorothea of Württemberg, had five children including Marie-Henriette who married Leopold II, King of the Belgians
Archduchess Maria Clementina of Austria (1777 – 1801), married Francesco, Duke of Calabria, later King Francesco I of the Two Sicilies, had two children, died from tuberculosis
Archduke Anton of Austria (1779 – 1835), unmarried
Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria (1780 – 1798), unmarried
Archduke Johann of Austria (1782 – 1859), married morganatically to Countess Anna Plochl, had one son
Archduke Rainer of Austria (1783 – 1853), married Elisabeth of Savoy, had eight children including Adelaide of Austria who married Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia, later King of Italy
Archduke Louis of Austria (1784 – 1864), unmarried
Archduke Rudolph of Austria, Cardinal-Archbishop of Olomouc (1788 – 1831)

As Grand Duke of Tuscany, Leopold was a moderate proponent of enlightened absolutism and an advocate of the Leopoldine Code, a consolidation of the criminal law of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany that made the Grand Duchy the first country in the world to formally abolish the death penalty. Leopold was elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1790 after the death of his childless brother Joseph. At that time, he abdicated the throne of Tuscany in favor of his second son Ferdinand.

Leopold’s coronation as King of Hungary in Pressburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold had three coronations. He was crowned Holy Roman Emperor on October 9, 1790, in the Imperial Free City of Frankfurt am Main. His coronation as King of Hungary in Pressburg, now Bratislava, Slovakia, took place on November 15, 1790, and then he was crowned King of Bohemia in Prague, now in the Czech Republic, on September 6, 1791. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart‘s opera La clemenza di Tito was commissioned for the festivities that accompanied Leopold’s coronation as King of Bohemia.

Leopold’s short reign as Holy Roman Emperor saw problems from the east side of the constituent states of the Holy Roman Empire and also on the west side. The growing revolutionary feelings and actions in France endangered and eventually took the lives of his sister Marie Antoinette and her husband King Louis XVI, and also threatened Leopold’s territories with the spread of revolutionary agitation. From the east, Leopold was threatened by the aggressive ambitions of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia and Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia.

Death of Leopold with his wife and doctor at his bedside; Credit – Wikipedia

After only seventeen months as Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold II died suddenly and unexpectedly on March 1, 1792, aged 44, in Vienna, Austria. He was buried in the Tuscan Crypt at the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria. Leopold’s eldest son Franz was elected (the last) Holy Roman Emperor and later was the first Emperor of Austria.

Less than three months after the sudden death of her husband, Maria Luisa died, aged 46, on May 15, 1792, at Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. She was buried next to her husband in the Tuscan Crypt at the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria. Their early deaths left their nine youngest children, all under the age of 18, orphans.

Tomb of Leopold; Credit – Von krischnig – selbst fotografiert, Bild-frei, https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3431815

Grand Duchy of Tuscany Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Leopold II. (HRR) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_II._(HRR)> [Accessed 22 September 2021].
En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_II,_Holy_Roman_Emperor> [Accessed 22 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].
Wilson, Peter, 2016. Heart of Europe – A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

What was the Holy Roman Empire?

The Holy Roman Empire in 1789; Credit – By Robert Alfers, kgberger – Source of Information: Putzger – Historischer Weltatlas, 89. Auflage, 1965; Westermanns Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte, 1969; Haacks geographischer Atlas. VEB Hermann Haack Geographisch-Kartographische Anstalt, Gotha/Leipzig, 1. Auflage, 1979; dtv-Atlas zur Weltgeschichte Band 1: Von den Anfängen bis zur Französischen Revolution; 23. Aufl. 1989, ISBN 3-423-03002-X, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4179496

(Use the following link to see the above map larger: Map of the Holy Roman Empire in 1789)

The 18th-century French philosopher Voltaire once said: “The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire.” 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. It was not really holy since, after Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1530, no emperors were crowned by the Pope. 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.

Coronation of Charlemagne by Pope Leo III; Credit – Wikipedia

Charlemagne, King of the Franks and King of the Lombards was crowned the Emperor of the Romans on December 25, 800 by Pope Leo III in Rome. Some historians say that was the start of the Holy Roman Empire. However, when Charlemagne died his empire was given to his sons and divided into three different countries: West Francia which eventually became France, Lotharingia which eventually became Italy, Lorraine, and Burgundy, and East Francia which eventually became Germany.

Meeting of Otto and Pope John XII; Credit – Wikipedia

Most historians say that the Holy Roman Empire started with Otto (the Great) I who was King of Italy, King of East Francia, and Duke of Saxony. In 962, following the example of Charlemagne’s coronation as Emperor of the Romans in 800, Otto was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 962 by Pope John XII in Rome.

Prince-Electors; Credit – Wikipedia

From the 13th century, prince-electors, or electors for short, elected the Holy Roman Emperor from among the sovereigns of the constituent states. Common practice was to elect the deceased Emperor’s heir. The House of Habsburg held the title from 1440 until the death of Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI In 1740. Throughout his reign, Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI expected to have a male heir and never really prepared his daughter Maria Theresa of Austria for her future role as sovereign. Upon her father’s death in 1740, Maria Theresa became the sovereign ruler of the Habsburg territories of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma in her own right, and she was the only female to hold the position.

Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia in her own right and her husband Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

However, Maria Theresa was unable to be elected 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. 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, Duke of Lorraine 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. Until the demise of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the Holy Roman Emperor was from the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, a cadet branch of the House of Habsburg.

Franz II, the last Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

Until the 13th century, the Holy Roman Empire was powerful. As time went on the constituent states of the started to obtain more power. Even before the reign of Franz II, Holy Roman Emperor began in 1792, the Holy Roman Emperors had little real power. Franz II, the grandson of Maria Theresa and Francis Stephen, also had Habsburg family titles and territories. He was King of Hungary, King of Croatia, King of Bohemia, and Archduke of Austria. During the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th-century, 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. As it turned out, Franz’s move was a wise one because the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806.

Works Cited

En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Holy Roman Emperor – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Emperor> [Accessed 21 September 2021].
En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Holy Roman Empire – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire> [Accessed 21 September 2021].
Flantzer, S., 2016. Franz I, Emperor of Austria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/franz-i-emperor-of-austria/> [Accessed 21 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].
Wilson, Peter, 2016. Heart of Europe – A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

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

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

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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.

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:

Archduchess Maria Elisabeth (1737-1740), died in childhood
Archduchess Maria Anna (1738-1789), died unmarried, no issue
Archduchess Maria Carolina (1740-1741), died in childhood
Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II (1741-1790), married 1) Infanta Isabel of Spain, 2) Princess Marie Josephe of Bavaria, had issue from his first marriage (two daughters, who died young)
Archduchess Maria Christina (1742-June 1798), married Prince Albert of Saxony, Duke of Teschen, had one stillborn daughter
Archduchess Maria Elisabeth (1743-1808), died unmarried, no issue
Archduke Charles Joseph (1745-1761), died of smallpox, no issue
Archduchess Maria Amalia (1746-1804), married Ferdinand, Duke of Parma, had issue
Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (1747-1792), married Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain, had issue
Archduchess Maria Carolina (born and died 1748), died hours after baptism
Archduchess Maria Johanna (1750-1762), died of smallpox, no issue
Archduchess Maria Josepha (1751-1767), died of smallpox, no issue
Archduchess Maria Carolina (1752-1814), married King Ferdinand IV of Naples and Sicily, the future King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies after her death, had seventeen children
Archduke Ferdinand (1754-1806), married Maria Beatrice d’Este, had issue
Archduchess Maria Antonia (1755-1793), married King Louis XVI of France, became Queen Marie Antoinette of France
Archduke Maximilian Franz (1756–1801) became Archbishop-Elector of Cologne

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.

Unofficial Royalty: What was the Holy Roman Empire?

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.

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].

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