Category Archives: Italian Royals

Prince Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was located in today’s southern Italy. It included the island of Sicily and all of the Italian peninsula south of the Papal States. Ferdinando I, the first King of the Two Sicilies, had previously reigned over two kingdoms, as Ferdinando IV of the Kingdom of Naples and Ferdinando III of the Kingdom of Sicily. He had been deposed twice from the throne of Naples: once by the revolutionary Parthenopean Republic for six months in 1799 and again by Napoleon in 1805, before being restored in 1816 after the defeat of Napoleon. After the 1816 restoration, the two kingdoms were united into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia became a driving force behind the Italian unification movement along with Giuseppe Garibaldi, a general and nationalist, and Giuseppe Mazzini, a politician and journalist. Garibaldi conquered Naples and Sicily, the territories of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies. Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies was deposed, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ceased to exist, and its territory was incorporated into the Kingdom of Sardinia. Eventually, the Sardinian troops occupied the central territories of the Italian peninsula, except Rome and part of Papal States. With all the newly acquired land, Vittorio Emanuele II was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

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Prince Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta. source: Wikipedia

Prince Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta, was a younger half-brother of King Francesco II, the last reigning King of the Two Sicilies. Upon Francesco’s death in 1894, Alfonso became Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and pretender to the former throne.

Prince Alfonso Maria Giuseppe Alberto was born March 28, 1841 in Caserta, Two Sicilies, the third child of King Ferdinando II of the Two Sicilies and his second wife, Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria. Alfonso had 11 siblings:

Alfonso also had one elder half-sibling from his father’s first marriage to Maria Cristina of Savoy:

At the time of his birth, Alfonso was 4th in line to the throne of the Two Sicilies, preceded by his three elder brothers, Francesco, Luigi and Alberto. Upon their father’s death in May 1859, his eldest brother, Francesco, became the last reigning King of the Two Sicilies. Alfonso, alongside his two surviving elder brothers, fought on the front lines in an attempt to defeat Garibaldi’s forces, but were unsuccessful, and the Kingdom was overtaken. Along with his brothers, he left the country in February 1861, and would spend the rest of his life in exile.

Upon the death of his brother Luigi in 1886, Alfonso became heir presumptive to his eldest brother who had no male heirs. Thus, when Franceso II died on December 27, 1894, Alfonso became Pretender to the former throne of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. source: Wikipedia

On June 8, 1868, Alfonso married his cousin, Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. She was the daughter of Prince Francesco of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Trapani and Archduchess Maria Isabella of Austria, Princess of Tuscany. Alfonso and his wife were both grandchildren of King Franceso I of the Two Sicilies. Together they had 12 children:

Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta; source: Wikipedia

Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta died on May 26, 1934 in Cannes, France. He is buried in the Cimetière du Grand Jas in Cannes.

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Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 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.

Maria Antonia of Portugal, Duchess of Parma

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Duchy of Parma was in today’s northwest Italy and came into existence in 1545 when Pope Paul III made his illegitimate son Pier Luigi Farnese the Duke of Parma and Piacenza, territories that previously were a part of the Papal States. The House of Farnese reigned until 1731 when the male line went extinct. The duchy passed to Felipe V, King of Spain from the Spanish House of Bourbon whose second wife Elizabeth Farnese was the Farnese heiress. Felipe V made Carlos, his only son with Elizabeth Farnese, the Duke of Parma. However, in 1738, Felipe V traded the Duchy of Parma to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine for the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily and Carlos became King of Naples and Sicily.

In 1748, the Duchy of Parma was ceded back to the Bourbons. Infante Felipe of Spain became Duke of Parma and was the founder of the House of Bourbon-Parma, a cadet branch of the Spanish House of Bourbon.  In 1796, the Duchy of Parma was occupied by French troops under Napoleon Bonaparte. It remained in French hands until the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 when the duchy was given to Napoleon’s second wife, Marie-Louise of Habsburg-Lorraine. She reigned until her death in 1847 when the Duchy of Parma was restored to the House of Bourbon-Parma. In 1859, the Duchy of Parma was abolished during the Italian unification movement. It was merged with the Kingdom of Sardinia as 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.

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Maria Antonia of Portugal, Duchess of Parma; Credit – Wikipedia

Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal was the second wife of Roberto I, Duke of Parma from 1854 – 1859 and titular Duke of Parma from 1859 until he died in 1907. As a not-quite-six-year-old, Roberto succeeded his father who was assassinated and then lost his throne five years later due to the Italian unification movement. Maria Antónia Adelaide Camila Carolina Eulália Leopoldina Sofia Inês Francisca de Assis e de Paula Micaela Rafaela Gabriela Gonzaga Gregória Bernardina Benedita Andrea was born at Schloss Bronnbach (link in German) in Bronnbach, Grand Duchy of Baden, now Wertheim am Main in the state of Baden-Württemberg, on November 28, 1862. She was the youngest of the seven children and the sixth of the six daughters of the deposed Miguel I, King of Portugal and Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg. Maria Antonia’s paternal grandparents were King João VI of Portugal and Carlota Joaquina of Spain. Her maternal grandparents were Hereditary Prince Konstantin of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg and Princess Agnes of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

Maria Antonia’s paternal grandfather King João VI had become King of Portugal in 1816 upon the death of his mother Queen Maria I of Portugal and reigned until his death in 1826. At that time, João VI’s elder son succeeded to the throne as King Pedro IV. Pedro was king for only two months, abdicating in favor of his daughter Queen Maria II of Portugal. Maria Antonia’s father Miguel served as regent for his niece Maria II. As regent, Miguel claimed the Portuguese throne in his own right. This led to a difficult political situation, during which many people were killed, imprisoned, persecuted, or sent into exile, finally culminating in the Portuguese Liberal Wars. Ultimately, Miguel was deposed in 1834 and lived the last thirty-two years of his life in exile.

Maria Antonia’s parents with her two eldest siblings; Credit – Wikipedia

During his exile in the Grand Duchy of Baden, Miguel met Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, who was twenty-nine years younger. They married in 1851, and made their home at Schloss Bronnbach in Bronnbach, in the Grand Duchy of Baden, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. When Maria Antonia was four years old, her father died while hunting on November 14, 1866. At the time of his death, all of Miguel’s children were under the age of fifteen. Maria Antonia’s mother Adelaide continued to raise her children and arranged some rather brilliant marriages for them despite their dubious status as children of a deposed monarch. Miguel and Adelaide are the ancestors of the current monarchs of Luxembourg, Belgium, and Liechtenstein, as well as pretenders to the thrones of Portugal, Austria, Bavaria, and Italy.

Maria Antonia (on the left) with her sisters Maria Ana and  Adelgundes: Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Antonia had six elder siblings:

Roberto I, titular Duke of Parma, circa 1900; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Antonia and Roberto I, titular Duke of Parma, the son of Carlo III, Duke of Parma and Louise Marie Thérèse of France, were married on October 15, 1884, at Schloss Fischorn (link in German) in Zell am See, Austria. Despite losing his throne and living in exile, Roberto had considerable wealth. He traveled in a private train of more than a dozen cars and had several residences including  Schloss Schwarzau  (link in German) in Schwarzau am Steinfeld, Austria, Villa Borbone delle Pianore (link in Italian) in Capezzano Pianore, Italy, and Château de Chambord in Chambord, Centre-Val de Loire, France which he inherited from his maternal uncle Prince Henri, Duke of Bordeaux, Count of Chambord. This was Roberto’s second marriage. His first wife Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies had died due to puerperal fever (childbed fever) in 1882, a week after the birth of her twelfth child, a stillborn boy. Upon her marriage to Roberto, Maria Antonia became the stepmother of his nine surviving children from his first marriage who ranged in age from four to fourteen. Six of the children were mentally disabled.

Roberto’s surviving children from his first marriage, the stepchildren of Maria Antonia:

  • Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma (1870 – 1899), married Ferdinand I, Prince of Bulgaria (later Tsar), had four children including Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria,
  • Princess Luisa Maria of Bourbon-Parma (1872 – 1943), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Enrico, Titular Duke of Parma (1873 – 1939), unmarried, mentally disabled, his brother Elias took up the role as regent and Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma
  • Princess Maria Immacolata of Bourbon-Parma (1874 – 1914), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Giuseppe, Titular Duke of Parma (1875 – 1950), unmarried, mentally disabled, his brother Elias continued his role as regent and Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma
  • Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Parma (1876 – 1959), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Parma (1877 – 1915), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Princess Beatrice of Bourbon-Parma (1879 – 1946), married Count Pietro Lucchesi-Palli, had four children
  • Elias, Titular Duke of Parma (1880 – 1959), married Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, had eight children, from 1907 to 1950, he served as regent for the claims of his two older disabled brothers, Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma

Maria Antonia and Roberto with their family in 1906; From left to right, first row: Maria Immacolata, Maria Antonia, Isabella, Roberto, Enrichetta, Luigi, Gaetano, Roberto’s second wife Maria Antonia, René, Zita. From left to right, second row: Francesca, Maria Pia, Luisa Maria, Maria Adelaide, Maria Teresa, Giuseppe, Xavier, Enrico, Sixto, Felix; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Antonia and Roberto had twelve children of their own:

Roberto I, former Duke of Parma died, aged 59, at the Villa Borbone (link in Italian) in Viareggio, Kingdom of Italy, on November 16, 1907. He was buried in the chapel at the Villa Borbone in Viareggio, Italy. After World War I, when her son-in-law Karl I, Emperor of Austria lost his throne and had to go into exile, Maria Antonia accompanied her daughter Zita, Karl, and their large family, living first in Switzerland and then on the Portuguese island of Madeira where Karl died in 1922 at the age of 34. After the outbreak of World War II, Maria Antonia and Zita moved to Quebec, Canada where they lived in modest circumstances.

Schloss Puchheim, where Maria Antonia is buried; Von Peterhauser at the English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17239377

After World War II ended, Maria Antonia lived at Berg Castle in Colmar-Berg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Her niece, the daughter of her sister Maria Ana, was Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, the wife of Maria Antonia’s son Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma. In 1952, Maria Antonia celebrated her 90th birthday at Berg Castle. She survived her husband Roberto by 52 years, dying on May 14, 1959, aged 96, at Berg Castle in Colmar-Berg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. She was buried in the chapel at Schloss Puchheim (link in German) in Attnang-Puchheim, Austria. In 1982, restrictions on the Habsburgs entering Austria were eased and after sixty-three years, 90-year-old Zita, former Empress of Austria, could return to Austria for visits. One of the first things she did was to visit his mother’s burial site.

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

  • Almanachdegotha.org. 2021. Duchy of Parma – House of Bourbon-Parma. [online] Available at: <http://www.almanachdegotha.org/id29.html> [Accessed 11 October 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Infanta Maria Antónia of Portugal – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infanta_Maria_Ant%C3%B3nia_of_Portugal> [Accessed 18 October 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2015. King Miguel I of Portugal. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-miguel-i-of-portugal/> [Accessed 20 October 2021].
  • Flantzer, S., 2021. Roberto I, Duke of Parma. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/roberto-i-duke-of-parma/> [Accessed 20 October 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Antonia di Braganza – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Antonia_di_Braganza> [Accessed 20 October 2021].
  • Louda, Jiri and MacLagan, Michael, 2002. Lines of Succession. New York: Barnes and Noble.

Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duchess of Parma

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Duchy of Parma was in today’s northwest Italy and came into existence in 1545 when Pope Paul III made his illegitimate son Pier Luigi Farnese the Duke of Parma and Piacenza, territories that previously were a part of the Papal States. The House of Farnese reigned until 1731 when the male line went extinct. The duchy passed to Felipe V, King of Spain from the Spanish House of Bourbon whose second wife Elizabeth Farnese was the Farnese heiress. Felipe V made Carlos, his only son with Elizabeth Farnese, the Duke of Parma. However, in 1738, Felipe V traded the Duchy of Parma to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine for the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily and Carlos became King of Naples and Sicily.

In 1748, the Duchy of Parma was ceded back to the Bourbons. Infante Felipe of Spain became Duke of Parma and was the founder of the House of Bourbon-Parma, a cadet branch of the Spanish House of Bourbon.  In 1796, the Duchy of Parma was occupied by French troops under Napoleon Bonaparte. It remained in French hands until the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 when the duchy was given to Napoleon’s second wife, Marie-Louise of Habsburg-Lorraine. She reigned until her death in 1847 when the Duchy of Parma was restored to the House of Bourbon-Parma. In 1859, the Duchy of Parma was abolished during the Italian unification movement. It was merged with the Kingdom of Sardinia as 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.

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Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies was the first wife of Roberto I, Duke of Parma from 1854 – 1859 and titular Duke of Parma from 1859 until his death in 1907. As a not quite six-year-old, Roberto succeeded his father who was assassinated and then lost his throne five years later due to the Italian unification movement. Maria Pia della Grazia was born in Gaeta, Italy on August 2, 1849. She was the eighth of the twelve children and the third of the four daughters of Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies and his second wife Maria Theresa of Austria. Maria Pia’s paternal grandparents were Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies and his second wife Maria Isabella of Spain. Her maternal grandparents were Archduke Karl of Austria, Duke of Teschen and Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg.

Maria Pia’s family, circa 1860, Maria Pia is standing on the left in the first row; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Pia had eleven siblings:

Maria Pia had one half-brother from her father’s first marriage to Maria Cristina of Savoy. Sadly, Maria Cristina died from childbirth complications five days after giving birth to her only child.

Maria Pia’s father Ferdinando II had hesitated for months to have surgery for a strangulated hernia. His hesitancy probably caused his death on May 22, 1859, at the age of 49. During Ferdinando II’s reign, the Italian unification movement led by Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia, later Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Italy, began.  The Second War of Italian Independence started shortly before Ferdinando II’s death, During the reign of Francesco II, Ferdinando II’s son from his first marriage, the 1860-1861 invasion called the Expedition of the Thousand led to the fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which then was annexed to the new Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Maria Pia’s mother Maria Theresa and her children were among the first to leave Naples. They eventually made her way to Rome which was part of the Papal States and not the new Kingdom of Italy. Pope Pius IX placed the Quirinal Palace in Rome at their disposal.

Maria Pia and Roberto on their wedding day; Credit – Wikipedia

While in exile in Rome, negotiations began for the marriage of Maria Pia. After the failed attempts to marry her to an Austrian archduke like her elder sisters Maria Annunziata and Maria Immacolata, Maria Pia was betrothed to her half-first cousin once removed Roberto I, titular Duke of Parma, the son of the assassinated Carlo III, Duke of Parma and Louise Marie Thérèse of France (granddaughter of King Charles X of France). Despite losing his throne and living in exile, Roberto was quite a catch. He had considerable wealth and traveled in a private train of more than a dozen cars. Roberto had several residences including  Schloss Schwarzau  (link in German) in Schwarzau am Steinfeld, Austria, Villa Borbone delle Pianore (link in Italian) in Capezzano Pianore, Italy, and Château de Chambord in Chambord, Centre-Val de Loire, France which he inherited from his maternal uncle Prince Henri, Duke of Bordeaux, Count of Chambord. Maria Pia and Roberto were married in Rome, Italy on April 5, 1869.

Maria Pia and her son Elias in 1881; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Pia and Roberto had twelve children. Six of the children were mentally disabled, two died in infancy, and one was stillborn.

  • Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma (1870 – 1899), married Ferdinand I, Prince of Bulgaria (later Tsar), had four children including Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria,
  • Ferdinando, Prince of Piacenza (born and died 1871 ), died in infancy
  • Princess Luisa Maria of Bourbon-Parma (1872 – 1943), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Enrico, Titular Duke of Parma (1873 – 1939), unmarried, mentally disabled, his brother Elias took up the role as regent and Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma
  • Princess Maria Immacolata of Bourbon-Parma (1874 – 1914), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Giuseppe, Titular Duke of Parma (1875 – 1950), unmarried, mentally disabled, his brother Elias continued his role as regent and Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma
  • Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Parma (1876 – 1959), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Parma (1877 – 1915), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Princess Beatrice of Bourbon-Parma (1879 – 1946), married Count Pietro Lucchesi-Palli, had four children
  • Elias, Titular Duke of Parma (1880 – 1959), married Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, had eight children, from 1907 to 1950, he served as regent for the claims of his two older disabled brothers, Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma
  • Princess Maria Anastasia of Bourbon-Parma (born and died 1881), died in infancy
  • Prince Augusto of Bourbon-Parma (stillborn 1882)

Chapel of the Villa Borbone in Viareggio, Italy, where Maria Pia is buried; Credit – Di I, Sailko, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27517360

The dangerous practice of close pregnancies and births – twelve children in thirteen years of marriage – made Maria Pia weak and sickly. At the age of 33, Maria Pia died of puerperal fever (childbed fever) on September 29, 1882, in Biarritz, France, a week after giving birth to her last child, a stillborn son. She was buried in the chapel at the Villa Borbone (link in Italian) in Viareggio, Italy. Two years after Maria Pia’s death, Roberto married Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal, the daughter of the deposed Miguel I, King of Portugal and Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg. Roberto and Maria Antonia also had twelve children but Maria Antonia lived a long life, dying at the age of 96.

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

  • Almanachdegotha.org. 2021. Duchy of Parma – House of Bourbon-Parma. [online] Available at: <http://www.almanachdegotha.org/id29.html> [Accessed 11 October 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1849–1882) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Maria_Pia_of_Bourbon-Two_Sicilies_(1849%E2%80%931882)> [Accessed 18 October 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/ferdinando-ii-king-of-the-two-sicilies/> [Accessed 19 October 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Roberto I, Duke of Parma. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/roberto-i-duke-of-parma/> [Accessed 19 October 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Pia di Borbone-Due Sicilie – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Pia_di_Borbone-Due_Sicilie> [Accessed 19 October 2021].
  • Louda, Jiri and MacLagan, Michael, 2002. Lines of Succession. New York: Barnes and Noble.

Roberto I, Duke of Parma

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Duchy of Parma was in today’s northwest Italy and came into existence in 1545 when Pope Paul III made his illegitimate son Pier Luigi Farnese the Duke of Parma and Piacenza, territories that previously were a part of the Papal States. The House of Farnese reigned until 1731 when the male line went extinct. The duchy passed to Felipe V, King of Spain from the Spanish House of Bourbon whose second wife Elizabeth Farnese was the Farnese heiress. Felipe V made Carlos, his only son with Elizabeth Farnese, the Duke of Parma. However, in 1738, Felipe V traded the Duchy of Parma to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine for the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily and Carlos became King of Naples and Sicily.

In 1748, the Duchy of Parma was ceded back to the Bourbons. Infante Felipe of Spain became Duke of Parma and was the founder of the House of Bourbon-Parma, a cadet branch of the Spanish House of Bourbon.  In 1796, the Duchy of Parma was occupied by French troops under Napoleon Bonaparte. It remained in French hands until the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 when the duchy was given to Napoleon’s second wife, Marie-Louise of Habsburg-Lorraine. She reigned until her death in 1847 when the Duchy of Parma was restored to the House of Bourbon-Parma. In 1859, the Duchy of Parma was abolished during the Italian unification movement. It was merged with the Kingdom of Sardinia as 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.

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Roberto, Duke of Parma; Credit – Wikipedia

Roberto I was the last Duke of Parma. As a not-quite-six-year-old, he succeeded his father who was assassinated, and then lost his throne five years later due to the Italian unification movement. Roberto Carlo Luigi Maria was born in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy, on July 9, 1848. He was the second of the four children and the elder of the two sons of Carlo III, Duke of Parma and Louise Marie Thérèse of France. Roberto’s paternal grandparents were Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma and Maria Teresa of Savoy (daughter of King Vittorio Emanuele I of Sardinia) His maternal grandparents were Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry (son of King Charles X of France) and Marie Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (daughter of King Francesco I of the Two Sicilies).

Roberto with his mother and siblings in 1860, left to right: Roberto, his mother Louise Marie Thérèse of France, his sister Margherita, his brother Enrico, and his sister Alice; Credit – Wikipedia

Roberto had three siblings:

On March 26, 1854, while taking his usual afternoon walk through the streets of Parma, Roberto’s father Carlo III, Duke of Parma was attacked by two men who stabbed him in the stomach. After much suffering, which he endured bravely, thirty-one-year-old Carlo III, Duke of Parma died the following evening, March 27, 1854. Ireneo Bochi and Antonio Carra, Carlo’s murderers, escaped prosecution. They were briefly arrested but since they looked similar, witnesses were confused and deemed unreliable. Bochi and Carra did not act for political reasons but were hired assassins. However, exactly who paid them remains unknown.

Roberto in 1860; Credit – Wikipedia

Six-year-old son Roberto became Duke of Parma with his mother Louise Marie Thérèse as regent but he had a short reign. In 1859, the Duchy of Parma was abolished during the Italian unification movement. It was merged with the Kingdom of Sardinia as 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. Roberto was the titular Duke of Parma and the pretender to the throne until he died in 1907.

Château de Chambord in France which Roberto inherited from his maternal uncle; Credit – By Benh LIEU SONG – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22654063

Despite losing his throne, Roberto and his family had considerable wealth and traveled in a private train of more than a dozen cars. He had several residences including Schloss Schwarzau  (link in German) in Schwarzau am Steinfeld, Austria, Villa Borbone delle Pianore (link in Italian) in Capezzano Pianore, Italy, and Château de Chambord in Chambord, Centre-Val de Loire, France which he inherited from his maternal uncle Prince Henri, Duke of Bordeaux, Count of Chambord.

Roberto and Maria Pia on their wedding day; Credit – Wikipedia

Roberto’s fortune made him a desirable husband but his half-first cousin once removed Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies was chosen as his bride. Maria Pia was the daughter of Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies and his second wife Maria Theresa of Austria. The couple was married in Rome, Italy on April 5, 1869.

Maria Pia and her son Elias in 1881; Credit – Wikipedia

Roberto and his first wife Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies had twelve children. Six of the children were mentally disabled, two died in infancy, and one was stillborn. Maria Pia, aged 33, died of puerperal fever (childbed fever) on September 29, 1882, in Biarritz, France a week after giving birth to her last child, a stillborn son.

Roberto and Maria Pia’s children:

  • Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma (1870 – 1899), married Ferdinand I, Prince of Bulgaria (later Tsar), had four children including Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria,
  • Ferdinando, Prince of Piacenza (born and died 1871 ), died in infancy
  • Princess Luisa Maria of Bourbon-Parma (1872 – 1943), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Enrico, Titular Duke of Parma (1873 – 1939), unmarried, mentally disabled, his brother Elias took up the role as regent and Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma
  • Princess Maria Immacolata of Bourbon-Parma (1874 – 1914), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Giuseppe, Titular Duke of Parma (1875 – 1950), unmarried, mentally disabled, his brother Elias continued his role as regent and Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma
  • Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Parma (1876 – 1959), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Parma (1877 – 1915), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Princess Beatrice of Bourbon-Parma (1879 – 1946), married Count Pietro Lucchesi-Palli, had four children
  • Elias, Titular Duke of Parma (1880 – 1959), married Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, had eight children, from 1907 to 1950, he served as regent for the claims of his two older disabled brothers, Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma
  • Princess Maria Anastasia of Bourbon-Parma (born and died 1881), died in infancy
  • Prince Augusto of Bourbon-Parma (stillborn 1882)

Maria Antonia in the late 1890s; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 15, 1884, at Schloss Fischorn (link in German) in Zell am See, Austria, Roberto married Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal, the daughter of the deposed Miguel I, King of Portugal and Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg.

Roberto and his second wife Maria Antonia of Portugal had twelve children:

Roberto with his family in 1906; From left to right, first row: Maria Immacolata, Maria Antonia, Isabella, Roberto, Enrichetta, Luigi, Gaetano, Roberto’s second wife Maria Antonia, René, Zita. From left to right, second row: Francesca, Maria Pia, Luisa Maria, Maria Adelaide, Maria Teresa, Giuseppe, Xavier, Enrico, Sixto, Felix; Credit – Wikipedia

Roberto I, former Duke of Parma died, aged 59, at the Villa Borbone (link in Italian) in Viareggio, Kingdom of Italy, on November 16, 1907. He was buried in the chapel at the Villa Borbone in Viareggio, Italy. His second wife Maria Antonia of Portugal survived him by 52 years, dying on May 14, 1959, aged 96, at Berg Castle in Colmar-Berg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. She was buried in the chapel at Schloss Puchheim (link in German) in Attnang-Puchheim, Austria.

Tomb of Robert I, Duke of Parma; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Four months after Roberto’s death, the Grand Marshal of the Austrian court declared six of the children from his first marriage legally incompetent due to their severe mental disability at the request of his widow Maria Antonia. Elias, Roberto’s youngest son from his first marriage became the legal guardian of his six disabled elder siblings, served as regent for the claims of his two older disabled brothers and as Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma, and was Titular Duke of Parma from 1950 – 1959.

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

  • Almanachdegotha.org. 2021. Duchy of Parma – House of Bourbon-Parma. [online] Available at: <http://www.almanachdegotha.org/id29.html> [Accessed 11 October 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Infanta Maria Antónia of Portugal – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infanta_Maria_Ant%C3%B3nia_of_Portugal> [Accessed 18 October 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1849–1882) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Maria_Pia_of_Bourbon-Two_Sicilies_(1849%E2%80%931882)> [Accessed 18 October 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Robert I, Duke of Parma – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I,_Duke_of_Parma> [Accessed 18 October 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Carlo III, Duke of Parma. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/carlo-iii-duke-of-parma/> [Accessed 18 October 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Louise Marie Thérèse of France, Duchess of Parma, Regent of Parma. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/louise-marie-therese-of-france-duchess-of-parma-regent-of-parma/> [Accessed 18 October 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Roberto I di Parma – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_I_di_Parma> [Accessed 18 October 2021].
  • Louda, Jiri and MacLagan, Michael, 2002. Lines of Succession. New York: Barnes and Noble.

Louise Marie Thérèse of France, Duchess of Parma, Regent of Parma

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Duchy of Parma was in today’s northwest Italy and came into existence in 1545 when Pope Paul III made his illegitimate son Pier Luigi Farnese the Duke of Parma and Piacenza, territories that previously were a part of the Papal States. The House of Farnese reigned until 1731 when the male line went extinct. The duchy passed to Felipe V, King of Spain from the Spanish House of Bourbon whose second wife Elizabeth Farnese was the Farnese heiress. Felipe V made Carlos, his only son with Elizabeth Farnese, the Duke of Parma. However, in 1738, Felipe V traded the Duchy of Parma to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine for the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily and Carlos became King of Naples and Sicily.

In 1748, the Duchy of Parma was ceded back to the Bourbons. Infante Felipe of Spain became Duke of Parma and was the founder of the House of Bourbon-Parma, a cadet branch of the Spanish House of Bourbon.  In 1796, the Duchy of Parma was occupied by French troops under Napoleon Bonaparte. It remained in French hands until the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 when the duchy was given to Napoleon’s second wife, Marie-Louise of Habsburg-Lorraine. She reigned until her death in 1847 when the Duchy of Parma was restored to the House of Bourbon-Parma. In 1859, the Duchy of Parma was abolished during the Italian unification movement. It was merged with the Kingdom of Sardinia as 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.

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Louise Marie Thérèse of France, Duchess of Parma, Regent of Parma; Credit – Wikipedia

Louise Marie Thérèse of France was the wife of Carlos III, Duke of Parma and Regent for their son Roberto I, Duke of Parma until the Duchy of Parma was abolished during the Italian unification movement. Louise Marie Thérèse was born on September 21, 1819, at the Élysée Palace in Paris, France. She was the third of the four children and the second of the two daughters of Prince Charles Ferdinand of France, Duke of Berry and Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Louise Marie Thérèse’s paternal grandparents were King Charles X of France (grandson of King Louis XV and brother of King Louis XVI) and Princess Maria Theresa of Savoy. Her maternal grandparents were King Francesco I of the Two Sicilies and his first wife Maria Clementina of Austria.

Louise Marie Thérèse with her brother younger brother Henri and her mother Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies; Credit – Wikipedia

Louise Marie Thérèse had three siblings but her two eldest siblings died soon after birth:

The House of Bourbon was restored to the French throne in the aftermath of Napoléon I’s defeat and final exile and reigned from 1815 to 1830. The two kings who reigned during the Bourbon Restoration, Louis XVIII and Charles X, were younger brothers of the guillotined King Louis XVI.

Maria Carolina, Duchess of Berry in mourning for her husband with her two children, Louise Marie Thérèse’ and Henri; Credit – Wikipedia

Five months after her birth, on February 13, 1820, Louise Marie Thérèse’s father Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry was stabbed while leaving the opera house in Paris with his wife and died the next day. The assassin was a saddlemaker named Louis Pierre Louvel, a Bonapartist who wanted to end the House of Bourbon. At the time of his death, Charles Ferdinand’s childless uncle Louis XVIII was the King of France, and his father, the future King Charles X was the heir to the throne. Charles Ferdinand was third in the Bourbon line of succession to the French throne after his childless elder brother Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême. Louise Marie Therese’s mother was pregnant and gave birth to a son seven months later who became the third in the line of succession.

Louise Marie Thérèse in 1830; Credit – Wikipedia

As a child, Louise Marie Thérèse lived at her birthplace, the Elysée Palace in Paris. and Château de Rosny-sur-Seine, her mother’s main residence, just a short distance from Paris. Marie-Joséphine Louise de Montaut-Navailles, Marquise de Gontaut Saint-Blacard, a former lady-in-waiting to Louise Marie Thérèse’s mother was appointed the governess to Louise Marie Thérèse and her brother Henri and was responsible for their education.

The French Royal Family in 1823 – left to right: Marie-Thérèse, Duchess of Angoulême; Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angoulême; Prince Henri; Charles-Philippe, Count of Artois (future King Charles X); King Louis XVIII of France; Princess Louise Marie Thérèse; Marie-Caroline, Duchess of Berry; Credit – Wikipedia

Louise Marie Thérèse’s grandfather King Charles X of France succeeded to the throne upon the death of his brother King Louis XVIII of France in 1824. He would prove to be very unpopular with the French people, and would not remain on the throne for very long. When he issued very restrictive ordinances, in July 1830, there were quick calls for revolution, now called the July Revolution of 1830. When rioting began, Charles X’s government ministers pleaded with him to revoke the ordinances but he refused. By the end of the night, the members of the Chamber of Deputies had decided that Charles X must go and that Louis-Philippe III, Duke of Orléans, a descendant of Philippe I, Duke Orléans, the brother of King Louis XIV of France, would become Louis-Philippe, King of the French.

Maria Caroline, Duchess of Berry and her two children Louise Marie Thérèse and Henri joined the rest of the French Bourbons in exile in the United Kingdom. Initially, Maria Carolina and her children lived in Bath but then they moved to Edinburgh, Scotland to be closer to the former king, Charles X, who was living at Holyrood Palace. Maria Carolina did not like living in Edinburgh agreeable, nor did she like the exclusion of her son Henri from the French throne by Louis Philippe, King of the French. She declared her son Henri to be the legitimate king, and herself to be regent. In 1831, she left Edinburgh and returned to her family in Naples.

Louise Marie Thérèse’s guardian Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte, Duchess of Angoulême; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 14, 1831, Maria Carolina secretly married an Italian nobleman, Ettore Carlo Lucchesi-Palli, 8th Duca della Grazia. After the scandal of her secret morganatic marriage, the subsequent birth of a child in 1833, and an abortive insurrection to put her son on the French throne, Maria Carolina lost all her prestige. Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte, Duchess of Angoulême, the only surviving child of the guillotined King Louis XVI of France, who had married her first cousin and Louise Marie Thérèse’s paternal uncle, Louis Antoine of France, Duke of Angoulême became the guardian of Louise Marie Thérèse and her brother Henri:

Louise Marie Thérèse had six half-siblings from her mother’s second marriage to Ettore Carlo Lucchesi-Palli, 8th Duca della Grazia:

  • Anna Maria Rosalia Lucchesi-Palli (born and died 1833)
  • Maria Bianca Lucchesi Palli (born and died 1834)
  • Clementina Lucchesi-Palli (1835 – 1925), married Count Camillo Zileri dal Verme degli Obbizi;
  • Francesca di Paola Lucchesi-Palli (1836 – 1923) married Camillo Massimo, Prince of Arsoli
  • Maria Isabella Lucchesi-Palli (1838 – 1873), married (1) Massimiliano dei Marquis Cavriani (2) Count Giovanni Battista de Conti
  • Adinolfo Lucchesi-Palli, Duke of Grace (1840 – 1911), married Lucrezia Nicoletta Ruffo di Bagnara

Carlos III, Duke of Parma, Louise Marie Thérèse’s husband; Credit – Wikipedia

When it came time to arrange a marriage for Louise Marie Thérèse, her guardian and aunt Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte, Duchess of Angoulême rejected several marriage proposals and was adamant that Louise Marie Thérèse should marry a Bourbon. There were few Bourbon princes to choose from and by the time she reached the age of twenty-five Louise Marie Thérèse was still unmarried. Finally, in 1845, a marriage was arranged. The groom was the future Carlo III, Duke of Parma from the House of Bourbon-Parma, a cadet branch of the Spanish House of Bourbon which was originally a branch of the French House of Bourbon. His father Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma was in financial difficulty and so he decided to marry his son to a princess with a large dowry. Carlo was four years younger than Louise Marie Thérèse and they had first met as children. They were married on November 10, 1845, at Schloss Frohsdorf in Lanzenkirchen in Austria, the home in exile of the bride’s aunt by marriage and guardian Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte, Duchess of Angoulême.

Louise Marie Thérèse and her four children in 1860. Left to right: Roberto, Louise Marie Thérèse, Margherita, Enrico, and Alice: Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo and Louise Marie Thérèse had four children:

In December 1847, Napoleon’s second wife Marie-Louise of Austria, reigning Duchess of Parma died. As stipulated by the 1815 Congress of Vienna, the Duchy of Parma was restored to the House of Bourbon-Parma and Carlo’s father became Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma. However, the reign of Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma was short. He was very unpopular with the citizens of Parma, and within a few months, he was ousted by a revolution. Carlo II Ludovico regained control of Parma with the help of Austrian troops but finally abdicated in favor of his son Carlo III, Duke of Parma on March 14, 1849.

The authoritarian policies of Carlo III, Duke of Parma made him unpopular. He placed Parma under martial law, inflicted heavy penalties on the members of the former provisional government, closed the university, and instituted persecution policies. Plots to remove Carlo III from power began to circulate in 1853. His personal life was also in trouble. Carlo had separated from Louise Marie Thérèse who had become obese. He began an open affair with Countess Emma Guadagni. The marriage of Carlo and Louise Marie Thérèse became completely irreconcilable when Carlo took his mistress on a semi-official visit to Queen Isabella II of Spain in December 1853.

On March 26, 1854, while taking his usual afternoon walk through the streets of Parma, Carlo III was attacked by two men who stabbed him in the stomach. After much suffering, which he endured bravely, thirty-one-year-old Carlo III, Duke of Parma died the following evening, March 27, 1854. Ireneo Bochi and Antonio Carra, Carlo’s murderers, escaped prosecution. They were briefly arrested but since they looked similar, witnesses were confused and deemed unreliable. Bochi and Carra did not act for political reasons but were hired killers. However, exactly who paid them remains unknown.

Louise Marie Therese, Regent of Parma with her son Roberto I, Duke of Parma; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo III’s six-year-old son Roberto became Duke of Parma with Louise Marie Thérèse as regent but had a short reign. In 1859, the Duchy of Parma was abolished during the Italian unification movement. It was merged with the Kingdom of Sardinia as 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.

The crypt with the tombs of King Charles X of France and other members of the former French royal family; Credit – By Viator slovenicus – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7164631

Louise Marie Thérèse took her children to Venice, Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, now in Italy where she spent the rest of her life in exile. She survived her husband by ten years, dying on February 1, 1864, at the age of 44, at the Palazzo Giustinian in Venice. She was buried in the crypt of her grandfather, King Charles X of France, at the Kostanjevica Monastery in what is now Pristava, Slovenia. Other members of the former French royal family buried there include her brother Henri, Count of Chambord, and her uncle and aunt Louis Antoine and Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte, Duke and Duchess of Angoulême.

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

  • Almanachdegotha.org. 2021. Duchy of Parma – House of Bourbon-Parma. [online] Available at: <http://www.almanachdegotha.org/id29.html> [Accessed 11 October 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Marie-Caroline of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duchess of Berry – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Marie_Caroline_of_Naples_and_Sicily> [Accessed 16 October 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Princess Louise d’Artois – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Louise_d%27Artois> [Accessed 16 October 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Carlo III, Duke of Parma. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/carlo-iii-duke-of-parma/> [Accessed 16 October 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Luisa Maria di Borbone-Francia (1819-1864) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luisa_Maria_di_Borbone-Francia_(1819-1864)> [Accessed 16 October 2021].
  • Louda, Jiri and MacLagan, Michael, 2002. Lines of Succession. New York: Barnes and Noble.
  • Mehl, Scott, 2016. King Charles X of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-charles-x-of-france/> [Accessed 16 October 2021].

Carlo III, Duke of Parma

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Duchy of Parma was in today’s northwest Italy and came into existence in 1545 when Pope Paul III made his illegitimate son Pier Luigi Farnese the Duke of Parma and Piacenza, territories that previously were a part of the Papal States. The House of Farnese reigned until 1731 when the male line went extinct. The duchy passed to Felipe V, King of Spain from the Spanish House of Bourbon whose second wife Elizabeth Farnese was the Farnese heiress. Felipe V made Carlos, his only son with Elizabeth Farnese, the Duke of Parma. However, in 1738, Felipe V traded the Duchy of Parma to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine for the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily and Carlos became King of Naples and Sicily.

In 1748, the Duchy of Parma was ceded back to the Bourbons. Infante Felipe of Spain became Duke of Parma and was the founder of the House of Bourbon-Parma, a cadet branch of the Spanish House of Bourbon.  In 1796, the Duchy of Parma was occupied by French troops under Napoleon Bonaparte. It remained in French hands until the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 when the duchy was given to Napoleon’s second wife, Marie-Louise of Habsburg-Lorraine. She reigned until her death in 1847 when the Duchy of Parma was restored to the House of Bourbon-Parma. In 1859, the Duchy of Parma was abolished during the Italian unification movement. It was merged with the Kingdom of Sardinia as 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.

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Carlo III, Duke of Parma; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo III, Duke of Parma reigned for only five years and was assassinated for his authoritarian policies. Ferdinando Carlo Vittorio Giuseppe Maria Baldassarre was born on January 14, 1823, at the Villa delle Pianore (link in Italian) near Lucca in the Duchy of Lucca, now in Italy. He was the only son and the second of the two children of Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma and Maria Teresa of Savoy. Carlo’s paternal grandparents were  Ludovico of Parma (King of Etruria from 1801 – 1803) and Maria Luisa of Spain, Duchess of Lucca in her own right. His maternal grandparents were Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia and Maria Theresa of Austria-Este.

Carlo had one elder sister who died in childhood:

  • Luisa Francesca of Parma (1821 – 1823), died in early childhood

The marriage of Carlo’s parents was a mismatch. His mother Maria Teresa was very religious and a secular member of the Dominican Order. His father Carlo Ludovico lived for his own pleasure and preferred entertainment and travel over praying. Carlo spent much of the first ten years of his life accompanying his parents on their frequent trips throughout Europe. The seemingly endless travels all over Europe shattered his mother’s nervous system. In 1833, Maria Teresa stopped accompanying her husband Carlo Ludovico on his travels. Eventually, Carlo’s mother permanently left the court, surrounded herself with priests and nuns, and dedicated her life to religion. After 1840 she lived in complete religious seclusion and Carlo saw her infrequently.

Carlo’s wife Louise Marie Therese of France; Credit – Wikipedia

By 1845, Carlo’s father was in financial difficulty so he decided to marry his son to a princess with a large dowry. The chosen bride was Louise Marie Therese of France. She was the daughter of Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry and Marie Caroline of Naples and Sicily. Louise Marie Therese’s paternal grandparents were King Charles X of France (grandson of King Louis XV and brother of King Louis XVI) and Maria Theresa of Savoy. Her maternal grandparents were Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies and his first wife Maria Clementina of Austria. Carlo and Louise Marie Therese were married on November 10, 1845, at Schloss Frohsdorff in Lanzenkirchen in Austria, the home in exile of the bride’s aunt by marriage and guardian Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte, Duchess of Angoulême, the only surviving child of the guillotined King Louis XVI of France.

Louise Marie Therese and her four children in the 1860s; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo and Louise Therese Marie had four children:

In December 1847, Napoleon’s second wife Marie-Louise of Austria, reigning Duchess of Parma died. As stipulated by the 1815 Congress of Vienna, the Duchy of Parma was restored to the House of Bourbon-Parma and Carlo’s father became Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma. However, the reign of Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma was short. He was very unpopular with the citizens of Parma, and within a few months, he was ousted by a revolution. Carlo II Ludovico regained control of Parma with the help of Austrian troops but finally abdicated in favor of his son Carlo III, Duke of Parma on March 14, 1849.

The authoritarian policies of Carlo III, Duke of Parma made him unpopular. He placed Parma under martial law, inflicted heavy penalties on the members of the former provisional government, closed the university, and instituted persecution policies. Plots to remove Carlo III from power began to circulate in 1853. His personal life was also in trouble. Carlo had separated from his wife who had become obese. He began an open affair with Countess Emma Guadagni. The marriage of Carlo and Louise Marie Therese became completely irreconcilable when Carlo took his mistress on a semi-official visit to Queen Isabella II of Spain in December 1853.

Every afternoon, Carlo would take a walk on the streets of Parma accompanied only by an aide-de-camp, and Sunday, March 26, 1854, was no different. As he was returning to the palace, he stopped to speak with a person and saluted two soldiers who were passing by. Carlo was then attacked by two men from behind. One of the men knocked him down and stabbed him in the stomach with a knife. Everything happened so fast that initially, Carlo did not realize what had happened. In the confusion, the two men escaped by running in opposite directions and mixing with the crowd.

The assassination of Carlo III; Credit – http://associazione-legittimista-italica.blogspot.com/

Carlo fell to the ground in a pool of blood with the blade still in his stomach. He was carried back to the palace where he received treatment. Carlo asked the doctors if his life was in danger, and lying, the doctors assured him that it was not, and he passed out. However, in moments of consciousness, Carlo realized the seriousness of his condition. He received the last rites and was able to see his wife and children. After much suffering, which he endured bravely, thirty-one-year-old Carlo III, Duke of Parma died the following evening, March 27, 1854, at 5:30 p.m. He was buried at the Chapel of the Villa Borbone (link in Italian) in Viareggio, Italy.

Ireneo Bochi and Antonio Carra, Carlo’s murderers, escaped prosecution. They were briefly arrested but since they looked similar, witnesses were confused and deemed unreliable. Bochi and Carra did not act for political reasons but were hired killers. However, exactly who paid them remains unknown.

Louise Marie Therese, Regent of Parma with her son Roberto I, Duke of Parma; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo’s six-year-old son Roberto became Duke of Parma with his mother as regent but had a short reign. In 1859, the Duchy of Parma was abolished during the Italian unification movement. It was merged with the Kingdom of Sardinia as 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.  Carlo’s wife Louise Marie Therese of France survived him by ten years, dying on February 1, 1864, at the age of 44. Carlo’s parents lived long lives. His mother Maria Teresa of Savoy continued to live a secluded, religious life and died on July 16, 1879, aged 75. His father, the former Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma died on April 16, 1883, at the age of 83.

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

  • Almanachdegotha.org. 2021. Duchy of Parma – House of Bourbon-Parma. [online] Available at: <http://www.almanachdegotha.org/id29.html> [Accessed 11 October 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Charles III, Duke of Parma – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_III,_Duke_of_Parma> [Accessed 13 October 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/carlo-ii-ludovico-duke-of-parma/> [Accessed 13 October 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Maria Teresa of Savoy, Duchess of Parma. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/maria-teresa-of-savoy-duchess-of-parma/> [Accessed 13 October 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Carlo III di Parma – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_III_di_Parma> [Accessed 13 October 2021].
  • Louda, Jiri and MacLagan, Michael, 2002. Lines of Succession. New York: Barnes and Noble.

Maria Teresa of Savoy, Duchess of Parma

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Duchy of Parma was in today’s northwest Italy and came into existence in 1545 when Pope Paul III made his illegitimate son Pier Luigi Farnese the Duke of Parma and Piacenza, territories that previously were a part of the Papal States. The House of Farnese reigned until 1731 when the male line went extinct. The duchy passed to Felipe V, King of Spain from the Spanish House of Bourbon whose second wife Elizabeth Farnese was the Farnese heiress. Felipe V made Carlos, his only son with Elizabeth Farnese, the Duke of Parma. However, in 1738, Felipe V traded the Duchy of Parma to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine for the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily and Carlos became King of Naples and Sicily.

In 1748, the Duchy of Parma was ceded back to the Bourbons. Infante Felipe of Spain became Duke of Parma and was the founder of the House of Bourbon-Parma, a cadet branch of the Spanish House of Bourbon.  In 1796, the Duchy of Parma was occupied by French troops under Napoleon Bonaparte. It remained in French hands until the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 when the duchy was given to Napoleon’s second wife, Marie-Louise of Habsburg-Lorraine. She reigned until her death in 1847 when the Duchy of Parma was restored to the House of Bourbon-Parma. In 1859, the Duchy of Parma was abolished during the Italian unification movement. It was merged with the Kingdom of Sardinia as 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.

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Maria Teresa of Savoy, Duchess of Parma; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Teresa of Savoy was the wife of Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma. Maria Teresa Fernanda Felicitas Gaetana Pia was born on September 19, 1803, at the Palazzo Colonna in Rome, Papal States, now in Italy. She had a twin sister, Maria Anna Ricciarda Carolina Margherita Pia. The twin sisters were the fifth and sixth of the seven children and the fourth and fifth of the six daughters of Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia and Maria Theresa of Austria-Este. Maria Teresa’s paternal grandparents were Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia and Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain. Her maternal grandparents were Ferdinand Karl, Archduke of Austria-Este and Maria Beatrice d’Este, Duchess of Massa.

Vittorio Emanuele I, Maria Theresa, and their three youngest surviving daughters: twins Maria Teresa and Maria Anna and Maria Cristina; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Teresa had six siblings. Two of Maria Teresa’s sisters died in infancy and her only brother died at the age of three from smallpox. Maria Teresa and her three surviving sisters all married sovereigns. Children of Kings of Sardinia were often styled “of Savoy” as their fathers were also Dukes of Savoy from the House of Savoy

Maria Teresa spent much of her early life on the island of Sardinia. In 1796, before her birth, the French occupied Turin, the capital of the Duchy of Savoy, and forced her uncle Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy to give up all his territories on the Italian mainland. Carlo Emanuele IV and the rest of the Sardinian royal family withdrew to the island of Sardinia in 1799. When Carlo Emanuele’s beloved wife Marie Clotilde of France died from typhoid fever in 1802, the childless Carlo Emanuele IV was so upset by her death that he decided to abdicate. He left the throne of Sardinia to his brother, Maria Teresa’s father who reigned as Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia. In 1814, two-thirds of Savoy was restored to the Kingdom of Sardinia following Napoleon’s defeat, and the family was able to return to Turin.

Maria Teresa’s husband Carlo Ludovico in 1824; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1819, Maria Teresa was betrothed to the future Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma. A proxy marriage was held on August 15, 1820, at the Villa Reale in Turin with the groom being represented by Maria Teresa’s paternal uncle Carlo Felice, then the Duke of Genoa, later King of Sardinia. Soon Maria Teresa left for Viareggio, Duchy of Lucca, now in Italy. There she met Carlo Ludovico and married him at the court of his mother Maria Luisa of Spain, Duchess of Lucca in her own right. Carlo Ludovico’s father Ludovico of Parma (King of Etruria from 1801 – 1803) had died at the age of 29 in 1803.

Carlo Ludovico and Maria Teresa had two children:

The marriage was a mismatch. Maria Teresa was very religious and a secular member of the Dominican Order. Carlo Ludovico lived for his own pleasure and preferred entertainment and travel to praying. In 1824, Carlo Ludovico’s mother died and he became the reigning Duke of Lucca. However, he had no interest in reigning. He left the Duchy of Lucca in the hands of his government ministers and instead traveled around Europe. The seemingly endless travels all over Europe with her husband shattered Maria Teresa’s nervous system. In 1833, she stopped accompanying Carlo Ludovico on his travels.

Eventually, Maria Teresa left the Duchy of Lucca court, first settling at the Villa Marlia in the Duchy of Lucca and then at the Villa delle Pianore (link in Italian) also in the Duchy of Lucca, which became a favorite of future members of the House of Bourbon-Parma. Maria Teresa’s grandson Roberto I, the last Duke of Parma enlarged the villa, and his daughter Zita of Bourbon-Parma, the wife of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, was born there. Maria Teresa surrounded herself with priests and nuns and dedicated her life to religion. After 1840 she lived in complete religious seclusion.

In 1847, Carlo Ludovico ceded the Duchy of Lucca to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany for financial compensation. Two months later, in December 1847, at the death of Napoleon’s second wife Marie-Louise of Austria, Duchess of Parma, he succeeded her as the reigning Duke of Parma according to the stipulations of the 1815 Congress of Vienna. However, the reign of Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma was short. He was very unpopular with the citizens of Parma, and within a few months, he was ousted by a revolution. Carlo Ludovico regained control of Parma with the help of Austrian troops but finally abdicated in favor of his son Carlo III, Duke of Parma on March 14, 1849.

Maria Teresa’s son Carlo III, Duke of Parma, circa 1852; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Teresa’s son Carlo III, Duke of Parma reigned only five years. He was assassinated on March 27, 1854, due to his authoritarian policies. He was succeeded by his six-year-old son Roberto I, Duke of Parma with his mother Louise Marie Thérèse of France acting as regent. Roberto reigned for only five years. In 1859, the Duchy of Parma was abolished during the Italian unification movement. It was merged with the Kingdom of Sardinia as 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.

Villa Borbone; Credit – Di I, Sailko, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27517303

After the assassination of her son, Maria Teresa lived at the Villa Borbone (link in Italian) in Viareggio, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, after 1861 in the Kingdom of Italy. Here she had a chapel built as a burial place for her assassinated son Carlo III, Duke of Parma.

Tenuta Maria Teresa (Villa Maria Teresa); Credit – Di Sailko – Opera propria, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63147242

Maria Teresa’s final residence was the Tenuta Maria Teresa (Villa Maria Teresa) – link in Italian), built for her by the Italian architect by Lorenzo Nottolini in San Martino, Vignale in the hills, just north of Lucca in Italy. It is still called Tenuta Maria Teresa in her honor and is now a winery. There Maria Teresa led a very secluded life. She never left the villa and her only visitors were her confessor and the administrator of the property. The local citizens gave her the nickname “sepolta viva” (buried alive). During the last years of her life, Maria Teresa suffered from progressive atherosclerosis of the cerebral blood vessels.

Chapel of the Dominican Order at the Verano Cemetery in Rome; Credit – By Fczarnowski – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29347833

Maria Teresa of Savoy died on July 16, 1879, aged 75, at the Tenuta Villa Maria. Her funeral was held on July 23, 1879, at Saint Romano Church in Lucca, Italy. Her body, dressed in a Dominican nun’s habit, was taken by train to Rome, Italy where it was buried in the Chapel of the Dominican Order at the Verano Cemetery. Maria Teresa’s husband survived his wife by nearly three years, dying in Nice, France on April 16, 1883, at the age of 83. He was buried at the Chapel of the Villa Borbone (link in Italian) in Viareggio, Italy where his assassinated son was buried and where many subsequent members of the House of Bourbon-Parma were 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

  • Almanachdegotha.org. 2021. Duchy of Parma – House of Bourbon-Parma. [online] Available at: <http://www.almanachdegotha.org/id29.html> [Accessed 11 October 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Teresa of Savoy (1803–1879) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Teresa_of_Savoy_(1803%E2%80%931879)> [Accessed 11 October 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/carlo-ii-ludovico-duke-of-parma/> [Accessed 11 October 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/vittorio-emanuele-i-king-of-sardinia-and-duke-of-savoy/> [Accessed 11 October 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Teresa di Savoia (1803-1879) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Teresa_di_Savoia_(1803-1879)> [Accessed 11 October 2021].
  • Louda, Jiri and MacLagan, Michael, 2002. Lines of Succession. New York: Barnes and Noble.
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2021. Мария Тереза Савойская (1803—1879) — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D0%A2%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B0_%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F_(1803%E2%80%941879)> [Accessed 11 October 2021].

Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Duchy of Parma was in today’s northwest Italy and came into existence in 1545 when Pope Paul III made his illegitimate son Pier Luigi Farnese the Duke of Parma and Piacenza, territories that previously were a part of the Papal States. The House of Farnese reigned until 1731 when the male line went extinct. The duchy passed to Felipe V, King of Spain from the Spanish House of Bourbon whose second wife Elizabeth Farnese was the Farnese heiress. Felipe V made Carlos, his only son with Elizabeth Farnese, the Duke of Parma. However, in 1738, Felipe V traded the Duchy of Parma to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine for the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily and Carlos became King of Naples and Sicily.

In 1748, the Duchy of Parma was ceded back to the Bourbons. Infante Felipe of Spain became Duke of Parma and was the founder of the House of Bourbon-Parma, a cadet branch of the Spanish House of Bourbon.  In 1796, the Duchy of Parma was occupied by French troops under Napoleon Bonaparte. It remained in French hands until the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 when the duchy was given to Napoleon’s second wife, Marie-Louise of Habsburg-Lorraine. She reigned until her death in 1847 when the Duchy of Parma was restored to the House of Bourbon-Parma. In 1859, the Duchy of Parma was abolished during the Italian unification movement. It was merged with the Kingdom of Sardinia as 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.

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Carlo II, Ludovico, Duke of Parma; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo Ludovico was King of Etruria (1803 – 1807), Duke of Lucca (1824 – 1847) and Duke of Parma (1847 – 1849). Carlo Ludovico Ferdinando was born on December 22, 1799, at the Royal Palace of Madrid in Spain. He was the elder of the two children and the only son of Ludovico of Parma (King of Etruria from 1801 – 1803) and Maria Luisa of Spain, Duchess of Lucca in her own right. Carlo Ludovico’s paternal grandparents were Ferdinando, Duke of Parma and Maria Amalia of Austria. His maternal grandparents were Carlos IV, King of Spain and Maria Luisa of Austria.

Carlo Ludovico with his parents and younger sister; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo Ludovico had one younger sister:

Carlo Ludovico’s parents married in 1795 and stayed in Spain during the early years of their marriage. In 1796, the Duchy of Parma was occupied by French troops. Napoleon Bonaparte wanted to gain Spain as an ally against Great Britain, and so he proposed to compensate the Spanish House of Bourbon for their loss of the Duchy of Parma with the Kingdom of Etruria, a new state that he created from part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Carlo Ludovico’s father Ludovico was invested as King of Etruria in 1801 and the family moved to Florence, the capital of the Kingdom of Etruria.

However, Ludovico’s reign as King of Etruria did not last long. In ill health since his childhood, 29-year-old Ludovico died in 1803. He was succeeded by his three-year-old son Carlo Ludovico as King Ludovico II of Etruria, under the regency of his mother Maria Luisa. In 1807, Napoleon dissolved the Kingdom of Etruria. Carlo Ludovico, his mother, and his sister returned to Spain. Shortly after their arrival, Napoleon ordered all members of the Spanish royal family to be brought to France and placed under house arrest. Napoleon then created his brother Joseph Bonaparte King of Spain.

After the fall of Napoleon in 1814, the Duchy of Parma was not returned to the Bourbon-Parma family. Instead, the Congress of Vienna gave it to Napoleon’s second wife Marie-Louise of Austria. The Congress of Vienna compensated Maria Luisa and her son Carlo Ludovico with the smaller Duchy of Lucca, which was carved out of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. However, Maria Luisa refused this compromise for more than two years. Finally, in 1817, Maria Luisa accepted the compromise. Upon the death of Marie-Louise of Austria, the Duchy of Parma would revert to Carlo Ludovico and the House of Bourbon-Parma. Maria Luisa became Duchess of Lucca in her own right and Carlo Ludovico would succeed to the Duchy of Lucca upon her death. However, the Duchy of Lucca would be annexed to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany when the Bourbon-Parma family regained possession of the Duchy of Parma.

Maria Teresa of Savoy, wife of Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 5, 1820, Carlo Ludovico married Maria Teresa of Savoy, one of the twin daughters of King Vittorio Emanuele I of Sardinia and Maria Teresa of Austria-Este. The marriage was a mismatch. Maria Teresa was very religious and Carlo Ludovico lived for his own pleasure. The couple lived apart during most of their marriage.

Carlo Ludovico and Maria Teresa had two children:

Carlo Ludovico as Duke of Lucca in 1824; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1824, Carlo Ludovico’s mother died and he became the reigning Duke of Lucca. However, he had no interest in reigning. He left the Duchy of Lucca in the hands of his government ministers and instead traveled around Europe. In 1847, Carlo Ludovico ceded the Duchy of Lucca to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany for financial compensation. Two months later, in December 1847, at the death of Napoleon’s second wife Marie-Louise of Austria, Duchess of Parma, he succeeded her as the reigning Duke of Parma according to the stipulations of the Congress of Vienna. However, the reign of Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma was short. He was very unpopular with the citizens of Parma, and within a few months, he was ousted by a revolution. Carlo Ludovico regained control of Parma with the help of Austrian troops but finally abdicated in favor of his son Carlo III, Duke of Parma on March 14, 1849.

Carlo Ludovico, circa 1850; Credit – Wikipedia

After his abdication, Carlo Ludovico lived at Weistropp Castle (link in German), a castle he had purchased in Klipphausen, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony. He also spent time in Paris, France, and Nice, France. His only son and successor Carlo III, Duke of Parma was assassinated on March 27, 1854, due to his authoritarian policies. He was succeeded by his six-year-old son Roberto I, Duke of Parma with his mother Louise Marie Thérèse of France acting as regent. Roberto reigned for only five years. In 1859, the Duchy of Parma was abolished during the Italian unification movement. It was merged with the Kingdom of Sardinia as 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.

Chapel of the Villa Borbone in Viareggio, Italy; Credit – Di I, Sailko, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27517360

Carlo Ludovico’s wife Maria Teresa of Savoy had lived in religious seclusion. She died on July 16, 1879, aged 75, at her villa in San Martino, Vignale, Italy, and was buried in the Chapel of the Dominican Order at the Verano Cemetery in Rome, Italy. Carlo Ludovico survived his wife by nearly three years, dying in Nice, France on April 16, 1883, at the age of 83. He was buried at the burial site of the House of Bourbon-Parma, the Chapel of the Villa Borbone (link in Italian) in Viareggio, Italy. The chapel was built by Carlo Ludovico’s wife Maria Teresa in memory of their assassinated son Carlo III, Duke of Parma.

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

  • Almanachdegotha.org. 2021. Duchy of Parma – House of Bourbon-Parma. [online] Available at: <http://www.almanachdegotha.org/id29.html> [Accessed 11 October 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Charles II, Duke of Parma – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_II,_Duke_of_Parma> [Accessed 11 October 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Duchy of Parma – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchy_of_Parma> [Accessed 11 October 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Luisa, Duchess of Lucca – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Louisa,_Duchess_of_Lucca> [Accessed 11 October 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Carlo II di Parma – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_II_di_Parma> [Accessed 11 October 2021].
  • Louda, Jiri and MacLagan, Michael, 2002. Lines of Succession. New York: Barnes and Noble.

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].

Francesco V, Duke 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.

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Francesco V, Duke of Modena and Reggio; Credit – Wikipedia

Francesco V was the last Duke of Modena and Reggio. He was also the Jacobite pretender to the thrones of England and Scotland from 1840 – 1875 (see below). Francesco Ferdinando Geminiano was born on June 1, 1819, at the Ducal Palace in Modena, Duchy of Modena and Reggio, now in Italy. He was the elder of the two sons and the second of the four children of Francesco IV, Duke of Modena and Reggio and his wife and niece Maria Beatrice of Savoy. Francesco V’s paternal grandparents were Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria-Este and Maria Beatrice d’Este, Duchess of Massa and Carrara in her own right. His maternal grandparents were Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy and Maria Theresa of Austria-Este.

Francesco had three siblings:

As the senior surviving descendant of Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans, daughter of King Charles I of England and sister of James II, King of England/James VII, King of Scots, Francesco became the Jacobite pretender to the thrones of England and Scotland after the death of his mother Maria Beatrice of Savoy, Duchess of Modena and Reggio in 1840. James II had been deposed by the Glorious Revolution in 1688. The goal of the Jacobites was to restore the Roman Catholic heirs of King James II of England/VII of Scotland to the thrones of England and Scotland. However, unlike the Stuart Jacobite pretenders – James II’s son James Edward Francis Stuart and James II’s grandsons Charles Edward Stuart and Cardinal Henry Benedict Stuart – none of the later Jacobite pretenders ever claimed the title.

James II’s last legitimate Stuart descendant Cardinal Henry Benedict Stuart died in 1807. There were no surviving siblings of King James II/VII, son of King Charles I of England, or their legitimate descendants, except for the descendants of his youngest sister Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans. Henrietta married Philippe I, Duke of Orléans and they had one son who died in infancy and two daughters. Only their daughter Anne Marie d’Orléans, who married Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia, had children and so the Jacobite line of succession proceeded in the House of Savoy. See how the Jacobite succession arrived in the House of Austria-Este via Henrietta of England below.

Charles I of England → his daughter Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans → her daughter Anne Marie d’Orléans, Queen of Sardinia → her son Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia → his son Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia → his son Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia → his brother Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia → his daughter Maria Beatrice of Savoy, Duchess of Modena and Reggio → her son Francesco V, Duke of Modena and Reggio

Adelgunde of Bavaria, the wife of Francesco V; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 30, 1842, 23-year-old Francesco married 19-year-old Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria, daughter of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, 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.

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 when his father died on January 21, 1846. As Duke of Modena and Reggio, Francesco continued the conservative and autocratic policies of his father and was strongly aligned with the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. During the Revolutions of 1848, Francesco was expelled by revolutionaries and fled to Austria for a short time before he was able to return to Modena. Initially, Francesco moderated his policies, but after an assassination attempt, he returned to his conservative and autocratic policies.

The Revolutions of 1848 sowed the seeds of the Italian unification movement. King Vittorio Emanuele II of Sardinia and Giuseppe Garibaldi, a noted general and politician, led the drive toward a unified kingdom. 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.

Francesco and Adelgunde; Credit – Wikipedia

Thereafter, Francesco and his wife mostly lived at the Palais Modena in Vienna, Austria, where his second cousin once removed Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria reigned over the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Francesco also had a summer residence at Schloss Wildenwart (link in German) in the Kingdom of Bavaria, his wife’s homeland.

Exterior of the Capuchin Church in Vienna (Cloister on left, Church in middle, Imperial Crypt on right); Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Francesco V, the former Duke of Modena and Reggio, died at the age of 56, on November 20, 1875, in Vienna, Austria. He was buried in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria. Francesco left his fortune to his first cousin twice removed Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, whose assassination in 1914 was one of the causes of World War I, on the condition that he use the title Archduke of Austria-Este. Francesco’s wife Adelgunde survived him 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

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Francis V, Duke of Modena – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_V,_Duke_of_Modena> [Accessed 9 October 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Francesco IV, Duke of Modena and Reggio. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/francesco-iv-duke-of-modena-and-reggio/> [Accessed 9 October 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Maria Beatrice of Savoy, Duchess of Modena and Reggio. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/maria-beatrice-of-savoy-duchess-of-modena-and-reggio/> [Accessed 9 October 2021].
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