by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2013
Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, Credit – Wikipedia
Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily was born at the Royal Palace of Portici in Naples, Kingdom of Naples and Sicily, now in Italy, on June 6, 1772, the eldest child of King Ferdinando IV & III of Naples and Sicily (later King Ferdinando I of the Two Sicilies) and Archduchess Marie Caroline of Austria. She was named after her maternal grandmother Maria Theresa of Austria and was a niece of Queen Marie Antoinette of France.
Maria Theresa had sixteen siblings, but only six survived childhood. Eight of her siblings died from smallpox.
- Luisa (1773 – 1802), married her first cousin Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, had issue
- Carlo (1775 – 1778), died young of smallpox.
- Maria Anna (1775 – 1780), died young of smallpox
- Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies (1777- 1830), married (1) his cousin Archduchess Maria Clementina of Austria, had issue; married (2) another cousin Infanta Maria Isabella of Spain, had issue; was from 1825 to 1830
- Maria Cristina (1779 – 1849), married Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia, no children
- Maria Cristina Amelia (1779 – 1783), twin of the above; died young of smallpox
- Gennaro (1780 – 1789), died young of smallpox
- Giuseppe (1781 – 1783), died young of smallpox
- Maria Amalia (1782 – 1866), married Louis Philippe d’Orléans, Duke of Orléans, later King of France; had issue; died in exile in England
- Maria Cristina (born and died July 19, 1783)
- Maria Antonietta (1784 – 1806), married her cousin Infante Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias, died from tuberculosis, had no issue
- Maria Clotilde (1786 – 1792), died young of smallpox
- Maria Enricheta (1787 – 1792), died young of smallpox
- Carlo (1788 – 1789), died of smallpox
- Leopoldo (1790 – 1851), married his cousin Archduchess Clementina of Austria, had issue
- Alberto (1792 – 1798 ), died young
- Maria Isabella (1793 – 1801), died young
The Royal Family of Naples by Angelica Kauffman; Credit – Wikipedia
On September 15, 1790, at the age of 18, Maria Theresa married her double first cousin Archduke Franz of Austria. Franz and Maria Theresa had the same four grandparents: Franz I, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia; and Carlos III of Spain and Maria Amalia of Saxony.
This was Franz’s second marriage and the only one of his four marriages that resulted in surviving children. Seven of their twelve children survived to adulthood. Among the children of Franz and Maria Theresa were: Marie-Louise, the second wife of Napoleon Bonaparte; Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria and Maria Leopoldina, the wife of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil. The marriage lasted nearly seventeen years and was said to be very happy. Maria Theresa enjoyed participating in social events such as balls and masquerades, even during her twelve pregnancies. She loved music and was an important patron of Viennese music.
Franz and Maria Theresa’s children:
- Archduchess Marie-Louise (1791 – 1847), married (1) Napoleon Bonaparte; had issue (2) Adam Albert, Count von Neipperg; had issue (3) Charles, Count of Bombelle, no issue
- Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria (1793 – 1875), married Maria Anna of Savoy; no issue
- Archduchess Marie Caroline (1794 – 1795), died in childhood
- Archduchess Caroline Ludovika (1795 – 1797), died in childhood
- Archduchess Maria Leopoldina (1797 – 1826), married Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil, had issue
- Archduchess Maria Clementina (1798 – 1881), married her maternal uncle Leopold, Prince of Salerno, had issue
- Archduke Joseph Franz Leopold (1799 – 1807), died in childhood, no issue
- Archduchess Marie Caroline (1801 – 1832), married Crown Prince (later King) Friedrich Augustus II of Saxony, no issue
- Archduke Franz Karl (1802 – 1878), married Princess Sophie of Bavaria; had issue including Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico
- Archduchess Maria Anna (1804 – 1858), unmarried, intellectually disabled like her eldest brother, Emperor Ferdinand I
- Archduke Johann Nepomuk (1805 – 1809), died in childhood
- Archduchess Amalie Theresa (born and died 1807), died in childhood
Franz, Maria Theresa, and their children; Credit – Wikipedia
Franz became Holy Roman Emperor at age 24 in 1792 after the two-year reign of his father Leopold. Holy Roman Emperor Franz II feared that Napoleon could take over his personal Habsburg lands within the Holy Roman Empire, so in 1804 he proclaimed himself Emperor Franz I of Austria. Two years later, after Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of Austerlitz, the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved. Lands held by the Holy Roman Emperor were given to Napoleon’s allies creating the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Kingdom of Württemberg, and the Grand Duchy of Baden. Therefore, Maria Theresa was the last Holy Roman Empress and the first Empress of Austria.
While pregnant with her twelfth child, Maria Theresa fell ill with the lung infection pleurisy. Her doctor bled her and this caused premature labor. Maria Theresa gave birth to her twelfth child who lived only three days. On April 13, 1807, a week after giving birth, Maria Theresa died at the age of 34. Franz was inconsolable and had to be forcibly removed from his wife’s body. Maria Theresa was buried in the Imperial Crypt in the Franzensgruft (Franz’s Vault) where her husband and his three other wives are also buried. The infant Archduchess Amalia Theresa was buried in the Imperial Crypt in the northeast pier of the Ferdinandsgruft (Ferdinand’s Vault).
Tomb of Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer
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