by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2017
Maria Ana of Portugal, Princess Georg of Saxony ;source: Wikipedia
Infanta Maria Ana of Portugal was the wife of the future King Georg of Saxony but she died before he became King of Saxony. She was born Infanta Maria Ana Fernanda Leopoldina Micaela Rafaela Gabriela Carlota Antónia Júlia Vitória Praxedes Francisca de Assis Gonzaga in Lisbon, Portugal on August 21, 1843, the daughter of Queen Maria II of Portugal and Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She had ten siblings:
- King Pedro V of Portugal (1837 – 1861) – married Princess Stephanie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, no issue
- King Luís of Portugal (1838 – 1889) – married Princess Maria Pia of Savoy, had issue
- Infanta Maria (1840) – stillborn
- Infante João, Duke of Beja (1842 – 1861) – unmarried
- Infanta Antónia (1845 – 1913) – married Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern, had issue (including King Ferdinand of Romania)
- Infante Fernando (1846 – 1861) – died as a teen
- Infante Augusto, Duke of Coimbra (1847 – 1889) – unmarried
- Infante Leopoldo (1849) – stillborn
- Infanta Maria de Glória (born and died 1851) – died just after birth
- Infante Eugénio (born and died 1853) – died just after birth
Maria Ana, c1856. source: Wikipedia
Maria Ana was just ten years old when her mother died, and her elder brother Pedro became King of Portugal. Despite her young age, she served as the leading lady of the Portuguese court until Pedro married Stephanie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen in 1858.
The following year, on May 11, 1859, Maria Ana married Prince Georg of Saxony at Belém Palace in Lisbon, Portugal. He was the son of King Johann of Saxony and Princess Amalie Auguste of Bavaria, and at the time was second in the line to the Saxon throne, behind his older brother Albert. The couple had eight children:
- Marie Johanna (1860 – 1861) – died in childhood
- Elisabeth Albertine (1862 – 1863) – died in childhood
- Mathilde Marie (1863 – 1933) – unmarried
- King Friedrich August III of Saxony (1865 – 1932) – married Archduchess Luise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, had issue
- Maria Josepha (1867-1944) – married Archduke Otto Franz of Austria, had issue including Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria
- Johann Georg (1869 – 1938) – married (1) Duchess Maria Isabella of Württemberg, no issue; (2) Princess Maria Immaculata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, no issue
- Maximilian Wilhelm (1870 – 1951) – unmarried
- Albert Karl (1875 – 1900) – unmarried
Prince Georg of Saxony, c1860. source: Wikipedia
Despite their large family, the marriage proved to be an unhappy one. Georg made little effort to support his wife in her new country and failed to live up to her expectations. Very pious and preferring private life to that of the court, Maria Ana’s primary focus was raising her family, and supporting several religious and social organizations.
Maria Ana died in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now Saxony, Germany, on February 5, 1884, after several months of caring for her youngest son Albert, who had been in poor health for some time. She is buried in the Wettin Crypt at the Dresden Cathedral, formerly known as the Katholische Hofkirche (Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony). She was survived by six of her children, and her husband who remained unmarried for the rest of his life. Eighteen years after Maria Ana’s death, Georg became King of Saxony, reigning just two years. Her eldest son then became King Friedrich August III, the last King of Saxony.
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