by Emily McMahon and Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2013
Marie of Prussia, Queen of Bavaria, Credit – Wikipedia
Princess Marie of Prussia (Marie Friederike Franziska Hedwig) was the wife of King Maximilian II of Bavaria who reigned from 1848 until he died in 1864. Born at the Berlin City Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany, on October 15, 1825, she was the youngest child of Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, a son of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia and Friederike Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt, Queen of Prussia.
Marie had seven siblings but only three survived to adulthood:
- Princess Friederike of Prussia (born and died 1805), died in infancy
- Princess Irene (died at birth 1806)
- Unnamed son (died at birth 1809)
- Prince Tassilo of Prussia (1811 – 1813), died in early childhood
- Prince Adalbert of Prussia (1811 – 1873), married morganatically Therese Elssler and had issue
- Prince Tassilo of Prussia (1813 – 1814) died in infancy.
- Princess Elisabeth of Prussia (1815 – 1885), married Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine and had issue
- Prince Waldemar of Prussia (1817 – 1849), unmarried
Marie was raised primarily at Schloss Fischbach in Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Poland, one of the many properties of the Prussian Royal Family. At one point, she was named as a potential bride for the future Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, but his reputation caused her parents to look elsewhere for an appropriate spouse.
Marie with her husband and sons. source: Wikipedia
On January 23, 1842, Marie became engaged to the future King Maximilian II of Bavaria. He was the son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The couple married in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria, on October 12, 1842, just three days before Marie turned seventeen. They had two sons:
- King Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845 – 1886) – unmarried
- King Otto I of Bavaria (1848 – 1916) – unmarried
Like her two predecessors, Caroline of Baden and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, Marie did not convert to Catholicism upon marriage, choosing to retain her Lutheran faith. The marriage was a peaceful one, although the two shared few interests. Maximilian’s interests were primarily academic, whereas Marie had a great love of charity work and being among the Bavarian people. Marie’s kind and open personality endeared her to the Bavarians, with whom she was quite popular. Marie led the resurgence of the Bavarian Women’s Association, which later evolved into the Red Cross.
Marie as Crown Princess, c1843. source: Wikipedia
In March 1864, King Maximilian II died and the couple’s elder son took the throne as King Ludwig II. Both of Marie’s sons were thought to have suffered from mental illness that severely hampered their abilities to rule Bavaria. Marie was said to have taken the reality of this situation remarkably well, believing it to be God’s will. A deeply religious woman, Marie later converted to Catholicism on October 12, 1874, on what would have been her 32nd wedding anniversary.
Marie lived in relative seclusion, splitting her time between her country home in Elbigenalp and Hohenschwangau Castle in Füssen, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. In 1883, her elder son, King Ludwig II, was deemed incompetent, and Marie’s brother-in-law, Prince Luitpold of Bavaria, was appointed Prince Regent. Days later, King Ludwig II was found dead, and Marie’s younger son became King Otto I, also under the Regency of Prince Luitpold.
Queen Marie died at Hohenschwangau Castle on May 17, 1889. She was buried with her husband in a side chapel at the Theatinerkirche in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany. Her heart is entombed at the Shrine of Our Lady of Altötting.
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