Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma
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| Marie Louise of Austria | ||
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| Empress of the French, sovereign Duchess of Parma |
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| Marie-Louise, Empress of the French, and the King of Rome, by François Gerard (1770-1837) | ||
| Born | 12 December 1791 | |
| Vienna, Austria | ||
| Died | 17 December 1847 | |
| Parma, Italy | ||
| Consort | March 11, 1810 - April 6, 1814 | |
| Consort to | Napoleon I Adam-Adalbert Charles-René |
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| Issue | Napoleon II, Albertine, Wilhelm Albrecht, Mathilde | |
| Royal House | Habsburg | |
| Father | Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor | |
| Mother | Maria Teresa of the Two Sicilies | |
Marie Louise of Austria (German: Maria Luisa von Österreich; French: Marie Louise d'Autriche; Italian: Maria Luisa d'Austria; b. December 12, 1791 – d. December 17, 1847), born Archduchess Maria Luisa of Austria (German: Erzherzogin Maria Luisa von Österreich), became upon marriage Empress of the French (French: impératrice Marie Louise des Français), and in 1817 became Duchess of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla (Italian: Maria Luigia, Duchessa di Parma, Piacenza, e Guastalla). She was the second wife of Napoléon Bonaparte and thus Empress of the French. She was the mother of Napoleon II, King of Rome.
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[edit] Biography
Marie Louise (who was given the Latin baptismal name of Maria Ludovica Leopoldina Francisca Theresa Josepha Lucia) was born in Vienna, the daughter of Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (Francis I of Austria) and of his second wife, Maria Theresa of the Two Sicilies.
On March 11, 1810, she married Napoléon by proxy, with a subsequent ceremony taking place in the chapel of the Louvre on 1 April 1810. The bride's father intended the marriage to strengthen links between the Austrian Empire and the First French Empire. Napoleon sought the validation and legitimation of his Empire by marrying a member of the House of Habsburg, one of the oldest ruling families of Europe. He also hoped to cement his position by fathering a legitimate heir. Napoleon had previously tried to marry Grand Duchess Anna of the House of Romanov, younger sister of Tsar Alexander I of Russia, but his proposal had been refused.
On March 20, 1811, Marie Louise (as she was known in France) gave birth to a son, Napoléon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte, styled King of Rome and later Duke of Reichstadt. Marie Louise acted as Regent from April to December 1812 during the Russian campaign and again from April 1813 to January 1814 during her husband's absence in the German campaign.
[edit] Duchess of Parma
After Napoleon's abdication in April 1814, Marie Louise and her son fled Paris to Blois, and then to Vienna. The Treaty of Paris of April 30, 1814 allowed her to retain her imperial rank and style (Her Imperial Majesty The Empress Marie Louise) and made her the ruler of the duchies of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla, with her son as heir. However, in 1815, the Congress of Vienna revised this arrangement and made her Duchess of Parma for her life only, with the details of who would become Duke of Parma after her death unspecified. In 1817 a treaty was signed which would leave the duchies to a member of the House of Bourbon. In 1844 it was determined that the duchy of Guastalla would be inherited by the Duke of Modena.
In 1821, four months after Napoleon's death, Marie Louise married morganatically her lover, Adam-Adalbert, Count of Neipperg (1775-1829). The couple had three children, the first two of whom were born before Marie Louise and Neipperg were married:
- Albertine, Countess of Montenuovo (1817-1867), married Luigi Sanvitale, Count of Fontanellato)
- Wilhelm Albrecht, Count of Montenuovo, later created Prince of Montenuovo (1819-1895), married Countess Juliana Batthyány von Németújvár)
- Mathilde, Countess of Montenuovo (born 1822)
In 1834 Marie-Louise married, morganatically, her grand chamberlain, Charles-René, Count of Bombelles (1785-1856).
By most accounts she turned out to be an able and intelligent ruler of Parma, introducing various reforms and working hard to benefit her new subjects.
Marie Louise died in 1847 at Parma.
Her first husband claimed at one point to prefer her to his first wife Joséphine de Beauharnais- whilst he had loved Joséphine, he claimed, he had not respected her, whereas with Marie-Louise, there was "Never a lie, never a debt."[1]
[edit] Titles
Marie Louise held the following styles from birth to death:
- Her Royal Highness Archduchess Maria Luisa of Austria, Princess of Hungary and Bohemia (1791-1804)
- Her Imperial and Royal Highness Archduchess Maria Luisa of Austria, Princess of Hungary and Bohemia (1804-1810)
- Her Imperial Majesty The Empress of the French (1810-1815)
- Her Imperial Majesty The Empress Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla (1815-1847)
Marie Louise also held, by marriage, the title Countess of Neipperg (1821-1834) and later Countess of Bombelles (1834-1847). She retained her imperial rank due to the 1814 Treaty of Paris.
[edit] Trivia
When Marie Louise moved to France, she brought with her a number of Austrian recipes. She developed a recipe for roquefort stuffed chopped beef that became quite popular later in restaurants.
| House of Habsburg Born: 12 December 1791 Died: 17 December 1847 |
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| Regnal Titles | ||
| Preceded by Joséphine de Beauharnais |
Empress of the French 11 March 1810–22 June 1815 |
Succeeded by Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte of France (as Queen of France and Navarre) |
| Preceded by Part of France |
Duchess of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla 1814–1847 |
Succeeded by Charles II of Parma |
[edit] References
- ^ Markham, Felix, Napoleon, p.245
[edit] External links
