Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria (1780–1798)

Archduchess Maria Amalia
Archduchess Maria Amalia, circa 1795
Born17 October 1780
Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany
Died25 December 1798 (aged 18)
Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, Holy Roman Empire
Burial
Names
Maria Amalia Josephe Johanna Katharina Theresia
HouseHabsburg-Lorraine
FatherLeopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
MotherInfanta Maria Luisa of Spain

Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria (Maria Amalia Josephe Johanna Katharina Theresia; 15 October 1780 – 25 December 1798) was an Archduchess of Austria by birth.

Biography

Maria Amalia with her family, circa 1784-1785

Maria Amalia was a daughter of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (1747–1792) and his wife Maria Luisa of Spain (1745–1792). Maria Amalia was born in Florence, the then-capital of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, where her father reigned as Grand Duke from 1765 to 1790. Her father was a son of Empress Maria Theresa and her mother a daughter of Charles III of Spain. Her godparents were her mother's first cousin, Ferdinand, Duke of Parma, and his wife, Maria Amalia, her father's sister.

She had a happy childhood surrounded by her many siblings. As her siblings, Maria Amalia was given a somewhat different upbringing than was usual for royal children at the time: they were actually raised by their parents rather than a retinue of servants, were largely kept apart from any ceremonial court life and were taught to live simply, naturally and modestly.[1] In 1790, her father became emperor and the family moved to Vienna. She died unmarried at the age of only 18 years in Vienna.

Ancestors

References

  1. ^ Justin C. Vovk: In Destiny's Hands: Five Tragic Rulers, Children of Maria Theresa (2010)
  2. ^ Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. p. 109.