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Anna Maria Josephine Plochl (6/9 January 1804 – 4 August 1885) was the
She was born and grew up in
morganatic
Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...
wife of Archduke John of Austria
Archduke John of Austria (german: Erzherzog Johann Baptist Joseph Fabian Sebastian von Österreich; 20 January 1782 – 11 May 1859), a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, was an Austrian field marshal and imperial regent (''Reichsverwese ...
. She was given the title Baroness von Brandhofen and then Countess von Meran. She and her husband were the parents of Franz, Count von Meran.
Biography
She was born and grew up in Bad Aussee
Bad Aussee (Central Bavarian: ''Bod Ossee'') is a town in the Austrian state of Styria, located at the confluence of the three sources of the Traun River in the Ausseerland region. Bad Aussee serves as the economic and cultural center of the Styri ...
as the daughter of Jakob Plochl (Gorlinzendorf-bei-Pettau
Ptuj (; german: Pettau, ; la, Poetovium/Poetovio) is a town in northeastern Slovenia that is the seat of the Municipality of Ptuj. Ptuj, the oldest recorded city in Slovenia, has been inhabited since the late Stone Age and developed from a Roman ...
, 27 May 1774 - Bad Aussee, 25 April 1822), a postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
, and wife Maria Anna Pilz (Bad Aussee, 15 May 1782 - Bad Aussee, 21 January 1821), paternal granddaughter of Jakob Plochl and wife Maria Lubschen and maternal granddaughter of Johann Pilz and wife Maria Ehrentrude Fürst.
She met Archduke John in 1819, when a coach driver could not be procured to transport the archduke back to Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
and she was disguised to look like a boy in order to fulfill the role. Archduke John, seeing through the ruse, was highly impressed by her vivaciousness and promised the girl, who disbelieved his claim to be the archduke, that he would return to see her and prove his credentials.
Archduke John not only kept his word, but he subsequently became a frequent visitor to the postmaster's residence in order to court the commoner. Fearing a scandal, she attempted to break off the relationship, but instead he declared her as his intended fiancée
An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...
.
Archduke John asked his brother, Emperor Francis, for permission to marry her, which was denied. Approval for a morganatic marriage
Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...
was granted eleven years later. They were married in 1829 at the Bad Aussee church.
Despite royal misgivings, she was given the properties of Stainz
Stainz is a municipality in the district of Deutschlandsberg in the Austrian state of Styria. A notable building there is Schloss Stainz, a former monastery complex that belongs to the Counts of Meran and hosts collections from the Universalmuseum ...
and Brandhof and the title Baroness von Brandhofen after the marriage, and she was elevated to the higher title of Countess von Meran
Merano (, , ) or Meran () is a city and ''comune'' in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located within a basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to above sea level, at the entrance to the Passeier ...
in 1850. However, the great disparity in social rank caused a rift between Archduke John and his family, to the point that the couple was refused entry to court.
Her positive attributes were such that she eventually earned a grudging respect within court circles. Within general society circles, she was held in much higher regard, having been described as a society "queen".
They had one son, Franz, Count of Meran
Franz Ludwig Johann Baptist Count von Meran, Baron von Brandhofen (11 March 1839 in Vienna – 27 March 1891 in Opatija) was an Austrian nobleman and Viennese courtier.
Family
Franz was the only child of the morganatic marriage between Archd ...
.
A 1929 film entitled ''Archduke John
Archduke John of Austria (german: Erzherzog Johann Baptist Joseph Fabian Sebastian von Österreich; 20 January 1782 – 11 May 1859), a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, was an Austrian field marshal and imperial regent (''Reichsverwese ...
'' and a 1950 film entitled ''Erzherzog Johanns große Liebe'' are about the romance between her and Archduke John. A number of her portraits are found in the Kammerhof museum in Bad Aussee.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plochl, Anna 1804 births 1885 deaths People from Bad Aussee Countesses Morganatic spouses