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Marie Louise (12 December 1791 – 17 December 1847) was an Austrian archduchess who reigned as
Duchess of Parma Duchess consort of Parma House of Farnese, 1545–1731 House of Bourbon-Anjou, 1731–1735 :None House of Habsburg, 1735–1748 House of Bourbon-Parma, 1748–1802 House of Habsburg-Lorraine, 1814–1847 House of Bourbon-Parma ...
from 11 April 1814 until her death. She was
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
's second wife and as such Empress of the French and Queen of Italy from their marriage on 1 April 1810 until his abdication on 6 April 1814. As the eldest child of
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor Francis II (german: Franz II.; 12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor (from 1792 to 1806) and the founder and Emperor of the Austrian Empire, from 1804 to 1835. He assumed the title of Emperor of Austria in response ...
and Emperor of Austria, and his second wife, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, Marie Louise grew up during a period of continuous conflict between
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and revolutionary France. A series of military defeats at the hands of
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
had inflicted a heavy human toll on Austria and led Francis to dissolve the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...
. The end of the War of the Fifth Coalition resulted in the marriage of Napoleon and Marie Louise in 1810, which ushered in a brief period of peace and friendship between Austria and the French Empire. Marie Louise agreed to the marriage despite being raised to despise France. She was adored by Napoleon, who had been eager to marry a member of one of Europe's leading royal houses to cement his relatively young Empire. With Napoleon, she bore a son, styled the King of Rome at birth, later Duke of Reichstadt, who briefly succeeded him as Napoleon II. Napoleon's fortunes changed dramatically in 1812 after his failed invasion of Russia. The European powers, including Austria, resumed hostilities towards France in the War of the Sixth Coalition, which ended with the abdication of Napoleon and his exile to Elba. The 1814 Treaty of Fontainebleau gave the Duchies of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla to Marie Louise, who ruled the duchies until her death. Marie Louise married
morganatically 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 spou ...
twice after Napoleon's death in 1821. Her second husband was Count Adam Albert von Neipperg (married 1821), an equerry she met in 1814. She and Neipperg had three children. After Neipperg's death in 1829, she married Count Charles-René de Bombelles, her chamberlain, in 1834. Marie Louise died in Parma in 1847.


Early life

Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria (who was given the Latin baptismal name of ''Maria Ludovica Leopoldina Francisca Theresa Josepha Lucia'') was born at the Hofburg Palace in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
on 12 December 1791 to Archduke Francis of Austria and his second wife, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily.de Saint-Amand, p. 1 She was named after her grandmother, Marie Louise, Holy Roman Empress. Her father became
Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
a year later as Francis II. Marie Louise was a great-granddaughter of Empress Maria Theresa through both her parents, as they were first cousins. She was also a maternal granddaughter of Queen Maria Carolina of Naples,
Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...
's favorite sister. Marie Louise's formative years were during a period of conflict between France and her family. She was brought up to detest France and French ideas.de Saint-Amand, p. 2 Her upbringing was supervised by her French imperial governess Victoire de Folliot de Crenneville. Marie Louise was influenced by her grandmother Maria Carolina, who despised the
French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
which ultimately caused the death of her sister, Marie Antoinette. Maria Carolina's
Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...
had also come into direct conflict with French forces led by
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
. The
War of the Third Coalition The War of the Third Coalition) * In French historiography, it is known as the Austrian campaign of 1805 (french: Campagne d'Autriche de 1805) or the German campaign of 1805 (french: Campagne d'Allemagne de 1805) was a European conflict spanni ...
brought Austria to the brink of ruin, which increased Marie Louise's resentment towards Napoleon.de Saint-Amand, p. 3 The Imperial family was forced to flee Vienna in 1805. Marie Louise took refuge in
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...
and later
Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...
before returning to Vienna in 1806.de Saint-Amand, p. 4 Her father relinquished the title of Holy Roman Emperor but remained Emperor of Austria. To make her more marriageable, her parents had her tutored in many languages. In addition to her native
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
, she became fluent in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
,
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, Italian,
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
, and Spanish. In 1807, when Marie Louise was 15, her mother died after suffering a miscarriage. Less than a year later, Emperor Francis married his first cousin Maria Ludovika Beatrix of Austria-Este, who was four years older than Marie Louise. Nonetheless, Maria Ludovika Beatrix took on a maternal role towards her stepdaughter.de Saint-Amand, p. 5 She was also bitter towards the French, who had deprived her father of the Duchy of Modena.de Saint-Amand, p. 6 Another war broke out between France and Austria in 1809, which resulted in defeat for the Austrians again. The Imperial family had to flee Vienna again before the city surrendered on 12 May.de Saint-Amand, p. 8 Their journey was hampered by bad weather, and they arrived in Buda "wet through, and nearly worn out with fatigue".


Marriage proposal

After escaping an assassination attempt in Vienna while negotiating the Treaty of Schönbrunn on 12 October 1809,
Emperor Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
decided that he needed an heir to cement his relatively young Empire.de Saint-Amand, p. 10 He also sought the validation and legitimization of his Empire by marrying a member of one of the leading royal families of Europe. He began proceedings to divorce
Joséphine de Beauharnais Josephine may refer to: People * Josephine (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Josephine (singer), a Greek pop singer Places *Josephine, Texas, United States * Mount Josephine (disambiguation) * Josephine Co ...
, who did not bear him a son, and began searching for a new empress. His wish to marry Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia, the youngest sister of Tsar Alexander I of Russia, caused alarm in Austria, who were afraid of being sandwiched between two great powers allied with each other.de Saint-Amand, p. 12 At the persuasion of Prince Metternich, a marriage between Napoleon and Marie Louise was suggested by Emperor Francis to the Count of Narbonnede Saint-Amand, p. 15 but no official overture was made by the Austrians.de Saint-Amand, p. 18 Though officials in Paris and Austria were beginning to accept the possibility of the union, Marie Louise was kept uninformed of developments.de Saint-Amand, p. 20 Frustrated by the Russians delaying the marriage negotiations, Napoleon rescinded his proposal in late January 1810 and began negotiations to marry Marie Louise with the Austrian ambassador, the Prince of Schwarzenberg.de Saint-Amand, p. 21 Schwarzenberg signed the marriage contract on 7 February.de Saint-Amand, p. 22 Marie Louise was informed of the marriage by Metternich.de Saint-Amand, p. 24 When asked for consent, she replied: "I wish only what my duty commands me to wish."


Wedding

Marie Louise was married by proxy to Napoleon on 11 March 1810 at the Augustinian Church, Vienna.de Saint-Amand, p. 40 Napoleon was represented by Archduke Charles, the bride's uncle.de Saint-Amand, p. 38 According to the French ambassador, the marriage "was celebrated with a magnificence that it would be hard to surpass, by the side of which even the brilliant festivities that have preceded it are not to be mentioned".de Saint-Amand, p. 42 She became Empress of the French and Queen of Italy. Marie Louise departed Vienna on 13 March,de Saint-Amand, p. 44 probably expecting never to return.de Saint-Amand, p. 47 Upon arriving in France she was placed in the custody of Napoleon's sister, who had her put through a symbolic old ritual. Tradition dictated that a royal bride coming to France must keep nothing of her homeland, especially her clothes. Accordingly, Marie Louise was stripped of her dress, corset, stockings, and chemise, leaving her completely naked. Napoleon's sister then made the nude teenager take a bath. She was then redressed in French bridal clothes.
Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...
had been put through a similar ritual when she arrived in France in 1770. She met Napoleon for the first time on 27 March in
Compiègne Compiègne (; pcd, Compiène) is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. It is located on the river Oise. Its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois''. Administration Compiègne is the seat of two cantons: * Compiègne-1 (with ...
,de Saint-Amand, p. 60 remarking to him: "You are much better-looking than your portrait." The civil wedding was held at the Saint Joseph's Church on 1 April 1810.de Saint-Amand, p. 63 The next day, Napoleon and Marie Louise made the journey to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
in the coronation coach.de Saint-Amand, p. 68 The
Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the Emperor or Empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial forces, i ...
cavalry led the procession, followed by the herald-at-arms and then the carriages. The Marshals of France rode on each side, near the doors of the carriages. The procession arrived at the
Tuileries Palace The Tuileries Palace (french: Palais des Tuileries, ) was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine, directly in front of the Louvre. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, f ...
,de Saint-Amand, p. 70 and the Imperial couple made their way to the Salon Carré chapel (in the
Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the '' Venus de Milo''. A central ...
) for the religious wedding ceremony. The ceremony was conducted by Cardinal
Joseph Fesch Joseph Fesch, Prince of France (3 January 1763 – 13 May 1839) was a French priest and diplomat, who was the maternal half-uncle of Napoleon Bonaparte (half-brother of Napoleon's mother Laetitia). In the wake of his nephew, he became Archbishop ...
, Grand Almoner of France and Napoleon's uncle.de Saint-Amand, p. 71 A Bridal March was composed for the occasion by
Ferdinando Paer Ferdinando Paer (1 July 1771 – 3 May 1839) was an Italian composer known for his operas. He was of Austrian descent and used the German spelling Pär in application for printing in Venice, and later in France the spelling Paër. Life and career ...
. Elaborate celebrations continued to be held in May and June 1810. These included a ball, a masque, a sea-battle on the Seine, and a display of fireworks created by Claude-Fortuné Ruggieri, for 4,000 people. By this marriage, Napoleon became the great-nephew-in-law of
Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...
and
Marie-Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child ...
.


Marriage to Napoleon


Life as Empress

Marie Louise was an obedient wife and settled in quickly in the French court.de Saint-Amand, p. 76 She developed a close friendship with her ''
Première dame d'honneur ''Première dame d'honneur'' ('first lady of honour'), or simply ''dame d'honneur'' ('lady of honour'), was an office at the royal court of France. It existed in nearly all French courts from the 16th-century onward. Though the tasks of the post ...
'', the Duchess of Montebello, while most of the daily affairs were handled by her ''
Dame d'atour ''Dame d'atour'' was an office at the royal court of France. It existed in nearly all French courts from the 16th-century onward. The ''dame d'honneur'' was selected from the members of the highest French nobility. History At least from the Isa ...
'' Jeanne Charlotte du Luçay. Napoleon initially remarked that he had "married a womb" to an aide, but their relationship soon grew. He "spared no pains" to please her and claimed at one point to prefer Marie Louise to his first wife Joséphine;de Saint-Amand, p. 80 while he had loved Joséphine, and though he claimed Joséphine remained his greatest friend even after their amicable divorce, he had not respected her, whereas with Marie Louise, there was "Never a lie, never a debt" — presumably a reference to Joséphine's rumoured
extramarital affairs An affair is a sexual relationship, romantic friendship, or passionate attachment in which at least one of its participants has a formal or informal commitment to a third person who may neither agree to such relationship nor even be aware of ...
and reputation as a spendthrift. Marie Louise wrote to her father: "I assure you, dear papa, that people have done great injustice to the Emperor. The better one knows him, the better one appreciates and loves him."de Saint-Amand, p. 94 However, the marriage was not without tension; Napoleon sometimes remarked to aides that Marie Louise was too shy and timid, compared to the outgoing and passionate Josephine, with whom he remained in close contact, upsetting Marie Louise. The excitement surrounding the wedding ushered in a period of peace and friendship between France and Austria, who had been largely at war for the last two decades. The people of Vienna, who hated Napoleon only months before, were suddenly in full praise of the French Emperor.de Saint-Amand, p. 39 Flattering letters were sent between Napoleon and Emperor Francis, Empress Maria Ludovika Beatrix and Archduke Charles during the wedding festivities.de Saint-Amand, p. 61 During public occasions, Marie Louise spoke little due to reserve and timidity, which some observers mistook for haughtiness.de Saint-Amand, p. 128 She was regarded as a virtuous woman and never interfered in politics.de Saint-Amand, p. 130de Saint-Amand, p. 129 Privately, she was polite and gentle.de Saint-Amand, p. 140 Napoleon arranged for Marie Louise to participate in some carefully selected charity assignments, most notably the Société de Charité Maternelle, for which he made her Honorary President.


Birth of first child

Marie Louise became pregnant by July 1810 and gave birth to a son on 20 March 1811.de Saint-Amand, p. 95de Saint-Amand, p. 98 The boy,
Napoléon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte , house = Bonaparte , father = Napoleon I, Emperor of the French , mother = Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma , birth_date = , birth_place = Tuileries Palace, Paris, French Empire ...
, was given the title ''King of Rome'', in accordance with the practice where the heir apparent to the Holy Roman Empire was called the King of the Romans. Napoleon was delighted that his wife survived the ordeal and said: "I had rather never have any more children than see her suffer so much again." Marie Louise was devoted to her son; she had him brought to her every morning and visited him in his apartment in the course of the day.de Saint-Amand, p. 141


Resumption of war

In May 1812, a month before the French invasion of Russia, Marie Louise accompanied Napoleon to
Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...
, where she met her father and stepmother.de Saint-Amand, p. 145 Emperor Francis told Napoleon he could count on Austria for the "triumph of the common cause", a reference to the impending war. A minor rivalry began to develop between Marie Louise and the Empress of Austria, who was jealous at being upstaged in appearance by her stepdaughter.de Saint-Amand, p. 148 It was also in Dresden where she met Count Adam Albert von Neipperg for the first time.de Saint-Amand, p. 154 Napoleon left Dresden on 29 May to take charge of his army.de Saint-Amand, p. 155 Marie Louise then travelled to
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
, where she spent a few weeks with the Austrian Imperial family, before returning to Saint Cloud on 18 July.de Saint-Amand, p. 159 She kept in touch with Napoleon throughout the war. The invasion of Russia ended disastrously for France. More than half of the '' Grande Armée'' was destroyed by the Russian Winter and guerrilla attacks. After the failed Malet coup of October 1812, Napoleon hastened his return to France and reunited with his wife on the night of 18 December.


Collapse of the Empire

The weakened French position triggered the Sixth Coalition.
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
and the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
joined Russia in declaring war on France, but Austria stayed out due to relations between the Imperial families. On 30 March, Marie Louise was appointed Regent as Napoleon set off for battle in Germany. The regency was only ''de jure'', as all decisions were still taken by Napoleon and implemented by his most senior officials, including Lebrun,
Joseph Bonaparte it, Giuseppe-Napoleone Buonaparte es, José Napoleón Bonaparte , house = Bonaparte , father = Carlo Buonaparte , mother = Letizia Ramolino , birth_date = 7 January 1768 , birth_place = Corte, Corsica, Republic ...
, Talleyrand and Savary. Marie Louise tried unsuccessfully to get her father to ally with France. Austria too joined the opposition to France. She maintained a correspondence with Napoleon, informing him of increasing demands for peace in Paris and the provinces. Napoleon was decisively defeated in
Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
on 19 October and returned to Saint Cloud on 9 November. On 23 January 1814, Marie Louise was appointed Regent for the second time.Durand, p. 124 On 25 January, at 03:00 in the morning, Napoleon embraced Marie Louise and his son for the last time. He left to lead a hastily formed army to stave off the Allied invasion from the north. As the Allies neared Paris, Marie Louise was reluctant to leave. She felt that as the daughter of the sovereign of Austria, one of the allied members, she would be treated with respect by Allied forces, with the possibility of her son succeeding the throne should Napoleon be deposed.Durand, p. 128 She was also afraid that her departure would strengthen the royalist supporters of the
Bourbons The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spani ...
. Marie Louise was finally persuaded to leave by Henri Clarke, who received the order from Napoleon: "I would prefer to know that they he Empress and the King of Romeare both at the bottom of the Seine rather than in the hands of the foreigners."Durand, p. 129 On 29 March, the court left Paris. The Allies entered the city the following day. Marie Louise and the court moved to Blois, which was safe from the Allies. She did not expect her father to dethrone Napoleon and deprive her son of the crown of France. On 3 April, the Senate, at the instigation of Talleyrand, announced the deposition of the Emperor. Marie Louise was unaware of this until 7 April, and was astonished to discover the turn of events.Durand, p. 138 She wanted to return to Paris, but was dissuaded from doing so by physician Jean-Nicolas Corvisart and the Duchess of Montebello.


Exile of Napoleon

Napoleon abdicated the throne on 11 April 1814 in Fontainebleau. The Treaty of Fontainebleau exiled him to Elba, allowed Marie Louise to retain her imperial rank and style and made her ruler of the duchies of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla, with her son as heir. This arrangement was later revised at the
Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon ...
.de Saint-Amand, p. x Marie Louise was strongly dissuaded from rejoining her husband by her advisors, who fed her accounts that Napoleon was distraught with grief over the death of Joséphine. On 16 April, her father arrived at Blois to meet her. At the advice of Emperor Francis, Marie Louise departed Rambouillet with her son for Vienna on 23 April. At Vienna, she stayed at Schönbrunn, where she received frequent visits from her sisters, but rarely from her father and stepmother. She met her grandmother, Maria Carolina, who disapproved of her deserting her husband. Distressed at being seen as a heartless wife and indifferent mother, she wrote on 9 August 1814: "I am in a very unhappy and critical position; I must be very prudent in my conduct. There are moments when that thought so distracts me that I think that the best thing I could do would be to die."


Congress of Vienna and relationship with Neipperg

In the summer of 1814, Emperor Francis sent Count
Adam Albert von Neipperg Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as ...
to accompany Marie Louise to the spa town of
Aix-les-Bains Aix-les-Bains (, ; frp, Èx-los-Bens; la, Aquae Gratianae), locally simply Aix, is a commune in the southeastern French department of Savoie.
to prevent her from joining Napoleon on Elba.LasagnaHerman, p. 236 Neipperg was a confidant of Metternich and an enemy of Napoleon. Marie Louise fell in love with Neipperg. They became lovers. He became her chamberlain, and her advocate at the
Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon ...
. News of the relationship was not received well by the French and the Austrian public. When Napoleon escaped in March 1815 and reinstated his rule, the Allies once again declared war. Marie Louise was asked by her stepmother to join in the processions to pray for the success of the Austrian armies but rejected the insulting invitation.de Saint-Amand, p. ix She passed a message to Napoleon's private secretary, Claude François de Méneval, who was about to return to France: "I hope he will understand the misery of my position ... I shall never assent to a divorce, but I flatter myself that he will not oppose an amicable separation, and that he will not bear any ill feeling towards me ... This separation has become imperative; it will in no way affect the feelings of esteem and gratitude that I preserve." Napoleon was defeated for the last time at the
Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armies of the Sevent ...
and was exiled to Saint Helena from October 1815. Napoleon made no further attempt to contact her personally. The Congress of Vienna recognised Marie Louise as ruler of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla, but prevented her from bringing her son to Italy. It also made her Duchess of Parma for her life only, as the Allies did not want a descendant of Napoleon to have a hereditary claim over Parma. After her death, the duchy was to revert to the Bourbons.


Duchess of Parma

Marie Louise departed for Parma on 7 March 1816, accompanied by Neipperg. She entered the duchy on 18 April. She wrote to her father: "People welcomed me with such enthusiasm that I had tears in my eyes."Herre, p. 233–234 She largely left the running of day-to-day affairs to Neipperg, who received instructions from Metternich. In December 1816, Marie Louise removed the incumbent Grand Chamberlain (prime minister) and installed Neipperg. She and Neipperg had four children: * Albertine, Countess of Montenuovo (1817–1867), married Luigi Sanvitale, Count of Fontanellato * William Albert, Count of Montenuovo, later created Prince of Montenuovo (1819–1895), married Countess Juliana Batthyány von Németújvár * Napoleon died on 5 May 1821. On 8 August, Marie Louise married Neipperg
morganatically 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 spou ...
. Neipperg died of heart problems on 22 February 1829, devastating Marie Louise.Herre, p. 260–263 She was banned by Austria from mourning in public. To replace Neipperg, Austria appointed Josef von Werklein as Grand Chamberlain. Marie Louise's son by Napoleon, then known as "Franz", was given the title ''Duke of Reichstadt'' in 1818. Franz lived at the Austrian court, where he was shown great affection by his grandfather, but was constantly undermined by Austrian ministers and nationalists, who did their best to sideline him to become an irrelevance. There were fears that he might be smuggled over to France to regain the throne, as he could be easily disguised as a girl. Franz grew resentful at his Austrian relatives and his mother for their lack of support, and began identifying as Napoleon II and surrounding himself with French courtiers. The relationship with his mother broke down to such an extent that he once remarked "If Josephine had been my mother, my father would not have been buried at Saint Helena, and I should not be at Vienna. My mother is kind but weak; she was not the wife my father deserved; Josephine was." However, before anything could become of Napoleon II, he died at the age of 21 in Vienna in 1832, after suffering from
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...
. 1831 saw the outbreak of the Carbonari-led uprisings in Italy. In Parma, protesters gathered in the streets to denounce Grand Chamberlain Werklein.Herre, 279–280 Marie Louise did not know what to do and wanted to leave the city, but was prevented from doing so by the protesters, who saw her as someone who would listen to their demands. She managed to leave Parma between 14 and 15 February, and the rebels formed a provisional government, led by Count Filippo Luigi Linati. At Piacenza, she wrote to her father, asking him to replace Werklein. Francis sent in Austrian troops, which crushed the rebellion. To avoid further turmoil, Marie Louise granted amnesty to the dissidents on 29 September. To replace Werklein, in 1833 Metternich sent Charles-René de Bombelles, a French émigré nobleman who had served in the Austrian army against Napoleon. Bombelles was an excellent Grand Chamberlain, who thoroughly reformed the finances of the duchy. A middle-aged widower, he also developed a close personal relationship with Marie Louise. Six months after his arrival, on 17 February 1834, she married him, again morganatically.


Death

Marie Louise fell ill on 9 December 1847. Her condition worsened for the next few days. On 17 December, she passed out after vomiting and never woke up again. She died in the evening.Schiel, p. 354–355 The cause of death was determined to be pleurisy. Her body was transferred back to Vienna and buried at the Imperial Crypt.


Arms

Her arms as Duchess of Parma are used as the logo of the perfume company
Acqua di Parma Acqua di Parma is an Italian lifestyle and fashion company that produces fragrances, candles, bathrobes, and leather accessories. All of its ranges are exclusively made in Italy, and distributed in 43 countries. History The company's original ...
. This is in homage to the role she played in helping to develop the perfume and glass industry of Parma.


Gallery

File:Crown of Empress Marie Louise 299 9964.jpg, Crown of Empress Marie Louise, set in silver, the 950
diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, b ...
s weigh 700 carats, the 79 original emeralds have been replaced with Persian turquoise cabochons File:Clock Thomire Louvre OA9511.jpg, A French Empire mantel clock representing Mars and Venus, an allegory of the wedding of
Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
and the Archduchess Marie Louise, c.1810 File:Maria Luigia Duchess of Parma.jpg, Decree with which Marie Louise Italianized her name as Maria Luigia File:Maria Luigia 10 soldi 768767.jpg, Ten soldi coin of
Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second m ...
, 1815, bearing the head of Marie Louise on the obverse and her "ML" monogram on the reverse File:Sarcophage Impératrice Marie-Louise Kapuzinergruft Vienne.jpg, Sarcophagus of Marie Louise in the Imperial Crypt,
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...


Ancestry


See also

* Napoleon Diamond Necklace


Notes


References

* * * * * * * * * * * Potocka-Wąsowiczowa, Anna z Tyszkiewiczów. ''Wspomnienia naocznego świadka.'' Warszawa: Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy, 1965. * * *


External links


Marie Louise
at ''Die Welt der Habsburger'' , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Marie Louise Of Austria 1791 births 1847 deaths 19th-century women rulers Austrian princesses Bohemian princesses Dukes of Parma Empresses of the French French queens consort House of Habsburg-Lorraine Italian queens consort Knights of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Nobility from Vienna Princes of Parma and Piacenza Regents of France Roman Catholic monarchs 18th-century Bohemian women 18th-century Bohemian people 19th-century Austrian women 19th-century Austrian people 19th-century French women 19th-century French people 19th-century Italian people 19th-century Italian women Remarried royal consorts Daughters of emperors Burials at the Imperial Crypt Children of Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor Daughters of kings