Luisa of Naples and Sicily (Luisa Maria Amalia Teresa; 27 July 1773 – 19 September 1802) was

Grand Duchess of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was founded in 1569. It succeeded the Duchy of Florence. The grand duchy was initially ruled by the House of Medici, until their extinction in 1737. The grand duchy passed to the House of Lorraine, and then, to its c ...

as the wife of

Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "c ...

. She was born a princess of Tuscany as a daughter born to

Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies Ferdinand I (12 January 1751 – 4 January 1825) was the King of the Two Sicilies from 1816, after his restoration following victory in the Napoleonic Wars. Before that he had been, since 1759, Ferdinand IV of the Kingdom of Naples and Ferdinand I ...

and

Maria Carolina of Austria Maria Carolina Louise Josepha Johanna Antonia (13 August 1752 – 8 September 1814) was Queen of Naples and Sicily as the wife of King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. As '' de facto'' ruler of her husband's kingdoms, Maria Carolina oversaw th ...

. Luisa had a rough correspondence with preeminent painter

Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (; 16 April 1755 – 30 March 1842), also known as Madame Le Brun, was a French portrait painter, especially of women, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Her artistic style is generally considered part o ...

—who was commissioned to paint portraits of Luisa and her elder siblings. Vigée Le Brun dubbed Luisa as the “most ugly” daughter of Ferdinand and Maria Carolina, and was even reluctant to finish her portrait. In matter of fact, many disliked Luisa’s appearance, and found her to be unattractive. Despite this, Luisa was known to be kindhearted to those around her. After eleven years of marriage, Luisa and her husband, Ferdinand, were unwillingly forced into exile upon the Treaty of Aranjuez in 1801. The couple soon fled to Vienna, Austria, where they would stay for nearly a year until Ferdinand compensated with the Electorate of Salzburg, giving him titles and land. Luisa, however, died aged 29, before her husband re-ascended the throne.

Life

Childhood (1773–1790)

Luisa Maria Amalia Teresa was born on 27 July 1773, at the

Royal Palace of Naples The Royal Palace of Naples ( it, Palazzo Reale di Napoli, italic=no, nap, Palazzo Riale ‘e Napule) is a palace, museum, and historical tourist destination located in central Naples, southern Italy. It was one of the four residences near Na ...

. Her parents were

and his wife,

. Luisa was one of eighteen children, seven of whom survived into adulthood. She was often called Maria Luisa. Her paternal grandparents were

Charles III of Spain it, Carlo Sebastiano di Borbone e Farnese , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Philip V of Spain , mother = Elisabeth Farnese , birth_date = 20 January 1716 , birth_place = Royal Alcazar of Madrid, Spain , death_da ...

and Maria Amalia of Saxony; her maternal grandparents were

Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor Francis I (Francis Stephen; french: François Étienne; german: Franz Stefan; 8 December 1708 – 18 August 1765) was Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Lorraine and Duchy of Bar, Bar, and Grand Duke of Tuscany. He became the rule ...

and

Maria Theresa of Austria Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position '' suo jure'' (in her own right) ...

Kauffmann - Maria Luisa and Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily

Marriage (1790–1802)

On 15 August 1790, Maria Luisa was wed with her

first cousin Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...

Ferdinand, Grand Duke of Tuscany. The wedding ceremony took place in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

. Her husband ruled the

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany ( it, Granducato di Toscana; la, Magnus Ducatus Etruriae) was an Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In th ...

until 1790, but was forced into exile due to the Treaty of Aranjuez, in which he was to, by

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 ...

, make way for the Kingdom of Etruria. The couple both went into exile and lived 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 ...

, the capital of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central- Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

, which was ruled by Archduke Ferdinand's elder brother, Emperor Francis II. Soon, Ferdinand was compensated by being given the secularized lands of the

Archbishop of Salzburg The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg ( la, Archidioecesis Salisburgensis) is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Austria. The archdiocese is one of two Austrian archdioceses, serving alongside the Archdiocese ...

as Grand-Duke of Salzburg.

Correspondence with Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun

In 1790 prominent French painter

was commissioned to paint portraits of Maria Carolina’s four eldest children—one of them being Maria Luisa. Though, whilst painting Luisa, Le Brun was reluctant to finish it due to Luisa’s features. Le Brun detailed the encounter in her memoirs, recalling: Luisa_Maria_Amelia_Teresa_di_Borbone-Due_Sicilie_V2

Luisa_Maria_Amelia_Teresa_di_Borbone-Due_Sicilie_V2

Despite the criticism given to her, Luisa remained charitable, and kind to those critical of her appearance.

Death

On 19 September 1802, upon a somewhat complicated childbirth, Maria Luisa died giving birth to a stillborn son at the

Hofburg The Hofburg is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty. Located in the centre of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century and expanded several times afterwards. It also served as the imperial winter residence, as Schönbrun ...

, in Vienna. She is currently buried in the

Imperial Crypt The Imperial Crypt (german: Kaisergruft), also called the Capuchin Crypt (''Kapuzinergruft''), is a burial chamber beneath the Capuchin Church and monastery in Vienna, Austria. It was founded in 1618 and dedicated in 1632, and located on the Neu ...

, in Austria, with her stillborn son in her arms.

Aftermath

Her husband outlived her by 23 years, he himself dying in 1824. Before his death, however, he had his Tuscan title reassumed—in 1814—after the title was held by

Elisa Bonaparte Maria Anna Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi Levoy (French: ''Marie Anne Elisa Bonaparte''; 3 January 1777 – 7 August 1820), better known as Elisa Bonaparte, was an imperial French princess and sister of Napoleon Bonaparte. She was Princess of Lucca ...

. Ferdinand also remarried in 1821 to Princess Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony, though this marriage remained childless.

Children

* Archduchess Carolina Ferdinanda Teresa (2 August 1793 – 5 January 1802); died in childhood. * Archduke Francesco Leopoldo (15 December 1794 – 18 May 1800); died in childhood. *

Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany Leopold II( it, Leopoldo Giovanni Giuseppe Francesco Ferdinando Carlo, german: Leopold Johann Joseph Franz Ferdinand Karl, English: ''Leopold John Joseph Francis Ferdinand Charles''. (3 October 1797 – 29 January 1870) was Grand Duke of Tusc ...

(3 October 1797 – 29 January 1870); became Grand Duke of Tuscany, marrying Maria Anna of Saxony and

Princess Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies it, Maria Antonietta Giuseppa Anna , image = Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies by Morelli 1840.jpg , caption = Maria Antonia in the early 1840s, painted by Carlo Morelli , reign = 7 June 1833 – 21 July 1859 , ...

. Had issue. * Archduchess Maria Luisa Giuseppa (30 August 1799 – 15 June 1857); was born disabled and suffered a severe deformity. Due to this, she was affectionately called "the little hunchback" by the people of Florence. Never married, nor had issue. * Archduchess Maria Theresa (21 March 1801 – 12 January 1855); became queen of Sardinia upon marriage to

Charles Albert Charles Albert (; 2 October 1798 – 28 July 1849) was the King of Sardinia from 27 April 1831 until 23 March 1849. His name is bound up with the first Italian constitution, the Albertine Statute, and with the First Italian War of Independenc ...

. Had issue. * Stillborn son* (19 September 1802)

Ancestry

References

External links

Luisa Maria Amalia Teresa, Princess of Naples and Sicily
at the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Luisa Of Naples And Sicily, Princess 1773 births 1802 deaths Austrian princesses Deaths in childbirth Grand Duchesses of Tuscany House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies House of Habsburg-Lorraine Italian Roman Catholics Neapolitan princesses 18th-century Neapolitan people Sicilian princesses 19th-century Neapolitan people Burials at the Imperial Crypt Burials at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna Daughters of kings