Anne Christine of Sulzbach (Anne ''Christine'' Louise; 5 February 1704 – 12 March 1723), also called Christine of the Palatinate, was a princess of the

Bavarian Circle The Bavarian Circle () was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. The most significant state by far in the circle was the Duchy of Bavaria (raised to an Electorate of Bavaria, Electorate by Emperor Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinan ...

of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

and first wife of Charles Emmanuel of Savoy, Prince of Piedmont, heir to the throne of the

kingdom of Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia, also referred to as the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica among other names, was a State (polity), country in Southern Europe from the late 13th until the mid-19th century, and from 1297 to 1768 for the Corsican part of ...

. Via marriage she became the Princess of Piedmont. She died during childbirth at the age of 19.

Biography

Anne Christine Louise was born a Countess Palatine of Sulzbach. She was the daughter of Theodore Eustace, Prince Palatine of Sulzbach (1659–1732), the head of a Roman Catholic

cadet branch A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets (realm, titles, fiefs, property and incom ...

of Bavaria's

Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...

dynasty, and Princess Eleonore of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg (1675–1720), daughter of William, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg. Her parents had married in 1692, Anne Christine being their eighth child. Christine's older brother John Christian (1700–1733) succeeded their father as Prince Palatine, also becoming

Margrave Margrave was originally the Middle Ages, medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or a monarchy, kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain Feudal ...

jure uxoris ''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title '' suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could beco ...

'' of Berg-op-Zoom: His son,

Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria Charles Theodore (; 11 December 1724 – 16 February 1799) was a German nobleman of the Palatinate-Sulzbach, Sulzbach branch of the House of Wittelsbach. He became Count Palatine of Sulzbach at the age of six following the death of his father J ...

, was the last of the senior branch of the House of Wittelsbach. Her older sister Francisca Christina became Princes-Abbess of Thorn and, later, of the more important immediate convent of

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

. Christine was a first cousin of her husband's subsequent wife Polyxena of Hesse, Queen consort of Sardinia, of Caroline of Hesse, Princess de Condé, and of Christine of Hesse, Princess di Carignano. On 15 March 1722 at

Vercelli Vercelli (; ) is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around 600 BC. ...

, she married Charles Emmanuel of

Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

Prince of Piedmont The lordship of Piedmont, later the principality of Piedmont (), was originally an appanage of the County of Savoy, and as such its lords were members of the Principality of Achaea#Princes of Achaea, Achaea branch of the House of Savoy. The titl ...

and later

King of Sardinia Sardinia is traditionally known to have been initially ruled by the Nuragic civilization, which was followed by Greek colonization, conquest by the Carthagians, Carthaginians, and occupied by the Ancient Rome, Romans for around a thousand years, ...

Charles Emmanuel III Charles Emmanuel III (27 April 1701 – 20 February 1773) was Duke of Savoy, List of monarchs of Sardinia, King of Sardinia and ruler of the Savoyard states from his Victor Amadeus II, father's abdication on 3 September 1730 until his death ...

. He was the second son of

Victor Amadeus II Victor Amadeus II (; 14 May 166631 October 1732) was the head of the House of Savoy and ruler of the Savoyard states from 12 June 1675 until his abdication in 1730. He was the first of his house to acquire a royal crown, ruling first as King o ...

, Duke of Savoy, King of Sardinia and

Anne Marie d'Orléans Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

and had been heir apparent to the Savoyard throne since 1715 at the death of

Victor Amadeus, Prince of Piedmont Victor Amadeus of Savoy (Vittorio Amedeo Filippo Giuseppe; 6 May 1699 – 22 March 1715) was the eldest son of Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy and his French wife Anne Marie d'Orléans. He was the heir apparent of Savoy from his birth and as suc ...

. The following year, she gave birth to a son who was created the

Duke of Aosta Duke of Aosta (; ) was a title in the Italian nobility. It was established in the 13th century when Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, made the County of Aosta a duchy. The region was part of the Savoyard state and the title was granted to variou ...

. She died a few days later on 12 March 1723 at the age of nineteen in Turin. Her only child died in 1725 in his second year, thus she left no direct descendants. She was buried at

Turin Cathedral Turin Cathedral or Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist (, ) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of ...

and was moved to the

Basilica of Superga The Basilica of Superga () is a hilltop Catholic basilica in Superga, in the vicinity of Turin, Italy. History The church was built from 1717 to 1731 for Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, designed by Filippo Juvarra, at the top of the hill of Super ...

in Turin in 1786.

Issue

Prince Vittorio Amedeo Theodore of Savoy Vittorio Amedeo Theodore of Savoy (Prince Vittorio Amedeo Theodore; 7 March 1723 – 11 August 1725) was a prince of Savoy and Duke of Aosta. He was born in the reign of his grandfather Victor Amadeus II, King of Sardinia. Biography Prince Vi ...

(7 March 1723 – 11 August 1725), died in infancy; buried at Superga.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anne Christine of Sulzbach, Princess of Piedmont 1704 births 1722 deaths People from Sulzbach-Rosenberg House of Wittelsbach Italian royalty Countesses Palatine of Sulzbach Bavarian princesses Princesses of Savoy Burials at Turin Cathedral Burials at the Basilica of Superga Princesses of Piedmont Deaths in childbirth Royal reburials Daughters of counts 18th-century people from the Savoyard State