Archduchess Maria Antonietta of Austria, Princess of Tuscany (''Maria Antonietta Leopolda Annunziata Anna Amalia Giuseppa Giovanna Immacolata Tecla''; 10 January 1858 – 13 April 1883) was a member of the

House of Habsburg-Lorraine The House of Habsburg-Lorraine () originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa of Habsburg monarchy, Austria, later successively List of Bohemian monarchs, Queen ...

. She served as the Princess-Abbess of the Theresian Royal and Imperial Convent in

Hradčany Hradčany (; ), is the district of the city of Prague, Czech Republic surrounding Prague Castle. The castle is one of the biggest in the world at about in length and an average of about wide. Its history stretches back to the 9th century. St ...

from 1881 until she died in 1883.

Biography

Archduchess Maria Antonietta was born on 10 January 1858 in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

as the first child of Ferdinand, Grand Prince of Tuscany, and the only child from his first marriage to Princess Anna of Saxony. Her maternal grandparents were

John, King of Saxony John (; ; 12 December 1801 – 29 October 1873) was King of Saxony from 9 August 1854 until his death in 1873. He was a member of the House of Wettin. During his reign, Saxony became a part of the German Empire. Early life John was born in ...

, and Princess Amalie Auguste of Bavaria, a daughter of King

Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria Maximilian I Joseph (; 27 May 1756 – 13 October 1825) was Duke of Zweibrücken from 1795 to 1799, prince-elector of Bavaria (as Maximilian IV Joseph) from 1799 to 1806, then King of Bavaria (as Maximilian I Joseph) from 1806 to 1825. He was ...

. Her mother died in 1859. Later that year, her father succeeded her grandfather, Leopold II, as the

Grand Duke of Tuscany Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), se ...

. In 1860, the

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (; ) was an Italian monarchy located in Central Italy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population ...

was annexed into 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 ...

. After the annexation, her family moved to

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

. On 11 January 1868, her father married Princess Alice of Bourbon-Parma. In 1881, Maria Antonietta was appointed by

Franz Joseph I of Austria Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

to serve as the Princess-Abbess of the Imperial and Royal Theresian Institution of Noble Ladies in

. She was also a 1st class Dame of the

Order of the Starry Cross The Order of the Starry Cross (also known as Order of the Star Cross or Star Cross Order; German: ''Sternkreuz-Orden'') is an imperial Austrian dynastic order for Catholic noble ladies, founded in 1668. The order still exists under the House of Ha ...

. She was a writer and published works in German under the pseudonym Arno.

Death

After years of declining health from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, she moved to

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

in November 1882 in search of a better climate, where she resided in Villa Félicie. She died in Cannes on 13 April 1883, unmarried and without issue. She is buried alongside all other members of the House of Habsburg in the

Imperial Crypt The Imperial Crypt (), 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 Neuer Markt square of ...

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

.http://www.royaltyguide.nl/families/fam-H/habsburg/hbltuscany1.htm

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Archduchess Maria Antonietta of Austria (1858-1883) 1858 births 1883 deaths 19th-century Italian women writers Maria Antonia Princesses in Italy Italian Roman Catholic abbesses Maria Antonia Tuscan nobility Burials at the Imperial Crypt Daughters of dukes Immigrants to the Austrian Empire People from Austria-Hungary 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in France