Archduchess Maria Elisabeth of Austria (13 December 1680 in

Linz Linz (Pronunciation: , ; ) is the capital of Upper Austria and List of cities and towns in Austria, third-largest city in Austria. Located on the river Danube, the city is in the far north of Austria, south of the border with the Czech Repub ...

– 26 August 1741 in Mariemont,

Morlanwelz Morlanwelz (; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 Morlanwelz had a total population of 18,595. The total area is 20.26 km2 which gives a population density of 918 inhabitants per km2 ...

), was the governor of the

Austrian Netherlands The Austrian Netherlands was the territory of the Burgundian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire between 1714 and 1797. The period began with the acquisition by the Austrian Habsburg monarchy of the former Spanish Netherlands under the Treaty of Ras ...

between 1725 and 1741.

Life

Maria Elisabeth was a daughter of Emperor Leopold I and

Eleonore-Magdalena of Pfalz-Neuburg Eleonore Magdalene Therese of Neuburg (6 January 1655 – 19 January 1720) was Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia as the third and final wife of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.Wheatcroft 1995 ...

. She was well educated and fluent in Latin, German, French and Italian. She never married.

Governor

In 1725, she was appointed

Prince Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy-Carignano (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736), better known as Prince Eugene, was a distinguished Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the Army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty durin ...

's successor as the regent governor of the Austrian Netherlands by her brother,

Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI (; ; 1 October 1685 – 20 October 1740) was Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Austrian Habsburg monarchy from 1711 until his death, succeeding his elder brother, Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph I. He unsuccessfully War of ...

. Maria Elisabeth was described as a forceful administrator and a popular regent. Her independent politics, however, were not always appreciated in Vienna. She suspended the

Ostend Company The Ostend Company (; ), officially the General Company Established in the Austrian Netherlands for Commerce and Navigation in the Indies () was a chartered trading company in the Austrian Netherlands (modern-day Belgium) in the Holy Roman Empir ...

in 1727 and closed it in 1731. She had enough financial means at her disposal to uphold an elaborate court which stimulated culture and music. Among others, she patronized

Jean-Joseph Fiocco Jean-Joseph Fiocco (15 December 1686 – 30 March 1746) was a Flemish composer of the high and late Baroque period. His father was the Venetian composer Pietro Antonio Fiocco (1654–1714), and his brothers included the violinist Joseph-Hector. ...

, her maestro di cappella who dedicated several oratorios to her between 1726 and 1738. The architect Jean-Andre Anneessens designed the

Château of Mariemont The Château of Mariemont (; ) was a royal residence and Pavillon de chasse, hunting lodge for the List of governors of the Habsburg Netherlands, governors of the Habsburg Netherlands. It is located in Mariemont, Belgium, Mariemont, in today's ...

for her, where she spent her summers. Also, he renovated the Tervuren castle for her.

Death

She died unexpectedly at the age of 60, at Mariemont. She was then displayed at a public Lit-de-parade in Brussels 29 August. She was first buried in Brussels, then moved to Vienna in 1749 to 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 ...

next to her brother Charles.

Ancestors

References

* Cécile Douxchamps-Lefevre : Marie-Élisabeth. In: Nouvelle Biographie nationale de Belgique, Bd. 2 (1990), S. 267–270.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Elisabeth of Austria, Archduchess 1680 births 1741 deaths 17th-century Austrian women 18th-century Austrian women 18th-century House of Habsburg Governors of the Habsburg Netherlands Princesses in the Holy Roman Empire People from Linz Nobility of the Austrian Netherlands Burials at the Imperial Crypt Burials at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna 18th-century women rulers Politicians from the Austrian Netherlands Daughters of emperors Women from the Austrian Netherlands Children of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor Daughters of kings Female governors-general Daughters of dukes