Maria Theresa Henriette Dorothea of Austria-Este (also ''Marie Therese''; 2 July 1849 – 3 February 1919) was the last
Queen of Bavaria.
She was the only child of
Archduke Ferdinand Karl Viktor of Austria-Este
Ferdinand Karl Viktor (20 July 1821 – 15 December 1849) was Archduke of Austria-Este and Prince of Duchy of Modena, Modena.
Biography
Born in Modena, he was the second son of Francis IV of Modena and his niece and wife, Maria Beatrice of S ...
and
Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria
Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska Maria of Austria (17 January 1831 – 14 February 1903) was born in Ofen ( Buda), Hungary. She was the daughter of Palatine Joseph of Hungary (1776–1847) and his third wife Maria Dorothea of Württemberg ...
.
Biography
On 20 February 1868, she married the future
Ludwig III of Bavaria
Ludwig III (Ludwig Luitpold Josef Maria Aloys Alfred; 7 January 1845 – 18 October 1921) was the last King of Bavaria, reigning from 1913 to 1918. Initially, he served in the Bavarian Army, Bavarian military as a lieutenant and went on to hold ...
, eldest son of Bavaria's
Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria
Luitpold Karl Joseph Wilhelm Ludwig, Prince Regent of Bavaria (12 March 1821 – 12 December 1912), was the ''de facto'' ruler of Kingdom of Bavaria, Bavaria from 1886 to 1912, as regent for his nephews, Ludwig II of Bavaria, King Ludwig II and O ...
, in the
Augustinerkirche in Vienna.
The couple had fallen in love during a visit of Ludwig to Austria to attend the burial of his cousin
Archduchess Mathilda of Austria
Archduchess Mathilde Marie Adelgunde Alexandra of Austria (25 January 1849 – 6 June 1867) was a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine as the daughter of Archduke Albert, Duke of Teschen. She was intended to become the Queen of Italy as the ...
. Their decision to marry initially angered the Emperor, who had wished for her to marry
Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany. The chief witness was Count Antonius
Schaffgotsch.
The family mostly lived on their farms at Leutstetten south of
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, where Maria Theresa cultivated rose gardens. She spoke German, Hungarian, Czech, French, and Italian.
Maria Theresa became queen consort of
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
in 1913 when her husband the ruling Prince Regent proclaimed himself king as Ludwig III in place of his cousin
Otto, King of Bavaria
Otto (; 27 April 1848 – 11 October 1916) was King of Bavaria from 1886 until 1913. However, he never actively ruled because of alleged severe mental illness. His uncle, Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria, Luitpold, and his cousin, Ludwig III ...
who was alive but allegedly had a severe mental illness. She became the first
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
queen consort since Bavaria had been made a kingdom 1806.
In 1914, she hosted festivities during the royal Bavarian jubilee. She appeared with her husband when war was announced. During
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, she visited wounded soldiers and encouraged the women of Bavaria to support the troops by providing food and clothes, including with the donations references to legendary heroines.
On 7 November 1918, Ludwig III was forced to
abdicate the Bavarian throne, and Maria Theresa fled Munich with her family to Wildenwart Castle near
Frasdorf, in order to escape from the
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...
. The health of the Queen soon declined and she died there on 3 February 1919, being buried at the local chapel. On 5 November 1921 her remains were transferred to the
Frauenkirche, Munich
The Frauenkirche (Full name: , ) is a church in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, that serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, Archdiocese of Munich and Freising and seat of its Archbishop. It is a landmark and is ...
, along with those of her husband, who had died less than a month before.
Jacobite succession
Maria Theresa was the niece and heir of the childless
Francis V, Duke of Modena
Francis V, Duke of Modena, Reggio and Guastalla, Archduke of Austria-Este, Royal Prince of Hungary and Bohemia, Duke of Mirandola and of Massa, Prince of Carrara (; 1 June 1819 – 20 November 1875) was a reigning prince. He was Duke of Moden ...
who had been, at the time of his death, the
Jacobite heir-general to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland.
She became the heiress after his death in 1875. She never pursued this claim, although the
Order of the White Rose
The Order of the White Rose of Finland (; ) is one of three official Order (decoration), orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all ...
, founded in 1886 by
Bertram Ashburnham, 5th Earl of Ashburnham, hoped to put her on the throne.
Following her death in 1919, Maria Theresa's son
Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria
Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, Duke of Bavaria, Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine by the Rhine (''Rupprecht Maria Luitpold Ferdinand''; English: ''Rupert Maria Leopold Ferdinand''; 18 May 1869 – 2 August 1955), was the last heir ...
inherited the Jacobite claim. Like his mother, he and his descendants have not pursued a claim to the British thrones.
Family
On 20 February 1868, at the
Augustinian Church, Vienna
The Augustinian Church () in Vienna is a parish church located on Josefsplatz, next to the Hofburg, the winter palace of the Habsburg dynasty in Vienna. Originally built in the 14th century as the parish church of the imperial court of the Habsb ...
, Maria Theresa married the future
Ludwig III, last
king of Bavaria
The King of Bavaria () was a title held by the hereditary Wittelsbach rulers of Bavaria in the state known as the Kingdom of Bavaria from 1805 until 1918, when the kingdom was abolished. It was the second time Bavaria was a kingdom, almost a t ...
.
The couple had thirteen children:
*
Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria
Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, Duke of Bavaria, Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine by the Rhine (''Rupprecht Maria Luitpold Ferdinand''; English: ''Rupert Maria Leopold Ferdinand''; 18 May 1869 – 2 August 1955), was the last heir ...
(18 May 1869 – 2 August 1955).
*
Princess Adelgunde (17 October 1870 – 4 January 1958), married on 20 January 1915 to
Prince Wilhelm of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.
*
Princess Maria (6 July 1872 – 10 June 1954), married on 31 May 1897 to
Prince Ferdinando Pius, Duke of Calabria.
*
Prince Karl (1 April 1874 – 9 May 1927).
*
Prince Franz (10 October 1875 – 25 January 1957), married on 8 July 1912 to
Princess Isabella Antonie of Croÿ. Had issue.
*
Princess Mathilde (17 August 1877 – 6 August 1906), married on 1 May 1900 to
Prince Ludwig of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Prince Ludwig Gaston of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Ludwig Gaston Klemens Maria Michael Gabriel Raphael Gonzaga; 15 September 1870 – 23 January 1942), known in Brazil as Dom Luís Gastão, was a German prince of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Got ...
.
* Prince Wolfgang Maria Leopold (2 July 1879 – 31 January 1895).
* Princess Hildegarde (5 March 1881 – 2 February 1948).
* Princess Notburga (19 March 1883 – 24 March 1883).
* Princess Wiltrud (10 November 1884 – 28 March 1975), married on 26 November 1924 to
Wilhelm, Duke of Urach
Count Friedrich Wilhelm Alexander Ferdinand of Württemberg, 1st Duke of Urach (6 July 1810 – 17 July 1869), was the son of William Frederick Philip, Duke of Württemberg, Duke Wilhelm of Württemberg (1761–1830), younger brother of Frederic ...
.
* Princess Helmtrud (22 March 1886 – 23 June 1977).
* Princess Dietlinde (2 January 1888 – 14 February 1889), lived 13 months.
* Princess Gundelinde (26 August 1891 – 16 August 1983), married on 23 February 1919 to Johann Georg, Count von Preysing-Lichtenegg-Moos.
Honours
* : Grand Mistress of the
Order of Saint Elizabeth and
Order of Theresa
The Order of Theresa was an order for noble ladies in the Kingdom of Bavaria. It continues to function today as an honorary society to which belong the princesses of the House of Wittelsbach as well as other ladies from Bavarian noble families.
H ...
(19 October 1872),
the Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown, the Cross of Merit for the Year 1870/71, the Cross of Merit for Voluntary Nursing
* :
Dame
''Dame'' is a traditionally British honorific title given to women who have been admitted to certain orders of chivalry. It is the female equivalent of ''Sir'', the title used by knights. Baronet, Baronetesses Suo jure, in their own right also u ...
of the
Order of Queen Maria Luisa
* : Dame of the
Order of the Starry Cross (10 January 1865)
and
Order of Elizabeth, 1st Class
* :
Red Cross Medal, 1st Class (27 January 1899)
Ancestry
References
Bibliography
* Schad, Martha. ''Bayerns Königinnen''. Regensburg:
Friedrich Pustet, 1992. Includes a 75-page chapter on Marie Therese.
* Beckenbauer, Alfons. ''Ludwig III. von Bayern, 1845-1921, Ein König auf der Suche nach seinem Volk''. Regensburg: Friedrich Pustet, 1987. The standard modern biography of Marie Therese's husband.
* Glaser, Hubert. ''Ludwig III. König von Bayern: Skizzen aus seiner Lebensgeschichte''. Prien: Verkerhrsverband Chiemsee, 1995. An illustrated catalogue of an exhibition held in Wildenwart in 1995.
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Theresa Of Austria-Este 1849-1919
1849 births
1919 deaths
19th-century Austrian women
20th-century Austrian women
Austrian princesses
Mary 4 and 3
House of Austria-Este
Queens consort of Bavaria
Modenese princesses
Burials at Munich Frauenkirche