Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily (14 December 1784 21 May 1806) was the youngest surviving daughter of Ferdinand, King of Naples and Sicily, and

Maria Carolina of Austria 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 IV and III, who later became King of the Two Sicilies. As ''de facto' ...

. As the wife of the future

Ferdinand VII of Spain Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was Monarchy of Spain, King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (t ...

, then heir apparent to the Spanish throne, she held the title of

Princess of Asturias Prince or Princess of Asturias () is the main substantive title used by the heir apparent, or heir presumptive to the Spanish Crown. According to the Spanish Constitution of 1978: The title originated in 1388, when King John I of Castile gr ...

. It was rumoured that her mother-in-law, Maria Luisa of Parma caused her death, but there is no evidence to prove this.

Early life

Born at the Caserta Palace in

Caserta Caserta ( ; ) is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. An important agricultural, commercial, and industrial ''comune'' and city, Caserta is located 36 kilometres north of Naples on the edge of the Campanian p ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, Maria Antonia was the youngest daughter of King Ferdinand IV/III of Naples and Sicily and his first wife,

. Named after her mother's favorite sister, her maternal aunt Queen Marie Antoinette of France, she was an intelligent girl, having learned several languages by the age of seventeen .

Marriage

Brunetti_after_Carnicero_-_Maria_Antonia_of_Naples_and_Sicily

In a series of dynastic alliances, Maria Antonia became engaged to her first cousin, Infante Ferdinand,

Prince of Asturias Prince or Princess of Asturias () is the main substantive title used by the heir apparent, or heir presumptive to the monarchy of Spain, Spanish Crown. According to the Spanish Constitution of 1978: The title originated in 1388, when King J ...

(who later became King Ferdinand VII of Spain), while her eldest brother,

Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...

, became engaged to Infante Ferdinand's sister, Infanta Maria Isabella of Spain. On 6 October 1802, Maria Antonia married Infante Ferdinand in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Princess of Asturias

The princess failed to provide the expected heir to the throne: her two pregnancies, in 1804 and 1805, ended in

miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is an end to pregnancy resulting in the loss and expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the womb before it can fetal viability, survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks ...

s. Her mother, Maria Carolina, was highly anti-French after the execution of her

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to ref ...

and brother-in-law during the French Revolution. She was also strongly opposed to the military expansion of the French republic. As Spain became more easily dominated by

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, there were rumours that Maria Carolina wanted her daughter to poison the Queen of Spain and

Manuel Godoy Manuel de Godoy y Álvarez de Faria Ríos (12 May 1767 – 4 October 1851), 1st ''Prince of the Peace'', 1st ''Duke of Alcudia'', 1st ''Duke of Sueca'', 1st ''Baron of Mascalbó'', was the First Secretary of State of the Kingdom of Spain from ...

, Spain's prime minister. However, as with most poison rumours of the period, it is unlikely to be true, not least because both women were devout Roman Catholics and secondly because the Spanish court's ties to France were in no way greater or lesser than most in Europe's after Napoleon’s early victories. Maria Antonia's mother-in-law, Queen Maria Luisa, disliked her daughter-in-law and she encouraged rumours of a Habsburg poisoning plot, even subjecting her books and clothes to scrutiny in order to discredit her daughter-in-law further. In spite of all of this campaign of character assassination, Maria Antonia managed to gain considerable influence over her husband and created an opposition party against Queen Maria Luisa and Godoy.

Death

Maria Antonia died of

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 ...

on 21 May 1806 at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez in

Aranjuez Aranjuez () is a city and municipality of Spain, part of the Community of Madrid. Located in the southern end of the region, the main urban nucleus lies on the left bank of the Tagus, a bit upstream of the discharge of the Jarama. , the munici ...

, at the age of 21. It was rumoured that Maria Antonia had been poisoned by Queen Maria Luisa and

but there is no evidence to support this claim. However, Queen Maria Carolina, who was devastated, truly believed this. Maria Antonia's father, King Ferdinand, consolidated

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

and

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

into the

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies () was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1861 under the control of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, Bourbons. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by popula ...

a decade after her death. The Neapolitan princess was buried at

El Escorial El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (), or (), is a historical residence of the king of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, up the valley ( road distance) from the town of El Escorial, Madrid, El ...

in Spain. Her husband was to marry three more times: – * Infanta Maria Isabel of Portugal in Madrid on 29 September 1816; the couple had a daughter who died young. *

Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony (Maria Josepha Amalia Beatrix Xaveria Vincentia Aloysia Franziska de Paula Franziska de Chantal Anna Apollonia Johanna Nepomucena Walburga Theresia Ambrosia; 6 December 1803 – 18 May 1829) was Queen consort of S ...

on 20 October 1819, who bore him no children. *Maria Antonia's niece (born a month before her death), Princess Maria Christina of Naples and Sicily (more often known as ''of the Two Sicilies'') with whom Ferdinand had the future

Isabella II of Spain Isabella II (, María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain. Isabella wa ...

Ancestry

References

Bibliography

* EPTON, Nina, ''The Spanish mousetrap: Napoleon and the Court of Spain'' (London: Macdonald, 1973). * HILT, Douglas, ''The troubled trinity: Godoy and the Spanish monarchs'' (Tuscaloosa; London: University of Alabama Press, 1987).

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Antonia Of Naples And Sicily, Princess 1784 births 1806 deaths 18th-century Neapolitan people 19th-century Neapolitan people 18th-century Italian women 19th-century Italian women 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Burials in the Pantheon of Infantes at El Escorial House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies House of Bourbon (Spain) Italian Roman Catholics Neapolitan princesses People from Caserta Princesses of Asturias Sicilian princesses Spanish infantas Tuberculosis deaths in Spain Daughters of kings Children of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies Wives of Ferdinand VII