Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony (31 May 1867 – 28 May 1944) was the mother of Emperor

Charles I of Austria Charles I (, ; 17 August 1887 – 1 April 1922) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary (as Charles IV), and the ruler of the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from November 1916 until the monarchy was abolished in November 1918. He was the ...

and the fifth child of

George of Saxony George (; 8 August 1832 – 15 October 1904) was king of Saxony and member of the House of Wettin. Early life George was born in the Saxon capital Dresden. He was the second son of King John of Saxony (1801–1873) and his wife, Princess Amal ...

and Infanta Maria Anna of Portugal.

Early life

Maria Josepha Louise Philippina Elisabeth Pia Angelica Margaretha was the daughter of the future King

(1832–1904) and Infanta Maria Anna of Portugal (1843–1884).

Marriage

On 2 October 1886 at age nineteen, she married

Archduke Otto Franz of Austria Archduke Otto Franz Joseph Karl Ludwig Maria of Austria (21 April 1865 – 1 November 1906) was the second son of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria (younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria) and his second wife, Princess Maria Ann ...

, ''"der Schöne"'' (the handsome), younger brother of the

Archduke Franz Ferdinand Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I. Fran ...

who would later be killed in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

. A pious woman, only her strength of religion enabled her to bear the burdens of marriage to the notoriously womanizing "gorgeous Archduke". His frequent absences from his family helped her goal of keeping her children away from his bad influence succeed. Eventually, however, she herself entered into a close friendship with the actor Otto Tressler, who had been presented to her by the emperor Franz Joseph, who felt sorry for her because of the adultery of her spouse. Maria Josepha often invited Tressler to her home; he sometimes met her husband and his friends in the doorway. When her husband died, her ability to avoid extravagant displays of grief was much admired. As a widow, she ended her relationship with Tressler, probably because of her sense of what was appropriate behaviour for a widow. 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 nursed the wounded in the Augarten Palace 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. ...

, which had been converted into a hospital. Archduchess Maria Josepha of Austria

In 1919 she left Austria with her son Emperor

and his wife,

Zita of Bourbon-Parma Zita of Bourbon-Parma (Zita Maria delle Grazie Adelgonda Micaela Raffaela Gabriella Giuseppina Antonia Luisa Agnese; 9 May 1892 – 14 March 1989) was the wife of Charles I, the last monarch of Austria-Hungary. She was also the last Empress o ...

, and went into exile with them. She lived first in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and from 1921 in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. She died at Schloss Wildenwart, Upper Bavaria at age 76, a property owned by some members of the Royal Family of Bavaria. She is buried in the New Vault of 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 ...

in Vienna, beside her husband.

Children

With Archduke Otto Franz she had issue: * Archduke Karl Franz of Austria, the last

Emperor of Austria The emperor of Austria (, ) was the ruler of the Austrian Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The hereditary imperial title and office was proclaimed in 1804 by Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorr ...

. * Archduke Maximilian Eugen of Austria (1895–1952), who married Princess Franziska von Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst and had issue.

Ancestry

Sources

* Robert Seydel: Die Seitensprünge der Habsburger. Ueberreuterverlag Wien, 2005

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Josepha of Saxony, Princess House of Wettin Saxon princesses Austrian princesses 1867 births 1944 deaths Nobility from Dresden German Roman Catholics Dames of the Order of Saint Isabel Albertine branch Burials at the Imperial Crypt Daughters of kings Royalty of Austria-Hungary Mothers of Austrian emperors Mothers of Bohemian monarchs Mothers of Hungarian monarchs