Adelaide of Austria (Adelheid Franziska Marie Rainera Elisabeth Clotilde; 3 June 1822 – 20 January 1855) was Queen of Sardinia by marriage to Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia, future

King of Italy King of Italy ( it, links=no, Re d'Italia; la, links=no, Rex Italiae) was the title given to the ruler of the Kingdom of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The first to take the title was Odoacer, a barbarian military leader ...

, from 1849 until 1855 when she died as a result of gastroenteritis. She was the mother of

Umberto I of Italy Umberto I ( it, Umberto Rainerio Carlo Emanuele Giovanni Maria Ferdinando Eugenio di Savoia; 14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) was King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his assassination on 29 July 1900. Umberto's reign saw Italy attempt colo ...

Biography

Archduchess of Austria

She was born at the

Royal Palace of Milan The Royal Palace of Milan (Italian: ''Palazzo Reale di Milano'') was the seat of government in the Italian city of Milan for many centuries. Today, it serves as a cultural centre and it is home to international art exhibitions. It spans through ...

to Archduke Rainer of Austria and his wife Princess Elisabeth of Savoy.Urban. Sylvanius: ''The Gentleman's Magazine'', 1855, p 303 Named ''Adelaide'', or known as ''Adele'' in the family, she held the title of

Archduchess of Austria The Archduchy of Austria (german: Erzherzogtum Österreich) was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire and the nucleus of the Habsburg monarchy. With its capital at Vienna, the archduchy was centered at the Empire's southeastern periph ...

. Her father was the

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...

of Lombardy-Venetia.

Duchess of Savoy

On 12 April 1842, at the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi, she married Victor Emmanuel of Savoy. The marriage was used to cement relations between the House of Savoy and that of the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

but was viewed by many people of the time to increase Austrian power in Italy. Victor Emmanuel was her paternal first cousin once removed and also her maternal first cousin as her new father-in-law was also her maternal uncle. Prince Victor Emmanuel was the heir to his father the King of Sardinia. He was styled the "'' Duke of Savoy''" prior to succession. Adelaide thus took on the style of "''Duchess of Savoy."'' She maintained her style of ''Imperial and Royal Highness'' until she became Queen. Her husband's mother,

Maria Theresa of Austria Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position '' suo jure'' (in her own right) ...

, retained great influence over her son throughout his life. Her mother-in-law was also her first cousin, both she and Adelaide being grandchildren of Emperor Leopold II. Adelaide and her husband of thirteen years had eight children. Four of these went on to have further progeny. Her husband had various extramarital affairs throughout the marriage. Adelaide was a quiet and pious woman and had a strict upbringing. She was a loving wife and frequently would give to charity.

Queen of Sardinia

In March 1849, her father-in-law

King Charles Albert Charles Albert (; 2 October 1798 – 28 July 1849) was the King of Sardinia from 27 April 1831 until 23 March 1849. His name is bound up with the first Italian constitution, the Albertine Statute, and with the First Italian War of Independenc ...

abdicated after the events of the

Revolutions of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...

. Her husband succeeded as Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia. During her tenure as queen consort, she had three further children, all of whom died in infancy. Queen Adelaide had no political influence, but she did on one occasion support her mother-in-law, queen dowager Maria Theresa, who had great influence over her son and who in one well known occasion tried to influence policy. When the reforms against the priviligies of the Church were introduced by the Cavour government in 1854, she united with her mother-in-law to support the latter's appeal to the king to prevent the reform with the argument that the reform was hostile against the church and thus unacceptable for a Christian.MARIA TERESA d'Asburgo-Lorena, regina di Sardegna. Enciclopedia Italiana (1934) The effort was however unsuccessful. On 8 January 1855, she gave birth to a son who was styled the Count of Genevois. Days later,

Queen Maria Theresa Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position '' suo jure'' (in her own right) ...

died on 12 January 1855. Adelaide went to the late queen's funeral on 16 January, and on returning to the palace caught a cold. She died four days later at the

Royal Palace of Turin The Royal Palace of Turin ( it, Palazzo Reale di Torino) is a historic palace of the House of Savoy in the city of Turin in Northern Italy. It was originally built in the 16th century and was later modernized by Christine Marie of France (1606–1 ...

, having had an acute attack of gastroenteritis. Another story says that Adelaide died of her burns after stepping on a match that set fire to her clothes. She is buried at the Royal Basilica of Superga. In 1861 her husband would become the first post-unification

Issue

Drawing of the Family of Vittorio Emanuele II

Princess Maria Clotilde of Savoy french: Louise Thérèse Marie Clotilde , spouse = , issue = Victor, Prince Napoléon Prince Louis Princess Maria Letizia, Duchess of Aosta , house = Savoy , father = Victor Emmanuel II of Italy , mother = Adela ...

(2 March 1843 – 25 June 1911) married Prince Napoleon Joseph Bonaparte and had issue. *

(14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) married Princess Margherita of Savoy and had issue. * Amadeo I of Spain (30 May 1845 – 18 January 1890) married Princess

Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo (Maria Vittoria Carlotta Enrichetta; 9 August 1847 – 8 November 1876) was an Italian noblewoman and became the 6th Princess of Cisterna d'Asti and of Belriguardo after the death of her father.de Badts de Cugnac, Chantal. ...

and later Princess

Maria Letizia Bonaparte Maria Letizia Bonaparte (Marie Laetitia Eugénie Catherine Adélaïde; 20 November 1866 – 25 October 1926) was one of three children born to Prince Napoléon and his wife Princess Maria Clotilde of Savoy. In 1888 she married Prince Amadeo, ...

and had issue. * Prince Oddone of Savoy (11 July 1846 – 22 January 1866) died unmarried. * Princess Maria Pia of Savoy (16 October 1847 – 5 July 1911) married King Luís I of Portugal and had issue. * Prince Carlo Alberto of Savoy (2 June 1851 – 22 June 1854)

Duke of Chablais The title Duke of Chablais ( it, Duca di Chiablese, french: duc de Chablais) was a subsidiary title of the Duke of Savoy and later the King of Sardinia, both of the House of Savoy. The title is named after the province of Chablais, whose capi ...

, died in childhood. * Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy (6 July 1852) died at birth. * Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy (8 January 1855 – 17 May 1855) Count of Genevois, died in infancy.

Ancestry

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adelaide Of Austria Sardinian queens consort 1822 births 1855 deaths Nobility from Milan Princesses of Savoy House of Habsburg-Lorraine Italian people of Polish descent Austrian Poles Tuscan princesses Austrian princesses Duchesses of Savoy Burials at the Basilica of Superga Victor Emmanuel II of Italy 19th-century Italian women