Archduchess Maria Luisa of Austria (30 August 1798 – 15 June 1857) was an

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 ...

and Princess of Bohemia, as the daughter of

Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

and Luisa of Naples and Sicily.

Biography

Archduchess Maria Luisa Giuseppa Cristina Rosa was born on 30 August 1798, in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

. She was the second child and first daughter borne to

and his wife Luisa of Naples and Sicily. Her mother was the niece of the ill-fated queen of France, Marie Antoinette. By birth she was an Archduchess of

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and a Princess of Bohemia. She grew up in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and Austria. Since her birth, Maria Luisa was disabled and had a deformity, probably linked to the genetic inbreeding within her family; her parents were double first cousins. Due to this, she was affectionately called “the little hunchback”. Maria Luisa and her family were known to have made regular visitations to Pisa, since 1814. She never married, or had children. She died on 15 June 1857, aged 58.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Archduchess Maria Luisa of Austria (1798-1857) 1798 births 1857 deaths Maria Luisa Italian princesses Maria Luisa Nobility from Florence Burials at San Lorenzo, Florence Daughters of monarchs Royalty and nobility with disabilities Italian people with disabilities