Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany ( it, Ferdinando IV, Granduca di Toscana; 10 June 1835 – 17 January 1908) was the last Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1859 to 1860.
Biography
Born at
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...
, he was the son of
Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and
Princess Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies
it, Maria Antonietta Giuseppa Anna
, image = Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies by Morelli 1840.jpg
, caption = Maria Antonia in the early 1840s, painted by Carlo Morelli
, reign = 7 June 1833 – 21 July 1859
, ...
.
His first wife died on February 1859. Sometime later, he and his family were forced to flee Florence on 27 April 1859, with the outbreak of a revolution inspired by the outbreak of a
war by France and Sardinia-Piedmont against Austria as part of the
unification of Italy
The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...
. The family took refuge in Austria. After the end of the war, Leopold II abdicated on 21 July and Ferdinand succeeded him as
Grand Duke
Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. In status, a grand duke traditionally ranks in order of precedence below an emperor, as an approx ...
. Ferdinand proved unable to return to Florence to claim his throne, and an elected Tuscan National Assembly formally deposed him only a month later, on 16 August. Ferdinand still hoped to recover his throne, as both France and Austria had promised to recognize his rights to it in the
Armistice of Villafranca. However, neither power was willing to take any steps to bring about his restoration; Sardinia would annex Tuscany on 22 March 1860, and with Austria recognizing the new
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...
after the
Third War of Independence in 1866, Ferdinand's hopes to reclaim the throne were ended.
Subsequently Ferdinand and his family returned to the Imperial House of Austria. While Ferdinand was allowed to keep the grand ducal title as a courtesy and retain his status as
grand master of all Tuscan orders of chivalry for his lifetime, his descendants could only bear the title of "Archduke/Archduchess of Austria"; the right to bear the title "Prince/ss of Tuscany" became restricted solely to family members born before 1866. In 1870 Ferdinand relinquished all dynastic rights to the defunct Grand Duchy for himself and his future heirs in favor of his second cousin,
Emperor Franz Joseph I
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until h ...
, effectively ending the House of Habsburg-Tuscany's status as a sovereign cadet branch.
Ferdinand died in
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
in 1908, after spending the rest of his life in exile. Upon his death, his descendants were barred from using their Tuscan titles by Imperial decree.
Family and children
He married twice and had issue:
From his first marriage in
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...
on 24 November 1856 to
Princess Anna of Saxony, (
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...
, 4 January 1836 –
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...
, 10 February 1859), daughter of King
John I of Saxony
, image = Photograph of John, King of Saxony (1801-1873).jpg
, reign =9 August 1854 – 29 October 1873
, caption = Photograph of King John,
, predecessor = Frederick Augustus II
, successor =Albert
, succe ...
, was born:
*
Archduchess Maria Antonietta (Florence, 10 January 1858 –
Cannes
Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...
, 13 April 1883). She became Princess-Abbess of the
Theresian Convent in the
Hradschin in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
. Unmarried and without Issue.
From his second marriage in
Frohsdorf on 11 January 1868 to
Princess Alice "Alix" of Bourbon-Parma (
Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second m ...
, 27 December 1849 –
Schwertberg
Schwertberg is a market town in the district of Perg in the Austrian state of Upper Austria.
Geography
Schwertberg lies in the Mühlviertel
The Mühlviertel () is an Austrian region belonging to the state of Upper Austria: it is one of four "qua ...
, 16 November 1935), daughter of
Duke Charles III of Parma:
*
Archduke Leopold Ferdinand (1868–1935). He renounced his titles on 29 December 1902 and took the name Leopold Wölfling. He married three times, without issue.
*
Archduchess Louise (1870–1947). Married first
King Frederick Augustus III of Saxony
en, Frederick Augustus John Louis Charles Gustav Gregory Philip von Wettin
, image = Friedrich August III van Saksen.jpg
, caption = Frederick Augustus III (1914)
, succession = King of Saxony
, reign = 15 October 1904 – ...
and after divorcing him married second
Enrico Toselli
Enrico Toselli, Count of Montignoso (March 13, 1883 – January 15, 1926), was an Italian pianist and composer. Born in Florence, he studied piano with Giovanni Sgambati and composition with Giuseppe Martucci and Reginaldo Grazzini. He embarked ...
and had issue by both marriages.
*
Archduke Josef Ferdinand (1872–1942). He married, firstly, Rosa Kaltenbrunner and, after divorcing her married, secondly Gertrud Tomanek, by whom he had issue. Both marriages were
morganatic
Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...
.
*
Archduke Peter Ferdinand, Prince of Tuscany
, title = Archduke of Austria
, image = Peterferdinandösterrtosk.jpg
, caption =
, succession =
, predecessor =
, successor =
, reign =
, spouse =
, issue =
, ...
(1874–1948). Married
Princess Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and had issue.
*Archduke Heinrich Ferdinand (1878–1969). A major general in the Austrian army, morganatically married Maria Karoline Ludescher, and had issue.
*Archduchess Anna Maria (1879–1961). She married Johannes, Prince of
Hohenlohe-Bartenstein; their granddaughter married Hans Veit, Count of
Toerring-Jettenbach, son of
Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark
Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark (; 24 May 1904 – 11 January 1955) was the middle daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia.
Early life
Princess Elizabeth was born on 24 May 1904 at the Tatoi P ...
.
*Archduchess Margareta Maria (1881–1965)
*Archduchess Germana Maria (1884–1955)
*Archduke Robert Ferdinand (1885–1895)
*Archduchess Agnes Maria (1891–1945)
Honours
Ferdinand received the following awards:
Hof- und Staats-Handbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie
' (1908), Genealogy p. 5
*
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany ( it, Granducato di Toscana; la, Magnus Ducatus Etruriae) was an Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In th ...
:
** Grand Cross of the
Order of Saint Joseph
The Order of Saint Joseph was instituted on 9 March 1807 by Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany during his reign as Grand Duke of Würzburg. It was transformed into a Tuscan Roman Catholic Dynastic Order in 1817.
The constitution of the Order ...
** Grand Master of the Order of Saint Joseph, ''21 July 1859''
** Grand Master of the
Order of Saint Stephen, ''21 July 1859''
** Grand Master of the Order of Civil and Military Merit, ''21 July 1859''
* :
** Knight of the
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriag ...
, ''1852''
** Grand Cross of the
Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, ''1891''
*
Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden (german: Großherzogtum Baden) was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.
It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subs ...
:
** Knight of the
House Order of Fidelity
The House Order of Fidelity (german: Hausorden der Treue) is a dynastic order of the Margraviate of Baden. It was established by Charles III William, Margrave of Baden-Durlach as a reward for merit and to mark the laying of the foundation ston ...
, ''1886''
[''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden'' (1896), "Großherzogliche Orden]
p. 63
77
/ref>
** Knight of the Order of Berthold the First
The Order of Berthold the First was a dynastic order in the Grand Duchy of Baden. It was established on 29 April 1877 by Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of his accession as an additional class above the gra ...
, ''1886''
* : Knight of the Order of Saint Hubert, ''1856''
* : Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold (civil), ''24 September 1856''
* : Bailiff Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion, ''19 December 1856''
* Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...
: Knight of the Order of the Black Eagle
The Order of the Black Eagle (german: Hoher Orden vom Schwarzen Adler) was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg (who became Friedrich I, King i ...
, ''26 January 1861''
* : Grand Cross of the Order of the White Falcon
Order of the White Falcon (german: Hausorden vom Weißen Falken) is a grand-ducal order of Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, founded by Duke Ernest Augustus on 2 August 1732, and renewed in 1815 by Charles Augustus.
Description
In the early 2 ...
, ''12 January 1864''
* : Knight of the Order of the Rue Crown
The Order of the Rue Crown (german: Hausorden der Rautenkrone) or Order of the Crown of Saxony was a dynastic order of knighthood of the Kingdom of Saxony. The order takes its name from the green floral crown of rue ('' crancelin'') found in th ...
, ''1856''
* : Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown, ''1882''[''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg'' (1896), "Königliche Orden]
p. 28
/ref>
Ancestry
See also
*Risorgimento
The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...
Notes
External links
Genealogy of Ferdinand IV
Grand Ducal House of Tuscany
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinand Iv, Grand Duke Of Tuscany
Ferdinand IV of Tuscany
Ferdinand IV of Tuscany
House of Habsburg-Lorraine
Austrian princes
Nobility from Florence
Ferdinand 4
Italian exiles
Grand Masters of the Order of Saint Joseph
Knights of the Order of Saint Joseph
Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria
Knights of Malta
Burials at the Imperial Crypt