Marie Anna of Saxony (15 November 1799 – 24 March 1832), (full name: Maria Anna Carolina Josepha Vincentia Xaveria Nepomucena Franziska de Paula Franziska de Chantal Johanna Antonia Elisabeth Cunigunde Gertrud Leopoldina), was a

princess Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subs ...

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a ...

. She became Grand Duchess of Tuscany by her marriage to

Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany Leopold II( it, Leopoldo Giovanni Giuseppe Francesco Ferdinando Carlo, german: Leopold Johann Joseph Franz Ferdinand Karl, English: ''Leopold John Joseph Francis Ferdinand Charles''. (3 October 1797 – 29 January 1870) was Grand Duke of Tusc ...

Family

Marie Anna was born 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 ...

, one of the seven children of Maximilian of Saxony by his first wife Caroline of Bourbon-Parma. Her father was a son of Frederick Christian, Elector of Saxony. Her mother was a daughter of

Ferdinand, Duke of Parma Ferdinand I (''Ferdinando Maria Filippo Lodovico Sebastiano Francesco Giacomo''; 20 January 1751 – 9 October 1802) was Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla from his father's death on 18 July 1765 until he ceded the duchy to France by the Tre ...

. Through her mother, Maria Anna was also a direct descendant of

Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of ...

and

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

Life

During her short life she showed a special interest for ancient paintings and classical poetry, acquiring the ''Liber Interitus'' by

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...

for an unknown but extremely high price. She was inspired by Gnostic writings to write a short poet entitled ''Chuchotet d'Archont'', published posthumously. Along with her husband she was the founding patron of

L'Istituto Statale della Ss. Annunziata L'Istituto Statale della Ss. Annunziata (English: The Ss. Annunziata Boarding School) was the first female boarding school in Florence, founded for the daughters of Gino Capponi, Marquis Gino Capponi. The Institute was created in 1823, to educate ...

, the first female boarding school in Florence set up to educate

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word' ...

and noble young ladies. She died 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 ...

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...

she passed onto Auguste, her only surviving daughter.

Marriage and issue

Her husband's granddaughter Archduchess Luise of Austria described Maria Anna as a "highly nervous girl who was so terrified at the idea of meeting her unknown bridegroom that she refused to leave Dresden unless accompanied by her sister" Princess Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony. As her sister agreed to travel with her, Maria Anna duly married on 16 November 1817 the future

, son 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 "c ...

and his first wife

Princess Luisa of Naples and Sicily Luisa of Naples and Sicily (Luisa Maria Amalia Teresa; 27 July 1773 – 19 September 1802) was Grand Duchess of Tuscany as the wife of Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany. She was born a princess of Tuscany as a daughter born to Ferdinan ...

. During the celebrations, Ferdinand became attached to Maria Anna's sister, and they were later married. Her sister Maria Ferdinanda thus became Maria Anna's stepmother-in-law.Toscana, p. 18. They had four children, only one of whom lived to mature adulthood: * Carolina Augusta Elisabeth Vincentia Johanna Josepha of Austria (1822–1841) *

Archduchess Auguste Ferdinande of Austria Archduchess Auguste Ferdinande of Austria (1 April 1825 – 26 April 1864) was the only daughter of Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany and his first wife, Maria Anna of Saxony to survive to adulthood. She married Prince Luitpold of Bavaria, w ...

(1825–1864) * Maria Maximiliana Thekla Johanna Josepha of Austria (1827–1834), died in childhood. * Maria Josepha Amalia Carlotta Giovanna (1828-1836), died in childhood. After Maria Anna's death at

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the ci ...

in 1832, her husband married

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 , ...

Ancestry

References

Sources

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Anna Of Saxony 1799 births 1832 deaths Saxon princesses House of Wettin German classical scholars Women classical scholars Austrian princesses German Roman Catholics Grand Duchesses of Tuscany Albertine branch