Archduchess Maria Josepha of Austria (Maria Josefa Gabriella Johanna Antonia Anna; 19 March 1751 – 15 October 1767) was the twelfth child and ninth daughter of

Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor Francis I (Francis Stephen; ; ; ; 8 December 1708 – 18 August 1765) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1745 to 1765, List of rulers of Austria#Dukes and archdukes of Austria under the House of Habsburg, Archduke of Austria from 1740 to 1765, List of ...

, and Empress

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

. She was engaged to King Ferdinand IV of Naples and Sicily, but the marriage never materialised due to Maria Josepha's death due to

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

. She was buried in 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, Austria.

Early life

Maria_Josepha_of_Austria_1762_by_Liotard

Maria Josepha was born on 19 March 1751 at the

Hofburg The Hofburg () is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty in Austria. Located in the Innere Stadt, center of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century by Ottokar II of Bohemia and expanded several times afterwards. It also ser ...

Palace in

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. ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, as the ninth daughter and twelfth child of

and Empress

. By birth, she was entitled to the position of

Archduchess of Austria The Archduchy of Austria (; ) was a major Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, 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 ...

, as her sisters were. Four more siblings followed her birth:

Maria Carolina Maria Carolina or Marie Caroline may refer to: Royalty * Maria Karolina Sobieska (1697–1740), Princess of Turenne and Duchess of Bouillon * Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria (born 1740) (1740–1741), daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and E ...

(1752), Ferdinand Karl (1754), Maria Antonia (1755), and Maximillian Francis (1756). Alongside her other siblings, Maria Josepha lived in the Hofburg Palace during the winter. During the summer, her family resided in both the

Schönbrunn Palace Schönbrunn Palace (Austrian German, German: Schloss Schönbrunn ) was the main summer residence of the House of Habsburg, Habsburg rulers, located in Hietzing, the 13th district of Vienna. The name ''Schönbrunn'' (meaning "beautiful spring") ha ...

and in the Laxenburg castle complex. Maria Josepha was raised in the ''Kindskammer'' with her many siblings. Her overall education was taken care of by the governess Countess Lerchenfeld, who also took care of Maria Josepha's sister Maria Johanna, with whom Maria Josepha enjoyed a very close relationship. Maria Josepha was also the favourite sibling of her brother, Archduke Joseph. Maria Johanna was born only a year before Maria Josepha, in February 1750. The two sisters were raised and educated together, and had the same tutors. Maria Josepha and Maria Johanna "developed satisfactory, worked hard at their lessons and were involved in numerous festivities in which they participated enthusiastically." Two_Archduchesses_of_Austria_in_aulic_attire_-_Pierre_Benevault_-_1759

Two_Archduchesses_of_Austria_in_aulic_attire_-_Pierre_Benevault_-_1759

Maria Josepha and her siblings were taught history, geography, theology,

land surveying Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the land, terrestrial Plane (mathematics), two-dimensional or Three-dimensional space#In Euclidean geometry, three-dimensional positions of Point (geom ...

, and mathematics, with "a scant hour or two devoted to studying maps and reading stories." They were taught the languages English,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, French,

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, and

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

. Maria Josepha, similar to that of her sister Maria Josepha, liked to act. After the death of her sister-in-law Princess Isabella of Parma, Maria Josepha was the most important woman at court after her mother,

niece In the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a niece or nephew is a child of an individual's sibling or sibling-in-law. A niece is female and a nephew is male, and they would call their parents' siblings aunt or uncle ...

and

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to ref ...

. She lost that position during May 1767 when her elder brother, Archduke Joseph, married his second cousin

Maria Josepha of Bavaria Maria Josepha of Bavaria (20 March 173928 May 1767) was Holy Roman Empress, Queen of the Romans, List of Austrian consorts, Archduchess of Austria, and Grand Duchess of Tuscany, among other titles, by her marriage to Joseph II, Holy Roman Empero ...

Betrothal

Empress Maria Theresa wanted her fourth eldest surviving daughter, Archduchess Maria Amalia, to marry King Ferdinand of Naples and Sicily for political reasons; however, after Ferdinand's father

Charles III of Spain Charles III (; 20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788) was King of Spain in the years 1759 to 1788. He was also Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Charles I (1731–1735); King of Naples, as Charles VII; and King of Sicily, as Charles III (or V) (1735� ...

objected to the five-year age difference, Maria Josepha, as the next eldest daughter, was left as the next candidate for Ferdinand's hand in marriage. She and Ferdinand were the same age, and Maria Josepha was considered "delightfully pretty, pliant by nature." Thus began Maria Josepha's training for her future role as Queen consort of Naples. Countess Lerchenfeld would instruct her for her "political sacrifice." Maria Theresa wrote to the countess about Maria Josepha's education: Maria Theresa continued about her daughter's personality: Maria Josepha's favourite sister, Maria Johanna, had been chosen as bride for the young king of Naples, however, she died before the marriage could take place.

Death

Viennese court painter - Maria Josepha of Austria

Maria Josepha had been terrified of dying of

ever since the death of her elder sister Archduchess Maria Johanna Gabriela in 1762. Her fears were realised when she died of smallpox on the very day she was to have left Vienna for her journey across the Alps to marry Ferdinand. Popular belief holds that she contracted smallpox because her mother, Maria Theresa, insisted that she go and pray at the improperly sealed tomb of her sister-in-law, Empress Maria Josepha, who had recently died of the disease—because they shared the same name. However, the rash appeared two days after Maria Josepha visited the vault, and there is an incubation period of about one week after initial infection before symptoms of a rash appear. Therefore, the archduchess must have been infected before visiting the vault. On 15 October 1767, at the age of 16, Maria Josepha, clinging to her brother Joseph, died due to the disease. She is buried in vault number 46 at the

Imperial Crypt Vaults The Imperial Crypt (), also called the Capuchin Crypt (''Kapuzinergruft''), is a burial chamber beneath the Capuchin Church, Vienna, Capuchin Church and monastery in Vienna, Austria. It was founded in 1618 and dedicated in 1632, and located on th ...

of the

in Vienna. After her death, her younger sister, Archduchess

Maria Carolina of Austria Maria Carolina of Austria (Maria Carolina Louise Josepha Johanna Antonia; 13 August 1752 – 8 September 1814) was Queen of Naples and Sicily as the wife of King Ferdinand IV and III, who later became King of the Two Sicilies. As ''de facto' ...

, was given as a bride to the king of Naples in her place. Her death seems to have impacted her youngest sister, Maria Antonia. Maria Antonia, who married the future King

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

of France in 1770, recalled a time when Maria Josepha, ill with smallpox, took her in her arms. Maria Josepha told her that she would be leaving her forever—not for Naples, but for the family crypt.

Ancestry

References

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

kapuzinergruft.com - Maria Josepha
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Josepha Of Austria, Archduchess 1751 births 1767 deaths 18th-century Austrian nobility 18th-century Austrian women House of Habsburg-Lorraine Deaths from smallpox Infectious disease deaths in Austria Burials at the Imperial Crypt Austrian princesses Knights of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Daughters of emperors Children of Maria Theresa Austrian royalty who died as children Daughters of kings Daughters of queens regnant Daughters of dukes Daughters of duchesses regnant Daughters of counts