Maria Anna of Savoy (; 19 September 1803 – 4 May 1884) was

Empress of Austria This is a list of the Austrian empresses, archduchesses, duchesses and margravines, wives of the List of rulers of Austria, rulers of Austria. The monarchy in Austria was abolished at the end of the First World War in 1918. The different title ...

and

Queen of Hungary The King of Hungary () was the ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Magyarország apostoli királya'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 and used ...

(see

Grand title of the Empress of Austria The grand title of the emperor of Austria () was the vast lists of the crowns, titles, and dignities which the emperors of Austria carried from the foundation of the empire in 1804 until the end of the monarchy in 1918. After the House of Habsb ...

) by marriage to Emperor

Ferdinand I of Austria Ferdinand I ( 19 April 1793 – 29 June 1875) was Emperor of Austria from March 1835 until his abdication in December 1848. He was also King of Hungary, King of Croatia, Croatia and King of Bohemia, Bohemia (as Ferdinand V), King of Lombardy– ...

. Born into the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...

, she was the penultimate child and daughter of

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia Victor Emmanuel I (; 24 July 1759 – 10 January 1824) was the Duke of Savoy, King of Sardinia and ruler of the Savoyard states from 4 June 1802 until his reign ended in 1821 upon abdication due to a liberal revolution. Shortly thereafter, hi ...

, and his wife, Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este.

Biography

Portrait of King Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia and his family by Luigi Bernero

Maria Anna was born on 19 September 1803 in

Palazzo Colonna The Palazzo Colonna () is a palatial block of buildings in central Rome, Italy, at the base of the Quirinal Hill, and adjacent to the church of Santi Apostoli. It is built in part over the ruins of an old Roman serapeum, and it has belonged to ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, the daughter of King

and his wife, Archduchess Maria Teresa of Austria-Este. She had a twin sister, Maria Teresa. The two princesses were baptised by

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...

. Their godparents were their maternal grandparents,

Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria-Este (Ferdinand Karl Anton Joseph Johann Stanislaus; 1 June 1754 – 24 December 1806) was a son of Holy Roman Emperor Franz I and Maria Theresa of Austria. He was the founder of the House of Austria-Este and ...

and his wife

Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este Maria Beatrice d'Este (Maria Beatrice Ricciarda; 7 April 1750 – 14 November 1829) was the last descendant of the House of Este, of the House of Cybo-Malaspina and, through her maternal grandmother , also of the Novellara branch of the House ...

. In the

Museo di Roma The Museo di Roma is a museum in Rome, Italy, part of the network of Roman civic museums. The museum was founded in the Fascist era with the aim of documenting the local history and traditions of the "old Rome" that was rapidly disappearing, but ...

can be seen a painting of the baptism. She was known as "Pia" within the family. On 12 February 1831, Maria Anna was married by

procuration Procuration () is the action of taking care of, hence management, stewardship, agency. The word is applied to the authority or power delegated to a Procurator (disambiguation), procurator, or agent, as well as to the exercise of such authority expr ...

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

to King Ferdinand V of Hungary, eldest son and

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

of Emperor

Francis I of Austria Francis II and I (; 12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor as Francis II from 1792 to 1806, and the first Emperor of Austria as Francis I from 1804 to 1835. He was also King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, and served ...

. On 27 February, the couple were married in person 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. ...

in the Hofburg chapel by the cardinal archbishop of Olmütz. Maria Anna was selected to marry the future emperor at the age of 27, which was very late for a princess to marry in this time period. However, her age was seen as a sign that she would be more settled, religious, and easier to manage. Maria Anna and Ferdinand had no children. Ferdinand succeeded as emperor of Austria on 2 March 1835; Maria Anna became empress. On 12 September 1836, she was crowned queen of Bohemia in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. Maria Anna never learned to speak German during her tenure as empress but preferred to speak French. She enjoyed some popularity as empress, and a festival was celebrated on her name day, 26 July each year. Minister

Metternich Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein ( ; 15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich () or Prince Metternich, was a Germans, German statesman and diplomat in the service of the Austrian ...

managed the Government during the reign of her spouse. Unlike her sister-in-law

Sophie of Bavaria Princess Sophie of Bavaria (Sophie Friederike Dorothea Wilhelmine; 27 January 1805 – 28 May 1872) was the daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his second wife, Caroline of Baden. The identical twin sister of Maria Anna of Bavaria ...

, Maria Anna had no influence on policy. She supported Emperor Ferdinand, who was unable to manage state affairs because of his health and was respected for her devotion. Maria Anna referred to herself as his "nurse" highlighting her caring role in his life. During the 1848 Revolution, Maria Anna retracted her support from the Metternich Policy with support from Sophie of Bavaria. However, she did voice her opinion that stronger measures should be taken against the revolution. On 2 December 1848, Ferdinand abdicated. Maria Anna was popular in Prague, where she was engaged in a local charity.

Death

Maria Anna died in Prague. She is buried next to her husband in tomb number 63, along with other members of the House of Habsburg 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.

Honours

* : Dame of the

Order of the Starry Cross The Order of the Starry Cross (also known as Order of the Star Cross or Star Cross Order; German: ''Sternkreuz-Orden'') is an imperial Austrian dynastic order for Catholic noble ladies, founded in 1668. The order still exists under the House of Ha ...

Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Kaiserthumes Österreich
(1868), p 110, Sternkreuz-Orden * : Dame of the

Order of Queen Maria Luisa The Royal Order of Noble Ladies of Queen Maria Luisa is an Order created by King Charles IV of Spain by royal decree on April 21, 1792, at the request of his wife, Queen Maria Luisa, to reward noble women who distinguished themselves for their ...

Ancestry

Footnotes

Bibliography

''Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich''

External links

{{Authority control

Maria Anna of Sardinia Maria Anna of Savoy (; 19 September 1803 – 4 May 1884) was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary (see Grand title of the Empress of Austria) by marriage to Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria. Born into the House of Savoy, she was the penultimate ...

19th-century Austrian people 19th-century Austrian women Empresses of Austria Queens consort of Hungary Queens consort of Bohemia People from the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia Princesses of Savoy Burials at the Imperial Crypt Italian twins House of Habsburg-Lorraine Nobility from Rome Ferdinand I of Austria Daughters of kings Daughters of dukes