Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily, Queen of the July Monarchy

Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily (Maria Amalia Teresa; Caserta, Italy, 26th April 1782 - Surrey, England, 24th March 1866)

Maria Amalia with her children Henry of Orleans, Duke of Aumale and Antoine of Orléans, Duke of Montpensier by Louis Hersent, 1835

Noble ladies are always popular visitors to the salon and our guest today is certainly one of those! Born to a king and married to a future king of France, Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily lived a turbulent and unsettled life that saw her crossing Europe in search of a place to settle.

Maria Amalia was born into European royalty as the daughter of King Ferdinand I of Two Sicilies and Maria Carolina of Austria. Her grandparents were our old friends, Francis I and Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and of course, she could number a most iconic queen of France amongst her aunties. An exceptionally studious and pious girl, in her infancy the young princess was betrothed to her cousin, Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France. this would have been an illustrious match for Maria Amalia but it was not to be, as her future husband passed away aged just seven.

Louis Philippe by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1841

Within a few short years the landscape of France changed forever as the revolution swept through the land and the Neapolitan court stood against France as part of the First Coalition. Eventually, as the revolutionary wars spread across the continent, the royal family fled their home bound for Sicily, just the first of several new homes that the itinerant nobles would occupy as they tried to remain one step ahead of the fighting.

Of course, the Neapolitan family were not the only people fleeing the fighting and when Maria Amalia was 24 she encountered the exiled Louis Philippe d'Orléans. the stage was soon set for marriage and in 1809 the couple were wed; in total they would have ten children, all but two of whom survived to adulthood. Their relationship was plagued by constant financial tribulations, though these did little to deter their spending, and the family struggled to settle with their return to France in 1814 cut short by Napoleon's reemergence onto the political scene.

Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily by Louis Hersent, 1828

Although Maria Amalia had no interest in politics and no wish to serve as a political wife, she had no choice in 1830 when the July monarchy saw the Duke and Duchess installed as King and Queen Consort of France in 1830. Like others before them, they did not hold onto the French throne and were forced to fell for England once more in the wake of the 1848 revolution. This time, they would not return to France before their deaths.

Widowed that same year, Maria Amalia remained in residence in England and devoted herself to philanthropy and her faith. She lived out a private and secluded old age and at her death aged 83 was finally returned to France, where she was laid to rest in Chapelle Royale de Dreux.

Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.

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The Marriage of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI

We have seen royal marriages before here at the salon but today marks the anniversary of a particularly iconic match of two young people. The leading players in this drama would meet famously unhappy ends, but for now let us visit them in earlier times and see how the match between Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI came to be.

Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria by Martin van Meytens, 1767-1768

The first die was cast with the death of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1765. His widow, Maria Theresa, was left to rule the Holy Roman Empire alongside her son, Joseph II, and the politically astute Empress set about a carefully planned programme of dynastic marriages. These weddings were intended to cement alliances that were entered into during the Seven Years' War and Austria was set to advance via the altars of Europe.

With betrothals arranged with various royal houses, Maria Theresa intended that one of her daughters would marry the 14 year old Louis, Dauphin of France. However, smallpox swept through the House of Habsburg-Lorraine and killed or permanently disfigured the possible candidates for this key marriage other than 12 year old Archduchess Maria Antonia, who had survived the disease earlier in her childhood. The Empress presented Maria Antonia as a match for Louis and negotiations began in earnest, led by Étienne François, Duc de Choiseul.

Louis XVI by Joseph-Siffrein Duplessis, 1776

Over the two years that followed an enormous dowry of 200,000 crowns was agreed upon and the family of the groom to be began to view their likely new member with a critical eye. Her teeth were crooked and her smile unpleasant, they commented, and the young lady was subjected to months of unanaesthetised corrective surgery at the hans of dentist, Pierre Laveran, until both France and Austria were satisfied. Her wardrobe, hair, make up and etiquette skills were overhauled and finally, it was agreed that the young Archduchess was fit to marry into the Bourbon household.

On 19th April 1770, Maria Antonia attended the Augustinerkirche in Vienna to be married by proxy to Louis. Her brother, Ferdinand, served as groom for the ceremony and she officially took the name and title, Marie Antoinette, Dauphine of France.

The Augustinerkirche in Vienna

By now all of 14, Marie Antoinette immediately began the journey to her new life and two weeks later she was handed over to her French carers, including our old friend, Madame Etiquette, better known as Anne d'Arpajon, comtesse de Noailles. Finally, on 16th May, the bride and groom were married ceremonially in the royal chapel at Versailles before a crowd of 5000 who crowded into grandstands in the Hall of Mirrors to watch the procession pass. It was to be the start of a far from settled union plagued by politics, gossip and intrigue but for now let us leave the newlyweds on this, the 244th anniversary of their marriage.

To read about the tragedy that befell a public firework display in honour of the marriage, click here.

Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.

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Adventures in Brazil: Maria Leopoldina of Austria

Maria Leopoldina of Austria (Maria Leopoldina Josefa Carolina; Vienna, Austria, 22nd January 1797 - Paço de São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, 11th December 1826)

Maria Leopoldina of Austria by Joseph Kreutzinger, 1815

A royal lady joins us in the salon today, a woman born in Vienna who went on to play her part in the story of Brazilian independence.

Archduchess Maria Leopoldina was born at Schönbrunn Palace to Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Teresa of the Two Sicilies. She was one of twelve children and among her siblings could count Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria and Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma, the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. As a girl she was dedicated to her studies and developed and abiding and lifelong love of the natural sciences, enjoying a loving and close relationship with her stepmother, Maria Ludovika d'Este, after the death of Maria Teresa when the little girl was just ten years old.

When Leopoldina was 18 years old she was informed by her father that the time had come for marriage and that she should prepare to leave for Rio de Janeiro, where she would be wed to Pedro of Braganza. She consented to the match and immediately set about learning as much as she could about her husband and the land where she was to make her new home, concentrating on learning Portuguese so that life at court might be less difficult to settle into. Her studies eventually became a unique journal on the life, culture and environment of the place that would become her home.

On 13 May 1817 Leopoldina was married to Pedro by proxy in Vienna, where the bridegroom was represented by the bride's uncle, Archduke Karl. Finally, amid celebration and festivities, she left Livorno for Rio on 13th August 1817, eventually arriving on 5th November.

Leopoldina arrived in her new home to find her husband living with dancer Noemie Thierry, who would remain at court for a further month before finally being prevailed upon to depart. The young couple found married life more difficult than they had anticipated yet they settled together in the Quinta Boa Vista in São Cristóvão. Their surroundings were far from luxurious and the couple were overrun with insects and suffered greatly in the humidity of Rio. However, the couple persevered and had seven children together, three of whom survived childhood.

In 1822 Leopoldina the first Empress Consort Brazil had known and proved herself a keen political maneuverer. With her husband away in São Paulo, she served as Regent and led negotiations in favour of Brazilian independence. She wrote to him with her findings and thoughts and he accepted her reasoning, declaring the independence of Brazil on 7th September 1822.

Four years later Pedro inherited the Portuguese throne upon the death of his father, holding it for just two months until he abdicated in favour of his seven-year-old daughter Maria. That same year Leopoldina died in Rio de Janeiro, after complications from a miscarriage.

Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.

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Family Feuds and Rumours of Poisoning: Princess Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily

Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily (Maria Antonietta Teresa Amelia Giovanna Battista Francesca Gaetana Maria Anna Lucia; Caserta, Italy, 14th December 1784 - Aranjuez, Spain, 21st May 1806)

Princess Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily by Vicente López y Portaña 

It must be something in the air at the moment because we seem to be meeting lots of ladies who lived painfully short lives of late and today is no exception. It is time to leave England behind for the climes of Italy and Spain and the story of Princess Maria Antonia.

As with two of our other guests, Maria Antonia was the daughter of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Maria Carolina of Austria and, like so many of the young nobles we have met, her future was decided by means of negotiations and power plays. Like so many of the young ladies we have met, Maria Antonia was raised to make a good marriage and, whilst the princess was still a girl, she and her siblings were already the subject of marital negotiations.

To secure alliances, it was agreed that the intelligent and vibrant young lady would marry her first cousin, Infante Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias and future king of Spain. Her brother was likewise to marry into the Spanish court, becoming the husband of Ferdinand's sister, Infanta Maria Isabella. Maria Antonia and Ferdinand were wed on 4th October 1802.

The marriage was far from devoted and Maria Antonia thought Ferdinand most unappealing, so it is perhaps not a surprise that the expected heir did not materialise. Instead, pregnancies in 1804 and 1805 both resulted in miscarriages, occasions that did nothing to endear Maria Antonia to her new family. Life at court was far from happy for the young woman as the families of the bride and groom simply did not get on and Maria Antonia found herself constantly in opposition to Maria Luisa, her mother in law. Indeed, accusations of poisoning and sabotage were flung around on all sides and the young woman's mother had a particular loathing for her Spanish opposite that can hardly have made marital life fun.

In fact, dislike for Maria Luisa was one of the few areas where Ferdinand and Maria Antonia did see eye to eye. The heir apparent took his wife's advice and opinion of his mother seriously and valued her guidance in his own efforts to gain political ascendancy over Maria Luisa and her close ally, prime minister Manuel Godoy. However, by this point Maria Antonia's health was already deteriorating, weakened by the miscarriages and the condition that would kill her.

Maria Antonia died of tuberculosis in 1806 aged just 21. Her grieving mother fervently believed that her daughter had fallen victim to a poison plot by her mother-in-law, a belief she held until her dying day.

Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.

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