The Life of Maria Sophie, Duchess in Bavaria, the last Queen consort of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Part I.

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Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria, Elisabeth in Bavaria, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, King Francis II of the Two Sicilies, Maria Sophie in Bavaria, Sisi

Maria Sophie, Duchess in Bavaria October 4, 1841 – January 19, 1925) the last Queen consort of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Early life

Maria Sophie was born on October 4, 1841, at the Possenhofen Castle in Possenhofen, the Kingdom of Bavaria. Her parents were Princess Ludovika of Bavaria and Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria. She was the sixth of ten children and one of the eight that survived to adulthood. She and her siblings enjoyed an unrestricted childhood, shared between Possenhofen Castle in the summers and the Herzog-Max-Palais in Munich.

She was the younger sister of the better-known Elisabeth of Bavaria (“Sisi”) who married Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.

In the winter of 1857, at the age of 16, Marie Sophie’s hand was sought by Francis, Crown Prince of Naples, Duke of Calabria, and the eldest son of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies. The marriage was political, since King Ferdinand II wished to ally himself with the Emperor of Austria, Franz Josef I, a powerful fellow absolutist.

Maria Sophie, Duchess in Bavaria

At that time the kingdom was already threatened by revolutionary forces. At that time Marie Sophie had not experienced menarche, and underwent treatments to induce menses. She also had to learn Italian.

In January 1859 she traveled to Vienna to spend time with her sister before they went to Trieste to formally enter her new kingdom, and say farewell to her family on the Neapolitan royal yacht Fulminante. She set sail for Bari on February 3, 1859.

Queen

On January 8, 1859 in Munich at the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche Maria Sophie was married by proxy and then again married in-person on February 3, 1859 in Bari to Prince Francis, the Duke of Calabria, the eldest son of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies and his first wife, Maria Christina of Savoy.

Within the year, with the death of the king, her husband ascended to the throne as King Francis II of the Two Sicilies, and Maria Sophie became Queen of a realm that was shortly to be overwhelmed by the forces of Giuseppe Garibaldi and the Piedmontese army.

Francis II, King of the Two-Sicilies

In September 1860, as the Garibaldine troops were moving towards Naples, his capital, King Francis II decided to leave the city. At the beginning, he planned to organise a resistance in Capua. However, after that city had also been lost to the Garibaldines in the aftermath of the battle of the Volturnus (October), he and Marie Sophie took refuge in the strong coastal fortress of Gaeta, 80 km north of Naples.

During the Siege of Gaeta in late 1860 and early 1861, the forces of King Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia-Piedmont bombarded and eventually overcame the defenders. It was this brief “last stand of the Bourbons” that gained Marie Sophie the reputation of the strong “warrior queen” that stayed with her for the rest of her life. She was tireless in her efforts to rally the defenders, giving them her own food, caring for the wounded, and daring the attackers to come within range of the fortress cannon.

King Francis II and Queen Maria Sophie of the Two-Sicilies

Rome

With the fall of Gaeta and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Marie Sophie and her husband went into exile in Rome, the capital of what for 1,000 years had been the sizeable Papal States, a large piece of central Italy but which, by 1860, had been reduced to the city of Rome, itself, as the armies of Victor Emanuel II came down from the north to join up with Garibaldi, the conqueror of the south.

King Francis II set up a government in exile in Rome that enjoyed diplomatic recognition by most European states for a few years as still the legitimate government of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Her wealth and privilege were, to a certain extent, overshadowed by personal tragedies. Her marriage was not consummated for many years, as her husband suffered from phimosis.

The Life of Archduchess Marie Caroline of Austria, Crown Princess of Saxony

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Archduchess Marie Caroline of Austria, Emperor Franz I of Austria, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, Holy Roman Empire, King Friedrich August II of Saxony, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, Princess Maria Anna of Bavaria, Sophie of Bavaria

Archduchess Marie Caroline of Austria (April 8, 1801 – May 22, 1832) was Crown Princess of Saxony as the wife of Friedrich August, Crown Prince of Saxony, and future King.

Archduchess Marie Caroline was a daughter of Franz II, Holy Roman Emperor, later Franz I of Austria after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, and his second wife Princess Maria Teresa of the Two Sicilies, and named after an elder sister who had died in infancy.

Emperor Franz I of Austria

Archduchess Marie Caroline’s mother, Princess Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, was the first Empress of Austria and last Holy Roman Empress as the spouse of Franz II. She was born a Princess of Naples and Sicily as the eldest daughter King Ferdinand IV-III of Naples and Sicily who later became King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. King Ferdinand was married to Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria the thirteenth child of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Franz I.

Princess Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily,

Archduchess Marie Caroline’s parents were double first cousins as they shared all four grandparents (Franz’s paternal grandparents were his wife, Princess Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily’s maternal grandparents and vice versa).

The four grandparents were:
Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and Emperor Franz I
King Carlos III of Spain and Maria Amalia of Saxony

Archduchess Marie Caroline was educated strictly, standing out in drawing, as proven by several sketches and crayons preserved in Austria.

Crown Princess of Saxony

Archduchess Marie Caroline of Austria

On October 7, 1819 Archduchess Marie Caroline married Prince Friedrich August of Saxony, son of Maximilian, Prince of Saxony, and Princess Caroline of Parma, in Dresden, Germany. The marriage was childless and unhappy.

Marie Caroline was sweet and pleasant, but she experienced epilepsy and her attacks were so frequent that she was barely able to fulfill her duties as Crown Princess; they also seriously affected her marital relationship. Crown Prince Friedrich August was unfaithful on several occasions. From one of these affairs he had an illegitimate son, the musician Theodor Uhlig (1822–1853).

Marie Caroline died from an epileptic attack on May 22, 1832 at the age of 31 at Pillnitz Castle near Dresden.

King Friedrich August II of Saxony

On June 6, 1836, King Anton of Saxony died and Friedrich August succeeded him as King Friedrich August II of Saxony.

In Dresden on April 24, 1833 King Friedrich August II married secondly to Princess Maria Anna of Bavaria, daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his second wife, Caroline of Baden.

Princess Maria Anna of Bavaria was the identical twin sister of Princess Sophie of Bavaria, mother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico

Maria Anna of Bavaria

Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico were the grandchildren of Emperor Franz I of Austria whose daughter, Marie Caroline, was the first wife of Friedrich August II of Saxony. Sophie of Bavaria was the mother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico who was the identical twin sister of Princess Maria Anna of Bavaria the second wife of Friedrich August of Saxony.

Like his first marriage, this was childless.

Without legitimate issue, after his death King Frederick August II of Saxony was succeeded by his younger brother, Johann.

January 27, 1892: Birth of Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria

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Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria, Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria, Archduke Franz Salvator of Austria, Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, Prince of Tuscany, Princess Maria Immaculata of Bourbon-Two-Sicilies

From the Emperor’s Desk: I could not find a lot of information on Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska so I supplemented information on her parents marriage.

Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria (January 27, 1892 – January 29, 1930) was the eldest daughter of Archduke Franz Salvator of Austria and Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria. Through her mother, she was a granddaughter of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and through her father she was a descendant of King George II of Great Britain.

Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria

Her mother was Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria (April 22, 1868 – September 6, 1924) was the youngest child of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth of Austria. She was usually called Valerie.

In Bad Ischl on July 31, 1890, Archduchess Marie Valerie married her third cousin Archduke Franz Salvator.

Princess Maria Immaculata of Bourbon-Two-Sicilies

Her father, Archduke Franz Salvator of Austria 21 August 21, 1866 – April 20, 1939) was a son of Archduke Charles Salvator, Prince of Tuscany and Princess Maria Immaculata of Bourbon-Two-Sicilies, the fifth child and second-eldest daughter of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies and his wife Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria.

Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria

He became a cavalry general in the Imperial and Royal (k.u.k.) Austro-Hungarian Army. He received an honorary doctorate in medicine from the University of Innsbruck for his work with the Red Cross during World War I and was a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece and Order of the White Eagle.

Archduke Franz Salvator had met Archduchess Marie Valerie in 1886 at a ball, but Marie Valerie waited several years to be sure that her feelings toward Franz Salvator were strong enough for a successful marriage.

It was hoped by many at court that she would marry someone like the Crown Prince of Saxony (King Friedrich August III of Saxony); the Prince Royal of Portugal (King Carlos I of Portugal); or Prince Alfons of Bavaria as she courted with him.

Archduke Franz Salvator of Austria, Prince of Tuscany

Nonetheless, Empress Elisabeth declared that Marie Valerie would be allowed to marry even a chimney sweep if she so desired (in contrast to her other children, who both had to make dynastic marriages).

Marie Valerie chose Franz Salvator, a relatively minor prince from the Tuscan branch of the Austrian imperial family who had no great wealth to offer, and Elisabeth, as promised, supported her favorite daughter.

This caused a deep rift between Marie Valerie and her siblings for a time, but eventually Crown Prince Rudolf reconciled with her when Marie Valerie and Franz Salvator became engaged on Christmas 1888. However, the relationship between Marie Valerie and Crown Prince Rudolph’s wife, Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, remained cold even after Rudolf’s death.

Archduchess Marie Valerie and Archduke Franz Salvator of Austria

Marie Valerie’s solemn renunciation of her rights to the Austrian throne, which was necessary for the marriage to proceed, took place on July 16, 1890 at the Hermesvilla.

The young couple’s festive wedding followed in the parish church of Bad Ischl on July 31. The ceremony was conducted by the Bishop of Linz, Franz Maria Doppelbauer. Afterwards, Valerie and Franz honeymooned in Italy, Switzerland and Bavaria.

Thier daughter, Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria, married at Niederwallsee on September 19, 1912 Georg Count von Waldburg zu Zeil und Hohenems (1878–1955). The marriage was one of love and not a political marriage. Georg von Waldburg had no money or property, and had been hired as a tutor for her brothers.

Archduchess Hedwig (left) and Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria

They had four children, three daughters and a son:

1. Countess Marie Valerie von Waldburg-Zeil (1913–2011), married Archduke Georg of Austria, Prince of Tuscany (1905–1952) in 1936. He was the younger son of Archduke Peter Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Princess Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

2. Countess Klementine von Waldburg-Zeil (1914–1941), unmarried and without issue.

3. Countess Elisabeth von Waldburg-Zeil (1917–1979), unmarried and without issue.

4. Count Franz Josef von Waldburg-Zeil (1927 – 2022), married Countess Priscilla of Schönborn-Wiesentheid in 1956. They had seven children.

Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska was a painter for some time. She died, aged 38, of pneumonia on January 29, 1930. Her widower remarried nearly two years later, on December 29, 1931, to his wife’s younger sister Archduchess Gertrud of Austria.

January 19, 1927: Death of Princess Charlotte of Belgium, Empress of Mexico. Part I.

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Archduke Maximilian of Austria, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, King Leopold I of the Belgians, King Louis Philippe of the French, King Pedro V of Portugal, Kingdom of the Belgians, Princess Charlotte of Belgium, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom

Charlotte of Belgium (Marie Charlotte Amélie Augustine Victoire Clémentine Léopoldine of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; June 7, 1840 – January 19, 1927), better known under the name Charlotte, was the daughter of King Leopold I of Belgium and Princess Louise of Orléans. Her first name pays homage to the late Princess Charlotte of Wales, her father’s first wife.

Princess Charlotte of Belgium

She was also later known by the Spanish version of her name, Carlota, was by birth a Princess of Belgium and member of the House of Wettin in the branch of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (as such she was also styled Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duchess in Saxony).

Her mother was was the eldest daughter of the future Louis-Philippe I, King of the French, and of his wife Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies.

Princess Charlotte of Belgium

Through her mother, Charlotte was a granddaughter of King Louis Philippe I of the French and Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies, and through her father, she was a first-cousin of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; thanks to these relations, and in addition to regular stays in the city of Ostend in the summer, Charlotte spent long holidays with her maternal grandparents in the French royal residences and at her cousin’s in Windsor Castle.

As a child, she had a religious and bourgeoisie education thanks to the part played by her mother and her aunt, Princess Adélaïde of Orléans, to whom she was very close.

Princess Charlotte of Belgium

In her youth, Charlotte resembled her mother, and was noted as being a beauty possessing delicate features. This, combined with her status as the only daughter of the King of the Belgians, made her a desirable match.

In 1856, as she was preparing to celebrate her sixteenth birthday, two suitors sought her hand: Prince Georg of Saxony (who was quickly rejected) and King Pedro V of Portugal. The latter was the favorite candidate of both Queen Victoria and King Leopold I.

By personal choice, and under the influence of Madame d’Hulst (who affirmed that at the Portuguese court no priest would understand her), Charlotte declined the offer of marriage with King Pedro V. She explained: “As for Pedro, it is a throne, it is true, I would be Queen and Majesty but what is that, the crowns nowadays are heavy burdens and how one regrets later to have yielded to such crazy considerations”.

In the month of May 1856, Charlotte met in Brussels with Archduke Maximilian of Austria, younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. She was immediately charmed by this prince who was eight years her senior. Reportedly she stated: “it will be him that I will marry”.

Archduke Maximilian of Austria

Her father left Charlotte the choice of her future husband; as she testified in a letter addressed to her grandmother Maria Amalia: “He wrote me the most impartial letter, putting before my eyes the advantages of one and the other without wanting to influence me in any way”.

As for Leopold I, he wrote to his future son-in-law: “You won in May […] all my confidence and my benevolence. I also noticed that my little girl shared these dispositions; however it was my duty to proceed with precaution”. Charlotte declared: “If, as it is in question, the Archduke was invested with the Viceroyalty of Italy, that would be charming, that’s all I want”. The official engagement was celebrated on December 23, 1856.

Archduke Maximilian of Austria was born on July 6, 1832 in the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire. He was baptized the following day as Ferdinand Maximilian Josef Maria. The first name honored his godfather and paternal uncle, Emperor Ferdinand I, and the second honored his maternal grandfather, Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria.

Princess Charlotte of Belgium and Archduke Maximilian of Austria

His father was Archduke Franz Charles, the second surviving son of Emperor Franz I, during whose reign he was born. Maximilian was thus a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, a female-line cadet branch of the House of Habsburg. His mother was Princess Sophie of Bavaria, a member of the House of Wittelsbach.

Charlotte appeared elated by the prospect of her marriage to Maximilian, praising a fiancé for whom she envisioned an exceptional destiny. Maximilian appeared less enthusiastic when negotiating the dowry of his bride. The Archduke said of his fiancée: “She’s short, I’m tall, which must be.

She’s brunette, I’m blonde, which is good too. She is very intelligent, which is a bit annoying, but I will undoubtedly get over it”. The marriage ceremony was celebrated on July 27, 1857 at the Royal Palace of Brussels. This alliance with the House of Habsburg-Lorraine enhanced the legitimacy of the recently established Kingdom of the Belgians.