Maria Theresia Ahlefeldt

For other people called Princess Maria Theresia of Thurn and Taxis, see Princess Maria Theresia of Thurn and Taxis (disambiguation).

Princess Maria Theresia of Thurn and Taxis
Countess of Ahlefeldt-Langeland
Spouse	Ferdinand, Count of Ahlefeldt-Langeland
Full name
German: Maria Theresia
House	House of Thurn and Taxis House of Ahlefeldt
Father	Alexander Ferdinand, 3rd Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Mother	Princess Maria Henriette Josepha of Fürstenberg-Stühlingen
Born	16 January 1755(1755-01-16) Regensburg, Free Imperial City of Regensburg, Holy Roman Empire
Died	20 December 1810(1810-12-20) (aged 55) Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, Austrian Empire
Religion	Roman Catholic

Maria Theresia Ahlefeldt (born Princess Maria Theresia of Thurn and Taxis,^[1][2] [full German name: Maria Theresia, Prinzessin von Thurn und Taxis^[1][2]] 16 January 1755 in Regensburg, Free Imperial City of Regensburg, Holy Roman Empire;^[1][2] died 20 December 1810 in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, Austrian Empire^[1][2]) was a member of the House of Thurn and Taxis and a Princess of Thurn and Taxis by birth and a member of the Ahlefeldt Danish noble family and Countess of Ahlefeldt-Langeland through her marriage to Ferdinand, Count of Ahlefeldt-Langeland.^[1][2] Maria Theresia was a Danish (originally German) composer. She is known as the first female composer in Denmark.

Family

Maria Theresia was the eldest child and daughter of Alexander Ferdinand, 3rd Prince of Thurn and Taxis (1704–73) and his third wife Princess Maria Henriette Josepha of Fürstenberg-Stühlingen (1732–72).^[1][2] She was a younger half-sister of Karl Anselm, 4th Prince of Thurn and Taxis and niece of Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis.^[2]

Early life and marriage

She grew in a cultural environment at the princely court in Regensburg. Maria Theresia was engaged to Prince Joseph of Fürstenberg 1772-76 until her affair with Prince Philip of Hohenlohe. In 1780, she fled arrest after having married the Danish noble Ferdinand, Count of Ahlefeldt-Langeland (1747–1815) against the will of her family.

Career as a composer

In 1780, Maria Theresia's spouse was marshal at the court of Ansbach, where she was active in the amateur theatre. In 1792-94, her spouse was marshal of the Danish court and director of the Royal Danish Theatre. Maria Theresia composed music for several ballets, operas, and plays of the royal theatre. She moved to Dresden in 1798 and lived from 1800 until her death in Prague.

Selection of work

• La Folie, ou quel Conte! (libretto) 1780s
• Telemak paa Calypsos Øe (music, aria, choir), 1792
• Veddemaalet (music), 1793
• Romance de Nina 1794/98

Ancestry

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Darryl Lundy (16 Dec 2008). "Maria Theresia Prinzessin von Thurn und Taxis". thePeerage.com. http://www.thepeerage.com/p32447.htm#i324465. Retrieved 2010-01-01. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Paul Theroff. "THURN und TAXIS". Paul Theroff's Royal Genealogy Site. http://www.angelfire.com/realm/gotha/gotha/thurn.html. Retrieved 2010-01-01. 

• http://www.kvinfo.dk/side/597/bio/277/origin/170/

Persondata
Name	Ahlefeldt, Maria Theresia
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	16 January 1755
Place of birth	Regensburg, Free Imperial City of Regensburg, Holy Roman Empire
Date of death	20 December 1810
Place of death	Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, Austrian Empire