Maria Theresa of Austria-Este (1773–1832)

For other people named Maria Theresa of Austria, see Maria Theresa of Austria (disambiguation).

Maria Theresa of Austria-Este
Queen consort of Sardinia
Tenure	4 June 1802 – 12 March 1821
Spouse	Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia
among others... Issue
Maria Beatrice, Duchess of Modena Maria Teresa, Duchess of Parma Maria Anna, Empress of Austria Maria Cristina, Queen of the Two Sicilies
Full name
Maria Theresia Josefa Johanna
House	House of Savoy House of Austria-Este
Father	Archduke Ferdinand of Austria
Mother	Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este
Born	1 November 1773(1773-11-01) Royal Palace of Milan, Milan
Died	29 March 1832(1832-03-29) (aged 58) Geneva, Switzerland
Burial	Basilica of Superga, Turin
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Maria Theresa of Austria-Este (Maria Theresia Josefa Johanna; 1 November 1773 – 29 March 1832) was born an Archduchess of Austria and a Princess of Modena. She was later Queen of Sardinia as consort of Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia.

Family and infancy

She was born at the Royal Palace of Milan, a daughter of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, governor of Milan and son of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria after whom she was named. Her mother was Maria Beatrice d'Este, heiress to the Duchy of Modena.

Marriage

Maria Theresa married on 25 April 1789 at the age of 15 with the 29-year-old Victor Emmanuel, Duke of Aosta future King Victor Emmanuel I. Their relationship was a happy one.
She was a good friend of Marie Clotilde of France, the childless consort of Charles Emmanuel, Prince of Piedmont. She was also close to the Duchess of Chablais. At the time of her marriage, her spouse was the Duke of Aosta as such she was styled as Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Aosta till she became Queen. The couple had 6 daughters and one son, who died young. Upon the invasion of Savoy by Napoleon in 1798, she left with her family first to Tuscany and then to Sardinia.

After the abdication of Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia in 1802, Maria Theresa became queen consort, but she had to wait on the island of Sardinia for the end of the war in 1814 to return to the capital Turin. Maria Theresa was initially enthusiastically welcomed in Turin, but she soon aroused great discontent among the public. She was accused of wishing to undermine and abolish so much as possible of the reforms initiated during the French occupation, and was additionally said to treat all whom cooperated with the French with contempt. Her conduct has been suggested as one of the reasons behind the discontent which led to the rebellions of 1821 which led to her consort's abdication. After the outbreak of a liberal revolution in 1821, her husband Victor Emmanuel abdicated in favor of his brother, Charles Felix. During the riots, she declared herself willing to assume regency if necessary. Instead, she followed her abdicated spouse to Nice.

Maria Theresa survived Victor Emmanuel by eight years. She was accused of having tried to convince her childless brother-in-law Charles Felix to assign Francis IV, duke of Modena (husband of her eldest daughter Maria Beatrice), as heir to the throne. Due to the hostility directed toward her, she was not allowed to return to Turin until 1831. She was buried in the Basilica of Superga.

Issue

Maria Theresa with her husband and their daughters Maria Anna, Maria Teresa and Maria Cristina.

1. Princess Maria Beatrice of Savoy (Maria Beatrice Vittoria Giuseppina; 6 December 1792 – 15 September 1840), married Francis IV, Duke of Modena, had issue.
2. Princess Maria Adelaide of Savoy (Maria Adelaide Clothilde Xaveria Borbonia; 1 October 1794 – 2 August 1795) died in infancy.
3. Prince Charles Emmanuel of Savoy (Carlo Emanuele; 3 September 1796 – 9 August 1799) died of smallpox.
4. A daughter (November 1800 – 10 January 1801) died in infancy.
5. Princess Maria Teresa of Savoy (Maria Teresa Fernanda Felicitas Gaetana Pia; 19 September 1803 – 16 July 1879) married Charles II, Duke of Parma, had issue.
6. Princess Maria Anna of Savoy (Maria Anna Ricarda Carlotta Margherita Pia; 19 September 1803 – 4 May 1884) married Ferdinand I of Austria, no issue.
7. Princess Maria Cristina of Savoy (Maria Cristina Carlotta Giuseppina Gaetana Elise; 14 November 1812 – 21 January 1836) married Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, had issue.

Ancestry

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 1 November 1773 – 25 April 1789 Her Royal Highness Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este
• 25 April 1789 – 4 June 1802 Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Aosta
• 4 June 1802 – 12 March 1821 Her Majesty the Queen of Sardinia
• 12 March 1821 – 29 March 1832 Her Majesty Queen Maria Theresa

Further reading

• Festorazzi, Roberto. La regina infelice: Lettere d'amore segrete di Maria Teresa di Savoia. Milano: Mursia, 2002. ISBN 8842530603.
• Brigitte Hamann: Die Habsburger. Ein biographisches Lexikon. Verlag Carl Ueberreuter, Wien 1988, S. 345f.

External links

Media related to Maria Theresa of Austria-Este at Wikimedia Commons

See also

Maria Theresa of Austria-Este House of Austria-Este Born: 1 November 1773 Died: 29 March 1832
Italian royalty
Vacant Title last held by Marie Clotilde of France	Queen consort of Sardinia 4 June 1802 – 12 March 1821	Succeeded by Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily

Persondata
Name	Maria Theresa of Austria-Este
Alternative names
Short description	Queen consort of Piedmont-Sardinia
Date of birth	1773-11-1
Place of birth	Milan
Date of death	1832-03-29
Place of death	Turin