Maria Theresa of Austria (1767–1827)

Maria Theresa of Austria
Queen consort of Saxony
Tenure	5 May 1827 – 7 November 1827
Born	(1767-01-14)14 January 1767 Florence
Died	7 November 1827(1827-11-07) (aged 60) Leipzig
Burial	Katholische Hofkirche
Spouse	Anthony of Saxony
Issue detail...	Princess Maria Ludovika Prince Frederick Augustus Princess Maria Johanna Princess Maria Theresa
Full name Maria Theresia Josepha Charlotte Johanna
House	Habsburg-Lorraine
Father	Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
Mother	Maria Luisa of Spain
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Maria Theresa of Austria (Maria Theresia Josepha Charlotte Johanna; 14 January 1767 – 7 November 1827) was born an Archduchess of Austria and a Princess of Tuscany. She was later Queen of Saxony as the second wife and consort of King Anthony of Saxony.

Biography

Maria Theresa was born in Florence, Italy, the eldest child of Grand Duke Peter Leopold of Tuscany (later Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor) and of his wife Maria Luisa of Spain. Like all the eldest daughters of her paternal grandparents, she was named after her grandmother, the Habsburg heiress and ruler Maria Theresa.

As her siblings, Maria Theresa was given a somewhat different upbringing than was usual given to royal children at the time: they were actually raised by their parents rather than a retinue of servants, were largely kept apart from any ceremonial court life and was taught to live simple, natural and modest.^[1]

On 8 September 1787 Maria Theresa was married to Prince Anthony of Saxony in person, rather than by proxy,^[2] which was otherwise the custom; the couple renewed their marriage vows in person at Dresden on 18 October 1787. Anthony had previously been married to Maria Carolina of Savoy who died of smallpox in 1782.

Mozart's opera Don Giovanni was originally intended to be performed in honor of Maria Theresa and Anthony Clement for their visit to Prague on 14 October 1787, as they traveled between Dresden and Vienna, and librettos were printed with dedication to them.

The premiere could not be arranged in time, however, so the opera The Marriage of Figaro was substituted on the express orders of Maria Theresa's uncle, Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor. The choice of The Marriage of Figaro was considered improper for a new bride by many observers, and the couple left the opera theater early without seeing the entire work performed. Mozart complained bitterly of the intrigues surrounding this incident in a letter to his friend Gottfried von Jacquin that was written in stages between 15 October and 25 October 1787. She was also present in Prague in September 1791 for the premiere of Mozart's opera La clemenza di Tito, which was written as part of the celebrations there in honor of the coronation of her father as King of Bohemia.^[3]

Maria Theresa was described as a simple and homely character devoted to a private family life, and she was reportedly relieved to marry a spouse who was, at the time of their marriage, not expected to succeed to a throne.^[4] Her four children all died as infants. However, at the death of her cousin and sister-in-law, Carolina of Parma, she and her other sister-in-law, Amalia of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, shared the responsibility of raising the former's children, something they are said to have done very strictly.^[5]

Maria Theresa assisted her father, by then Holy Roman Emperor, to arrange the meeting between Austria, Prussia and the French émigrées in Saxony, which resulted in the Declaration of Pillnitz 25 August 1791.^[6]

In 1806, she and her family fled Saxony for Prague during the war against Napoleon I. They were able to return in 1813. She was able to enjoy the title queen of Saxony for only a few months after the death of her brother-in-law Frederick Augustus I in May 1827. The latter's alliance with Napoleon led to significant losses of territory for Saxony at the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars.

Maria Theresa died at Leipzig in 1827.

Issue

Maria Theresa and Anthony were parents to four children, all of whom were born and died in Dresden; none survived to the age of two:

1. Maria Ludovika Auguste Fredericka Therese Franziska Johanna Aloysia Nepomucena Ignatia Anna Josepha Xaveria Franziska de Paula Barbara (14 March 1795 – 25 April 1796).
2. Frederick Augustus (b. and d. 5 April 1796).
3. Maria Johanna Ludovica Anna Amalia Nepomucena Aloysia Ignatia Xaveria Josepha Franziska de Chantal Eva Apollonia Magdalena Crescentia Vincentia (5 April 1798 – 30 October 1799).
4. Maria Theresia (b. and d. 15 October 1799).

References

• Justin C. Vovk: In Destiny's Hands: Five Tragic Rulers, Children of Maria Theresa (2010)

Ancestry