Princess Luisa of Naples and Sicily

Luisa of Naples and Sicily (Luisa Maria Amalia Teresa; 27 July 1773 – 19 September 1802) was Grand Duchess of Tuscany as the wife of Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany. She was born a princess of Naples and Sicily as a daughter born to Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Maria Carolina of Austria.

Luisa Maria
Portrait by Joseph Dorffmeister, 1797
Grand Duchess consort of Tuscany
Tenure15 August 1790 – 21 March 1801
Born27 July 1773
Royal Palace of Naples, Naples
Died19 September 1802 (aged 29)
Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, Holy Roman Empire
Burial
Imperial Crypt
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1790)​
Issue
Detail
Names
Luisa Maria Amalia Teresa
HouseBourbon-Two Sicilies
FatherFerdinand I of the Two Sicilies
MotherMaria Carolina of Austria
ReligionRoman Catholic

Coat of arms of Luisa Maria as Grand Duchess of Tuscany

Luisa had a rough correspondence with preeminent painter Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun—who was commissioned to paint portraits of Luisa and her elder siblings. Vigée Le Brun dubbed Luisa as the “most ugly” daughter of Ferdinand and Maria Carolina, and was even reluctant to finish her portrait. In matter of fact, many disliked Luisa’s appearance, and found her to be unattractive. Despite this, Luisa was known to be kindhearted to those around her.

After eleven years of marriage, Luisa and her husband, Ferdinand, were unwillingly forced into exile upon the Treaty of Aranjuez in 1801. The couple soon fled to Vienna, Austria, where they would stay for nearly a year until Ferdinand compensated with the Electorate of Salzburg, giving him titles and land. Luisa, however, died aged 29, before her husband re-ascended the throne.

Life

Childhood (1773–1790)

Luisa Maria Amalia Teresa was born on 27 July 1773, at the Royal Palace of Naples. Her parents were Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and his wife, Maria Carolina of Austria. Luisa was one of eighteen children, seven of whom survived into adulthood. She was often called Maria Luisa.

Her paternal grandparents were Charles III of Spain and Maria Amalia of Saxony; her maternal grandparents were Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Theresa of Austria.

Maria Luisa (right) with her younger sister Maria Amalia, by Angelica Kauffmann in 1782

Marriage (1790–1802)

On 15 August 1790, Maria Luisa was wed with her first cousin Ferdinand, Grand Duke of Tuscany.[1][2] The wedding ceremony took place in Florence. Her husband ruled the Grand Duchy of Tuscany until 1790, but was forced into exile due to the Treaty of Aranjuez, in which he was to, by Napoleon, make way for the Kingdom of Etruria.

The couple both went into exile and lived in Vienna, the capital of the Austrian Empire, which was ruled by Archduke Ferdinand's elder brother, Emperor Francis II. Soon, Ferdinand was compensated by being given the secularized lands of the Archbishop of Salzburg as Grand-Duke of Salzburg.[3]

Correspondence with Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun

In 1790 prominent French painter Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun was commissioned to paint portraits of Maria Carolina’s four eldest children—one of them being Maria Luisa.[4] Though, whilst painting Luisa, Le Brun was reluctant to finish it due to Luisa’s features. Le Brun detailed the encounter in her memoirs, recalling:[5]

. . . [Luisa] was extremely ugly and pulled such faces that I was most reluctant to finish her portrait.

The portrait in which Vigée Le Brun was “most reluctant” to finish, 1790. The painting is said to have modified.[6]

Despite the criticism given to her, Luisa remained charitable,[6] and kind to those critical of her appearance.

Death

On 19 September 1802, upon a somewhat complicated childbirth, Maria Luisa died giving birth to a stillborn son at the Hofburg, in Vienna. She is currently buried in the Imperial Crypt, in Austria, with her stillborn son in her arms.

Aftermath

Her husband outlived her by 23 years, he himself dying in 1824. Before his death, however, he had his Tuscan title reassumed—in 1814—after the title was held by Elisa Bonaparte.[7] Ferdinand also remarried in 1821 to Princess Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony, though this marriage remained childless.

Children

Ancestry

References
  1. Fulford, Tim (28 June 2021). The Life of Nelson, by Robert Southey. Routledge. pp. note, 619. ISBN 978-0-429-68231-5.
  2. "Luisa Maria Amalia di Borbone-Napoli by ? (Galleria degli Uffizi - Firenze, Toscana, Italy) | Grand Ladies | gogm". www.gogmsite.net. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  3. The New International Encyclopaedia. Dodd, Mead. 1905.
  4. Baillio, Joseph (1982). Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun : 1755 - 1842. Kimbell Art Museum. OCLC 1078711969.
  5. Vigée-Lebrun, Louise-Elisabeth (1903). Memoirs of Madame Vigée Lebrun. Doubleday, Page & Company.
  6. Susan (26 September 2021). "Luisa of Naples and Sicily, Grand Duchess of Tuscany". Unofficial Royalty. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  7. "Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, Napoleon's Capable Sister". Shannon Selin. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  8. "Princess Caroline Ferdinanda Theresia of Tuscany, Archduchess of Austria". geni_family_tree. 2 August 1793. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  9. "Francesco Leopoldo Franz di Toscana". geni_family_tree. 15 December 1794. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  10. Susan (27 September 2021). "Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany". Unofficial Royalty. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  11. Susan (5 July 2021). "Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, Queen of Sardinia". Unofficial Royalty. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  12. "Stillborn son of Tuscany". geni_family_tree. 19 September 1802. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  13. Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. pp. 1, 9.

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