Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria

Maria Amalia (Maria Amalia Josepha Johanna Antonia; 26 February 1746 – 18 June 1804) was duchess of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla by marriage to Ferdinand I, Duke of Parma. She was born an archduchess of Austria as the daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I. Upon her arrival in Parma in 1769 until the death of her husband in 1802, she was the de facto ruler of the duchy.

Early life Maria Amalia, known as Amélie, was born on 26 February 1746, in the Hofburg in Vienna, Austria, as the eighth child of Maria Theresa, ruler of the Habsburg monarchy, and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. She grew up in and near Vienna, in the Hofburg during the winters, and Schönbrunn Palace and Laxenburg castles during the summer.

Education

The sixteen children of Maria Theresa were raised in same-sex groups of two based on age, but as Maria Amalia was born between two boys, she grew up almost as an only child. She was raised to be the ideal consort and taught arts and how to be obedient, dutiful and representative. As a child, she was intelligent, but reserved and stubborn, considered difficult. She showed an interest in hunting early on, and her father took her on his hunting trips from the age of six. She developed a life-long passion for this sport, as well as for nature and animals.

Like her siblings, she was regularly interviewed by their mother, with whom she had a contentious relationship. Of all her daughters, Maria Theresa seems to have had the worst relationship with Maria Amalia.

Marriage

By early adulthood, Maria Amalia became a strong, independent young woman who cared little for her mother's personal and political plans. In 1767, she fell in love with Prince Charles of Zweibrücken. He was heir presumptive of the Palatine Zweibrücken, the Electoral Palatinate, and the Electorate of Bavaria, but Maria Theresa and her chancellor, Prince Kaunitz still considered him a bad match and refused his proposal. Maria Amalia protested, but was forced to accept her fate.

During this time, there were already negotiations with King Charles III of Spain, about Maria Amalia's marriage to the king's cousin, Ferdinand I, Duke of Parma. The empress hoped to strengthen her Italian influence by this union. She defended the independence of the Duchy of Parma, strengthened its sense of nationality, supported art, culture, and literature, working efficiently with her ministerial cabinet.

Name!!Picture!!Birth!!Death!!Notes Carolina Maria Teresa Giuseppa Giovanna

| She married in 1792 Maximilian, Hereditary Prince of Saxony; they had eight children. Ludovico Filiberto Francesco

| Prince of Piacenza and the first King of Etruria. He married in 1795 Princess Marie Louise of Spain; they had two children. and she became an Ursuline nun in 1803 with the name of Sister Luisa Maria. Filippo Maria Giuseppe Leopoldo Francesco |

| Principe of Guastalla, died at the age of three years due to scurvy. boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc; boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9; boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc; boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc; 1= 1. Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria 2= 2. Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor 3= 3. Maria Theresa of Austria 4= 4. Leopold, Duke of Lorraine 5= 5. Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans 6= 6. Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor 7= 7. Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick 8= 8. Charles V, Duke of Lorraine 9= 9. Eleanor of Austria 10= 10. Philippe I, Duke of Orléans 11= 11. Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate 12= 12. Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor 13= 13. Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg 14= 14. Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 15= 15. Christine Louise of Oettingen-Oettingen