Princess Luisa of Naples and Sicily

Luisa Maria 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.

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. This made her a granddaughter of Empress Maria Theresa. Luisa was one of eighteen children, seven of whom survived into adulthood. She was often called Maria Luisa. 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:

Marriage (1790–1802)

On 15 August 1790, Maria Luisa married her cousin Ferdinand, Grand Duke of Tuscany, by proxy. The in person ceremony took place in Vienna on September 19th.

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.

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 Vienna with her stillborn son.

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. Ferdinand also remarried in 1821 to Princess Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony, though this marriage remained childless.

Children Luisa and Ferdinand had six children: boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc; boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9; boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc; boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc; 1= 1. Luisa of Naples and Sicily 2= 2. Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies 3= 3. Maria Carolina of Austria 4= 4. Charles III of Spain 5= 5. Maria Amalia of Saxony 6= 6. Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor 7= 7. Maria Theresa of Austria 8= 8. Philip V of Spain 9= 9. Elisabeth Farnese 10= 10. Augustus III of Poland 11= 11. Maria Josepha of Austria 12= 12. Leopold, Duke of Lorraine 13= 13. Élisabeth Charlotte of Orléans 14= 14. Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor 15= 15. Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick