Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Encyclopedia
Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany (6 May 1769 – 18 June 1824) was Grand Duke
of Tuscany
from 1790 to 1801 and, after a period of disenfranchisement, again from 1814 to 1824. He was also the Prince-elector
and Grand Duke of Salzburg
(1803–1806) and Grand Duke of Würzburg
(1806–1814).
, Tuscany, into the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. He was the son of Leopold
, then Grand-Duke of Tuscany, and his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain
. When his father was elected Emperor
of the Holy Roman Empire
, Ferdinand succeeded him as Grand Duke of Tuscany, officially taking the office on 22 July 1790.
In 1792 during the French Revolution
, Ferdinand became the first monarch to formally recognize the new French First Republic
, and he attempted to work peacefully with it. As the French Revolutionary Wars
commenced, however, the English and Russian monarchs persuaded him to join their side in the War of the First Coalition. Ferdinand provided his allies with passive support but no enthusiasm, and after he witnessed a year of resounding victories by the French, he became the first member of the coalition to give up. In a proclamation dated 1 March 1795, he abandoned the alliance and declared Tuscany's neutrality in the war.
His normalization of relations with France helped stabilize his rule for several years but by 1799 he was compelled to flee to Vienna for protection when republicans established a new government in Florence. He was forced to renounce his throne in 1801 by the Treaty of Aranjuez
:Napoleon
brushed him aside to make way for the Kingdom of Etruria
, created as compensation for the Bourbon
Dukes of Parma
, being dispossessed by the Peace of Lunéville in that same year.
Ferdinand was compensated by being given the Dukedom
and Electorate of Salzburg
, the secularized lands of the Archbishop of Salzburg
, as Duke of Salzburg. He was also made a Prince-elector
of the Holy Roman Empire, both on 26 December 1802, a role which expired with the Empire's dissolution in 1806.
On 25 December 1805, Ferdinand had to give up Salzburg as well, which by the Treaty of Pressburg was annexed by his older brother, Emperor Francis II
. Ferdinand was then made Duke of Würzburg, a new state created for him from the old Bishopric of Würzburg
, remaining an Elector. With the dissolution of the Empire in 1806 he took the new title of Grand Duke of Würzburg
.
On 30 May 1814, after Napoleon's fall, Ferdinand was restored as Grand Duke of Tuscany. However, in 1815, the Duchy of Lucca
was carved out of Tuscany, again as temporary compensation for the Bourbons of Parma. (Lucca would be reintegrated into Tuscany in 1847.)
Ferdinand died in 1824 in Florence and was succeeded by his son Leopold
.
on 19 September 1790 in person, Ferdinand married firstly his double first cousin, the Princess (later Grand Duchess) Luisa of Naples and Sicily
(1773-1802), daughter of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies
and Marie Caroline of Austria.
Their children were:
Their first two children, Carolina and Francesco, died at very young ages (eight and five respectively) but the later three prospered under their father's care. Grand Duchess Luisa died when they were all quite young, on 19 September 1802, together with a stillborn son who was unnamed. Two decades later, in Florence
on 6 May 1821, Ferdinand married again, this time to the much younger Princess Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony
(1796-1865). She was the daughter of Maximilian, Prince of Saxony
, and his wife Caroline of Bourbon-Parma; she was also his first cousin once removed, as well as the first cousin once removed of the dead Luisa. Though Ferdinand was likely hoping to produce another male heir, there were no children born of this second marriage.
Grand Duke
The title grand duke is used in Western Europe and particularly in Germanic countries for provincial sovereigns. Grand duke is of a protocolary rank below a king but higher than a sovereign duke. Grand duke is also the usual and established translation of grand prince in languages which do not...
of Tuscany
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was a central Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Duchy of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence...
from 1790 to 1801 and, after a period of disenfranchisement, again from 1814 to 1824. He was also the Prince-elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
and Grand Duke of Salzburg
Electorate of Salzburg
The Electorate of Salzburg , occasionally known as the Grand Duchy of Salzburg, was an electoral principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1803–05. Its capital was Salzburg.- History :...
(1803–1806) and Grand Duke of Würzburg
Grand Duchy of Würzburg
The Grand Duchy of Würzburg was a German grand duchy centered on Würzburg existing in the early 19th century.As a consequence of the 1801 Treaty of Lunéville, the Bishopric of Würzburg was secularized in 1803 and granted to Bavaria. In the same year Ferdinand III, former Grand Duke of Tuscany, was...
(1806–1814).
Biography
Ferdinand was born in FlorenceFlorence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Tuscany, into the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. He was the son of Leopold
Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold II , born Peter Leopold Joseph Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard, was Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary and Bohemia from 1790 to 1792, Archduke of Austria and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790. He was a son of Emperor Francis I and his wife, Empress Maria Theresa...
, then Grand-Duke of Tuscany, and his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain
Maria Luisa of Spain
Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain was Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Queen of Bohemia and Hungary as the spouse of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor.-Names:...
. When his father was elected Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, Ferdinand succeeded him as Grand Duke of Tuscany, officially taking the office on 22 July 1790.
In 1792 during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, Ferdinand became the first monarch to formally recognize the new French First Republic
French First Republic
The French First Republic was founded on 22 September 1792, by the newly established National Convention. The First Republic lasted until the declaration of the First French Empire in 1804 under Napoleon I...
, and he attempted to work peacefully with it. As the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
commenced, however, the English and Russian monarchs persuaded him to join their side in the War of the First Coalition. Ferdinand provided his allies with passive support but no enthusiasm, and after he witnessed a year of resounding victories by the French, he became the first member of the coalition to give up. In a proclamation dated 1 March 1795, he abandoned the alliance and declared Tuscany's neutrality in the war.
His normalization of relations with France helped stabilize his rule for several years but by 1799 he was compelled to flee to Vienna for protection when republicans established a new government in Florence. He was forced to renounce his throne in 1801 by the Treaty of Aranjuez
Treaty of Aranjuez (1801)
The Treaty of Aranjuez was signed on March 21, 1801 between France and Spain. The overall accord confirmed the terms presented in the Treaty of San Ildefonso. Moreover, Ferdinand, the Bourbon Duke of Parma, agreed to surrender the Duchy of Parma to France. Ferdinand's son Louis received the Grand...
:Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
brushed him aside to make way for the Kingdom of Etruria
Kingdom of Etruria
The Kingdom of Etruria was a kingdom comprising the larger part of Tuscany which existed between 1801 and 1807. It took its name from Etruria, the old Roman name for the land of the Etruscans.It was created by the Treaty of Aranjuez, signed on 21 March 1801...
, created as compensation for the Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
Dukes of Parma
Duchy of Parma
The Duchy of Parma was created in 1545 from that part of the Duchy of Milan south of the Po River, as a fief for Pope Paul III's illegitimate son, Pier Luigi Farnese, centered on the city of Parma....
, being dispossessed by the Peace of Lunéville in that same year.
Ferdinand was compensated by being given the Dukedom
Duchy
A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess.Some duchies were sovereign in areas that would become unified realms only during the Modern era . In contrast, others were subordinate districts of those kingdoms that unified either partially or completely during the Medieval era...
and Electorate of Salzburg
Electorate of Salzburg
The Electorate of Salzburg , occasionally known as the Grand Duchy of Salzburg, was an electoral principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1803–05. Its capital was Salzburg.- History :...
, the secularized lands of the Archbishop of Salzburg
Archbishopric of Salzburg
The Archbishopric of Salzburg was an ecclesiastical State of the Holy Roman Empire, its territory roughly congruent with the present-day Austrian state of Salzburg....
, as Duke of Salzburg. He was also made a Prince-elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
of the Holy Roman Empire, both on 26 December 1802, a role which expired with the Empire's dissolution in 1806.
On 25 December 1805, Ferdinand had to give up Salzburg as well, which by the Treaty of Pressburg was annexed by his older brother, Emperor Francis II
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Empire after the disastrous defeat of the Third Coalition by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz...
. Ferdinand was then made Duke of Würzburg, a new state created for him from the old Bishopric of Würzburg
Bishopric of Würzburg
The Bishopric of Würzburg was a prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire, located in Lower Franconia, around the city of Würzburg, Germany. Würzburg was a diocese from 743. In the 18th century, its bishop was often also Bishop of Bamberg...
, remaining an Elector. With the dissolution of the Empire in 1806 he took the new title of Grand Duke of Würzburg
Grand Duchy of Würzburg
The Grand Duchy of Würzburg was a German grand duchy centered on Würzburg existing in the early 19th century.As a consequence of the 1801 Treaty of Lunéville, the Bishopric of Würzburg was secularized in 1803 and granted to Bavaria. In the same year Ferdinand III, former Grand Duke of Tuscany, was...
.
On 30 May 1814, after Napoleon's fall, Ferdinand was restored as Grand Duke of Tuscany. However, in 1815, the Duchy of Lucca
Duchy of Lucca
The Duchy of Lucca was an Italian state existing from 1815 to 1847. It was centered on the city of Lucca.The Duchy was formed in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, out of the former Republic of Lucca and the Principality of Lucca and Piombino, which had been ruled by Elisa Bonaparte...
was carved out of Tuscany, again as temporary compensation for the Bourbons of Parma. (Lucca would be reintegrated into Tuscany in 1847.)
Ferdinand died in 1824 in Florence and was succeeded by his son Leopold
Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Leopold II of Tuscany was the last reigning grand duke of Tuscany ....
.
Family and children
In Naples on 15 August 1790 by proxy and in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
on 19 September 1790 in person, Ferdinand married firstly his double first cousin, the Princess (later Grand Duchess) Luisa of Naples and Sicily
Princess Luisa of Naples and Sicily
Maria Luisa of Naples and Sicily , was a Neapolitan and Sicilian princess and the wife of the third Habsburg Grand Duke of Tuscany.-Background:...
(1773-1802), daughter of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand I reigned variously over Naples, Sicily, and the Two Sicilies from 1759 until his death. He was the third son of King Charles III of Spain by his wife Maria Amalia of Saxony. On 10 August 1759, Charles succeeded his elder brother, Ferdinand VI, as King Charles III of Spain...
and Marie Caroline of Austria.
Their children were:
- Archduchess Carolina Ferdinanda Teresa of Austria, born 2 August 1793;
- Archduke Francesco Leopoldo of Austria, born 15 December 1794;
- Leopold II, Grand Duke of TuscanyLeopold II, Grand Duke of TuscanyLeopold II of Tuscany was the last reigning grand duke of Tuscany ....
born 1797; - Archduchess Maria Luisa Giuseppa Cristina Rosa of Austria, born 30 August 1799;
- Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, born 21 March 1801;
Their first two children, Carolina and Francesco, died at very young ages (eight and five respectively) but the later three prospered under their father's care. Grand Duchess Luisa died when they were all quite young, on 19 September 1802, together with a stillborn son who was unnamed. Two decades later, in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
on 6 May 1821, Ferdinand married again, this time to the much younger Princess Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony
Princess Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony
Princess Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony was a daughter of Maximilian, Crown Prince of Saxony and his first wife Princess Caroline of Parma...
(1796-1865). She was the daughter of Maximilian, Prince of Saxony
Maximilian, Prince of Saxony
Maximilian of Saxony , was German prince and a member of the House of Wettin.He was the sixth but third and youngest surviving son of Frederick Christian, Elector of...
, and his wife Caroline of Bourbon-Parma; she was also his first cousin once removed, as well as the first cousin once removed of the dead Luisa. Though Ferdinand was likely hoping to produce another male heir, there were no children born of this second marriage.
Titles and styles
- 6 May 1769 - 22 July 1790 His Royal Highness Archduke Ferdinand of Austria
- 22 July 1790 - 3 August 1801 His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Tuscany
- 26 December 1802 - 25 December 1805 His Royal Highness The Prince-Elector and Grand Duke of Salzburg
- 25 December 1805 - 27 April 1814 His Royal Highness Grand Duke of Würzburg
Ancestry
External links
- House of Habsburg, Tuscan Branch, family tree by Ferdinand Schevill in A Political History of Modern Europe (1909)