Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este
Encyclopedia
Maria Beatrice d’Este was heiress of Modena and Reggio
and Duchess of Massa
and Carrara
from 1790 until 1797 and from 1816 until her death in 1829.
, the only daughter of two monarchs, Duke Ercole III
, Duke of Modena and Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina
, ruling Duchess of Carrara and Massa.
Her parents were not expected to produce more children, as their marriage was unhappy and they lived separated from each other, and Maria was therefore early acknowledged as an heiress.
Her paternal ancestors included Louis XIII of France
and Philippe d'Orléans
, Regent of France for Louis XV
. Her maternal ancestors were members of the House of Cybo-Malaspina, members of the Italian nobility.
As heiress to four Duchies (Modena and Reggio from her father, and Massa and Carrara from her mother), she was a very attractive wedding partner. Empress Maria Theresa
sought to arrange a marriage between Maria Beatrice and
the Archduke Leopold
(future Holy Roman Emperor) but this never materialised; she instead married Leopold's brother, Archduke Ferdinand of Austria
, in a union through which the Austrians aimed to expand their influence in Italy.
The couple was engaged in 1754, at a very young age, and the marriage was celebrated in Milan on 15 October 1771. Festivities arranged for this occasion included the operas Ascanio in Alba
by Mozart and Il Ruggiero by Johann Adolph Hasse
.
The couple settled in Modena. As the Duchy of Modena did not allow female succession, Maria Beatrice's rights to the throne of Modena and Reggio passed to her son when her father died. When her mother died in 1790, however, she succeeded her as Duchess of Massa and Carrara. After the French conquest of Northern Italy, she spent her life mostly in Austria and left the rule to administrators.
By her marriage, the House of Austria-Este was created, a cadet branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, which ruled Modena between 1814 and 1859. After Maria Beatrice d'Este's death at Vienna
in 1829, Massa and Carrara were added to the Duchy of Modena.
|-
! style="background:#ccccff;"|Issue
|-
|
{| style="text-align:center; width:100%" class="wikitable"
! width=20% | Name !! width=100px | Portrait !! Lifespan !! Notes !!
|-
| Archduke Josef Franz
||
||1772-
1772
|| Died in infancy
|-
| Archduchess Maria Theresa
Queen of Sardinia
||
|| 1773-
1832
|| Married Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia
and had issue
|-
| Archduchess Josepha
||
|| 1775-
1777
|| Died in infancy
|-
| Archduchess Maria Leopoldine
Electress of Bavaria
||
|| 1776-
1848
|| Married first Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria
no issue;
married second Ludwig Count of Arco, had issue,
|-
| Francis IV
Duke of Modena
||
|| 1779-
1846
|| Married Maria Theresa of Austria-Este (1773–1832) and had issue
|-
| Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph
Commander-in-Chief of the Austrian army during the Napoleonic Wars
||
|| 1781-
1850
|| Died unmarried
|-
| Archduke Maximilian Joseph
Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights
||
|| 1782-
1863
|| Died unmarried;
|-
| Archduchess Maria Antonia
||
|| 1784-
1786
|| Died in infancy
|-
| Archduke Karl Ambrosius
Archbishop of Esztergom
||
|| 1785-
1809
|| Died unmarried;
|-
| Archduchess Maria Ludovika
Empress of Austria
||
|| 1787-
1816
|| Married her cousin Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
and had no issue
|}
Duchy of Modena and Reggio
The Duchy of Modena and Reggio |Italian]] state that existed from 1452 to 1859, with a break between 1796 and 1814. It was ruled by the noble House of Este, from 1814 Austria-Este.-House of Este:...
and Duchess of Massa
Massa
Massa is a town and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, the administrative centre of the province of Massa-Carrara. It is located in the Frigido River Valley, near the Alpi Apuane, some 5 kilometers from the Tyrrhenian Sea....
and Carrara
Carrara
Carrara is a city and comune in the province of Massa-Carrara , notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence....
from 1790 until 1797 and from 1816 until her death in 1829.
Biography
Maria Beatrice was born in ModenaModena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, the only daughter of two monarchs, Duke Ercole III
Ercole III d'Este, Duke of Modena
Ercole III d'Este was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1780 to 1796. He was a member of the House of Este.-Biography:...
, Duke of Modena and Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina
Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina
Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina was the Duchess of Massa and the Princess of Carrara from 1731 until her death in 1790. She was the eldest child of her parents, Alderano I Cybo-Malaspina and his wife Ricciarda Gonzaga...
, ruling Duchess of Carrara and Massa.
Her parents were not expected to produce more children, as their marriage was unhappy and they lived separated from each other, and Maria was therefore early acknowledged as an heiress.
Her paternal ancestors included Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
and Philippe d'Orléans
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Philippe d'Orléans was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723. Born at his father's palace at Saint-Cloud, he was known from birth under the title of Duke of Chartres...
, Regent of France for Louis XV
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
. Her maternal ancestors were members of the House of Cybo-Malaspina, members of the Italian nobility.
As heiress to four Duchies (Modena and Reggio from her father, and Massa and Carrara from her mother), she was a very attractive wedding partner. Empress Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma...
sought to arrange a marriage between Maria Beatrice and
the Archduke 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...
(future Holy Roman Emperor) but this never materialised; she instead married Leopold's brother, Archduke Ferdinand of Austria
Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este
Archduke Ferdinand Karl Anton Joseph Johann Stanislaus of Austria-Este was a son of Holy Roman Emperor Franz I and Maria Theresa of Austria. He was the founder of the House of Austria-Este and Governor of the Duchy of Milan between 1765 and 1796...
, in a union through which the Austrians aimed to expand their influence in Italy.
The couple was engaged in 1754, at a very young age, and the marriage was celebrated in Milan on 15 October 1771. Festivities arranged for this occasion included the operas Ascanio in Alba
Ascanio in Alba
Ascanio in Alba, K. 111, is a pastoral opera in two parts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Parini...
by Mozart and Il Ruggiero by Johann Adolph Hasse
Johann Adolph Hasse
Johann Adolph Hasse was an 18th-century German composer, singer and teacher of music. Immensely popular in his time, Hasse was best known for his prolific operatic output, though he also composed a considerable quantity of sacred music...
.
The couple settled in Modena. As the Duchy of Modena did not allow female succession, Maria Beatrice's rights to the throne of Modena and Reggio passed to her son when her father died. When her mother died in 1790, however, she succeeded her as Duchess of Massa and Carrara. After the French conquest of Northern Italy, she spent her life mostly in Austria and left the rule to administrators.
By her marriage, the House of Austria-Este was created, a cadet branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, which ruled Modena between 1814 and 1859. After Maria Beatrice d'Este's death at Vienna
Vienna
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...
in 1829, Massa and Carrara were added to the Duchy of Modena.
Issue
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" width=100% align="center"|-
! style="background:#ccccff;"|Issue
|-
|
{| style="text-align:center; width:100%" class="wikitable"
! width=20% | Name !! width=100px | Portrait !! Lifespan !! Notes !!
|-
| Archduke Josef Franz
||
||1772-
1772
|| Died in infancy
|-
| Archduchess Maria Theresa
Queen of Sardinia
||
|| 1773-
1832
|| Married Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia
Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia
Victor Emmanuel I was the Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia from 1802 to 1821, and Jacobite Pretender from 1819 until his death.-Biography:...
and had issue
|-
| Archduchess Josepha
||
|| 1775-
1777
|| Died in infancy
|-
| Archduchess Maria Leopoldine
Archduchess Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este
Archduchess Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este was the second wife of Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria.-Early life:...
Electress of Bavaria
||
|| 1776-
1848
|| Married first Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria
Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria
Charles Theodore, Prince-Elector, Count Palatine and Duke of Bavaria reigned as Prince-Elector and Count palatine from 1742, as Duke of Jülich and Berg from 1742 and also as Prince-Elector and Duke of Bavaria from 1777, until his death...
no issue;
married second Ludwig Count of Arco, had issue,
|-
| Francis IV
Francis IV, Duke of Modena
Francis IV Joseph Charles Ambrose Stanislaus was Duke of Modena, Reggio, and Mirandola , Duke of Massa and Prince of Carrara , Archduke of Austria-Este, Royal Prince of Hungary and Bohemia, Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece...
Duke of Modena
||
|| 1779-
1846
|| Married Maria Theresa of Austria-Este (1773–1832) and had issue
|-
| Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph
Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este
Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este was the third son of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este and of his wife Princess Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este, last member and heiress of the house of Este. For much of the Napoleonic Wars he was in command of the Austrian army.Ferdinand was born...
Commander-in-Chief of the Austrian army during the Napoleonic Wars
||
|| 1781-
1850
|| Died unmarried
|-
| Archduke Maximilian Joseph
Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights
||
|| 1782-
1863
|| Died unmarried;
|-
| Archduchess Maria Antonia
||
|| 1784-
1786
|| Died in infancy
|-
| Archduke Karl Ambrosius
Archduke Karl of Austria-Este
Karl Ambrosius Joseph Johann Baptist of Austria-Este was an Archbishop of Esztergom.His parents were Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este and Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este....
Archbishop of Esztergom
||
|| 1785-
1809
|| Died unmarried;
|-
| Archduchess Maria Ludovika
Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este
Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, also known as Maria Ludovika of Modena, was daughter of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este and his wife, Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este...
Empress of Austria
||
|| 1787-
1816
|| Married her cousin Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
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...
and had no issue
|}