Maria Luisa of Parma
Encyclopedia
Maria Luisa of Parma was Queen consort of Spain
from 1788 to 1808 as the wife of King Charles IV of Spain
. She was the youngest daughter of Duke Philip of Parma
and his wife, Louise-Élisabeth of France, the eldest daughter of King Louis XV.
She was christened Luisa Maria Teresa Ana, but was known as María Luisa. She, her brother, the next Duke, Ferdinand, Duke of Parma
and her sister Princess Isabella of Parma, Archduchess of Austria, deceased at the age of 22, were educated there by Étienne Bonnot de Condillac
, (Grenoble, 1715 - Parma, 1780), well known French philosopher and member of the French Academy since 1768, a friend of Denis Diderot
and Jean Jacques Rousseau. Her French teacher's works, including many of the texts, some 13, he wrote to educate the three Ducal pupils, were edited in 23 volumes in 1798 being reprinted some 3 times before 1822.
Further, Parma Duchy marriage connections with the Austrian Emperor's family for her brother Ferdinand, later Duke Ferdinand, and sister Isabella, and improvements in wealth and industry with their father, Duke Philip, had been ensured by the Parma Prime Minister, Léon Guillaume du Tillot
, (Bayonne
, 1711 - Paris, 1774), exiled from France as too liberal by King Louis XV of France
.
Maria Luisa of Parma was born in Parma, Italy. Her parents had been the Duke and Duchess of Parma since 1749 when the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)
gave the Bourbons the Duchy; Austria had previously owned the Duchy. She was the favourite child of her mother, who tried to engage her to the Duke of Bourgogne
, heir to the French throne. However, the young Duke died in 1761, so in 1762 Maria Luisa became engaged to the Prince of Asturias
(heir to the throne), Charles, later King Charles IV of Spain
, whom she married on 4 September 1765 in La Granja Palace
.
As there was no Queen in Spain at that time, Maria Luisa became the first lady of the court from the beginning. Her husband was the son and heir of the widowed Charles III of Spain
, previously Duke of Parma and King of Naples and Sicily. His wife, Maria Amalia of Saxony
(aunt of the Duke of Burgundy) had died in 1760 having been Queen of Spain for just a year.
The famous Spanish artist Goya painted several of her portraits. She was often described by contemporaries as an ugly (however, pretty in her youth), vicious, and coarse woman who thoroughly dominated the king. She had well-known rivalries with the Duchess of Alba, the Duchess of Osuna and her sister-in-law, Maria Carolina
, Queen of Naples. Her beauty was damaged by her many childbirth
s - among other things, she lost her teeth - but she made many efforts to look pretty and dress elegantly; she had beautiful arms and she often wore short-sleeved dresses to expose them.
Maria Luisa dominated her husband and was believed to have had many love affairs, but there is no evidence that Maria Luisa had any lovers. Gossip pointed out Manuel de Godoy
, her husband's Prime Minister, was her long-time lover. She was unpopular during her reign and has also long had a bad reputation in history, mainly because of her alleged love affairs and her support of pro-French policies that eventually weren't good for Spain. In 1792, the Order of Queen Maria Luisa
was founded on her suggestion, an order which was given only to women.
Maria Luisa didn't get along with her daughter-in-law Princess Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily, because the princess tried to undermine her power, guided by her mother, Maria Carolina. After several miscarriages, Maria Antonia died from tuberculosis, an illness she had suffered for several years. According to the memoirs of the Duchess of Abrantes, it was rumored that she was poisoned by Maria Luisa, although there is actually no evidence that Maria Antonia was poisoned.
Due to pressure from Napoleon, her husband abdicated the throne of Spain
in 1808, and together with Maria Luisa and Godoy
spent the rest of his life in exile. When Napoleon's army invaded the country, several pamphlets blamed her for that. Maria Luisa spent some years in France and then in Rome, Italy. Both Maria Luisa and her husband died in Italy in early 1819.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
from 1788 to 1808 as the wife of King Charles IV of Spain
Charles IV of Spain
Charles IV was King of Spain from 14 December 1788 until his abdication on 19 March 1808.-Early life:...
. She was the youngest daughter of Duke Philip of Parma
Philip, Duke of Parma
Philip of Spain was Duke of Parma from 1748 to 1765. He founded the House of Bourbon-Parma , a cadet line of the Spanish branch of the dynasty...
and his wife, Louise-Élisabeth of France, the eldest daughter of King Louis XV.
She was christened Luisa Maria Teresa Ana, but was known as María Luisa. She, her brother, the next Duke, Ferdinand, Duke of Parma
Ferdinand, Duke of Parma
Ferdinand Maria Philip Louis Sebastian Francis James of Parma was Duke of Parma from 1765 to 1802. He was the second child and only son of Philip, Duke of Parma and Princess Louise-Élisabeth of France, eldest daughter of Louis XV of France and Maria Leszczyńska...
and her sister Princess Isabella of Parma, Archduchess of Austria, deceased at the age of 22, were educated there by Étienne Bonnot de Condillac
Étienne Bonnot de Condillac
Étienne Bonnot de Condillac was a French philosopher and epistemologist who studied in such areas as psychology and the philosophy of the mind.-Biography:...
, (Grenoble, 1715 - Parma, 1780), well known French philosopher and member of the French Academy since 1768, a friend of Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer. He was a prominent person during the Enlightenment and is best known for serving as co-founder and chief editor of and contributor to the Encyclopédie....
and Jean Jacques Rousseau. Her French teacher's works, including many of the texts, some 13, he wrote to educate the three Ducal pupils, were edited in 23 volumes in 1798 being reprinted some 3 times before 1822.
Further, Parma Duchy marriage connections with the Austrian Emperor's family for her brother Ferdinand, later Duke Ferdinand, and sister Isabella, and improvements in wealth and industry with their father, Duke Philip, had been ensured by the Parma Prime Minister, Léon Guillaume du Tillot
Guillaume du Tillot
Léon Guillaume Tillot was a French politician infused with liberal ideals of the Enlightenment, who from 1759 was the minister of the Duchy of Parma under Philip, Duke of Parma and his wife Princess Louise-Élisabeth of France...
, (Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
, 1711 - Paris, 1774), exiled from France as too liberal by King Louis XV of France
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...
.
Biography
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)
The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle of 1748 ended the War of the Austrian Succession following a congress assembled at the Imperial Free City of Aachen—Aix-la-Chapelle in French—in the west of the Holy Roman Empire, on 24 April 1748...
gave the Bourbons the Duchy; Austria had previously owned the Duchy. She was the favourite child of her mother, who tried to engage her to the Duke of Bourgogne
Louis of France (1751-1761)
Louis Joseph Xavier de France, Duke of Burgundy was a French Prince du Sang of the House of Bourbon.-Life:...
, heir to the French throne. However, the young Duke died in 1761, so in 1762 Maria Luisa became engaged to the Prince of Asturias
Prince of Asturias
Prince of Asturias is the historical title given to the heir to the Spanish throne. It was also the title under the earlier Kingdom of Castile. The current Prince of Asturias is Felipe, son of King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofía...
(heir to the throne), Charles, later King Charles IV of Spain
Charles IV of Spain
Charles IV was King of Spain from 14 December 1788 until his abdication on 19 March 1808.-Early life:...
, whom she married on 4 September 1765 in La Granja Palace
La Granja (palace)
The Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso is an 18th century palace in the small town of San Ildefonso in the hills near Segovia, 80 km north of Madrid, central Spain, formerly the summer residence of the Kings of Spain since the reign of Philip V...
.
As there was no Queen in Spain at that time, Maria Luisa became the first lady of the court from the beginning. Her husband was the son and heir of the widowed Charles III of Spain
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
, previously Duke of Parma and King of Naples and Sicily. His wife, Maria Amalia of Saxony
Maria Amalia of Saxony
Maria Amalia of Saxony was a German princess from the House of Wettin and was the wife of Charles III of Spain; she was the Queen consort of Naples and Sicily from 1738 till 1759 and then Queen consort of Spain from 1759 until her death in 1760...
(aunt of the Duke of Burgundy) had died in 1760 having been Queen of Spain for just a year.
Maria Carolina of Austria
Maria Carolina of Austria was Queen of Naples and Sicily as the wife of King Ferdinand IV & III. As de facto ruler of her husband's kingdoms, Maria Carolina oversaw the promulgation of many reforms, including the revocation of the ban on Freemasonry, the enlargement of the navy under her...
, Queen of Naples. Her beauty was damaged by her many childbirth
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
s - among other things, she lost her teeth - but she made many efforts to look pretty and dress elegantly; she had beautiful arms and she often wore short-sleeved dresses to expose them.
Maria Luisa dominated her husband and was believed to have had many love affairs, but there is no evidence that Maria Luisa had any lovers. Gossip pointed out Manuel de Godoy
Manuel de Godoy
Don Manuel Francisco Domingo de Godoy y Álvarez de Faria, de los Ríos y Sánchez-Zarzosa, also Manuel de Godoy y Álvarez de Faria de los Ríos Sánchez Zarzosa , was Prime Minister of Spain from 1792 to 1797 and from 1801 to 1808...
, her husband's Prime Minister, was her long-time lover. She was unpopular during her reign and has also long had a bad reputation in history, mainly because of her alleged love affairs and her support of pro-French policies that eventually weren't good for Spain. In 1792, the Order of Queen Maria Luisa
Order of Queen Maria Luisa
The Royal Order of Queen María Luisa is an Order created by Charles IV of Spain by royal decree in April 21 1792 at the request of his wife Queen Maria Luisa, to have a way to reward noble women who distinguished themselves for their services and talents, so it was established as a distinction...
was founded on her suggestion, an order which was given only to women.
Maria Luisa didn't get along with her daughter-in-law Princess Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily, because the princess tried to undermine her power, guided by her mother, Maria Carolina. After several miscarriages, Maria Antonia died from tuberculosis, an illness she had suffered for several years. According to the memoirs of the Duchess of Abrantes, it was rumored that she was poisoned by Maria Luisa, although there is actually no evidence that Maria Antonia was poisoned.
Due to pressure from Napoleon, her husband abdicated the throne of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1808, and together with Maria Luisa and Godoy
Manuel de Godoy
Don Manuel Francisco Domingo de Godoy y Álvarez de Faria, de los Ríos y Sánchez-Zarzosa, also Manuel de Godoy y Álvarez de Faria de los Ríos Sánchez Zarzosa , was Prime Minister of Spain from 1792 to 1797 and from 1801 to 1808...
spent the rest of his life in exile. When Napoleon's army invaded the country, several pamphlets blamed her for that. Maria Luisa spent some years in France and then in Rome, Italy. Both Maria Luisa and her husband died in Italy in early 1819.
Issue
Maria Luisa's 14 children were:- Carlos Clemente (19 September 1771 – 7 March 1774)
- Carlota Joaquina (Carlota Joaquina) (25 April 1775 – 7 January 1830), later Queen consort of Portugal
- Maria Luisa (11 September 1777 – 2 July 1782)
- Maria AmaliaInfanta María Amalia of Spain (1779-1798)Maria Amalia of Bourbon, Infanta of Spain , was a Spanish princess. She was a daughter of King Charles IV of Spain and his spouse, Queen Maria Louisa of Bourbon-Parma ....
(9 January 1779 – 22 July 1798), married in 1795 to her uncle Infante Antonio Pascual of SpainInfante Antonio Pascual of Spain200px|thumb|Infante Antonio Pascual, painted by [[Francisco de Goya|Goya]].Antonio Pascual de Borbón y Wettin was an infante of Spain, son of King Charles III of Spain and younger brother of King Charles IV of Spain and Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies.-Biography:Born Antonio Pascual Francisco...
(1755–1817), no issue - Carlos Domingo (5 March 1780 – 11 June 1783)
- Maria Luisa (6 July 1782 – 13 March 1824), later Queen consort of Etruria and Dowager Duchess of Parma
- Carlos Francisco (5 September 1783 – 11 November 1784)
- Felipe Francisco (5 September 1783 – 18 October 1784)
- Ferdinand VII of Spain (14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833), succeeded his father as King of Spain
- Carlos, Count of Molina (29 March 1788 – 10 March 1855), later the first Carlist pretenderCarlismCarlism is a traditionalist and legitimist political movement in Spain seeking the establishment of a separate line of the Bourbon family on the Spanish throne. This line descended from Infante Carlos, Count of Molina , and was founded due to dispute over the succession laws and widespread...
. Issue: 3 males reached adulthood. - Maria IsabellaMaria Isabella of SpainMaría Isabella of Spain was an Infanta of Spain and the Queen of the Two Sicilies. She was the second wife of Francis I and the youngest surviving daughter of the Spanish king Charles IV and his consort Maria Luisa of Parma...
(6 June 1789 – 13 September 1848), later Queen consort of Francis I, King of the Two SiciliesFrancis I of the Two Sicilies-Biography:Francis was born in Naples, the son of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and his wife Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria. He was also the nephew of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI the last King and Queen of France before the first French Republic.... - Maria Teresa (16 February 1791 – 2 November 1794)
- Felipe Maria (28 March 1792 – 1 March 1794)
- Francisco Antonio de Paula, Duke of CadizInfante Francisco de Paula of SpainInfante Francisco de Paula of Spain was the youngest son of Charles IV of Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma.-Marriage and children:...
(10 March 1794 – 13 August 1865). He married his niece, Princess Luisa Carlotta of Naples and Sicily, fathering no fewer than 11 children.
Ancestry
Titles and styles
- 9 December 1751 - 4 September 1765 Her Royal Highness Princess Maria Luisa of Parma, Infanta of Spain
- 4 September 1765 - 14 December 1788 Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias
- 14 December 1788 - 19 March 1808 Her Majesty the Queen of Spain
- 19 March 1808 - 2 January 1819 Her Majesty Queen Maria Luisa