Princess Maria Christina of Saxony (1735–1782)
Encyclopedia
Maria Christina of Saxony (Maria Christina Anna Theresa Salomea Eulalia Francisca Xaveria; 12 February 1735 – 19 November 1782) was a Princess of Saxony and later Abbess of Remiremont.
, was the Elector of Saxony (as Frederick Augustus I), King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (as Augustus II). Her mother Maria Josepha
, born an Archduchess of Austria, was a first cousin of Empress Maria Theresa.
She was the tenth child of fourteen. Her sisters included Maria Amalia, Queen of Spain
(wife of Charles III of Spain
), Maria Josepha, Dauphine of France (mother of Louis XVI), Maria Anna, Electress of Bavaria
and Maria Kunigunde, Abbess of Thorn and Essen.
Her brothers included two two electors of Saxony, Frederick Christian
a Duke of Couland and a Duke of Teschen
(son in law of Empress Maria Theresa).
Her father had 354 known children outside marriage;.
in Poland. She came from a close family and her parents made sure they put emphasis on a good education. The young princess was educated in Latin
, French
, Polish
, Philosophy
, Geography
, Religion
, Drawing
, Music
and dance
.
Her older sister Maria Josepha married Louis, Dauphin of France in 1764. The same year, Maria Christina was sent to France to become a Coadjutorice at the Abbey of Remiremont in Remiremont
, northern France
. Her position was thanks to the personal intervention of Louis XV himself.
At the time of her arrival, the abbey was under control of Anne Charlotte de Lorraine
, sister of the Holy Roman Emperor
and aunt of the future Marie Antoinette
.
In France, she was known as Marie Christine de Saxe.
In 1773, at the death of Anne Charlotte, Maria Christina was named Abbess, a position she would keep till her death.
Remiremont had seats and votes in the Reichstag
including all rights and obligations of an Imperial Princess (such as low justice
, tax
, legislation
, coinage and military service), and enjoyed immunity against temporal power
.
She was a frequent visitor to Paris
and was fond of the Theatre
and the city's social life. She spent a great deal of money, the payment of which was made by Stanisław Leszczyński (Duke of Lorraine till his death in 1766) and after that the king Louis XV. Her correspondence with her brother Francis Xavier, Regent of Saxony was preserved at Trojes.
She was created a Dame of the Order of the Starry Cross
.
Maria Christina bought the Château de Brumath in the town of Brumath
in the Alsace
region of France. Purchased in 1775, she chose the building for its location in the country and for its natural setting. She lived a lavish lifestyle at the château
which far outdid her revenues. Dying at the château on 19 November 1782, her nephew the then king Louis XVI was obliged to pay debts to the tune of 136,876 livres for his dead aunt.
She was buried at the abbey in its église des Dames on the 15 December 1782. She was praised for her intelligence, her conversation and for being a cultivated woman for her age. The château de Brumath was abandoned and was pillaged in the French Revolution
.
Family
Her father Augustus III of PolandAugustus III of Poland
Augustus III, known as the Saxon ; ; also Prince-elector Friedrich August II was the Elector of Saxony in 1733-1763, as Frederick Augustus II , King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1734-1763.-Biography:Augustus was the only legitimate son of Augustus II the Strong, Imperial Prince-Elector...
, was the Elector of Saxony (as Frederick Augustus I), King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (as Augustus II). Her mother Maria Josepha
Maria Josepha of Austria
Maria Josepha of Austria was born an Archduchess of Austria, and from 1711 to 1713 was heiress presumptive to the Habsburg Empire...
, born an Archduchess of Austria, was a first cousin of Empress Maria Theresa.
She was the tenth child of fourteen. Her sisters included Maria Amalia, Queen of Spain
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...
(wife of 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...
), Maria Josepha, Dauphine of France (mother of Louis XVI), Maria Anna, Electress of Bavaria
Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony
Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony was a daughter of King Augustus III of Poland and his wife Maria Josepha of Austria who became Electress of Bavaria.-Biography:...
and Maria Kunigunde, Abbess of Thorn and Essen.
Her brothers included two two electors of Saxony, Frederick Christian
Frederick Christian, Elector of Saxony
Frederick Christian, Elector of Saxony was the Prince-Elector of Saxony for less than three months in 1763...
a Duke of Couland and a Duke of Teschen
Prince Albert of Saxony, Duke of Teschen
Prince Albert Casimir August of Saxony, Duke of Teschen was a German prince from the House of Wettin who married into the Habsburg imperial family...
(son in law of Empress Maria Theresa).
Her father had 354 known children outside marriage;.
Biography
Maria Christina was born at the Wilanów PalaceWilanów Palace
Wilanów Palace is a royal palace located in the Wilanów district, Warsaw. Wilanów Palace survived the time of Poland's partitions and both World Wars and has preserved its authentic historical qualities, also is one of the most important monuments of Polish culture.The palace and park in Wilanów...
in Poland. She came from a close family and her parents made sure they put emphasis on a good education. The young princess was educated in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, Religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, Drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
, Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
.
Her older sister Maria Josepha married Louis, Dauphin of France in 1764. The same year, Maria Christina was sent to France to become a Coadjutorice at the Abbey of Remiremont in Remiremont
Remiremont
Remiremont is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.Inhabitants are called Romarimontains.-Geography:Remiremont is located on the Moselle, close to its confluence with the Moselotte, southeast of Épinal...
, northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Her position was thanks to the personal intervention of Louis XV himself.
At the time of her arrival, the abbey was under control of Anne Charlotte de Lorraine
Princess Anne Charlotte of Lorraine
Anne Charlotte of Lorraine was the Abbess of Remiremont, Mons and Essen. She was the youngest daughter and the youngest of thirteen children of Leopold, Duke of Lorraine, and his spouse Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans...
, sister of the Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I was Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, though his wife effectively executed the real power of those positions. With his wife, Maria Theresa, he was the founder of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty...
and aunt of the future Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
.
In France, she was known as Marie Christine de Saxe.
In 1773, at the death of Anne Charlotte, Maria Christina was named Abbess, a position she would keep till her death.
Remiremont had seats and votes in the Reichstag
Reichstag (Holy Roman Empire)
The Imperial Diet was the Diet, or general assembly, of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire.During the period of the Empire, which lasted formally until 1806, the Diet was not a parliament in today's sense; instead, it was an assembly of the various estates of the realm...
including all rights and obligations of an Imperial Princess (such as low justice
High, middle and low justice
High, middle and low justices are notions dating from Western feudalism to indicate descending degrees of judiciary power to administer justice by the maximal punishment the holders could inflict upon their subjects and other dependents....
, tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
, legislation
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
, coinage and military service), and enjoyed immunity against temporal power
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
.
She was a frequent visitor to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and was fond of the Theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and the city's social life. She spent a great deal of money, the payment of which was made by Stanisław Leszczyński (Duke of Lorraine till his death in 1766) and after that the king Louis XV. Her correspondence with her brother Francis Xavier, Regent of Saxony was preserved at Trojes.
She was created a Dame of the Order of the Starry Cross
Order of the Starry Cross
The Order of the Starry Cross was founded by Eleanora Gonzaga of Mantua, dowager empress of the Holy Roman Empire, in 1668. This all female order was confirmed by Pope Clement IX, June 28, 1668, and was placed under the spiritual management of the Prince Bishop of Vienna...
.
Maria Christina bought the Château de Brumath in the town of Brumath
Brumath
Brumath, also Brumpt, is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-History:Brumath occupies the site of the Roman Brocomagus....
in the Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
region of France. Purchased in 1775, she chose the building for its location in the country and for its natural setting. She lived a lavish lifestyle at the château
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
which far outdid her revenues. Dying at the château on 19 November 1782, her nephew the then king Louis XVI was obliged to pay debts to the tune of 136,876 livres for his dead aunt.
She was buried at the abbey in its église des Dames on the 15 December 1782. She was praised for her intelligence, her conversation and for being a cultivated woman for her age. The château de Brumath was abandoned and was pillaged in 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...
.
Ancestry
Titles and styles
- 12 February 1735 – 19 November 1782 Her Royal Highness Princess Maria Christina of Saxony