Ferdinand, Duke of Parma
Encyclopedia
Ferdinand Maria Philip Louis Sebastian Francis James of Parma (20 January 1751 – 9 October 1802) 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
. His paternal grandparents were Philip V of Spain
(in turn a grandson of Louis XIV
) and his second wife, Elisabeth of Parma
.
, he was considered to be the favorite grandson of his maternal grandfather King Louis XV of France
. As a grandson in the male line of King
Philip V of Spain
, he was also an Infante of Spain.
, daughter of Ercole III of Modena
and (like Ferdinand) an in law of Marie Antoinette. His possible marriage to Princess Maria Beatrice was, however, very unlikely since the latter had been engaged to Archduke Leopold of Austria (later Emperor Leopold II)at a very young age and later on to Leopold's younger brother, Archduke Ferdinand, upon the death of an older brother, Archduke Charles. It is likely that a union between Parma and Modena was only promoted in vain by Parma's Minister, Du Tillot, since the engagement of Modena's heiress to an Austrian Archduke was already agreed very early on. Another candidate was Louise Marie Thérèse Bathilde d'Orléans
who offered a very large dowry; she was the only surviving daughter of Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
. She was the sister of Philippe Égalité
.
The decision of who his future spouse would be, was sealed by his mother's close correspondence with the powerful Empress Maria Theresa of Austria
who had promised Ferdinand's parents the throne of the Netherlands, which had been returned to Austrian rule under the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. This never occurred and, as a result, an alliance with the Austro-Hungarian Empire was used to cement the two nations. This alliance was also encouraged by the Parmese Prime Minister Guillaume du Tillot
who had worked at Versailles
and had been exiled by Louis XV of France
due to his liberal ideas which were not looked upon with much enthusiasm by those at Versailles.
The Prime Minister was again used during Ferdinand's reign when he lost his father in 1765 aged 14. Negotiations and ideas were passed from Vienna to Parma and in 1769, Ferdinand was to marry the Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria; the eighth child of the Empress and older sister of the Queen of Naples and Sicily
and the future Queen of France
. Maria Amalia had a marriage by proxy in Vienna on 27 June and left her home on 1 July. The future duchess would meet her husband at Mantua
on 16 July. His wife was with her brother Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
and Ferdinand with members of the Sforza family. On 19 July there was a formal ceremony for all at the Ducal Palace of Colorno
where Ferdinand had been born. During many festivities, the couple made their official entrance to Parma on 24 July. They had the following children:
Ferdinand ceded the Duchy of Parma to France in the Treaty of Aranjuez (1801)
.
The Treaty of Aranjuez was signed on 21 March 1801 between France and Spain. The overall accord confirmed the terms presented in the Treaty of San Ildefonso
. Moreover, Ferdinand agreed to surrender the Duchy of Parma (with Piacenza and Guastalla) to France. Ferdinand's son Louis received the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, which became the Kingdom of Etruria. Ferdinand III
, the Habsburg Grand Duke of Tuscany, was compensated with the secularized territories of the Archbishop
of Salzburg
.
He died in Parma at age 51, suspected to be poisoned although French authorities cited another reason for his death. On his deathbed, however, he named a regency council with his wife Maria Amalia as its head, clearly still opposing the terms of the Treaty of Aranjuez regarding his duchy. The regency lasted only for days and the Duchy of Parma was annexed to France.
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....
from 1765 to 1802. He was the second child and only son of Philip, Duke 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 Princess Louise-Élisabeth of France, eldest daughter of 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...
and Maria Leszczyńska
Maria Leszczynska
Marie Leszczyńska was a queen consort of France. She was a daughter of King Stanisław Leszczyński of Poland and Catherine Opalińska. She married King Louis XV of France and was the grandmother of Louis XVI, Louis XVIII, and Charles X. In France, she was referred to as Marie Leczinska...
. His paternal grandparents were Philip V of Spain
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
(in turn a grandson of Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
) and his second wife, Elisabeth of Parma
Elisabeth of Parma
Elisabeth Farnese , the daughter of Odoardo Farnese and Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg, was Queen consort of Spain who exerted great influence over Spain's foreign policy.-Parma:Elisabeth was born at the Palazzo della Pilotta in Parma, the capital of a duchy which had been ruled by...
.
Life
Born at the Ducal Palace of ColornoDucal Palace of Colorno
The Ducal Palace, also known as Reggia di Colorno, is an edifice in the territory of Colorno , Emilia Romagna, Italy. It was built by Francesco Farnese, Duke of Parma in the early 18th century on the remains of a former castle.-History:...
, he was considered to be the favorite grandson of his maternal grandfather 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...
. As a grandson in the male line of King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
Philip V of Spain
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
, he was also an Infante of Spain.
Marriage
As the heir to one of the largest collection of sovereign duchies, Ferdinand was an attractive candidate for many royal ladies of Europe. Probable candidates included the heiress Princess Maria Beatrice Ricciarda of ModenaMaria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este
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.-Biography:...
, daughter of Ercole III of Modena
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:...
and (like Ferdinand) an in law of Marie Antoinette. His possible marriage to Princess Maria Beatrice was, however, very unlikely since the latter had been engaged to Archduke Leopold of Austria (later Emperor Leopold II)at a very young age and later on to Leopold's younger brother, Archduke Ferdinand, upon the death of an older brother, Archduke Charles. It is likely that a union between Parma and Modena was only promoted in vain by Parma's Minister, Du Tillot, since the engagement of Modena's heiress to an Austrian Archduke was already agreed very early on. Another candidate was Louise Marie Thérèse Bathilde d'Orléans
Bathilde d'Orléans
Louise Marie Thérèse Bathilde d'Orléans, Princess of Condé , was a French princess. She was sister of Philippe Égalité, the mother of the executed duc d'Enghien and aunt of Louis-Philippe King of the French...
who offered a very large dowry; she was the only surviving daughter of Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
Louis Philippe d'Orléans known as le Gros , was a French nobleman, a member of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, the dynasty then ruling France. The First Prince of the Blood after 1752, he was the most senior male at the French court after the immediate royal family. He was the father of...
. She was the sister of Philippe Égalité
Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Louis Philippe Joseph d'Orléans commonly known as Philippe, was a member of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, the ruling dynasty of France. He actively supported the French Revolution and adopted the name Philippe Égalité, but was nonetheless guillotined during the Reign of Terror...
.
The decision of who his future spouse would be, was sealed by his mother's close correspondence with the powerful Empress Maria Theresa of Austria
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...
who had promised Ferdinand's parents the throne of the Netherlands, which had been returned to Austrian rule under the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. This never occurred and, as a result, an alliance with the Austro-Hungarian Empire was used to cement the two nations. This alliance was also encouraged by the Parmese Prime Minister 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...
who had worked at Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
and had been exiled by 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...
due to his liberal ideas which were not looked upon with much enthusiasm by those at Versailles.
The Prime Minister was again used during Ferdinand's reign when he lost his father in 1765 aged 14. Negotiations and ideas were passed from Vienna to Parma and in 1769, Ferdinand was to marry the Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria; the eighth child of the Empress and older sister of the Queen of Naples and Sicily
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...
and the future Queen of France
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....
. Maria Amalia had a marriage by proxy in Vienna on 27 June and left her home on 1 July. The future duchess would meet her husband at Mantua
Mantua
Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
on 16 July. His wife was with her brother Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
and Ferdinand with members of the Sforza family. On 19 July there was a formal ceremony for all at the Ducal Palace of Colorno
Ducal Palace of Colorno
The Ducal Palace, also known as Reggia di Colorno, is an edifice in the territory of Colorno , Emilia Romagna, Italy. It was built by Francesco Farnese, Duke of Parma in the early 18th century on the remains of a former castle.-History:...
where Ferdinand had been born. During many festivities, the couple made their official entrance to Parma on 24 July. They had the following children:
Children
- Princess Carolina Maria Teresa Giuseppa of ParmaPrincess Caroline of ParmaCarolina of Parma was a Princess of Parma by birth, and Princess of Saxony by marriage to Prince Maximilian of Saxony. Carolina was the eldest child of Ferdinand, Duke of Parma and his wife Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria.-Family:Her full baptismal name was Carolina Maria Teresa Giuseppa...
(22 November 1770–1 March 1804), married Prince Maximilian of Saxony - Prince Louis Francis Philibert of ParmaLouis of EtruriaLouis was the first of only two Kings of Etruria.Louis was the son of Ferdinand, Duke of Parma and Maria Amalia of Austria, the second surviving daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor....
(5 July 1773–27 May 1803). Married his cousin born Maria Luisa Josefa Antonietta Vicentia of Spain and had issue; was the first of only two Kings of Etruria. - Princess Maria Antonia Giuseppa Walburga Anna Luisa Vicenza Margherita Caterina of ParmaPrincess Marie-Antoinette of ParmaMaria Antonia of Parma was a Princess of Parma, daughter of Duke Ferdinand I of Parma and his wife, Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria...
(28 November 1774–1841), who became an UrsulineUrsulinesThe Ursulines are a Roman Catholic religious order for women founded at Brescia, Italy, by Saint Angela de Merici in November 1535, primarily for the education of girls and the care of the sick and needy. Their patron saint is Saint Ursula.-History:St Angela de Merici spent 17 years leading a...
abbess. - Princess Carlotta Maria of Parma (7 September 1777–1812), who became a prioress.
- Prince Felipe of Parma (22 May 1783–1786)
- Princess Antoina Luigia of Parma (21 October 1784)
- Princess Luigia Maria of Parma (17 April 1787–1789)
- Princess X of Parma - Stillborn Daughter ( 21 May 1789) (twin)
- Prince X of Parma - Stillborn Son ( 21 May 1789) (twin)
Ferdinand ceded the Duchy of Parma to France in the Treaty of Aranjuez (1801)
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...
.
The Treaty of Aranjuez was signed on 21 March 1801 between France and Spain. The overall accord confirmed the terms presented in the Treaty of San Ildefonso
Treaty of San Ildefonso
San Ildefonso is a town in central Spain, the summer residence of the Kings of Spain, where several treaties were signed; each is referred to, in context, as the Treaty of San Ildefonso...
. Moreover, Ferdinand agreed to surrender the Duchy of Parma (with Piacenza and Guastalla) to France. Ferdinand's son Louis received the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, which became the Kingdom of Etruria. Ferdinand III
Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany 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 and Grand Duke of Würzburg .-Biography:Ferdinand was born in Florence, Tuscany, into the...
, the Habsburg Grand Duke of Tuscany, was compensated with the secularized territories of the Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
.
He died in Parma at age 51, suspected to be poisoned although French authorities cited another reason for his death. On his deathbed, however, he named a regency council with his wife Maria Amalia as its head, clearly still opposing the terms of the Treaty of Aranjuez regarding his duchy. The regency lasted only for days and the Duchy of Parma was annexed to France.
Ancestry
Titles and Styles
- 20 January 1751 - 18 July 1765 His Royal HighnessRoyal HighnessRoyal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...
Prince Ferdinand of Parma - 18 July 1765 - 9 October 1802 His Royal HighnessRoyal HighnessRoyal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...
the Duke of Parma, Plasencia and Guastalla