Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony
Encyclopedia
Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony (31 May 1867 – 28 May 1944) was the mother of Emperor Charles I of Austria and the fifth child of George of Saxony
and Infanta Maria Anna of Portugal.
(1832–1904) and Infanta Maria Anna of Portugal (1843–1884). Her maternal grandparents were Queen Maria II and King Ferdinand II of Portugal
.
She was a younger sister of the last king of Saxony, Frederick Augustus III
. Her maternal first cousins included (among others) Charles I of Portugal; Infante Afonso, Duke of Porto
; Prince Wilhelm of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen; and Ferdinand I of Romania
. Her paternal second cousin was the ill-fated Crown Prince Archduke Rudolf while
George V of the United Kingdom
was her third cousin.
, "der Schöne" (the handsome), younger brother of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand
who was killed in Sarajevo
.
A pious woman, only her strength of religion enabled her to bear the burdens of marriage to the notoriously womanizing "gorgeous Archduke". His frequent absences from his family helped her goal of keeping her children away from his bad influence succeed. Eventually, however, she herself enterred in to a relationship to the actor Otto Tressler, who had been presented to her by the emperor Franz Joseph, who felt sorry for her because of the adultery of her spouse. Maria Josepha often invited Tressler to her home; he sometimes met her husband and his friends in the doorway. When her husband died, her ability to avoid extravagant displays of grief was much admired. As a widow, she ended her relationship with Tressler, probably because of her sense of what was appropriate beahaviour for a widow.
During World War I
she nursed the wounded in the Augarten Palace of Vienna
, which had been converted into a hospital.
In 1919 she left Austria with her son Emperor Charles I of Austria and his wife, Zita of Bourbon-Parma
, and went into exile with them. She lived first in Switzerland
and from 1921 in Germany
.
She died at Schloss Wildenwart, Upper Bavaria
, a property owned by some members of the Royal Family of Bavaria. She is buried in the New Vault of the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, beside her husband.
George of Saxony
-Life:George was born in the Saxon capital Dresden. He was the second son of King John of Saxony and his wife Princess Amelia of Bavaria , daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria ....
and Infanta Maria Anna of Portugal.
Early life
Maria Josepha Louise Philippina Elisabeth Pia Angelica Margaret was the daughter of the future King George of SaxonyGeorge of Saxony
-Life:George was born in the Saxon capital Dresden. He was the second son of King John of Saxony and his wife Princess Amelia of Bavaria , daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria ....
(1832–1904) and Infanta Maria Anna of Portugal (1843–1884). Her maternal grandparents were Queen Maria II and King Ferdinand II of Portugal
Ferdinand II of Portugal
Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , named Prince Ferdinand Augustus Francis Anthony of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry, was King of Portugal as husband of Queen Maria II of Portugal from the birth of their son in 1837 to her death in 1853.In keeping with Portuguese law, only after the birth of his son in...
.
She was a younger sister of the last king of Saxony, Frederick Augustus III
Frederick Augustus III of Saxony
This article is about King Frederick Augustus III of Saxony. For the elector Frederick Augustus III, see Frederick Augustus I of Saxony.Frederick Augustus III was the last King of Saxony and a member of the House of Wettin.Born in Dresden, Frederick Augustus was the son of King George of Saxony...
. Her maternal first cousins included (among others) Charles I of Portugal; Infante Afonso, Duke of Porto
Infante Afonso, Duke of Porto
Afonso Henriques, Prince Royal of Portugal was a Portuguese prince of the House of Braganza, the son of King Luis I of Portugal and his wife, Maria Pia of Savoy.-Biography:...
; Prince Wilhelm of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen; and Ferdinand I of Romania
Ferdinand I of Romania
Ferdinand was the King of Romania from 10 October 1914 until his death.-Early life:Born in Sigmaringen in southwestern Germany, the Roman Catholic Prince Ferdinand Viktor Albert Meinrad of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, later simply of Hohenzollern, was a son of Leopold, Prince of...
. Her paternal second cousin was the ill-fated Crown Prince Archduke Rudolf while
George V of the United Kingdom
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
was her third cousin.
Marriage
On 2 October 1886 at age nineteen, she married Archduke Otto Franz of AustriaArchduke Otto Franz of Austria
-Marriage and issue:On October 2, 1886, he married Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony, daughter of King George of Saxony. They had two sons:* Archduke Karl Franz of Austria , who became the last Emperor of Austria and had issue....
, "der Schöne" (the handsome), younger brother of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
Franz Ferdinand was an Archduke of Austria-Este, Austro-Hungarian and Royal Prince of Hungary and of Bohemia, and from 1889 until his death, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. His assassination in Sarajevo precipitated Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia...
who was killed in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
.
A pious woman, only her strength of religion enabled her to bear the burdens of marriage to the notoriously womanizing "gorgeous Archduke". His frequent absences from his family helped her goal of keeping her children away from his bad influence succeed. Eventually, however, she herself enterred in to a relationship to the actor Otto Tressler, who had been presented to her by the emperor Franz Joseph, who felt sorry for her because of the adultery of her spouse. Maria Josepha often invited Tressler to her home; he sometimes met her husband and his friends in the doorway. When her husband died, her ability to avoid extravagant displays of grief was much admired. As a widow, she ended her relationship with Tressler, probably because of her sense of what was appropriate beahaviour for a widow.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
she nursed the wounded in the Augarten Palace of 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...
, which had been converted into a hospital.
In 1919 she left Austria with her son Emperor Charles I of Austria and his wife, Zita of Bourbon-Parma
Zita of Bourbon-Parma
Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma was the wife of Emperor Charles of Austria...
, and went into exile with them. She lived first in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and from 1921 in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
She died at Schloss Wildenwart, Upper Bavaria
Upper Bavaria
Upper Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany.- Geography :Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered around the city of Munich. It is subdivided into four regions : Ingolstadt, Munich, Bayerisches Oberland , and Südostoberbayern...
, a property owned by some members of the Royal Family of Bavaria. She is buried in the New Vault of the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, beside her husband.
Children
With Archduke Otto Franz she had issue:- Archduke Karl Franz of Austria, the last Emperor of AustriaEmperor of AustriaThe Emperor of Austria was a hereditary imperial title and position proclaimed in 1804 by the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, and continually held by him and his heirs until the last emperor relinquished power in 1918. The emperors retained the title of...
. - Archduke Maximilian Eugen of AustriaArchduke Maximilian Eugen of AustriaMaximilian Eugen Ludwig Friedrich Philipp Ignatius Joseph Maria was an Archduke of Austria.- Family :Maximilian was the second son of Archduke Otto of Austria and Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony...
(1895–1952), who married Princess Franziska von Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst and had issue.
Titles and styles
- 31 May 1867 – 2 October 1886: Her Royal Highness Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony, Duchess in Saxony
- 2 October 1886 – 28 May 1944: Her Imperial and Royal Highness Archduchess and Princess Maria Josepha of Austria, Princess of Hungary, Bohemia, and Tuscany, Princess and Duchess of Saxony