| Maria Amalia of Austria | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Portrait byJoseph Vivien | |||||
| Holy Roman Empress Queen consort of Germany | |||||
| Tenure | 12 February 1742 – 20 January 1745 | ||||
| Queen consort of Bohemia | |||||
| Tenure | 9 December 1741–1743 | ||||
| Electress consort of Bavaria | |||||
| Tenure | 26 February 1726 – 20 January 1745 | ||||
| Born | (1701-10-22)22 October 1701 Hofburg Palace,Vienna,Archduchy of Austria,Holy Roman Empire | ||||
| Died | 11 December 1756(1756-12-11) (aged 55) Nymphenburg Palace,Munich,Electorate of Bavaria, Holy Roman Empire | ||||
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| Spouse | |||||
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| House | Habsburg | ||||
| Father | Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor | ||||
| Mother | Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg | ||||
Maria Amalia of Austria (German:Maria Amalia Josefa Anna; 22 October 1701 – 11 December 1756) wasHoly Roman empress, queen ofBohemia, andelectress ofBavaria among many other titles as the spouse of EmperorCharles VII. By birth, she was anarchduchess ofAustria as the daughter of EmperorJoseph I. One of her children wasMaximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria.
Maria Amalia was born on 22 October 1701[1] in theHofburg inVienna eleven weeks after the death of herinfant brotherLeopold Joseph, her parents' only son. Her mother,Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg, was unable toconceive more children after her, supposedly because her father had contractedsyphilis and passed it onto his wife, rendering herinfertile.
Maria Amalia and her elder sister,Maria Josepha were both given a very strictCatholic upbringing by their mother, but Maria Amalia was described as having a more vivid andextroverted personality than her sister.
When Maria Amalia was nine years old, her father died ofsmallpox and was succeeded by his brotherCharles VI. During the reign of Maria Amalia's grandfatherLeopold I, his two sons, the future Joseph I and Charles VI signed theMutual Pact of Succession, which gave Joseph's daughters precedence in theorder of succession over Charles' daughters (if neither had sons). Charles replaced this with thePragmatic Sanction of 1713. This put Maria Amalia and her elder sister Maria Josepha behind his own future daughters, the first of whom,Maria Theresa, would be born in 1717. The displaced archduchesses were not allowed to marry until they renounced their rights to the throne.
Maria Amalia was proposed as a bride forVictor Amadeus, Prince of Piedmont, heir to theKingdom of Sicily and theDuchy of Savoy in the hope that the union would create better relations between Savoy and Austria. However, the prince's father, KingVictor Amadeus II did not agree to the plan, and the suggested groom died of smallpox in 1715.
In 1717, Maria Amalia met her future spouse, Charles Albert, Hereditary Prince of Bavaria, when he visited Vienna on his way to participate in theSiege of Belgrade. Charles Albert used his time in the city become acquainted with the imperial family, wishing to marry into theHouse of Habsburg fordynastic and economic reasons. They met for a second time in 1718. Charles Albert initially asked to marry her elder sister, Maria Josepha, but she was already engaged.
After she had recognised the Pragmatic Sanction and effectively renounced her right to the throne, Maria Amalia married Charles Albert on 5 October 1722 in Vienna. She received a greatdowry, includingjewelry worth 986 500guilders. The operaI veri amici, 'The True Friends' byTomaso Albinoni was performed at the wedding,[2] but the wedding was not celebrated as much in Vienna as it would be inMunich, wherefestivities lasted from 17 October to 4 November.
The couple lived in theNymphenburg Palace in Munich and had seven children. In May 1727, after the birth of the heir, Maximilian Joseph, Maria Amalia was gifted theFürstenried Palace as her own residence. In 1734, Charles Albert named theAmalienburg in theNymphenburg Palace Park after her. Their relationship was described as a moderately happy one despite Charles Albert'sinfidelity andillegitimate children, as they had similar personalities and interests. They both enjoyedcourt life, pomp, and festivals, made the Bavarian court a cultural center together. Maria Amalia likedoperas and her apartments are regarded as a notable example ofRococointerior design. She was interested in politics, had a passion forhunting, and liked to travel, arguing thatpilgrimages would help her have sons. She supported churches andconvents and had a close relationship with her sister-in-lawMaria Anna Karolina, aPoor Clare.
Despite the fact that Maria Amalia had renounced her claims to theHabsburg monarchy upon her marriage, Charles Albert claimed them in her name during theWar of the Austrian Succession after her uncle, Charles VI died. After an agreement with KingAugustus III of Poland, the husband of her elder sister Maria Josepha (who would otherwise have a stronger claim), her husband invadedBohemia. Maria Amalia was crowned queen of Bohemia inPrague on 7 December 1741. On 12 February 1742, she became Holy Roman empress following her husband's coronation as emperor inFrankfurt. On 14 February 1742, Bavaria was occupied by Austria.[3]
Maria Amalia's husband died on 20 January 1745 and was buried at theTheatine Church in Munich. She persuaded her son, the new elector, Maximilian, to make peace with her cousinMaria Theresa. As awidow, she mainly resided at Fürstenried Palace. In 1754, she started the first modernhospital in the city, managed by nuns of theOrder of Saint Elisabeth who she had invited to found a convent.
Maria Amalia died in Munich in the Nymphenburg Palace on 11 December 1756,[1] aged fifty-five. There is an anecdote concerning her remains, recounted byGiacomo Casanova in hisHistoire de ma vie ('Story of My Life'). When he arrived in Munich, he was told that there was a miracle, talk of the whole city. 'The Empress, [...] the widow of Charles VII, whose body is still exposed to public view, has warm feet though she is dead', a priest told him, suggesting that he see the 'wonder' for himself. 'Most eager' to be able to 'boast' about witnessing a miracle, Casanova went there. The corpse 'did indeed have warm feet, but it was because of a hotstove which stood very near her defunct Imperial Majesty'.
| Name | Portrait | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princess Maximiliana Maria of Bavaria |  | 12 April 1723 | Died in infancy. | |
| Maria Antoina Walpurgis Symphorosa, Electress of Saxony |  | 18 July 1724 | 23 April 1780 | Composer; married in 1747Frederick Christian of Saxony, had issue. |
| PrincessTheresa Benedicta Maria of Bavaria |  | 6 December 1725 | 29 March 1743 | Died young and unmarried. |
| Maximilian III Joseph Elector of Bavaria |  | 28 March 1727 | 30 December 1777 | Married in 1747Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony, no issue. |
| Prince Joseph Ludvig Leopold of Bavaria | .png) | 25 August 1728 | 2 December 1733 | Died in childhood. |
| Maria Anna Josepha, Margravine of Baden-Baden |  | 7 August 1734 | 7 May 1776 | Married in 1755Louis George, Margrave of Baden-Baden, no issue. |
| Maria Josepha Antonia Holy Roman Empress |  | 30 March 1739 | 28 May 1767 | Married in 1765 her second cousinJoseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, no issue. |
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| Preceded by | Electress consort of Bavaria 1726–1745 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Holy Roman Empress German Queen 1742–1745 | Succeeded by |
| Queen consort of Bohemia 1741–1743 | Succeeded by | |
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