Maria Amalia von Österreich

Archduchess Marie-Amélie of Austria, also known as Maria Amalia of Habsburg, was born on April 5, 1724, in Vienna’s Hofburg Palace and died there on April 19, 1730, at the age of six. She was the fourth child and youngest daughter of Emperor Charles VI of the Holy Roman Empire and his wife, Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire. Marie-Amélie belonged to the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg. From birth until her death, she held the titles of Imperial and Royal Archduchess, Imperial Princess of Austria, and Royal Princess of Hungary, Bohemia, and Tuscany. Her parents were closely connected to the leading dynasties of the empire. Charles VI was the son of Emperor Leopold I and Eleonore of Neuburg. Elisabeth Christine came from the House of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and was the daughter of Louis Rudolph and Christine Louise of Oettingen-Oettingen. Marie-Amélie grew up with her older sisters, Maria Theresa and Maria Anna. The three girls were the only surviving daughters of their parents. This was a great disappointment to Charles VI and Elisabeth Christine, who had particularly hoped for a male heir. Their son Leopold Johann, born in 1716, had died at only six months of age and could not fulfill that hope. For this reason, Marie-Amélie’s birth was also not initially received with joy by her father. Only after several months did he gradually begin to accept his youngest daughter. The absence of a male successor shaped the political circumstances of the family. In 1713, Charles VI had issued the Pragmatic Sanction, which was intended to allow his daughters to inherit the Habsburg lands and the associated dynastic claims. Through this measure, the emperor sought to secure the continuation of his dynasty even though he had no son available to succeed him. Marie-Amélie did not live to experience the consequences of this arrangement. After Charles’s death in 1740, her eldest sister, Maria Theresa, became the first to benefit from this right of succession. Her accession led to the War of the Austrian Succession, which lasted eight years. Marie-Amélie died in Vienna on April 19, 1730, just days after her sixth birthday. At the time, Maria Theresa was only thirteen years old, while Maria Anna was twelve. Marie-Amélie was buried in Vienna’s Imperial Crypt and is regarded as the last member of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty. Her coffin was made of tin by Hans Georg Lehrl, a tinsmith from Salzburg. Its undulating design reflects the refined Baroque style. An ermine pelt, described as a symbol of Christ, lies across the lid, while the Austrian archducal crown rests on a cushion. The side panels are decorated with winged angel heads, and the coffin stands on lion’s feet. Although Marie-Amélie’s own life was brief, she was part of a family whose succession shaped the history of the House of Habsburg and of Europe. Through her sister Maria Theresa, she was also the aunt of later rulers and members of European royal houses, including Emperor Joseph II, Emperor Leopold II, Queen Marie Antoinette of France, Queen Maria Carolina of Naples and Sicily, the duchesses Maria Amalia of Parma and Maria Christina of Teschen, and Duke Ferdinand of Modena. Her brother-in-law was Francis Stephen, who later became Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor.