Maria Annunziata von Neapel-Sizilien

Maria Annunziata, whose full name was Isabella Filomena Sabasia, was born on 24 March 1843 in the Royal Palace of Caserta. She was the eldest daughter of the Bourbon king Ferdinand II of Naples and Sicily and his second wife, the Austrian Archduchess Maria Theresa Isabella. Her father came from the Italian branch of the House of Bourbon and ruled the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Her mother was a daughter of Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen, and Princess Henriette Alexandrine of Nassau-Weilburg. After the death of his first wife, Maria Christina of Savoy, in 1836, Ferdinand II married for a second time in 1837. This marriage produced twelve children, of whom Maria Annunziata was the fourth. Her father gave her the nickname “Ciollà.” Among her siblings were Ludwig Maria, Count of Trani; Alfonso Maria, Count of Caserta; Maria Immaculata; Maria Pia; and Maria Luisa. Several members of the family married into other European princely houses. Her younger sister Maria Immaculata married Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria-Tuscany in 1861. Their son, Archduke Franz Salvator, later married Maria Valeria, the youngest daughter of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth. Maria Annunziata’s life became closely connected with the Austrian imperial family. In 1862, she married Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, the younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph. Karl Ludwig was the third son of Archduke Franz Karl and Princess Sophie of Bavaria. It was his second marriage: his first wife, Princess Margarete of Saxony, had died in 1858 at the age of only 18. The marriage contract was concluded in Rome on 16 October 1862, and the wedding took place five days later in Venice. Maria Annunziata thereby became an archduchess. The marriage produced four children. Their first son, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was born on 18 December 1863. After the death of his father in 1896, he became heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914, an event that became one of the decisive historical developments preceding the First World War. Their second son, Archduke Otto Franz Joseph, was born in 1865 and was known by the nickname “the handsome Otto.” His son Karl was Maria Annunziata’s grandson. Following the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Karl became heir to the throne in 1914. When Emperor Franz Joseph died on 21 November 1916, Karl succeeded him as Emperor of Austria under the name Charles I. In Hungary he reigned as Charles IV and in Bohemia as Charles III. Maria Annunziata thus became the grandmother of the last ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Their third son, Archduke Ferdinand Karl, was born in 1868. In 1911, he left the imperial family and thereafter used the civilian name Ferdinand Burg. Their youngest child, Archduchess Margarete Sophie, was born in 1870 and married Duke Albrecht of Württemberg. Maria Annunziata suffered from poor health throughout her life. She had epilepsy and also struggled with a lung disease. Despite these illnesses, she gave birth to four healthy children. Her condition gradually deteriorated, however, and on 4 May 1871 she died in Vienna at the age of only 28 from the effects of advanced lung disease. Maria Annunziata was buried in the Imperial Crypt, the crypt of the Capuchin Church in Vienna. Her widower, Karl Ludwig, married for a third time in 1873, this time to the Portuguese Infanta Maria Theresa. They had two daughters. In honor of his deceased second wife, the elder daughter was also given the name Maria Annunziata. Through her birth into the royal family of the Two Sicilies, her marriage to a brother of Emperor Franz Joseph, and her children and grandchildren, Maria Annunziata was connected to several important European dynasties. Through her son Franz Ferdinand and her grandson Karl in particular, she remained closely linked to the history of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.