Maria Antonia von Neapel-Sizilien

Princess Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies was born on 19 December 1814 at the Royal Palace of Palermo. She was the daughter of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies and Maria Isabella of Spain. She was named in honor of her great-aunt Marie Antoinette, the sister of her grandmother, Maria Carolina of Austria, who was killed during the French Revolution. At the time of her birth, the Neapolitan court was in Sicily after Napoleonic troops had occupied the continental part of the kingdom. A few months later, following the decisions of the Congress of Vienna, the royal family was able to return to Naples. Maria Antonia was especially close to her brother Ferdinand II, who affectionately called her “Totò.” She also shared a close friendship with her sister-in-law Maria Christina of Savoy, who came to the Bourbon court in 1832. After the death of Leopold II’s first wife, Grand Duchess Maria Anna of Tuscany, in March 1832, the widowed grand duke decided to marry the young Neapolitan princess. They were first cousins, since Maria Antonia’s father, Francis I, and Leopold’s mother, Luisa Maria of Tuscany, were siblings. The marriage negotiations were concluded in May 1833. On 7 June, 18-year-old Maria Antonia married Leopold II, who was seventeen years her senior, in the chapel of the royal palace in Naples. The following day, the couple travelled to Livorno and then continued through Pisa to Florence. Maria Antonia made her ceremonial entry into the city on 20 June. The Florentines admired her beauty and welcomed her in part because, as an Italian princess, she was not regarded as a foreigner. At first, she found it difficult to adapt to social life in Florence. She had been accustomed to poverty and simple living conditions around the Neapolitan court and therefore did not immediately understand why even well-dressed people sought assistance. With the help of her Florentine ladies-in-waiting, especially her chief lady-in-waiting Adele Palagi, she soon became integrated into the city and eventually regarded Florence as her second homeland. Maria Antonia was not particularly well educated, but she possessed a natural inclination toward the fine arts. She supported artists, welcomed them in her palaces and occasionally visited their studios. Those she patronized included the sculptor Giovanni Duprè and the musician Teodulo Mabellini. She was also a deeply devout Catholic. In particular, she promoted the veneration of Saint Philomena and had altars and chapels built in her honor. Religious institutions and charitable projects remained close to her heart throughout her life. As grand duchess, Maria Antonia gave birth to ten children. Her first daughter, Maria Isabella, was born in May 1834, only a few days after the family had mourned the death of Leopold’s seven-year-old daughter Maximiliana. Maria Antonia became seriously ill with puerperal fever after the birth. In June 1835, the long-awaited male heir, Ferdinand, was born. His birth was greeted with great relief throughout Europe, since the succession in Tuscany appeared to be secured. In the following years, further children were born: Karl Salvator, Maria Luisa, Ludwig Salvator and Johann Salvator, as well as several daughters and a son who died in childhood. Maria Antonia was deeply affected by these losses and remained close to her dying children until the end. During the political unrest of 1848, the grand ducal family came under increasing pressure. Leopold II had initially introduced liberal reforms, granted freedom of the press, established a Civic Guard and issued a constitution in February 1848. He also at first supported the struggle against Austria in northern Italy. When the political situation became more radical, however, he withdrew his troops. A democratic government under Giuseppe Montanelli and Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi continued to pressure him. Maria Antonia spent some time in Siena with her children and worried about the safety of her husband and family. In January 1849, Leopold II left Florence. Maria Antonia fled with the younger children through Maremma and Orbetello, where they were attacked by agitated crowds. The family eventually reached Gaeta, where they came under the protection of Maria Antonia’s brother, Ferdinand II, and Pope Pius IX. In Florence, the republic was proclaimed on 15 February. After the military victory over the Piedmontese forces, Leopold II returned to Tuscany in the summer of 1849. Maria Antonia supported the restoration of the grand ducal rule, although she personally had little sympathy for Austrian influence. The return was accompanied by a conservative political turn, and in 1852 Leopold II formally renounced the constitution under Austrian pressure. In the following years, the grand duchess’s reputation deteriorated. Her origins in the House of the Two Sicilies and her family connection to Ferdinand II, who was hated as an authoritarian ruler, made her a target of political attacks. Nevertheless, Maria Antonia continued to devote herself to her family and religious foundations. In 1852, she gave birth to her youngest child, Johann Salvator. The revolution of 1859 ended her position in Tuscany. When war broke out between Austria and Piedmont-Sardinia, Leopold II declared neutrality, but support for Italian unification grew in Florence. On 27 April, the grand ducal family left the city. Maria Antonia is said first to have warned her husband that they might never see Florence again, but then urged him to abdicate in order to prevent further bloodshed. Leopold II fled with his family without resorting to violence and was respectfully farewelled by many Florentines. He formally abdicated only in July and later lived in Bohemia and Rome, where he died in 1870. After her husband’s death, Maria Antonia had Villa Toscana built in Gmunden between 1870 and 1877. She spent her final years there. She was particularly distressed by the fate of her youngest son, Johann Salvator, who renounced his titles in 1889, adopted the name Johann Orth and sailed to Argentina with his wife in 1890. The ship disappeared without a trace, but Maria Antonia refused to declare her son dead and was exploited by fraudsters who sold her alleged news about him. In 1893, she visited Florence once more and received expressions of affection from both the nobility and ordinary citizens. Maria Antonia died in Gmunden on 7 November 1898 at the age of 83. She was buried in the Capuchin Crypt in Vienna. A solemn memorial Mass was held in her honor in Florence.