Maria Beatrice d’Este

Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d’Este was born in Modena on April 7, 1750, and died in Vienna on November 14, 1829. She was the sixth and last sovereign Duchess of Massa and sovereign Princess of Carrara. She ruled these territories first from 1790 to 1796 and again from 1814 until her death. She was also the last direct descendant of the ancient House of Este and, through her mother, heir to the Cybo-Malaspina family. Maria Beatrice was the only surviving legitimate child of Ercole III d’Este, the future Duke of Modena and Reggio, and Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, the reigning Duchess of Massa and Princess of Carrara. Her parents had an unhappy marriage. After her only brother died a few months after his birth in 1753, it became clear that Maria Beatrice would have no siblings. She was therefore drawn at an early age into complicated dynastic plans. Her grandfather, Francesco III d’Este, began seeking a suitable marriage for her as early as 1752. He wanted to prevent Modena from suffering the fate of Ferrara nearly two centuries earlier, when Ferrara had been declared a vacant imperial fief and absorbed by the empire. At the same time, the marriage was intended to preserve the political independence of the Este territories and ensure the survival of the family name. At first, a marriage was planned with Archduke Peter Leopold, a son of Empress Maria Theresa. After the death of Peter Leopold’s elder brother Charles Joseph, however, the plans changed. In 1763, Peter Leopold’s younger brother Ferdinand was chosen as the bridegroom, even though Maria Beatrice’s father strongly opposed the match. After recovering from smallpox, the young princess was taken to Milan under pressure from the Habsburg court. There she was raised by her grandfather Francesco III and his morganatic wife, Renata Teresa, Countess of Harrach, who had been appointed her governess by Maria Theresa. The formal betrothal ceremonies took place in Milan on April 26, 1766. Maria Beatrice and Archduke Ferdinand finally married on October 15, 1771. Their marriage established the new Austria-Este line. Ferdinand was recognized as the successor of the Este and assumed the office of Governor of Milan. The couple made their permanent home in the Lombard capital. While Ferdinand carried out the representative duties of his position, he had the Royal Palace renovated. After the fire that destroyed the Teatro Regio Ducale, attached to the palace, he promoted the construction of La Scala and the Teatro della Cannobiana. The Villa Reale in Monza was also built as a summer residence for the archducal couple. Maria Beatrice maintained a close relationship with her mother-in-law, Maria Theresa, who wrote her many letters and hoped that she could exert a positive influence on Ferdinand. The marriage was strengthened by ten children, including the future Duke Francesco IV of Modena and Reggio and Maria Ludovica, who married Emperor Francis I of Austria. After her mother’s death in 1790, Maria Beatrice took possession of the Duchy of Massa and Carrara. Her father first renounced the rights of co-government to which he was entitled. Although her marriage closely connected her to the Habsburg imperial family, Maria Beatrice took care to keep the Cybo-Malaspina territories separate from the Este possessions. She understood that Massa and Carrara would probably be permanently united with Modena after her death, since the territory provided the Este with their long-desired access to the sea. Maria Beatrice took her duties as ruler very seriously. Although she usually lived in Vienna, she kept herself thoroughly informed about the affairs of her state and issued precise instructions. Her representative, Count Pietro Ceccopieri, essentially carried out her decisions. Among other matters, she supervised the restoration of the ducal palace in Massa and relations with the Bishop of Sarzana and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. She also showed determination in political conflicts, having it conveyed that she would not extradite Pellegrino Rossi, a future minister of the Papal States, if he entered her territory. The revolutionary and Napoleonic wars ended her first period of rule after seven years. For almost two decades she lost control of her lands. In 1814, the Congress of Vienna restored Massa and Carrara to her and added the former imperial fiefs of Lunigiana. By then Maria Beatrice had become accustomed to life at the Viennese court and largely entrusted the administration to officials with broad powers. Her son Francesco IV had meanwhile ascended the throne of Modena and Reggio as Ferdinand’s heir and awaited the eventual union of the two realms. After returning to power, Maria Beatrice reversed many reforms introduced during the Napoleonic period. In particular, she annulled the changes imposed by Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi in Lucca and Piombino, restored the earlier statutes, and created an aristocratic environment around the ducal throne. At the same time, she sought to assist the poorer classes. In economic matters, she returned to the reform ideas of the eighteenth century and authorized major public works, including the regulation of the bed of the Frigido River. She also encouraged artists and restored the school system. Her government would probably have had an even greater impact if she had been more frequently present in her states in person. Maria Beatrice died in Vienna in 1829 at the age of 79. After her death, Massa and Carrara were united with the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, ruled by her son Francesco IV. She was buried in the Capuchin Crypt in Vienna beside her husband’s imperial ancestors. With her, the direct line of the Este of Modena and Reggio came to an end; through her mother, the succession of the Cybo-Malaspina also ended. Through her grandmother Ricciarda Gonzaga, she was additionally regarded as the last heir of the Gonzaga of Novellara and Bagnolo.