Maria Karoline Luise von Habsburg-Lothringen

Maria Karolina Luise Christina of Austria-Teschen was born in Vienna on September 10, 1825. She was an archduchess of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, Duchess of Teschen, and later the wife of Archduke Rainer Ferdinand. As the youngest daughter of the renowned commander Archduke Charles and his wife, Henriette Alexandrine of Nassau-Weilburg, she belonged to an important collateral branch of the Austrian imperial family. Her friendly nature, deep faith, and commitment to social causes made her one of the most popular members of the imperial family. She had no children of her own. Her father, Archduke Charles of Austria, was the third son of Emperor Leopold II and Empress Maria Ludovika. As a successful military commander, he became particularly famous for his victory at the Battle of Aspern in 1809. Her mother came from the House of Nassau-Weilburg. Maria Karolina was the sixth of seven children and the youngest daughter. Her siblings included Maria Theresa Isabella, who later became Queen of the Two Sicilies; Archduke Albert, the second Duke of Teschen and a field marshal; and Archduke William, who later became inspector general of the imperial artillery and grand master of the Teutonic Order. Several of her brothers also pursued military careers. The family lived in Lower Austria at Weilburg Castle near Baden, which Archduke Charles had commissioned between 1820 and 1823. Maria Karolina was only four years old when her mother died of scarlet fever in 1829. Thereafter, her father and her eldest brother Albert took responsibility for raising the younger children. At the age of 19, Maria Karolina became abbess of the Theresianum, a Catholic institution for the education of girls in Prague, in 1844. She held this position until her marriage in 1852. On February 21, 1852, she married her cousin, Archduke Rainer Ferdinand, who was two years younger than she was, in Vienna. He was the son of the elder Archduke Rainer, viceroy of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, and his wife, Maria Elisabeth of Savoy-Carignano. Archduke Rainer Ferdinand was also a nephew of Emperor Francis I. On the occasion of the wedding, the young Emperor Franz Joseph appointed him proprietor of Salzburg Infantry Regiment No. 59, which subsequently adopted the name Infantry Regiment Archduke Rainer. Maria Karolina’s marriage to Rainer was regarded as happy and exemplary, but it remained childless. The deeply religious archduchess was troubled by the absence of children of her own. She therefore devoted herself all the more to the youngest members of the imperial family, teaching, raising, and caring for them with great dedication. The children affectionately called her “Aunt Maria Rainer,” the name by which she became widely known. Maria Karolina also devoted herself intensively to charitable work. She founded numerous social institutions, particularly to support disadvantaged children and young people and to promote their education. Together with social organizations, she supported, among others, Vienna’s St. Joseph Children’s Hospital and the St. Joseph Boys’ Shelter established on the Rennweg. Through her energy and organizational ability, she earned widespread respect. Her husband was also highly regarded by the public because of their shared charitable work. For decades, the couple ranked among the most popular members of the imperial family. Maria Karolina was admitted to the Spanish Order of Noble Ladies of Queen Maria Luisa. In 1854, her husband acquired a large palace in Vienna’s fourth district, where the couple lived until their deaths. The building later became known as the Archduke Rainer Palace, while a street laid out beside it in 1862 was named Rainergasse. Her husband also held an important political position. In 1857, Emperor Franz Joseph appointed Archduke Rainer president of the Imperial Council. From 1861 to 1865, he served as official prime minister at the head of Anton von Schmerling’s liberal cabinet. Maria Karolina accompanied him during these years while remaining a respected figure at court. The couple celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary in 1912. The magnificent festivities were among the last major court events of the gradually disintegrating Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Archduke Rainer died on January 27, 1913. Maria Karolina survived her husband by approximately two and a half years. She died on July 17, 1915, at the age of 90, in Vienna or Baden near Vienna. She was laid to rest in the Ferdinandscrypt of Vienna’s Capuchin Church, the traditional burial place of the Habsburg family.