Marie-Louise von Österreich

Marie-Louise of Austria, whose full name was Marie-Louise Leopoldine Franziska Theresia Josepha Lucia of Habsburg-Lorraine, was born on December 12, 1791, in Vienna and died on December 17, 1847, in Parma. The eldest daughter of Emperor Francis I of Austria, she was an archduchess of Austria and princess of Hungary and Bohemia. From 1810 to 1814 she was Empress of the French and Queen of Italy, and afterward ruled until her death as Duchess of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla. Her childhood unfolded during a period of profound political upheaval. Shortly after her birth, her grandfather Leopold II died, and her father ascended the throne. France declared war on Austria, the French monarchy was abolished, and Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed. Marie-Louise was only 22 months old when her great-aunt Marie Antoinette died, yet these events profoundly shaped her attitude toward France and Napoleon. Within her family, Napoleon was regarded as the embodiment of the Revolution and an enemy of Europe’s monarchies. Marie-Louise grew up between Vienna’s Hofburg and the summer residences of Schönbrunn and Laxenburg. She was especially close to her father, while her mother was described as cold and unaffectionate. An important figure in her life was her governess, Countess Colloredo, whose daughter Victoire also remained close to her. The young archduchess received a princely but relatively simple education. She learned French and Italian in particular, studied history, geography, religion, and music, and enjoyed playing the piano, handicrafts, drawing, cooking, and gardening. She experienced the wars between Austria and Napoleon at close range. After the Austrian defeats at Ulm and Austerlitz, the imperial family repeatedly had to flee Vienna. In 1809 Austria was decisively defeated at the Battle of Wagram and forced by the Treaty of Schönbrunn to accept a humiliating peace. In this political context, after divorcing Joséphine de Beauharnais, Napoleon decided to marry a Habsburg princess. The marriage was intended to secure a new dynasty and end the long conflict between France and Austria. Marie-Louise was not officially informed of the negotiations at first and rejected the prospect of marrying the Napoleon she hated. Eventually, she agreed to sacrifice herself “for the happiness of the state.” The marriage was celebrated by proxy in Vienna on March 11, 1810; the official ceremony took place at the Louvre on April 2. The 18-year-old Austrian thus became Empress of the French. In Paris, however, she was met with suspicion. She was called “the Austrian,” and many French people remembered Marie Antoinette. Napoleon’s family also frequently treated her with disdain. In private, the marriage initially developed more favorably than expected. Napoleon admired her noble birth, religious devotion, and domestic character. Marie-Louise was obedient, reserved, and did not interfere in politics. She came to appreciate her new position, but never felt entirely at home in France. At the Tuileries, she lived in rooms once occupied by Marie Antoinette, which increased her unease. Her closest friend at court became the Duchess of Montebello. Marie-Louise continued to devote herself to music, drawing, reading, handicrafts, religious observance, and charitable work. On March 20, 1811, after a difficult labor lasting twelve hours, she gave birth to the long-awaited heir: Napoleon Francis Charles Joseph, King of Rome. The child was initially born without signs of life but was saved. Marie-Louise suffered greatly during the birth and was later allowed only limited involvement in her son’s upbringing, since Napoleon planned his education himself and placed him in the care of a governess. During Napoleon’s Russian campaign in 1812, she remained in contact with him through letters. In 1813 and 1814 she was appointed regent twice. Her political role, however, remained largely representative, since decisions were made by Napoleon and his ministers. When Austria joined the coalition against France in 1813, Marie-Louise had to take her husband’s side against her own father. After Napoleon’s defeats, the situation worsened. In March 1814 she left Paris with her son and fled to Blois. Napoleon abdicated in April and was exiled to the island of Elba. Marie-Louise did not follow him, but returned to Vienna under her father’s protection. She was harshly criticized in France for this decision, while she herself wavered between affection for Napoleon, fear, and loyalty to her family. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna granted her the duchies of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla for life. Her son, however, was not permitted to inherit these territories and was raised in Austria as the Duke of Reichstadt. Marie-Louise soon began living with the Austrian general Adam Albert von Neipperg. She became his lover and, after Napoleon’s death in 1821, married him in a morganatic marriage. They had four children, two of whom died shortly after birth. For a long time, the two surviving children, Albertine and Wilhelm, could neither be publicly acknowledged nor live in the ducal palace. In Parma, Marie-Louise adopted the Italian name Maria Luigia. The duchy was initially governed largely by Neipperg and Austrian ministers. She herself mainly performed representative duties, but she also supported social improvements, education, the arts, and culture. She founded a maternity hospital and a midwifery school, improved care for people with mental illness, and introduced measures against typhus and cholera. During the cholera epidemic of 1836, she personally visited the sick and provided financial assistance to the city. Under her rule, roads, bridges, cemeteries, and sanitary facilities were built. She promoted Parma’s neoclassical development, commissioned the construction of what later became the Teatro Regio, founded a conservatory, and expanded libraries, museums, and archives. Because of her comparatively mild and socially minded government, the people of Parma called her “the good duchess.” During liberal unrest in 1831, she avoided harsh reprisals and proclaimed an amnesty. The death of her son, the Duke of Reichstadt, in 1832 deeply affected her. Soon afterward, she secretly married Count Charles-René de Bombelles, a sober and religious statesman who supported the administration of Parma. After her father’s death in 1835, she lost her most important adviser. Her final years were comparatively peaceful, although Austrian domination increasingly faced opposition. In December 1847, Marie-Louise became seriously ill and died in Parma on December 17. She was buried in the Capuchin Crypt in Vienna. Her memory remained especially strong in Parma, where a museum, streets, and a school bear her name.