Maria Anna of Bavaria, wife of the future Ferdinand II, died on 8 March 1616. By Habsburg standards, they were not closely related, being “only” double cousins on both their paternal and maternal sides. She was chosen as Ferdinand’s bride by his ambitious and politically active mother, herself a former Bavarian princess. Maria Anna was never an empress, as she died before Ferdinand ascended to the imperial throne. However, she was the mother of the next emperor, Ferdinand III.
Beyond her basic family connections, there is very little to add about Maria Anna’s life. She was born; she married; she bore children; buried many of them as infants; raised the rest in piety; never involved herself in politics; never showed any remarkable traits or tendencies; and, at the age of 42, she died.
I checked several encyclopaedias and other reference books (not to mention Wikipedia) for additional information, but all in vain. The biographies of Ferdinand II shed no light on his wife’s character or personality either, aside from claiming that their union was happy. For the sake of both parties, let’s hope they were right…
Access to the Metatext via placing an order for an augmented product. See Terms of Use
