13 May

Archduchess Maria Christina, the fourth daughter of Maria Theresa, was born on 13 May 1742, exactly on her mother’s 25th birthday. From an early age, Maria Christina showed a talent for drawing, and many of her works are still on display at Schönbrunn Palace. She also loved carriage rides and often drove the horses herself at dangerous speeds, ignoring sensible warnings.

Among her many sisters, Maria Christina was the Empress’s favourite and was showered with privileges denied to the others. No wonder this caused lasting jealousy and rivalry within the family.

The greatest privilege Maria Theresa granted her favourite daughter was the right to marry a man of her own choosing. This extraordinary concession completely soured Maria Christina’s relationship with her sisters, who were forced into politically motivated and often disagreeable marriages.

Her union with Albert of Saxony, a relatively unimportant prince but an avid art collector, was happy and harmonious, although it did not produced children. Their palace in Vienna is now known as the Albertina, home to a world-famous art collection.

In 1780, Maria Theresa appointed her daughter and son-in-law as joint governors of the Austrian Netherlands, a post they held until the outbreak of the French Revolution. In the absence of their own children, they adopted Archduke Charles, one of the younger sons of Maria Christina’s brother Leopold, later Emperor Leopold II (see my post from 30 April).

Maria Christina died in 1797. Albert commissioned an impressive cenotaph in the Augustinian Church in Vienna to honour the memory of his beloved wife.