Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma, died on 17 December 1847. She was the eldest daughter of Francis I, Emperor of Austria, and thus the sister of Emperor Ferdinand, Leopoldine, Empress of Brazil, and the aunt of Emperor Francis Joseph. In history books, Marie Louise is best known as Empress of the French through her marriage to Napoleon Bonaparte. Their only son, Napoleon II, King of Rome, was born in 1811.
After Napoleon’s fall and exile, Marie Louise briefly stayed in Vienna before she was granted the Duchy of Parma as her lifetime appanage. While in Vienna, she grew close to Count Neipperg, a diplomat appointed to her service, who later continued in that role as Grand Chamberlain of Parma. The two could not marry until 1821, after Napoleon’s death on Saint Helena. By then, Marie Louise had already borne two illegitimate sons from this relationship; a daughter followed but did not survive. Widowed again after a seven-year marriage, Marie Louise later entered another morganatic union, this time with Captain de Bombelles, a French émigré in the service of the Austrian army, without high noble rank.
Marie Louise was described as a shy and unambitious woman who preferred a quiet, domestic life. All three of her marriages, although vastly different in political significance and social standing, seem to have been personally harmonious. The third lasted until her death, which occurred only a few days after her fifty-sixth birthday. She rests in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna.
Access to the Metatext via placing an order for an augmented product. See Terms of Use
One Response
It’s interesting to learn about Marie Louise’s family connections, especially being aunt to Francis Joseph.