Archduchess Maria Antonia and Louis, the Dauphin of France, were married at Versailles on 16 May 1770. It’s probably no exaggeration to say that every single day of their marriage has been scrutinised and dragged into the spotlight. The discordant mismatch of this couple has fascinated historians and biographers for centuries. Vain and restless Maria […]
Archduchess Maria, the daughter of Emperor Ferdinand I and Anna of Bohemia, and the sister of the future Emperor Maximilian II, was born on 15 May 1531. She was said to have been small for her age and in fragile health. Together with her siblings, she received a strict Catholic upbringing and was educated in […]
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 […]
Archduke Johann passed away on 11 May 1859. He was the ninth son of Emperor Leopold II and Empress Maria Luisa of Spain, and the younger brother of Emperor Francis II. Born in Florence in 1782, during his parents’ rule over the Duchy of Tuscany, he received an exemplary education in languages, history, and geography. […]
Zita of Bourbon-Parma, the last Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, was born on 9 May 1892. She was the daughter of Robert I, Duke of Parma, who had lost his duchy during the unification of Italy in 1859. Thereafter, the family lived mainly in Switzerland and Bavaria, where Zita and her siblings were […]
Grand Duke Ferdinand III of Tuscany was born on 6 May 1769 – just a day after his father Leopold’s 22nd birthday. As the second son of Leopold and Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain, he was also the second male grandchild of Empress Maria Theresa. By order of birth, his elder brother Francis was destined […]
Rudolf I of Germany was born on 1 May 1218. Coming from a relatively minor noble family, he distinguished himself through remarkable military leadership and a pragmatic yet fair character. During the Great Interregnum — the turbulent period following the fall of the House of Hohenstaufen — his clear-sighted statesmanship and strategic skill brought him […]
Archduke Charles, third son of Emperor Leopold II and younger brother of Emperor Francis II, passed away on 30 April 1847. In Austrian national memory, he is remembered as a military hero of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the most talented military commanders of his time and was undoubtedly the […]
Countess Maria Karolina von Fuchs-Mollard died on 27 April 1754. Although not related to the Habsburgs by blood, she appears in the family calendar due to her close relationship with Maria Theresa. In her youth, Countess Fuchs-Mollard began her court career as a lady-in-waiting to an archduchess. For a period of ten years, she withdrew […]
The Emperor Franz Joseph and Elisabeth of Bavaria were married on 24 April 1854. The event was truly one to be called the wedding of the century. Those who have seen the 1955-1957 romantic trilogy Sissi, starring Romy Schneider, can easily imagine the fairy-tale aura surrounding the young, beautiful couple. Unfortunately, it was merely a […]
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