Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of Sardinia

Queen of Sardinia from 1831 to 1849

Not to be confused with Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, Queen of Sardinia.

For other people named Maria Theresa of Austria, see Maria Theresa of Austria (disambiguation).

Maria Theresa of Austria

Portrait by Pietro Ayres

Queen consort of Sardinia
Tenure| 27 April 1831 – 23 March 1849

Born| 21 March 1801
Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, Holy Roman Empire
Died| 12 January 1855(1855-01-12) (aged 53)
Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia
Burial| 16 January 1855

Basilica of Superga, Italy

Spouse|

Charles Albert of Sardinia

(m. 1817; died 1849)​

Issue
Detail| Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
Ferdinand, Duke of Genoa
| Names

* German: Maria Theresia Franziska Josepha Johanna Benedikta

* Italian: Maria Teresa Francesca Giuseppa Giovanna Benedetta

House| Habsburg-Lorraine
Father| Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Mother| Luisa of Naples and Sicily

Maria Theresa of Austria (21 March 1801 – 12 January 1855) was Queen of Sardinia by marriage to King Charles Albert of Sardinia.

She was a daughter of Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Luisa of Naples and Sicily. She was named after her great-grandmother Empress Maria Theresa. In 1817, she married Charles Albert of Sardinia and subsequently became the Queen of Sardinia upon her husband's accession to the throne in 1831.

## Life[edit]

### Early life[edit]

Queen Maria Theresa of Sardinia with her two sons, by Ferdinando Cavalleri (1832)

Maria Theresia Franziska Josepha Johanna Benedikta (German) was a member of the Tuscan branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, and an Archduchess of Austria and Princess of Bohemia, Hungary and Tuscany by birth. She was born in Vienna during the exile of her parents and their many children, due to Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Tuscany. Her father was Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany and her mother was Princess Luisa of Naples and Sicily, who died giving birth to a stillborn son one year after Maria Theresa's birth.

In 1805, Ferdinand III was made Elector of the Electorate of Salzburg, and the family moved to Würzburg.

### Marriage[edit]

Maria Theresa married in Florence on 30 September 1817 to Charles Albert, prince of Carignano. A wedding mass was celebrated on 2 October in Florence Cathedral. In Italian, her name was Maria Teresa Francesca Giuseppa Giovanna Benedetta.[1] From her marriage, she was known as the Princess of Carignano.

She was described as innocent, naive and shy.[2]

In March 1820, an heir was born, followed by two more children, the latter of which died in infancy. In 1824, Charles Albert was recognised as heir to the throne by King Charles Felix.

### Queen of Sardinia[edit]

Maria Theresa became Queen of Sardinia in 1831, when Charles Albert succeeded Charles Felix, who died without issue.

During the reign of her spouse, Maria Theresa did not involve herself in state affairs, reportedly devoting her time solely to her family and religion.[3] She was described as a strict Catholic but also as a spontaneous and affectionate family oriented person.

A convinced Catholic, a fully converted fervent Italian Nationalist, and a new brand conservative who believed in checks and balances on royal power, she had a great influence on her eldest son.

### Later life[edit]

After the death of her husband in 1849 in Porto, the Queen mother, Maria Theresa, stopped appearing in public.

While she never involved in politics as queen, she did engage in state affairs during the reign of her son. When the reforms against the privileges of the Church was introduced by the Cavour government in 1854, she united with her daughter-in-law to pressure her son to prevent the reform with the argument that the reform was hostile against the Church and thus unacceptable for a Christian.[4] The effort was, however, unsuccessful.

She died in Turin, and is buried in the Basilica of Superga.

## Issue[edit]

* Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso (14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878); married Adelaide of Austria and had issue. He would become the first king of united Italy.
* Ferdinando Maria Alberto Amedeo Filiberto Vincenzo (15 November 1822 – 10 February 1855); married Princess Elisabeth of Saxony and had issue. He became Duke of Genoa.
* Maria Cristina (4 July 1826 – 25 July 1827); died in infancy.

## Genealogy[edit]

Even among the frequently tangled genealogies of European nobility, the ancestry of Maria Theresa of Tuscany was unusual. In fact, her parents had the same four grandparents, so they were double cousins when they married: this practice of alliances between cousins was still common at that time, given that the families (and notably, including the parents and grandparents of Maria Theresa) had a lot of children, and this avoided dividing the benefit of heirs too much through alliances and their descendants, and the multiplication of nobility titles to satisfy the various claims by descendants.

As a consequence, her grandparents consisted of two brother/sister pairs. Her paternal grandfather, Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, was the brother of her maternal grandmother, Maria Carolina of Austria. Matching that combination, her paternal grandmother, Maria Luisa of Spain, was the sister of her maternal grandfather, Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. Because of this she only had four great-grandparents rather than the usual eight. (Although not so unusual, it may be worth pointing out that her grandmothers and great-grandmothers, as well as her mother or herself and her sister, or her daughter were all surnamed "Maria".)

Family of Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of Sardinia

| | | | | | | | | | | | | Francis I,
Holy Roman Emperor| | Maria Theresa,
Archduchess
of Austria| | Charles III,
King
of Spain| | Maria Amalia,
Princess
of Saxony

|
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| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | Leopold II,
Holy Roman Emperor| | Maria Louisa,
Infanta
of Spain| | Ferdinand I,
King
of the Two Sicilies| | Maria Carolina,
Archduchess
of Austria
| | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ferdinand III,
Grand Duke
of Tuscany| | | | | | Luisa,
Princess
of Naples and Sicily| |
| | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Carolina Ferdinanda,
Archduchess
of Austria| | Francesco Leopoldo,
Grand Prince
of Tuscany| | Leopold II,
Grand Duke
of Tuscany| | Maria Luisa,
Archduchess
of Austria| | Charles Albert,
King
of Sardinia| | Maria Theresa,
Archduchess
of Austria| | Unnamed stillborn,
Archduke
of Austria

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Victor Emmanuel II,
King
of Italy| | Ferdinand,
Duke
of Genoa| | Maria Cristina,
Princess
of Savoy| |

## References[edit]

1. ^ Calendario generale pe' regii stati. Ministry of the Interior, Kingdom of Sardinia. 1847.
2. ^ Lorenzo del Boca, Savoia boia - L'Italia unita come non ce l'hanno raccontata, Piemme, Marzo 2018.
3. ^ MARIA TERESA d'Asburgo-Lorena, regina di Sardegna. Enciclopedia Italiana (1934)
4. ^ MARIA TERESA d'Asburgo-Lorena, regina di Sardegna. Enciclopedia Italiana (1934)

Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of Sardinia

House of Habsburg-Lorraine

Cadet branch of the House of Lorraine

Born: 21 March 1801 Died: 12 January 1855

Italian royalty
Preceded by

Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily

|  Queen consort of Sardinia
27 April 1831 – 23 March 1849  | Succeeded by

Adelaide of Austria

* v
* t
* e

Austrian archduchesses by descent

Generations are numbered by male-line descent from Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor. Later generations are included although Austrian titles of nobility were abolished and outlawed in 1919.

1st generation|

* Kunigunde, Duchess of Bavaria

2nd generation|

* Margaret, Duchess of Savoy

3rd generation|

* Eleanor, Queen of Portugal and France*
* Isabella, Queen of Denmark and Norway*
* Maria, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia*
* Catherine, Queen of Portugal*

4th generation|

* Maria, Holy Roman Empress*
* Joanna, Princess of Portugal*
* Elisabeth, Queen of Poland
* Anna, Duchess of Bavaria
* Maria, Duchess of Jülich-Cleves-Berg
* Magdalena
* Catherine, Queen of Poland
* Eleanor, Duchess of Mantua
* Margaret
* Barbara, Duchess of Ferrara
* Helena
* Joanna, Grand Duchess of Tuscany

5th generation|

* Isabella Clara Eugenia, Co-sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands**
* Catalina Micaela, Duchess of Savoy**
* Anna, Queen of Spain
* Elisabeth, Queen of France
* Margaret (1567–1633)
* Maria (1584–1649)
* Anna, Holy Roman Empress
* Anna, Queen of Poland
* Maria Christina, Princess of Transylvania
* Catherine Renata
* Gregoria Maximiliana
* Eleanor (1582–1620)
* Margaret, Queen of Spain
* Constance, Queen of Poland
* Maria Maddalena, Grand Duchess of Tuscany

6th generation|

* Anna, Queen of France**
* María**
* Maria Anna, Holy Roman Empress**
* Margarita**
* Maria Anna, Electress of Bavaria
* Cecilia Renata, Queen of Poland
* Isabella Clara, Duchess of Mantua
* Maria Leopoldine, Holy Roman Empress

7th generation|

* Maria Theresa, Queen of France**
* Margarita Teresa, Holy Roman Empress*
* Maria Anna, Queen of Spain
* Eleanor, Queen of Poland, Duchess of Lorraine
* Maria Anna Josepha, Electoral Princess of the Palatinate
* Claudia Felicitas, Holy Roman Empress

8th generation|

* Maria Antonia, Electress of Bavaria
* Maria Elisabeth
* Maria Anna, Queen of Portugal
* Maria Theresa
* Maria Josepha
* Maria Magdalena

9th generation|

* Maria Josepha, Queen of Poland
* Maria Amalia, Holy Roman Empress
* Maria Theresa
* Princess Maria Anna of Lorraine

10th generation|

* Maria Elisabeth^
* Maria Anna^
* Maria Carolina^
* Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen^
* Maria Elisabeth^
* Maria Amalia, Duchess of Parma^
* Johanna^
* Maria Josepha^
* Maria Carolina, Queen of Naples^
* Maria Antonia, Queen of France^

11th generation|

* Maria Theresa
* Maria Theresia, Queen of Saxony^
* Maria Anna^
* Maria Clementina, Duchess of Calabria^
* Maria Amalia^
* Maria Theresa, Queen of Sardinia#
* Maria Leopoldine, Electress of Bavaria#
* Maria Ludovika, Empress of Austria#

12th generation|

* Marie Louise, Empress of the French
* Maria Leopoldina, Empress of Brazil
* Clementina, Princess of Salerno
* Marie Caroline, Crown Princess of Saxony
* Maria Anna
* Maria Luisa^
* Maria Theresa, Queen of Sardinia^
* Maria Theresa, Queen of the Two Sicilies
* Maria Caroline
* Hermine
* Elisabeth Franziska
* Marie Henriette, Queen of the Belgians
* Adelaide, Queen of Sardinia
* Maria Theresa, Countess of Chambord#
* Maria Beatrix, Countess of Montizón#

13th generation|

* Maria Anna
* Princess Auguste Ferdinande of Bavaria^
* Maria Isabella, Countess of Trapani^
* Maria Luisa, Princess of Isenburg-Büdingen^
* Mathilda
* Maria Christina, Queen of Spain
* Maria Dorothea, Duchess of Orléans
* Margaretha Klementine, Princess of Thurn and Taxis
* Maria Theresa, Queen of Bavaria#

14th generation|

* Sophie
* Princess Gisela of Bavaria
* Marie Valerie
* Margarete Sophie, Duchess of Württemberg
* Maria Annunciata
* Princess Elisabeth of Liechtenstein
* Maria Antonietta^
* Luise, Crown Princess of Saxony^
* Maria Theresa^
* Princess Karoline Marie of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha^
* Princess Maria Christina of Salm-Salm
* Princess Maria Anna of Bourbon Parma
* Maria Henrietta, Princess of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst
* Princess Isabella of Bavaria
* Eleonora
* Renata, Princess Radziwill
* Mechthildis, Princess Czartoryski

15th generation|

* Elisabeth Marie, Princess of Windisch-Graetz
* Helena, Duchess of Württemberg^
* Rosa, Duchess of Württemberg^
* Dolores^
* Maria Inmaculata^
* Margarita, Marchioness Taliani di Marchio^
* Princess Maria Antonia^
* Assunta^
* Elisabeth, Countess of Waldburg-Zeil^
* Hedwig, Countess of Stolberg-Stolberg^
* Margaret, Princess of Monteleone
* Ilona, Duchess of Mecklenburg

16th generation|

* Adelheid
* Charlotte, Duchess of Mecklenburg
* Princess Elisabeth of Liechtenstein

17th generation|

* Gabriela
* Walburga, Countess Douglas
* Maria-Anna, Princess Piotr Galitzine
* Sophie, Princess of Windisch-Graetz

18th generation|

* Eleonore
* Zsófia
* Ildikó

* * also an infanta of Spain
* ** also an infanta of Spain and Portugal
* ^ also a princess of Tuscany
* # also a princess of Modena

* v
* t
* e

Tuscan princesses by birth

1st generation|

* Princess Maria
* Isabella, Duchess of Bracciano
* Lucrezia de' Medici, Duchess of Ferrara
* Virginia, Duchess of Modena^

2nd generation|

* Eleonora, Duchess of Mantua
* Princess Anna
* Marie, Queen of France
* Princess Maria Maddalena
* Claudia, Archduchess of Further Austria

3rd generation|

* Princess Maria Cristina
* Margherita, Duchess of Parma
* Anna, Archduchess of Further Austria
* Catherine, Duchess of Mantua and Montferrat

4th generation|

* none

5th generation|

* Anna Maria Luisa, Electress Palatine

6th generation|

* none

7th generation|

* Princess Maria Anna*
* Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen*
* Princess Maria Elisabeth*
* Maria Amalia, Duchess of Parma*
* Princess Maria Johanna Gabriela*
* Princess Maria Josepha*
* Maria Carolina, Queen of Naples and Sicily*
* Maria Antonia, Queen of France*

8th generation|

* Maria Theresia, Queen of Saxony*
* Maria Clementina, Duchess of Calabria*

9th generation|

* Princess Maria Luisa*
* Maria Theresa, Queen of Sardinia*

10th generation|

* Auguste Ferdinande, Princess Luitpold of Bavaria*
* Maria Isabella, Countess of Trapani*
* Maria Luisa, Princess of Isenburg-Büdingen*

11th generation|

* Princess Maria Antonietta*
* Louise, Crown Princess of Saxony*
* Maria Theresa, Archduchess Charles Stephen of Austria*
* Karoline Marie, Princess Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha*

12th generation|

* Helena, Duchess Philipp of Württemberg*
* Rosa, Duchess of Württemberg*
* Princess Dolores*
* Maria Immaculata, Nobile Inigo Neri Sereneri*
* Margarita, Marchioness Taliani di Marchio*
* Princess Maria Antonia, Mrs. Luis Pérez*

* also an archduchess of Austria
^did not have a royal or noble birth

* v
* t
* e

Princesses of Carignano

* Marie de Bourbon (1625–1656)
* Maria Angela Caterina d'Este (1684–1709)
* Maria Vittoria of Savoy (1714–1741)
* Princess Christine of Hesse-Rotenburg (1741–1778)
* Princess Joséphine of Lorraine (1778–1780)
* Princess Maria Christina of Saxony (1797–1800)
* Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria (1817–1831)

* v
* t
* e

Queens of Sardinia

* Anne Marie d'Orléans (1720–1728)
* Landgravine Polyxena of Hesse-Rotenburg (1730–1735)
* Princess Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine (1737–1741)
* Infanta Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain (1773–1785)
* Princess Marie Clotilde of France (1796–1802)
* Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este (1802–1821)
* Princess Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily (1821–1831)
* Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria (1831–1849)
* Archduchess Adelaide of Austria (1849–1855)

* v
* t
* e

Princesses of Savoy by marriage

2nd generation|

* Princess Anne of Cyprus

3rd generation|

* Princess Yolande of Valois
* Princess Margaret of Bourbon
* Princess Marie of Luxembourg
* Princess Annabella of Scotland
* Charlotte, Queen of Cyprus

4th generation|

* None

5th generation|

* Anna d'Este

7th generation|

* Princess Christine of Bourbon
* Princess Marie, Countess of Soissons
* Princess Luisa Cristina of Savoy*
* Princess Élisabeth of Bourbon
* Princess Marie d'Orléans

8th generation|

* Princess Maria Angela of Modena
* Olympia Mancini

9th generation|

* Princess Maria Vittoria of Savoy*

10th generation|

* Anne Christine of Sulzbach
* Princess Polyxena of Hesse-Rotenburg
* Princess Christine of Hesse-Rotenburg
* Princess Maria Theresia of Liechtenstein

11th generation|

* Infanta Maria Antonia of Spain
* Princess Maria Anna of Savoy*
* Princess Joséphine of Lorraine

12th generation|

* Princess Marie Clotilde of France
* Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este
* Princess Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily
* Princess Maria Christina of Saxony

13th generation|

* Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria

14th generation|

* Archduchess Adelaide of Austria
* Princess Elisabeth of Saxony

15th generation|

* Princess Margherita of Savoy*
* Princess Isabella of Bavaria**
* Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, 6th Princess della Cisterna***
* Princess Maria Letizia Bonaparte***

16th generation|

* Princess Elena of Montenegro
* Princess Hélène of Orléans***

17th generation|

* Princess Marie José of Belgium
* Princess Anne of Orléans***
* Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark***

18th generation|

* Marina Ricolfi-Doria
* Princess Claude of Orléans***
* Silvia Paternò di Spedalotto***

19th generation|

* Clotilde Marie Pascale Courau
* Princess Olga of Greece***

*also a princess of Savoy by birth **Princess of Savoy-Genoa ***Princess of Savoy-Aosta

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