Category Archives: Bavarian Royals

Maria Josepha of Bavaria, Holy Roman Empress, 2nd wife of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

The Holy Roman Empire was a limited elective monarchy composed of hundreds of kingdoms, principalities, duchies, counties, prince-bishoprics, and Free Imperial Cities in central Europe. The Holy Roman Empire was not really holy since, after Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1530, no emperors were crowned by the pope or a bishop. It was not Roman but rather German because it was mainly in the regions of present-day Germany and Austria. It was an empire in name only – the territories it covered were mostly independent each with its own rulers. The Holy Roman Emperor directly ruled over only his family territories, and could not issue decrees and rule autonomously over the Holy Roman Empire. A Holy Roman Emperor was only as strong as his army and alliances, including marriage alliances, made him, and his power was severely restricted by the many sovereigns of the constituent monarchies of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century, prince-electors, or electors for short, elected the Holy Roman Emperor from among the sovereigns of the constituent states.

Frequently but not always, it was common practice to elect the deceased Holy Roman Emperor’s heir. The Holy Roman Empire was an elective monarchy. No person had a legal right to the succession simply because he was related to the current Holy Roman Emperor. However, the Holy Roman Emperor could and often did, while still alive, have a relative (usually a son) elected to succeed him after his death. This elected heir apparent used the title King of the Romans.

Learn more at Unofficial Royalty: What was the Holy Roman Empire?

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Maria Joseph of Bavaria, Holy Roman Empress; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Maria Josepha of Bavaria was the second of the two wives of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor who also was the ruler of the Habsburg hereditary lands. Maria Josepha Antonia Walburga Felizitas Regula was born on March 20, 1739, in Munich, then in the Electorate of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. She was the seventh of the seven children and the youngest of the five daughters of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, also Karl I, Elector of Bavaria, and Archduchess Maria Amalie of Austria. Maria Josepha’s paternal grandparents were Maximilian II Emanuel, Prince-Elector of Bavaria and his second wife Teresa Kunegunda Sobieska. Her maternal grandparents were Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor and Wilhelmine Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Two of Maria Josepha’s siblings, her father’s successor Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria and Joseph Ludwig; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Josepha had six elder siblings but only three survived to adulthood

Archduke Joseph of Austria, the future Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, was the eldest son of Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, the only woman to be ruler of the Habsburg hereditary lands in her own right. His father was born Prince François Étienne of Lorraine. Maria Theresa had arranged for her husband to be elected Holy Roman Emperor as Franz I but she wielded the real power and Joseph’s father was content to leave the act of reigning to his wife.

In the fall of 1763, there was an outbreak of smallpox in and around Vienna, and IIsabella of Parma, Archduchess of Austria, the pregnant wife of Archduke Joseph of Austria, the future Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, became ill with smallpox. Isabella’s high fever induced labor three months early, and on November 22, 1763, she gave birth to a second daughter. The baby was baptized Maria Christina, as Isabella requested, but died the same day. Five days later, a month short of her 22nd birthday, Isabella died from smallpox. Joseph was devastated by Isabella’s death and never fully recovered. In a letter to Isabella’s father, Joseph wrote: “I have lost everything. My adorable wife and only friend is no more. (…) What a frightful separation! Can I survive it? Yes, and only to be unhappy all my life. (…) There is nothing I will enjoy ever again.”

Joseph did not want to marry again after Isabella’s death but his mother wanted him to provide a male heir. Some overtures were made to Isabella’s younger sister Maria Luisa of Parma but she was already promised to the future Carlos IV, King of Spain. At his mother’s insistence, Joseph married again to his second cousin Maria Josepha of Bavaria. Joseph did not find Maria Josepha physically attractive. After seeing her for the first time, he described her in a letter: “Her figure is short, thickset, and without a vestige of charm. Her face is covered with spots and pimples. Her teeth are horrible.”

Maria Josepha’s husband Joseph in 1765, the year of their marriage; Credit – Wikipedia

A proxy marriage was held in Munich on January 13, 1765, and then 23-year-old Joseph and 25-year-old Maria Josepha were married in person on January 25, 1765, at the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. Holy Roman Emperors could and often did, while still alive, have a relative (usually a son) elected to succeed them after their death. The elected heir apparent used the title King of the Romans. In 1764, Joseph was elected and crowned King of the Romans and so Maria Josepha’s new title was Queen of the Romans

Maria Josepha as Holy Roman Empress, circa 1765; Credit – Wikipedia

During his unsuccessful marriage to Maria Josepha of Bavaria, Joseph’s father Franz I, Holy Roman Emperor died suddenly of a stroke or heart attack on August 18, 1765, at the age of 56, in his carriage while returning from the opera in Innsbruck, Austria. Since Joseph had been elected and crowned King of the Romans, the title of the elected heir to the Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph became Holy Roman Emperor but his mother Maria Theresa continued to wield the real power. On September 17, 1765, Joseph was elevated by his mother Maria Theresa to be her co-regent in the Habsburg hereditary lands. Maria Josepha, of course, held the female counterparts of Joseph’s titles.

Maria Josepha’s state of health led her and others to believe that she was pregnant. Joseph never loved Maria Josepha and the marriage was probably never consummated. Joseph avoided sharing a bedroom and even had their shared balcony in Schönbrunn Palace partitioned off so he would not have to see Maria Josepha. In a letter to his brother Leopold, Joseph wrote: As for my empress, there is no change. She has no illness but considerable disturbance. She [Josepha] may be pregnant though without the slightest swelling. I just don’t understand it, and I console myself with the happy life I lead as a bachelor husband.”

Maria Josepha loved Joseph despite his frigid behavior toward her. She was naturally timid, always felt inferior, and trembled and turned pale in Joseph’s presence. Joseph’s father had been the only family member who gave Maria Josepha any support and with his death, that support was gone.

Tomb of Maria Josepha of Bavaria, Holy Roman Empress; Credit – By Krischnig at German Wikipedia – Own work., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5557276

A severe smallpox epidemic broke out in 1767, and Maria Josepha came down with the disease. Although Joseph, who had survived smallpox at an earlier time, had nursed his first wife Isabella as she was dying from smallpox, he did not visit Maria Josepha while she was ill. Her mother-in-law Maria Theresa, did and also caught the disease, but she survived. Maria Josepha was not so lucky. On May 28, 1767, a little more than two years after her marriage to Joseph, Maria Josepha, aged 28, died at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. She was interred at the Imperial Crypt in the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria

Joseph did have some regrets after Maria Josepha’s death. He told some close friends that he regretted the coldness he had shown to her, and surprisingly, Joseph told Maria Antonia of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony, Maria Josepha’s sister, that his wife had been “for so many reasons worthy of respect”. Despite this, Joseph did not attend Maria Josepha’s funeral and never visited her tomb. Joseph also never married again. He survived Maria Josepha by twenty-three years, dying from tuberculosis, aged 48, on February 20, 1790, in Vienna, Austria.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor also King of Bohemia, King of Hungary and Croatia, Archduke of Austria, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/joseph-ii-holy-roman-emperor-also-king-of-bohemia-king-of-hungary-and-croatia-archduke-of-austria/ (Accessed: 05 September 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Elector of Bavaria, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/karl-vii-holy-roman-emperor/ (Accessed: 05 September 2023).
  • Maria Josepha of Bavaria (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Josepha_of_Bavaria (Accessed: 05 September 2023).
  • Maria Josepha von Bayern (2023) Wikipedia (German). Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Josepha_von_Bayern (Accessed: 05 September 2023).
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew. (1995) The Habsburgs. London: Viking.
  • Wilson, Peter H. (2016) Heart of Europe – A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Maria Amalie of Austria, Holy Roman Empress, Electress of Bavaria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Maria Amalie of Austria, Holy Roman Empress; Credit – Wikipedia

The Holy Roman Empire was a limited elective monarchy composed of hundreds of kingdoms, principalities, duchies, counties, prince-bishoprics, and Free Imperial Cities in central Europe. The Holy Roman Empire was not really holy since, after Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1530, no emperors were crowned by the pope or a bishop. It was not Roman but rather German because it was mainly in the regions of present-day Germany and Austria. It was an empire in name only – the territories it covered were mostly independent each with its own rulers. The Holy Roman Emperor directly ruled over only his family territories, and could not issue decrees and rule autonomously over the Holy Roman Empire. A Holy Roman Emperor was only as strong as his army and alliances, including marriage alliances, made him, and his power was severely restricted by the many sovereigns of the constituent monarchies of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century, prince-electors, or electors for short, elected the Holy Roman Emperor from among the sovereigns of the constituent states.

Frequently but not always, it was common practice to elect the deceased Holy Roman Emperor’s heir. The Holy Roman Empire was an elective monarchy. No person had a legal right to the succession simply because he was related to the current Holy Roman Emperor. However, the Holy Roman Emperor could and often did, while still alive, have a relative (usually a son) elected to succeed him after his death. This elected heir apparent used the title King of the Romans.

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Archduchess Maria Amalie of Austria was the wife of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor who was also Karl I, Elector of Bavaria. Born on October 22, 1701, at Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria, Maria Amalie was the youngest of the three children and the second of the two daughters of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, King of Croatia, King of Hungary and Princess Wilhelmine Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Her paternal grandparents were Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor and his third wife Eleonore Magdalena of Neuburg. Maria Amalie’s maternal grandparents were Johann Friedrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Princess Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate.

Maria Amalie had two elder siblings. Her brother, her parents’ only son, died from hydrocephalus before his first birthday, eleven weeks before Maria Amalie’s birth.

Maria Amalie as a child, 1709; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Amalie was raised with her sister Maria Josepha who was less than two years older. Both girls received a strict Roman Catholic upbringing. Maria Amalie was proposed as a bride for Vittorio Amadeo, Prince of Piedmont, the heir to the Kingdom of Sicily and the Duchy of Savoy, in the hopes of improving relations between Austria and Sicily and Savoy. Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sicily and Duke of Savoy was not in favor of the marriage and his son died from smallpox in 1715.

Karl of Bavaria, as a young man; circa 1717 – 1719; Credit – Wikipedia

At the imperial court in Vienna, Maria Amalie met Karl of Bavaria, the heir to the Electorate of Bavaria. Karl thought a marriage into the House of Habsburg would widen his dynastic and economic prospects. On October 5, 1722, Marie Amalie married Karl of Bavaria, son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Prince-Elector of Bavaria and his second wife Teresa Kunegunda Sobieska.

Two of Maria Amalie and Karl’s children, Karl’s successor Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria and Joseph Ludwig; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Amalie and Karl had seven children but only four survived to adulthood:

Nymphenburg Palace; Credit – By Richard Bartz, Munich aka Makro Freak – Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4083697

Maria Amalie and Karl lived at the Nymphenburg Palace in Munich, then in the Electorate of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. In 1726, after his father died, Karl became Elector of Bavaria. He maintained good relations with both the Habsburgs and France, continuing his father’s policies. In May 1727, after the birth of an heir to the Electorate of Bavaria, Karl gave Maria Amalie Fürstenried Palace in Munich as her own residence. Despite Karl having a mistress and an illegitimate son, Maria Amalie and Karl’s marriage was relatively happy. The couple had similar personalities and interests. They both enjoyed the pomp and the festive life at court and together they made the Bavarian court a cultural center. Maria Amalie enjoyed opera, politics, and hunting, and loved to travel. She supported churches and convents and had a close relationship with her sister-in-law Maria Anna Karoline of Bavaria (1696 – 1750), a Poor Clare nun.

During his reign, Maria Amalie’s grandfather Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor had devised the 1703 Mutual Pact of Succession, a succession device, because there was a lack of males in the family. The Mutual Pact of Succession effectively made Maria Josepha, Maria Amalie’s elder sister the heir presumptive to the Habsburg hereditary lands if neither of his sons, the future Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor and the future Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor, had sons. However, when Maria Josepha and Maria Amalie’s 32-year-old father Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor died suddenly from smallpox in 1711, he was succeeded in the Habsburg hereditary lands by his brother Karl who was also elected Holy Roman Emperor. In 1713, Karl VI annulled the 1703 Mutual Pact of Succession with his Pragmatic Sanction which made his daughter Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria the heir presumptive to the Habsburg hereditary lands instead of her cousin Maria Josepha. Both Maria Josepha and Maria Amalie would have to renounce their succession rights to the Habsburg hereditary lands before they were allowed to marry.

After Karl VI died in 1740, his daughter Maria Theresa succeeded to the Habsburg hereditary lands as the Queen of Hungary, Queen of Croatia, Queen of Bohemia, and Archduchess of Austria in her own right, the only female to hold those sovereign positions. However, as the son-in-law of the late Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I and brother-in-law of Archduchess Maria Josepha, Karl, Elector of Bavaria, Maria Amalie’s husband rejected the Pragmatic Sanction. He claimed the Habsburg hereditary territories against Maria Theresa, even though his wife Maria Amalia had renounced her claims to the Habsburg lands upon her marriage. With the 1741 Treaty of Nymphenburg, Karl, Elector of Bavaria aligned himself with Spain, France, Prussia, Saxony, and Sardinia against Austria. This led to led to the War of Austrian Succession (1740 – 1748) which resulted in the eventual confirmation of Maria Theresa’s Habsburg titles.

Maria Amalie’s husband as Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

While the War of the Austrian Succession was occurring, Karl, Elector of Bavaria was elected Holy Roman Emperor Karl VII in 1742, and his wife Maria Amalie was now Holy Roman Empress. Karl VII’s three-year reign as Holy Roman Emperor was greatly overshadowed by the War of Austrian Succession.

On January 20, 1745, 47-year-old Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor died at the Munich Residenz in Munich, then in the Electorate of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. His autopsy report listed gout, kidney stones, and heart problems as contributory factors to his death. He was interred in the Theatinerkirche in Munich. On the day of his death, Karl VII, Holy Roman had declared his son Maximilian III Joseph, two months short of his eighteenth birthday, to be of legal age, which enabled him to succeed as Elector of Bavaria without a regent. At the urging of his mother Maria Amalie, Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria made peace with Austria via the 1745 Treaty of Füssen. Bavaria recognized the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713. Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria promised to support the candidacy of Francis Stephen of Lorraine, the husband of Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria (the daughter of Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor) and future Habsburgs, as Holy Roman Emperor. In return, Austria recognized the legitimacy of Karl VII’s election as Holy Roman Emperor.

Maria Amalie as a widow; Credit – Wikipedia

After the death of her husband, Maria Amalie lived at the home her husband had given her, Fürstenried Palace, for the rest of her life. In 1754, she founded the first modern hospital in Munich (link in German), managed by nuns of the Order of Saint Elisabeth whom she had invited to found a convent. The nuns at the hospital not only served the sick people of Munich, but they also trained lay nursing assistants.

Theatinekirke where Maria Amalie and her husband are interred; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Maria Amalie of Austria, daughter of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor and wife of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, survived her husband by nearly thirteen years, dying at Nymphenburg Palace in Munich on December 11, 1756, aged 55. Like her husband, she was buried in the Theatinerkirche in Munich.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/joseph-i-holy-roman-emperor-king-of-bohemia-archduke-of-austria-king-of-croatia-king-of-hungary/ (Accessed: 01 September 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/karl-vii-holy-roman-emperor/ (Accessed: 01 September 2023).
  • Maria Amalia, Holy Roman Empress (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Amalia,_Holy_Roman_Empress (Accessed: 01 September 2023).
  • Maria Amalia von Österreich (1701–1756) (2022) Wikipedia (German). Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Amalia_von_%C3%96sterreich_(1701%E2%80%931756) (Accessed: 01 September 2023).
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew. (1995) The Habsburgs. London: Viking.
  • Wilson, Peter H. (2016) Heart of Europe – A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Elector of Bavaria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

The Holy Roman Empire was a limited elective monarchy composed of hundreds of kingdoms, principalities, duchies, counties, prince-bishoprics, and Free Imperial Cities in central Europe. The Holy Roman Empire was not really holy since, after Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1530, no emperors were crowned by the pope or a bishop. It was not Roman but rather German because it was mainly in the regions of present-day Germany and Austria. It was an empire in name only – the territories it covered were mostly independent each with its own rulers. The Holy Roman Emperor directly ruled over only his family territories, and could not issue decrees and rule autonomously over the Holy Roman Empire. A Holy Roman Emperor was only as strong as his army and alliances, including marriage alliances, made him, and his power was severely restricted by the many sovereigns of the constituent monarchies of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century, prince-electors, or electors for short, elected the Holy Roman Emperor from among the sovereigns of the constituent states.

Frequently but not always, it was common practice to elect the deceased Holy Roman Emperor’s heir. The Holy Roman Empire was an elective monarchy. No person had a legal right to the succession simply because he was related to the current Holy Roman Emperor. However, the Holy Roman Emperor could and often did, while still alive, have a relative (usually a son) elected to succeed him after his death. This elected heir apparent used the title King of the Romans.

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Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

Reigning as Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor from 1742 – 1745 and as Karl I, Prince-Elector of Bavaria from 1726 – 1745, Karl Albrecht was born on August 6, 1697, in Brussels, then in the Duchy of Brabant, now in Belgium. His reign as Holy Roman Emperor marked the end of three centuries of the House of Habsburg’s rule as Holy Roman Emperors. Karl was the second of the nine children and the eldest of the eight sons of Maximilian II Emanuel, Prince-Elector of Bavaria and his second wife Teresa Kunegunda Sobieska. His paternal grandparents were Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria and Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy. Karl’s maternal grandparents were Jan III Sobieski, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania and Marie Casimire Louise de La Grange d’Arquien, a French noblewoman

Karl had eight siblings:

Karl had three half-brothers from his father’s first marriage to Maria Antonia of Austria, daughter of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor but none survived childhood. Maria Antonia died in childbirth delivering her last son. Because Maria Antonia’s mother Margarita Teresa of Spain (died 1673) was the eldest sister of the childless Carlos II, King of Spain who had had physical and mental conditions probably caused by the continued inbreeding of the House of Habsburg, her son Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria was a claimant to the throne of Spain after Carlos’ death in 1700. Joseph Ferdinand died suddenly at the age of six after suffering seizures, vomiting, and loss of consciousness. He was rumored to have been poisoned which is very possible due to his close connection to the Spanish throne. The fight for the throne of Spain caused the War of the Spanish Succession, a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1715.

A young Karl, circa 1717 – 1719; Credit – Wikipedia

Karl had been born in Brussels because his father was Governor-General of the Habsburg Netherlands. In 1701, the family returned to Bavaria. Bavaria fought against the Holy Roman Empire during the War of the Spanish Succession, Karl’s father Maximilian II Emanuel, Prince-Elector of Bavaria, who had served the Holy Roman Emperor as Governor-General of the Habsburg Netherlands was exiled from any territories of the Holy Roman Empire. Karl and his siblings remained in Bavaria and his mother acted as Regent for her husband. In May 1705, after a stay in Venice, the Austrian authorities refused to allow Karl’s mother to return to Bavaria and forced her into exile in Venice, which lasted ten years.

In 1706, Karl and the three eldest of his brothers were taken to Klagenfurt, Austria on the orders of Holy Emperor Joseph I where they were taught and brought up by Jesuit priests. Karl’s sister and his two youngest brothers remained with their mother. The family was not reunited until the Spanish War of Succession ended in 1715. From December 1715 to August 1716, Karl took an educational tour of Italy. In 1717, he served with the Bavarian army on the Austrian side in the Austro-Turkish War.

Karl’s wife Archduchess Maria Amalie of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 5, 1722, Karl married Archduchess Maria Amalie of Austria, whom he had met at the imperial court in Vienna. Maria Amalie was the younger of the two daughters of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor who had died in 1711 and Wilhelmine Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Karl thought that a marriage with the House of Habsburg would widen his dynastic and economic prospects.

Two of Karl’s children, his successor Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria and Joseph Ludwig; Credit – Wikipedia

Karl and Maria Amalie had seven children but only four survived to adulthood:

Nymphenburg Palace; Credit – By Richard Bartz, Munich aka Makro Freak – Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4083697

In 1726, after the death of his father, Karl became Elector of Bavaria. He maintained good relations with both the Habsburgs and France, continuing his father’s policies. Karl and his family lived at Nymphenburg Palace in Munich.

In 1711, Karl’s father-in-law Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I died suddenly from smallpox. Joseph I had three children but his only son died from hydrocephalus before his first birthday. His two daughters were Archduchess Maria Josepha of Austria and Karl’s wife Archduchess Maria Amalie of Austria. Upon the sudden death of his elder brother Joseph I, Archduke Karl of Austria automatically succeeded to the Habsburg hereditary lands and was elected Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor. However, Karl VI also had a succession problem. He had one son who died in infancy and three daughters, with one daughter dying in childhood.

Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I had devised the Mutual Pact of Succession, a succession device. The Mutual Pact of Succession stated that the Habsburg hereditary lands would be inherited by the respective male heirs of his sons, the future Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I, and the future Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI. If either Joseph I or Karl VI should fail to have a son, the other one would succeed him in all the Habsburg hereditary lands. If both brothers died without sons, the daughters of Joseph I, the elder brother, would have absolute precedence over the daughters of Karl VI, the younger brother, and the eldest daughter of Joseph would ascend to the thrones of all the Habsburg hereditary lands. This meant that Archduchess Maria Josepha of Austria (1699 – 1757), the elder of the two daughters of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I, would inherit the Habsburg hereditary lands upon the death of her uncle Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI.

However, when Karl VI became Holy Roman Emperor, he amended the Mutual Pact of Succession. Karl VI’s Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 annulled the terms of the Mutual Pact of Succession, making his daughter Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria the heir to the Habsburg hereditary lands instead of his niece Archduchess Maria Josepha. After Karl VI’s death in 1740, his daughter Maria Theresa succeeded to the Habsburg hereditary lands as the Queen of Hungary, Queen of Croatia, Queen of Bohemia, and Archduchess of Austria in her own right, the only female to hold those sovereign positions.

However, as the son-in-law of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I and brother-in-law of Archduchess Maria Josepha, Karl, Elector of Bavaria rejected the Pragmatic Sanction and claimed the Habsburg hereditary territories against Maria Theresa. With the 1741 Treaty of Nymphenburg, Karl, Elector of Bavaria aligned himself with Spain, France, Prussia, Saxony, and Sardinia against Austria. This led to led to the War of Austrian Succession (1740 – 1748), resulting in the eventual confirmation of Maria Theresa’s Habsburg titles.

While all this was occurring, Karl, Elector of Bavaria was elected Holy Roman Emperor Karl VII in 1742. Karl VII was a member of the House of Wittelsbach, and his reign as Holy Roman Emperor marked the end of three centuries of uninterrupted Habsburg imperial rule. The War of Austrian Succession Karl greatly overshadowed three-year reign as Holy Roman Emperor.

Tomb of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Elector of Bavaria;  Credit – By krischnig – Self-photographed, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12359771

On January 20, 1745, 47-year-old Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor died at the Munich Residenz in Munich, then in the Electorate of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. His autopsy report listed gout, kidney stones, and heart problems as contributory factors to his death. He was interred in the Theatinerkirche in Munich. Maria Amalie of Austria, daughter of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, survived her husband by nearly thirteen years, dying at Nymphenburg Palace in Munich on December 11, 1756, aged 55. Like her husband, she was buried in the Theatinerkirche in Munich.

On the day of his death, Karl VII, Holy Roman had declared his son Maximilian III Joseph, two months short of his eighteenth birthday, to be of legal age, which enabled him to succeed as Elector of Bavaria without a regent. Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria made peace with Austria via the 1745 Treaty of Füssen. Bavaria recognized the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713. Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria promised to support the candidacy of Francis Stephen of Lorraine, the husband of Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria and future Habsburgs, as Holy Roman Emperor. Austria did not demand any reparations and recognized the legitimacy of Karl VII’s election as Holy Roman Emperor.

Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia in her own right; Credit – Wikipedia

As for Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, since only a male could be Holy Roman Emperor, she arranged for her husband Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine to be elected Holy Roman Emperor. Despite the snub for being a female, Maria Theresa wielded the real power. The last four Holy Roman Emperors were her husband who reigned as Franz I, Holy Roman Emperor, her two sons Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor and Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, and her grandson Franz II, Holy Roman Emperor.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_VII,_Holy_Roman_Emperor (Accessed: 31 August 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2013) Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/may-13-daily-featured-royal-date/ (Accessed: 31 August 2023).
  • Karl VII. (HRR) (2023) Wikipedia (German). Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_VII._(HRR) (Accessed: 31 August 2023).
  • Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_II_Emanuel,_Elector_of_Bavaria (Accessed: 31 August 2023).
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew. (1995) The Habsburgs. London: Viking.
  • Wilson, Peter H. (2016) Heart of Europe – A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Maria Anna of Bavaria, Archduchess of Inner Austria, 1st wife of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Maria Anna of Bavaria,1604; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Anna of Bavaria was the first wife of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor. She died before her husband became King of Bohemia, King of Hungary and Croatia, and Holy Roman Emperor, so she held only the title Archduchess of Inner Austria. Born on December 18, 1574, in Munich, Duchy of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria, she was the fourth of the ten children and the second eldest but the eldest surviving of the four daughters of Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria and Renata of Lorraine. Maria Anna’s paternal grandparents were Albrecht V, Duke of Bavaria and Anna of Austria, a daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor. Her maternal grandparents were François I, Duke of Lorraine and Christina of Denmark, daughter of King Christian II of Denmark.

Maria Anna had nine siblings but only five survived childhood:

Maria Anna’s husband Ferdinand; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 23, 1600, at Graz Cathedral in Graz, Styria, Lower Austria, now in Austria, 26-year-old first cousin Maria Anna of Bavaria married her first cousin 22-year-old Ferdinand II, Archduke of Inner Austria, the son of Karl Franz II, Archduke of Inner Austria and his niece Maria Anna of Bavaria. This marriage reaffirmed the alliance between the House of Habsburg and the House of Wittelsbach.

Maria Anna and Ferdinand had seven children but only four survived childhood:

Mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand II next to Graz Cathedral; Credit – Von KarlN – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=981869

Maria Anna was ill for a long time before she died on March 8, 1616, at the age of forty-one, in Graz, Inner Austria, now in Austria. She was interred in the Mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand II (link in German) which her husband began building in 1614, next to Graz Cathedral on the site of a former cemetery. When Ferdinand died in 1637, he was also interred in the Mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand II. The tombs of Maria Anna of Bavaria, Ferdinand, and their son Johann Karl, who died in his teens, are coffin wall niches, marked by inscriptions

Maria Anna’s tomb marker; Credit – Von krischnig – selbst fotografiert, Copyrighted free use, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=129845239

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Inner Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary and Croatia, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/ferdinand-ii-holy-roman-emperor-archduke-of-austria-king-of-bohemia-king-of-hungary-and-croatia/ (Accessed: 16 June 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, Archduke of Further Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/matthias-holy-roman-emperor-king-of-bohemia-archduke-of-austria-archduke-of-further-austria-king-of-hungary-and-croatia/ (Accessed: 16 June 2023).
  • Maria Anna of Bavaria (1551–1608) (2020) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Anna_of_Bavaria_(1551%E2%80%931608) (Accessed: 16 June 2023).
  • Mausoleum Kaiser Ferdinands II. (Graz) (2023) Wikipedia (German). Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleum_Kaiser_Ferdinands_II._(Graz) (Accessed: 16 June 2023).
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew. (1995) The Habsburgs. London: Viking.
  • William V, Duke of Bavaria (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_V,_Duke_of_Bavaria (Accessed: 16 June 2023).
  • Wilson, Peter H. (2016) Heart of Europe – A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria, Dauphine of France

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Maria Anna Victoria, Dauphine of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria was the wife of Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, the son of King Louis XIV of France and Maria Theresa of Spain. As the heir apparent to the French throne, Louis was styled Dauphin of France and was called Le Grand Dauphin after the birth of his son Louis who was called Le Petit Dauphin. Maria Anna Victoria was known as La Grande Dauphine. However, King Louis XIV outlived both his son and his grandson and when he died in 1715, Louis XIV was succeeded by his five-year-old great-grandson King Louis XV of France.

Maria Anna Victoria’s parents Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria and Henriette Adelaide of Savoy; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Anna Christine Victoria was born on November 28, 1660, in Munich, Electorate of Bavaria, later the Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. She was the eldest of the seven children and the eldest of the three daughters of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria and Henriette Adelaide of Savoy. Maria Anna Victoria’s paternal grandparents were Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria and his second wife Maria Anna of Austria. Her maternal grandparents were Vittorio Amedeo I, Duke of Savoy and Christine Marie of France.

Maria Anna Victoria with her brother Maximilian Emanuel; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Anna Victoria had six siblings but only three survived childhood:

In 1668, eight-year-old Maria Anna Victoria was betrothed to her second cousin seven-year-old Louis, Dauphin of France, the only child of King Louis XIV of France and Maria Theresa of Spain to survive childhood. There was a family connection. Christine Marie of France, Maria Anna Victoria’s maternal grandmother was the sister of King Louis XIII of France, the paternal grandfather of Louis, Dauphin of France. That made Maria Anna Victoria’s mother Henriette Adelaide of Savoy and Louis’s father King Louis XIV of France first cousins.

Maria Anna Victoria in 1679 being handed the crown of the Dauphine of France by an angel signifying her coming marriage to the heir to the French throne the next year; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Anna Victoria was carefully educated for her future role and looked forward to being the Dauphine of France. Besides her native language German, she was taught to speak French, Italian, and Latin. Maria Anna Victoria’s mother oversaw her daughter’s artistic and musical education, and Maria Anna Victoria wrote poetry, painted, sang, and played the harpsichord.

Maria Anna Victoria meeting her father-in-law King Louis XIV for the first time in March 1680, presumably, the groom is standing on the right; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Anna Victoria and Louis, Dauphin of France were married in a proxy ceremony in Munich in the Electorate of Bavaria on January 28, 1680. The couple first met on March 7, 1680, the day of their religious wedding at Saint Etienne Cathedral in Châlons-sur-Marne, France. Maria Anna Victoria was the first Dauphine of France since Mary, Queen of Scots married the future King François II of France in 1558.

Louis and Maria Anna Victoria with their three sons: Louis on the right, Philippe in front, and Charles on his mother’s lap; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Anna Victoria and Louis had three sons:

After her marriage, Maria Anna Victoria took on the rank of her husband as a Fille de France (Daughter of France) and was entitled to the style Royal Highness and the title Madame la Dauphine. As the wife of the heir to the throne, she was the second most important woman at the French court after her mother-in-law Maria Theresa of Spain. Three years later, Maria Theresa died and Maria Anna Victoria then held the highest female position at court and was given the late queen’s apartments at the Palace of Versailles. King Louis XIV expected her to perform the duties of his late wife but Maria Anna Victoria’s ill health made it very difficult for her to perform these duties. King Louis XIV was completely unsympathetic to his daughter-in-law’s situation and, as it would turn out, falsely accused her of hypochondria.

The French court prized beauty and Maria Anna Victoria suffered from depression because she considered herself ugly, as did others at the French court, which contributed to her depression. Her husband had mistresses and illegitimate children so she began to lead a secluded life, spending time in her apartments. There Maria Anna Victoria spoke German, which her husband could not understand, with her friend, confidant, and Première femme de Chambre (First Chamber Maid, an office at the French court) Barbara Bessola. Maria Anna Victoria was friendly with Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Duchess of Orléans, known as Liselotte, the second wife of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, King Louis XIV’s only sibling. German was also Liselotte’s first language, and she also never felt comfortable at the French court, that was governed by rigorous etiquette and where all sorts of intrigues flourished.

The catafalque of Maria Anna Victoria for her funeral at the Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris; Credit – Wikipedia

The births of her three sons and at least six miscarriages caused Maria Anna Victoria’s health to deteriorate. Her third son’s birth was very difficult, and on her deathbed, Maria Anna Victoria was convinced that her last childbirth had killed her. Maria Anna Victoria, aged twenty-nine, died on April 20, 1690, at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France. She was buried at the traditional burial site of the French royal family, the Basilica of St. Denis in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, France. An autopsy revealed several internal disorders that completely vindicated her complaints of chronic and severe illness. It is also probable that Maria Anna Victoria had tuberculosis.

In 1694, Maria Anna Victoria’s widower Louis, Le Grand Dauphin secretly married his mistress Marie Émilie de Joly de Choin, a lady-in-waiting at the French court. The marriage was not officially recognized and Marie Émilie did not participate in court life. On April 14, 1711, Louis, Le Grand Dauphin of France died from smallpox at the age of forty-nine. His eldest son Louis, Le Petit Dauphin, became the heir to the French throne but in less than a year, he too was dead from measles at the age of twenty-nine. Three years later, the five-year-old son of Louis, Le Petit Dauphin became King Louis XV of France upon the death of his great-grandfather King Louis XIV.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Maria,_Elector_of_Bavaria (Accessed: 04 June 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2019) Louis of France, Le Grand Dauphin, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/louis-le-grand-dauphin/ (Accessed: 04 June 2023).
  • Fraser, Antonia. (2006). Love and Louis XIV. New York: Nan A. Talese Doubleday.
  • Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Anna_Victoria_of_Bavaria (Accessed: 04 June 2023).
  • Maria Anna Victoria von Bayern (2023) Wikipedia (German). Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Anna_Victoria_von_Bayern (Accessed: 04 June 2023).
  • Marie-Anne de Bavière (1660-1690) (2023) Wikipedia (French). Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Anne_de_Bavi%C3%A8re_(1660-1690) (Accessed: 04 June 2023).

Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan (Theatine Church of St. Cajetan) in Munich, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Theatinekirche; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan (Theatine Church of St. Cajetan), which this writer has visited, is a Roman Catholic church located in Munich in the German state of Bavaria. The church was founded by Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (reigned 1651 to 1679) and his wife Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, in gratitude for the birth of a long-awaited male heir. Ferdinand Maria and Henriette Adelaide had married in 1650. Henriette Adelaide had a daughter in 1660, a stillbirth in 1661, and finally gave birth to a male heir, the future Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria, in 1662, twelve years after her marriage.

The Theatinekirche has two patron saints. Gaetano dei Conti di Thiene (1480 – 1547), known as Saint Cajetan, was an Italian Catholic priest and co-founder of the Theatine Order and was canonized as a saint in 1671. Saint Adelaide (Adelheid) of Italy (931 – 999) (also known as Saint Adelaide of Burgundy) was the wife of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor. Adelaide was devoted to charitable work and supported the founding of monasteries. Because of her charity, Adelaide was widely revered after her death and was canonized in 1097.

Italian architect Agostino Barelli introduced Italian Baroque architecture to Bavaria with his design for the Theatinekirche. The design was modeled after the mother church of the Theatine Order, Sant’Andrea della Valle in Rome. Construction began in 1663. Barelli completed the shell of the church and left Munich in 1674 because of arguments with the site manager Antonio Spinelli and Henriette Adelaide’s confessor. The incomplete church was consecrated in 1675. Barelli’s successor as the chief architect of the Bavarian court, Enrico Zuccalli, actually Johann Heinrich Zuccalli, a Swiss architect, added the two towers which were not in the original plans, from 1684 -1692. The interior was completed in 1688 and the dome in 1690. For a long time, the outer facade of the Theatinerkirche remained unfinished. Despite many discussions, no agreement was reached. Finally, in 1765, the Bavarian court architect François de Cuvilliés the Elder designed a facade in the Rococo style which his son François de Cuvilliés the Younger completed.

During World War II, the Theatinekirche was bombed four times by the Allied Forces and suffered great damage. An altarpiece by Italian painter Antonio Zanchi was destroyed, along with the choir (the area between the nave and the sanctuary), the altar, and the south chapel. Reconstruction began in 1946 and was completed enough by 1955 to allow church services to resume.

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Interior of the Theatinekirche

Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Stucco Decorations

Stucco decorations; Credit – By marsupium photography – https://www.flickr.com/photos/hagdorned/10382855675/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57528584

The interior of the Theatinekirche is richly decorated with stucco in the Baroque and Rococo styles with Corinthian columns decorated with acanthus leaves, ornaments, and religious figures.

The Pulpit

The pulpit; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62189862

The 1686 black oak pulpit is the work of Austrian sculptor Andreas Faistenberger (link in German).

The High Altar

The high altar; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62189854

Before the World War II bombing, over the high altar hung a 1675 painting (below) by Italian painter Antonio Zanchi that depicted the patron saints of the church St. Cajetan and St. Adelaide, the founders of the church Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria and his wife Henriette Adelaide of Savoy with their children, and two pages holding a model of the Theatinekirche. Sadly, the painting was destroyed during a bombing in 1944.

A draft of Antonio Zanchi’s destroyed painting: Credit – Wikipedia

The high altar now contains a 1646 painting (below) by Flemish painter Gaspar de Crayer showing an enthroned Mary holding the infant Jesus surrounded by saints.

Gaspar de Crayer’s painting; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62189858

Statues of the Four Evangelists

The statues of the four evangelists on the high altar can be seen in this photo; Credit – Von © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62189657

In 1722, Bavarian sculptor Balthasar Ableithner (link in German) created the larger-than-life statues of the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which were placed around the high altar. Only the statues of Mark and John survived the World War II bombing intact. The statue of Luke was able to be reconstructed. A new statue of Matthew was created by Italian sculptor Giuseppe Ducrot and placed on the altar in 2017.

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July 11, 2011: Requiem Mass for Otto von Habsburg

 

Otto von Habsburg, the last Crown Prince of Austria and later in his long life, a member of the European Parliament, was the eldest and the longest surviving of the eight children of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria and his wife Zita of Bourbon-Parma. Otto and his wife Regina of Saxe-Meiningen lived at Villa Austria in Pöcking, Bavaria, Germany, and Otto died there on July 4, 2011, aged 98. Multiple requiem masses were celebrated for Otto von Habsburg including one at the Theatinekirche in Munich, in Bavaria, Germany.

On July 11, 2011, a requiem mass was celebrated in the Theatinekirche by Cardinal Reinhard Marx and his predecessor Cardinal Friedrich Wetter. Munich’s Chief Rabbi Steven Langnas recited a Jewish funeral prayer. At the end of the requiem mass, the “Kaiserhymne” (Emperor’s Hymn), the old Austrian imperial anthem, was sung.

The requiem mass was screened on big screens at the Odeonsplatz, the large square in front of the Theatine Church, and was broadcast by Bavarian Television. Following the requiem mass, the Prime Minister of Bavaria Horst Seehofer hosted a reception for 700 invited guests in the Kaisersaal of the Munich Residenz, the former royal palace of the Wittelsbachs. Among the royalty and nobility attending the requiem mass and reception were Otto von Habsburg’s seven children: Andrea von Habsburg (born 1953), Monika von Habsburg (born 1954, twin of Michaela), Michaela von Habsburg (born 1954, twin of Monika), Gabriela von Habsburg (born 1956), Walburga von Habsburg (born 1958), Karl von Habsburg (born 1961), and Georg von Habsburg (born 1964). Also attending were members of the House of Wittelsbach – Prince Luitpold of Bavaria, Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria and his wife Princess Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria – and Gloria, Princess Dowager of Thurn and Taxis.

On July 16, 2011, following a requiem mass at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria, Otto was interred in the Crypt Chapel of the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, the traditional burial site of the House of Habsburg. His mother Zita of Bourbon-Parma was interred in the Crypt Chapel in 1989. At the time of his burial, Otto’s wife Regina who died in 2010, was also interred in the Crypt Chapel.

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Royal Burials

Coffins in the Princely Crypt of the Theatinekirche; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Besides the Theatinerkirche, rulers of the House of Wittelsbach have been interred at the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Munich, Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church in Munich, and Andechs Abbey in Andechs. In 1977, Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, Head of the House of Wittelsbach and pretender to the former Bavarian throne from 1955 until his death in 1996, set up a Wittelsbach private family cemetery near Andechs Abbey due to the lack of space in the other Wittelsbach burial sites. The cemetery complex is now the main burial place of the Wittelsbach family.

The Theatine Church has two burial areas.

The side chapel with the tombs of Maximilian II, King of Bavaria (on left) and Marie Friederike of Prussia, Queen of Bavaria (on right); Credit – By User:Mattes – Self-photographed, CC BY 2.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40079208

Interred in stone sarcophagi in a side chapel of the main nave:

Sign for the Princely Crypt; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

When I visited the Theatinekirche, my husband did not want to pay the two euros admission to the Princely Crypt, and so I went into the crypt alone – just me and 47 coffins of members of the House of Wittelsbach – no one else was there. Being alone was a fairly creepy experience. I looked around, took photos, and exited quickly!

A view of the dark and creepy (if you are alone!) Princely Crypt; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Interred in the Princely Crypt:

  • Luise Margarete Antonie of Bavaria (1663 – 1665) – daughter of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
  • Ludwig Amadeus Viktor of Bavaria (born and died 1665) – son of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
  • Stillborn son (1666) – son of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
  • Kajetan Maria Franz of Bavaria (born and died 1670) – son of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
  • Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, Electress of Bavaria (1636 – 1676) – wife of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
  • Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (1636 – 1679)
  • Leopold Ferdinand of Bavaria (born and died 1689) – son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Anton of Bavaria (born and died 1690) – son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Wilhelm of Bavaria (1701 – 1704) – son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Alois of Bavaria (1702 – 1705) – son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Maximilian Emanuel Thomas (1704 – 1709) – son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Maximiliana Maria of Bavaria (born and died 1723) – daughter of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Elector of Bavaria
  • Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (1662 – 1726)
  • Therese Kunigunde of Poland, Electress of Bavaria (1676 – 1730) – 2nd wife of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Josef Ludwig of Bavaria (1728 – 1733) – son of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Elector of Bavaria
  • Maximilian Joseph Franz of Bavaria (1720 – 1738) – son of Ferdinand Maria Innocenz of Bavaria and grandson of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Ferdinand Maria Innozenz of Bavaria (1699 – 1738) – son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Elector of Bavaria (1697 – 1745)
  • Maria of Bavaria (born and died 1748)
  • Unnamed prince (born and died 1753)
  • Maria Anna of Bavaria (born and died 1754)
  • Unnamed prince (born and died 1755)
  • Maria Amalia of Austria, Holy Roman Empress (1701 – 1756) – wife of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor
  • Clemens Franz de Paula of Bavaria (1722 – 1770) – son of Ferdinand Maria Innocenz of Bavaria and grandson of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Maria Anna of Bavaria, Margravine of Baden-Baden (1734 – 1776) – daughter of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, wife of Ludwig Georg, Margrave of Baden-Baden
  • Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria (1727 – 1777)
  • Maria Anna of Pfalz-Sulzbach, Princess of Bavaria (1722 – 1790), wife of Clemens Franz de Paula of Bavaria
  • Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony, Electress of Bavaria (1728 – 1797) – wife of Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria
  • Karl Theodor, Elector of Bavaria (1724 – 1799)
  • Maximilian Joseph Karl Friedrich of Bavaria (1800 – 1803) – son of Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria
  • Maximiliana Josephe Karoline of Bavaria (1810 – 1821) – daughter of Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria

Tombs of Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria and his 2nd wife Caroline of Baden, Queen of Bavaria; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Theatinerkirche (München) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatinerkirche_(M%C3%BCnchen)> [Accessed 6 January 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Death and Funeral of Otto von Habsburg – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_funeral_of_Otto_von_Habsburg> [Accessed 6 January 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Theatine Church, Munich – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatine_Church,_Munich> [Accessed 6 January 2022].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2012. Royal Burial Sites of the Kingdom of Bavaria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/german-royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-kingdom-of-bavaria/> [Accessed 6 January 2022].
  • Theatinerkirche.de. 2022. Theatinerkirche München. [online] Available at: <http://www.theatinerkirche.de/> [Accessed 6 January 2022].

Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church) in Munich, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Michaelskirche in Munich; Credit – By Andrew Bossi – Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2918246

Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church), which this writer has visited, is a Roman Catholic church located in Munich in the German state of Bavaria. The patron of the church is Saint Michael the Archangel. In 1556, Albrecht V, Duke of Bavaria granted the Jesuit Order permission to establish a school in Munich which is still in existence and known as the Wilhelmsgymnasium. A church was to be built in conjunction with the founding of the Jesuit school. However, the school and the church did not get beyond the planning stage during Albrecht V’s lifetime.

Neuhauser Street and Michaelskirche, 1830s; Credit – Wikipedia

Eventually, the school and church were built during the reign of Albrecht V’s son and successor Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria, hence the name of the school, Wilhelmsgymnasium. Wilhelm V had received a Jesuit education and was a strong supporter of the Counter-Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church’s reaction to the Protestant Reformation. The Michaelskirche, built in the Renaissance architectural style, and the school built from 1583 – 1597 were spiritual centers of the Counter-Reformation. With the abolition of the Jesuit order in 1773, Michaelskirche and Wilhelmsgymnasium came into the possession of the House of Wittelsbach. After the end of the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1918, the church passed into the possession of the State of Bavaria. In 1921, the pastoral care of Michaelskirche returned to the Jesuit Order.

After the severe damage caused by bombings during World War II, Michaelskirche was renovated and then rededicated at Pentecost in 1953. Most recently, the interior was renovated from 1980 – 1983 for the 400th anniversary. From 2009 to 2013, the facade including the statues was renovated.

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The Facade of Michaelskirche

The facade of Michaelskirche; Credit – Credit – By Luidger – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=718322

The large, impressive facade of Michaelskirche has bronze statues of Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria and earlier rulers of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach in the form of a family tree. A large bronze statue between the two entrances shows Saint Michael the Archangel battling Lucifer. The statue was made by Dutch sculptor Hubert Gerhard.

Saint Michael the Archangel vanquishing Lucifer; Credit – By pingnews.com – Sculpture in Munich, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=97462767

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The Interior of Michaelkirche

The interior of Michaelskirche; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The main altarpiece has a painting of Saint Michael the Archangel fighting Lucifer by Bavarian painter Christoph Schwarz.

The main altar; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The church contains the 1830 monument by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen to Eugène de Beauharnais who is interred in the crypt. Eugène was the son of Josephine de Beauharnais, Napoleon Bonaparte’s first wife, and her first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais, who was executed by guillotine during the French Revolution. Eugène de Beauharnais marrried Princess Auguste of Bavaria, daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, and was created Duke of Leuchtenberg.

The monument by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen to Eugène de Beauharnais; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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The Princely Crypt

Sign with a photo of King Ludwig II at the entrance to the Princely Crypt; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The House of Wittelsbach ruled as Dukes, Electors, and Kings of Bavaria from 1180 until 1918. A princely crypt was in the original plans of Michaelskirche. Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria was buried in the crypt at his request, as was his son Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria.

Stairs down to the Princely Crypt; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The best-known Bavarian ruler interred at Michaelskirche is Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, the builder of Neuschwanstein Castle who died in 1886 under mysterious circumstances. Ludwig’s brother Otto, King of Bavaria is also interred at Michaelskirche.

Tomb of Ludwig II, King of Bavaria; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Besides Michaelskirche, rulers of the House of Wittelsbach have been interred at the Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan (Theatine Church of St. Cajetan) in Munich, the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Munich, and the Andechs Abbey in Andechs. In 1977, Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, Head of the House of Wittelsbach and pretender to the former Bavarian throne from 1955 until his death in 1996, set up a Wittelsbach private family cemetery near Andechs Abbey due to the lack of space in the other Wittelsbach burial sites. The cemetery complex is now the main burial place of the Wittelsbach family.

The following members of the House of Wittelsbach are interred in the crypt:

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. St. Michael (München) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael_(M%C3%BCnchen)> [Accessed 28 February 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. St. Michael’s Church, Munich – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael%27s_Church,_Munich> [Accessed 28 February 2022].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2012. Royal Burial Sites of the Kingdom of Bavaria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/german-royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-kingdom-of-bavaria/> [Accessed 28 February 2022].
  • St-michael-muenchen.de. 2022. St. Michael – die Jesuitenkirche in der Münchner Innenstadt. [online] Available at: <https://www.st-michael-muenchen.de/index.php> [Accessed 28 February 2022].

Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Munich, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Frauenkirche in Munich, Bavaria, Germany; By Diliff – CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5825439

The Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) also called Münchner Dom (Munich Cathedral), which this writer has visited, is a Roman Catholic church and the cathedral church of the Archbishop of Munich located in Munich, the capital of the German state of Bavaria.

Frauenkirche in 1870 looking toward the main altar; Credit – Wikipedia

In the 12th century, a Romanesque church was built on the site replacing an earlier church. This new church served as a second parish in Munich following the older Alter Peter Church. A new late Gothic cathedral commissioned by Sigismund, Archduke of Austria and the people of Munich, was erected in the 15th century. The cathedral was built from 1468 – 1488 by bricklayer and architect Jörg von Halsbach. Red brick was chosen as the building material for financial reasons and because there was no nearby rock quarry. The cathedral was consecrated In 1494 but the towers were not completed until 1525.

Frauenkirche in ruins after World War II. The steps led to the main altar; Credit – https://www.muenchner-dom.de/die-kathedrale/geschichte/baugeschichte/

The Frauenkirche was severely damaged by the Allied Forces’ bombing raids during World War II. The roof collapsed, one of the towers was damaged, and much of the interior was destroyed. A major restoration was required and continued until 1994.

Interior of the restored Frauenkirche looking towards the main altar; Credit – By Chabe01 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64107752

From 1971 – 1972 the main altar area was redesigned according to the reforms and specifications of the Second Vatican Council. From 1989 – 1994, the interior decorations of the original architect Jörg von Halsbach and the oak choir stalls with the sculptures of the original sculptor Erasmus Grasser were reconstructed and new altarpieces were created. Artwork from notable 14th to 18th-century artists like Peter Candid, Erasmus Grasser, Jan Polack, Hans Leinberger, Hans Krumpper, and Ignaz Günther replaced the artwork destroyed in the World War II bombing raids.

The main altar; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62161379

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Cenotaph of Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor

The Cenotaph of Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

A cenotaph, an empty tomb erected in honor of a person whose remains are elsewhere, for Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor who died in 1347, stands in the south aisle. The remains of Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor are interred in the Frauenkirche crypt. The cenotaph was the work of sculptor Hans Krumpper (circa 1570 – 1634) who was the chief sculptor to the Bavarian court during the reigns of Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria and Maximilian I, Duke of Bavaria.  During the World War II-related restoration of the Frauenkirche in the 1980s, the cenotaph was restored with financial help from the Messerschmitt Foundation whose primary goal is the preservation and maintenance of German cultural monuments.

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The Crypt

The 1971 crypt in the Frauenkirche; Credit – By User: Bbb at wikivoyage shared, CC BY-SA 1.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22660042

The crypt we see today was created in 1971 when a larger crypt with exposed brick walls and a concrete beam ceiling was built during World War II-related reconstruction. The coffins of members of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach were then transferred to new wall niches with grave markers. The House of Wittelsbach ruled as Dukes, Electors, and Kings of Bavaria from 1180 until 1918.

Besides the Frauenkirche, rulers of the House of Wittelsbach have mostly been interred at the Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan (Theatine Church of St Cajetan) in Munich and Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church) in Munich, and the Andechs Monastery in Andechs. In 1977, Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, head of the House of Wittelsbach and pretender to the former Bavarian throne from 1955 until his death in 1996, set up a Wittelsbach family cemetery near Andechs Abbey due to the lack of space in the other Wittelsbach burial sites. The cemetery complex is now the main burial place of the Wittelsbach family.

Burial site of some members of the House of Wittelsbach; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62160767

The following members of the House of Wittelsbach are interred in the crypt:

Burial site of Ludwig III, the last King of Bavaria, his wife and five of their children; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Frauenkirche (München) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frauenkirche_(M%C3%BCnchen)> [Accessed 29 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Munich Frauenkirche – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_Frauenkirche> [Accessed 29 December 2021].
  • Muenchner-dom.de. 2021. Der Münchner Dom: Baugeschichte. [online] Available at: <https://www.muenchner-dom.de/die-kathedrale/geschichte/baugeschichte/> [Accessed 29 December 2021].
  • Muenchner-dom.de. 2021. Der Münchner Dom: Home. [online] Available at: <https://www.muenchner-dom.de/> [Accessed 29 December 2021].

Adelgunde of Bavaria, Duchess of Modena and Reggio

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Duchy of Modena and Reggio was a small northwestern Italian state that existed from 1452 to 1859, except during the Napoleonic Wars (1796 – 1814). The House of Este ruled the duchy from 1452 – 1796, and then the House of Austria-Este ruled from 1814 – 1859. In 1796, Modena was occupied by a French army under Napoleon Bonaparte, who deposed Ercole III d’Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio, and added the duchy to the French Empire. Ercole III died in exile in 1803.

Ercole III’s only surviving child of Maria Beatrice d’Este, the heiress of Modena and Reggio married Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria, son of Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Theresa, in her own right Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. The son of Maria Beatrice and Ferdinand Karl regained the Duchy of Modena and Reggio as Francesco IV in 1814, after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The Duchy of Modena and Reggio was abolished during the Italian unification movement. It was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1860. In 1861, Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy.

Below is an indexed listing with links to biographical articles about the Modena royal family at Unofficial Royalty. If it says “Notable Issue” before a name, that means not all of the children for the parent of that person are listed.

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Adelgunde of Bavaria, Duchess of Modena and Reggio; Credit – Wikipedia

Adelgunde of Bavaria was the wife of Francesco V, the last Duke of Modena and Reggio. Adelgunde Auguste Charlotte Caroline Elisabeth Amalie Marie Sophie Luise was born on March 19, 1823, at the Würzburger Residenz, a palace in Würzburg, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. She was the sixth of the nine children and the third of the five daughters of Ludwig I, King of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Adelgunde’s paternal grandparents were King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his first wife Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt. Her maternal grandparents were Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (later Duke of Saxe-Altenburg) and Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Adelgunde and her family, Adelgunde is on the left next to her mother and the painting; Credit – Di Baranzoni Angela – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=107172103

Adelgunde had eight siblings:

Adelgunde’s husband Francesco, circa 1845 – 1850; Credit – Wikipedia

Adelgunde first met her future husband Francesco, then heir to the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, in 1839 when his parents Francesco IV, Duke of Modena and Reggio and his wife and niece Maria Beatrice of Savoy visited the Kingdom of Bavaria. On March 30, 1842, 19-year-old Adelgunde married 23-year-old Francesco at the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche (Court Church of All Saints), a church in the Munich Residenz, the royal palace of the Bavarian royal family in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. The newlyweds made their entrance into Modena on April 16, 1842.

Francesco and Adelgunde had one daughter who died in infancy:

  • Princess Anna Beatrice (1848 – 1849), died in infancy

Francesco became Duke of Modena and Reggio upon the death of his father on January 21, 1846. Two years later, during the Revolutions of 1848, Adelgunde and Francesco were expelled by revolutionaries and fled to Austria for a short time before they were able to return to Modena. Soon thereafter, King Vittorio Emanuele II of Sardinia and Giuseppe Garibaldi, a general and politician became the driving forces behind the Italian unification movement. During the Second Italian War of Independence (April – July 1859), following the Battle of Magenta, Francesco V and his wife were forced to permanently flee the Duchy of Modena and Reggio. In 1860, the Duchy of Modena and Reggio was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia. Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

Adelgunde and her husband Francesco in 1870; Credit – Wikipedia

Adelgunde and Francesco lived the rest of their lives in exile, mostly at the Palais Modena in Vienna, Austria, and at their summer residence Schloss Wildenwart (link in German) in the Kingdom of Bavaria. On November 20, 1875, in Vienna, Austria, Francesco died at the age of 75 and was buried in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna. After Francesco’s death, Adelgunde lived at the Palais Modena in Vienna, Austria, the Munich Residenz in Munich, Bavaria, and Schloss Wildenwart in Frasdorf, Bavaria.

In 1886, Adelgunde’s brother Luitpold became Prince Regent of Bavaria after their nephew King Ludwig II of Bavaria was declared mentally incompetent. Ludwig II died three days later under mysterious circumstances, and the throne passed to Ludwig’s brother King Otto of Bavaria. However, Otto had also been declared mentally incompetent, and Luitpold continued as Prince Regent. During this time, Adelgunde became a grey eminence, a powerful decision-maker or adviser who operates behind the scenes. At the Bavarian court, she was known as Tante Modena (Aunt Modena) and had a great influence on her brother Luitpold. The formidable Adelgunde was considered the voice of the Viennese Habsburg court in Munich and was viewed with suspicion by Bavarian government ministers. In 1889, after the death of Marie of Prussia, Queen Dowager, the mother of King Ludwig II and King Otto, and the sister-in-law of Adelgunde and Luitpold, Adelgunde took on the role of the first lady of Bavaria and took on all the necessary family and social obligations.

A postcard celebrating Adelgunde’s 90th birthday; Credit – Wikipedia

Adelgunde survived her husband Francesco V, former Duke of Modena and Reggio by thirty-nine years, dying on October 28, 1914, at the age of 91. She was buried with her husband at the Imperial Crypt in Vienna.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Adelgunde Auguste von Bayern – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelgunde_Auguste_von_Bayern> [Accessed 9 October 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Adelgunde_of_Bavaria> [Accessed 9 October 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Francesco V, Duke of Modena and Reggio. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/francesco-v-duke-of-modena-and-reggio/> [Accessed 9 October 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Adelgonda di Baviera – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelgonda_di_Baviera> [Accessed 9 October 2021].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2016. King Ludwig I of Bavaria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-ludwig-i-of-bavaria/> [Accessed 9 October 2021].

Franz, Duke of Bavaria

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Franz, Duke of Bavaria, is the current Head of the House of Wittelsbach and Pretender to the former throne of Bavaria. He is also the current heir to the Jacobite Succession.

Franz, Duke of Bavaria; photo: By Christoph Wagener – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22663494

Franz Bonaventura Adalbert Maria, Prince of Bavaria was born in Munich on July 14, 1933, the son of Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria and Countess Maria Draskovich of Trakostjan. He has three siblings:

Franz’s family left Bavaria in 1937, eventually settling in Hungary by 1940. In 1944, they were arrested after the German occupation and held in several concentration camps before being freed by American forces in April 1945. Following the war, Franz finished his secondary education at the Benedictine Abbey in Ettal and then studied business at the Universities of Munich and Zurich.

From an early age, Franz had a strong interest in art, which would become a lifelong passion. In addition to amassing a large personal collection, he holds numerous positions on boards and associations of museums and art-related organizations:

  • Chairman of the Association for the Promotion of the Alte Pinakothek, an art museum in Munich
  • Deputy Chairman of the Munich Gallery Association
  • Member of the Board of Trustees of the Society of Friends and Patrons of the Glyptothek and Antikensammlungen Munich
  • Honorary President of the Friends of the Egyptian Collection Munich
  • Member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Munich
  • Member of the Board of Trustees of the Munich University of Philosophy
  • Member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Bavarian History
  • Honorary Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Eugen Biser Foundation
  • Honorary Trustee, and Chairman of the International Council of the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.

Upon his father’s death in 1996, Franz became Head of the House of Wittelsbach and pretender to the former Bavarian throne. At that time, he took the title Duke of Bavaria. Franz never married, so his heir is his younger brother, Max, Duke in Bavaria.

 

In June 2021, an official portrait was released of Franz with his long-term partner Dr. Thomas Greinwald. This is the first time the head of a European royal dynasty has publicly acknowledged a same-sex relationship. The couple lives in a wing of Nymphenburg Palace in Munich, Germany, and uses Berg Castle in Starnberg, Germany as their country home.

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Bavarian Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.