Maria Amalia of Austria (1701–1756)

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Maria Amalie of Austria, Electress of Bavaria

Maria Amalie Josefa Anna of Austria (born October 22, 1701 in Vienna , † December 11, 1756 in Munich ) was the youngest daughter of Emperor Joseph I and Wilhelmine Amalie of Braunschweig-Lüneburg . She was the wife of the Bavarian Elector Karl Albrecht , who became Charles VII Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation .

Life

Maria Amalia was small, self-confident, fun-loving, loved the hunt and her dogs. In 1717 she met her future husband Karl Albrecht, who also visited Vienna on his way to a campaign against the Turks in Belgrade. So he used the time of his stay to maintain political contacts and got to know the entire imperial family. A second “baptism of fire” by Karl Albrecht against the Turks took place in 1718. On the way back from Belgrade, a second visit was made to Vienna. For financial and dynastic reasons Bavaria sought to marry a Habsburg woman. Karl Albrecht tried to get Marie Amalie, who was more lively than her sister, although he had already been promised the politically more interesting but ailing firstborn Maria Josepha . The wedding took place on October 5, 1722 in Vienna. She and Karl Albrecht had previously waived any inheritance claims on the part of the Habsburgs. The emperor's daughter received a rich dowry, including jewelry worth 986,500 guilders. While the church celebrations represented a high point, the other festivities in Vienna were much less splendid than the festivities with which Munich celebrated the side camp of the newlyweds. They lasted from the couple's move in on October 17th to November 4th, 1722 and devoured 4 million guilders. Johann Jakob Moser, a contemporary, described the relationship: “With this wife, the gentleman lived very happily. Because in time she knew how to adapt herself to his nature very well, and almost always had a disposition similar to his inclination. "

In May 1727 she got the birth of the heir to the throne, Maximilian III. Joseph , the electoral hunting residence Schloss Fürstenried “given to childbed”. In 1734, her husband Karl Albrecht honored her with the construction of the Amalienburg, named after her, in the Nymphenburg Palace Park.

Like her mother, she had to fight numerous mistresses, but enjoyed the splendid life at the side of her husband, where she could pursue her passions of hunting, politics and traveling. In the hope of more male births, she completed spa stays, including in Bad Adelholzen and numerous pilgrimages. Like her mother, she was very pious and promoted churches and orders. She had a special friendship with her sister-in-law Maria Anna, who lived as a clarissess in the Angerkloster in Munich.

Despite the renunciation of inheritance, her husband based his marriage and her ancestors on the Austrian hereditary lands. After reaching an agreement with the Elector of Saxony, who was related to the House of Habsburg through her older sister, Maria Amalie was crowned Queen of Bohemia in 1742. The Prince Abbot of Kempten Anselm Reichlin von Meldegg was present at the coronation as her arch marshal.

In 1745 she became a widow and was able to take over the heir to the throne, her only eighteen year old son Maximilian III. Convince Joseph of the necessity of financial compensation through the Peace of Füssen with her cousin Maria Theresia . For him this meant giving up the imperial crown and was the basis for one of the longest times of peace in Bavaria. After that she lived secluded in Fürstenried Castle for the rest of her widowhood . In 1754 she founded a religious house with a hospital for the Elisabeth women who settled in Munich on her initiative. This first modern hospital in Munich, which no longer saw itself as an infirmary, was dedicated to nursing and training lay helpers.

Maria Amalia died on December 11, 1756. She was buried in the Theatinerkirche in Munich ; her heart was buried separately and is in the chapel of grace in Altötting .

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Commons : Maria Amalia von Österreich (1701–1756)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Predecessors Office Successors
Therese Kunigunde Electress of Bavaria
1726–1745 		Maria Anna
Elisabeth Christine Roman-German Empress
1742–1745 		Maria Theresa
personal data
SURNAME Maria Amalia of Austria
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Maria Amalie Josefa Anna of Austria
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Electress of Bavaria, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire
DATE OF BIRTH October 22, 1701
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH December 11, 1756
Place of death Munich