Maria Anna of Austria (1610-1665)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joachim von Sandrart - Archduchess Maria Anna (1610–1665), Electress of Bavaria, oil on canvas, 1643, Kunsthistorisches Museum , Vienna . In the portrait, the Electress wears one of the famous pearl necklaces from the Munich treasury; The large diamond pendant in her hair was already in the possession of Maximilian I's first wife.

Maria Anna of Austria (born January 13, 1610 in Graz , † September 25, 1665 in Munich ) was an Archduchess of Austria and Electress of Bavaria by marriage .

Life

Archduchess of Austria

Maria Anna was the oldest surviving daughter of the Roman-German Emperor Ferdinand II (1578–1637) from his marriage to Maria Anna (1574–1616), daughter of Duke Wilhelm V of Bavaria . Maria Anna, who had a particular fondness for hunting, was raised strictly Catholic by Jesuits , was considered a great beauty and she was certified with qualities such as cleverness, orderly lifestyle and moderation. In addition to her mother tongue, the archduchess also spoke fluent Italian.

marriage

At the age of 25, Maria Anna married on July 15, 1635 in the Augustinian Church in Vienna as his second wife, her 62-year-old uncle, Elector Maximilian I of Bavaria (1573–1651). The marriage was carried out by the bishop of Olomouc, Franz Seraph von Dietrichstein . During the negotiations on the marriage contract, which was signed on July 17, 1635, Emperor Ferdinand made the concession that Maria Anna should not renounce the usual inheritance, which provided for Maria Anna's joint inheritance rights if the male descendants of Ferdinand II died out. Maria Anna Stadt and Schloss Wasserburg as well as the regional courts and markets of Kraiburg and Neumarkt were guaranteed for the dowry of 250,000 guilders . Maria Anna was to receive Burg Trausnitz near Landshut as a widow's residence .

The marriage to Maria Anna was not only associated with the hope of the birth of a hereditary prince, but also a political demonstration of Maximilian turning to the imperial family against France, which had just started a war against the empire. However, the connection later played only a subordinate role in the relations between Austria and Bavaria.

Maria Anna and her husband Maximilian I of Bavaria

Electress of Bavaria

The marriage turned out to be very happy, despite the large age difference, and Maximilian cared for his wife lovingly. During Maria Anna's first pregnancy, the couple made a pilgrimage to Andechs to pray for a happy birth. The first-born son, Ferdinand Maria , received the name of his godfather, Maria Anna's father Ferdinand. The birth had weakened Maria Anna so much that she lost her ability to speak. The healing is said to have been accelerated with the help of relics of Saint Franz de Paula , which is why Maximilian donated a monastery to this saint in Neunburg vorm Wald .

The spouses complemented each other very well in character, lifestyle, and government. Maximilian was very religious, educated and took a realistic stand on political issues. Maria Anna was a capable, well-bred, energetic woman who was thrifty and experienced in economic matters, but who had a more worldly attitude than her husband. She supported her husband in government affairs and showed interest in the politics of the electorate. She also personally attended meetings of the Council of Ministers. With her brother Emperor Ferdinand III. she conducted extensive family but also political correspondence, taking the Bavarian standpoint. But the Electress also conducted extensive correspondence with numerous court officials.

After the French conquest of Philippsburg in 1644, Maria Anna urged her brother Leopold Wilhelm , who had been Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army since 1639, to negotiate peace on behalf of her husband . Shortly before his death in 1650, Maximilian wrote the Faithful Information for his wife and thus gave her a guide for her future custodial government.

Regent

Maria Anna's sarcophagus in the Wittelsbach crypt of St. Michael in Munich

When Maximilian I wrote his will in 1641, Maria Anna claimed the right to co-sign in state matters for the eventual reign over her son. According to the Golden Bull, women were excluded from the office of administrator in Bavaria and Saxony . Without her husband's knowledge, she commissioned an expert report and finally received the relevant decree in Maximilian's will. After Maximilian's death in 1651, Duke Albrecht of Bavaria became regent for his first-born son in Imperial and Electoral Saxony, while Maria Anna was responsible for judicial, camera and other national matters. In addition to Albrecht and the Electress, Court Chamber President Mändl was also a member of the Administrative Council, who worked until the electoral prince came of age in 1654.

On the occasion of the election of the German king in 1653, Maria Anna stood up for her nephew Ferdinand . In the upcoming election of the German emperor in 1658, Cardinal Mazarin , who represented the interests of Louis XIV , stood up for Ferdinand Maria's application; Maria Anna, on the other hand, voted for her nephew Leopold (I) , who in fact succeeded his father Ferdinand III. has been. There was also a significant contrast between the strict, traditional values-inclined Elector's mother and her daughter-in-law, Henriette Adelheid of Savoy , who was oriented towards the new Italian culture and who loved music and dance , who had married Ferdinand Maria in 1652 and was the head of the French party at the Munich court depicted.

In 1664 Maria Anna, who remained counselor to her son even after the reign had ended, suggested that the land be placed under the patronage of St. Joseph. She favored the Italian opera in Munich, acted as patroness of several visual artists, including Nikolaus Prugger , and in 1662 achieved that the third and last part of the Annales Boicae Gentis by the Jesuit Johannes Vervaux was published.

After her husband's death, Maria Anna lived in the widow's stock, the most south-western part of the Munich residence on Vorderen Schwabinger Gasse, today's Residenzstrasse . Until her death she was a member of the Privy Council, the highest government body, where she had no right to vote. She was buried in Munich's Michaelskirche ; her heart rests in the Chapel of Grace in Altötting .

progeny

Maria Anna had two sons from their marriage:

⚭ 1652 Princess Henriette Adelheid of Savoy (1636–1676)
⚭ 1668 Princess Mauricienne Fébronie de La Tour-d'Auvergne (1652–1706)

literature

Web links

Commons : Maria Anna von Österreich (1610–1665)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Schreiber: Maximilian I the Catholic, Elector of Bavaria and the Thirty Years' War , Fleischmann, 1868, p. 707
  2. ↑ a b c Karl Möckl: Maria Anna . In: Brigitte Hamann (Ed.): Die Habsburger , p. 296
  3. ↑ Schreiber: Maximilian I. 1868, p. 902
  4. ↑ Linda Maria Koldau : Frauen-Musik-Kultur , Böhlau Verlag Köln Weimar, 2005, p. 228
  5. ↑ C. Arnold: Grundriß der Bayerischen Geschichte , Jaquet, 1853, p. 99
  6. ↑ Petr Maťa, Thomas Winkelbauer: The Habsburg Monarchy 1620 to 1740 , Franz Steiner Verlag, 2006, p. 263
  7. ↑ Roswitha von Bary: Henriette Adelaide. Electress of Bavaria . Unchanged reprint of the original edition Munich 1980. Pustet, Regensburg 2004, ISBN 3-7917-1873-8 , p. 236 .
  8. ^ Bary: Henriette Adelaide . Regensburg 2004, p. 268 .
  9. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from January 21, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.royaltyguide.nl
predecessor Office successor
Elisabeth Renata Electress of Bavaria
1635–1651 		Henriette Adelheid
personal data
SURNAME Maria Anna of Austria
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Archduchess of Austria
DATE OF BIRTH January 13, 1610
PLACE OF BIRTH Graz
DATE OF DEATH September 25, 1665
Place of death Munich