Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria
Marie Valerie of Austria | |||||
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Archduchess Franz Salvator of Austria | |||||
Born | Buda, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary | 22 April 1868||||
Died | 6 September 1924 Vienna, First Austrian Republic | (aged 56)||||
Spouse | |||||
Issue |
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Elisabeth in Bavaria |
Archduchess Marie Valerie Mathilde Amalie of Austria (22 April 1868 – 6 September 1924) was the youngest child of
On 31 July 1890, she married
Early life
Archduchess Marie Valerie was born on 22 April 1868 in
She was Elisabeth's favorite child by far, and was acidly referred to by some courtiers as "die Einzige" ("the only one") because Elisabeth paid so much more attention to her than to her siblings. Valerie loved her mother, but according to her diaries, she often felt embarrassed and overwhelmed by Elisabeth's concentration on her, particularly as she was modest and practical.
Another of Valerie's nicknames was "the Hungarian child", as her birth had been a concession by Elisabeth, who disliked physical intimacy and pregnancy, in exchange for Franz Joseph's reconciliation with Hungary, her most favored part of the Empire. This process culminated in their joint coronation in Buda on 8 June 1867 as King and Queen of Hungary. Valerie was born a little over nine months later.
Elisabeth deliberately chose Hungary as her child's birthplace; no royal child had been born in Hungary for centuries. Had Valerie been a boy, she would have been named Stephen after Hungary's canonized King and patron saint. According to historian Brigitte Hamann, a boy born to the Queen of Hungary in the castle at Budapest would have raised the possibility of his someday becoming its king, separating Hungary from the Austrian empire. Due to this, there was universal relief at the Viennese court that Valerie was a girl. [1]
Malicious rumors began to spread that Valerie was in truth the daughter of Elisabeth's friend and admirer Gyula Andrássy, the Hungarian prime minister. These persisted into Valerie's childhood, hurting her deeply. However, she physically resembled Franz Joseph more than any of her siblings, even more so as she grew older, and eventually the hearsay stopped. Due to the atmosphere they created, Valerie developed a lifelong antipathy toward anything to do with Hungary, exacerbated by Elisabeth's insistence on speaking to her only in Hungarian. She was joyful when she was given permission to speak German with her father, whom she worshipped. In addition, she spoke English, French, and Italian fluently. She loved to write plays and poems, and was a talented amateur artist who particularly enjoyed painting flowers. She was a great supporter of the Burgtheater in Vienna, and attended its productions as often as possible.
Marriage
In Bad Ischl on 31 July 1890, Valerie married her third cousin Archduke Franz Salvator. They had met in 1886 at a ball, but Valerie waited several years to be sure that her feelings toward Franz Salvator were strong enough for a successful marriage. It was hoped by many at court that she would marry someone like the Crown Prince of Saxony, the Prince Royal of Portugal or Prince Alfons of Bavaria as she courted with him. Nonetheless, Empress Elisabeth declared that Valerie would be allowed to marry even a chimney sweep if she so desired (in contrast to her other children, who both had to make dynastic marriages). Valerie chose Franz Salvator, a relatively minor prince from the Tuscan branch of the Austrian imperial family who had no great wealth to offer, and Elisabeth, as promised, supported her favorite daughter. This caused a deep rift between Valerie and her siblings for a time, but eventually Rudolf reconciled with her when Valerie and Franz became engaged on Christmas 1888. However, the relationship between Valerie and Rudolf's wife Princess Stéphanie of Belgium remained cold even after Rudolf's death.[2]
Valerie's solemn renunciation of her rights to the Austrian throne, which was necessary for the marriage to proceed, took place on 16 July 1890 at the
Children
Marie Valerie and Franz Salvator had 10 children:
Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Elisabeth Franziska "Ella" | 27 January 1892 | 29 January 1930 | married Count Georg of Waldburg-Zeil-Hohenems (1878-1955), had issue. |
Franz Karl Salvator | 17 February 1893 | 12 December 1918 | died unmarried of the Spanish flu. |
Hubert Salvator | 30 April 1894 | 24 March 1971 | married Princess Rosemary of Salm-Salm, had issue. |
Hedwig | 24 September 1896 | 1 November 1970 | married Count Bernard of Stolberg-Stolberg (1881-1952), had issue. |
Theodor Salvator | 9 October 1899 | 8 April 1978 | married Countess Maria Theresa of Waldburg-Zeil-Trauchburg (1901-1967), had issue. |
Gertrud | 19 November 1900 | 20 December 1962 | married Count Georg of Waldburg-Zeil-Hohenems (1878-1955), widower of her sister Elisabeth, had issue. |
Maria Elisabeth | 19 November 1901 | 29 December 1936 | died unmarried. |
Clemens Salvator | 6 October 1904 | 20 August 1974 | married Countess Elisabeth Rességuier de Miremont (1906-2000), took the title Prince of Altenburg, had issue. |
Mathilde | 9 August 1906 | 18 October 1991 | married Austrian politician Ernst Hefel, no issue. |
Agnes | 26 June 1911 | 26 June 1911 | died at the age of eight hours. |
Later life
At first, Valerie and Franz lived at the Schloss Lichtenegg. Though on 11 June 1895, the couple purchased Schloss Wallsee on the
She was known and loved for her generous involvement in local charitable endeavors. In 1900, she became a patron of the
Valerie was greatly affected by the suicide of her brother Rudolf on 30 January 1889, and the assassination of her mother Elisabeth in September 1898. She and her sister Gisela were a great support to their father in the aftermath of these tragedies. Together with Elisabeth's ladies-in-waiting Valerie also sorted out Elisabeth's literary legacy, her letters and correspondences. In her diary Valerie noted that her parents' relationship and alienation had only improved during the last few years of her mother's life. She also felt that taking care of her aging father, Emperor Franz Joseph, was some sort of "a trial".[6]
While the marriage of Valerie and Franz was harmonious at first, it became less so with time. Franz had many affairs, including one with a dancer Stephanie Richter, who was later known as "Hitler's Spy Princess" for her espionage activities before and during World War II. In 1914, she gave birth to a son by him, Franz Joseph, whom he acknowledged as his while Valerie was still alive. Valerie faced these blows stoically, confiding only in her journal.
After the end of World War I, Valerie officially recognized the end of the Habsburg monarchy and signed documents renouncing all rights toward the same for herself and her descendants. The renunciation allowed her to keep her home and possessions.
Death
Valerie died in Schloss Wallsee on 6 September 1924 of lymphoma. Shortly before her death, her sister Gisela wrote in a letter, "I must add that I have seen Valerie - fully conscious, completely aware of her condition, and so devoutly accepting, even joyfully anticipating her impending departure, that I believe an unexpected recovery would actually disappoint her." She is buried in a crypt behind the high altar at the parish church in Sindelburg, Austria. Several thousand people followed her coffin to its resting place.
On 28 April 1934, ten years after Valerie's death, Franz married a second time, to Freiin (a title corresponding to "Baroness") Melanie von Riesenfels. This was a
Franz Salvator died on 20 April 1939 in Vienna.
The
Honours
She received the following orders:[7]
- Austria-Hungary:
- Dame of the Order of the Starry Cross
- Grand Cross of the Order of Elizabeth, 1898[8]
- Kingdom of Bavaria:
- Dame of the Order of Saint Elizabeth
- Kingdom of Portugal:
- Dame of the Order of Saint Isabel
Notes
- ISBN 978-0-394-53717-7.
- ISSN 1653-5219.
- ISBN 3-492-22990-5.
- ^ "Franz Joseph: Ehe, Familie und Nachkommen".
- ^ Costados, Gonçalo de Mesquita da Silveira de Vasconcelos e Sousa, Livraria Esquina, 1.ª Edição, Porto, 1997, N.º 9.
- ISSN 1653-5219.
- ^ Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie (1915): Genealogy p. 1.
- ^ "Elisabeth-orden", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, Vienna: Druck und Verlag der K.K. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, 1918, p. 324
References
- Marek, Miroslav. "Habsburg 9". Genealogy.EU.[better source needed]
- Haderer, Stefan (2020). ""They will call us some strange family." The diaries of an Austrian Archduchess". Royalty Digest Quarterly. ISSN 1653-5219.