Francis V, Duke of Modena

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Francis V
Duchy of Modena
Died20 November 1875(1875-11-20) (aged 56)
Vienna, Austria-Hungary
Burial
Spouse
(m. 1842)
Roman Catholicism

Francis V, Duke of Modena, Reggio and Guastalla, Archduke of Austria-Este, Royal Prince of

Francis IV of Modena and Princess Maria Beatrice of Savoy. He was the last reigning duke of Modena before the duchy was incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy
.

Life and legacy

Obelisk erected in Reggio Emilia to celebrate the marriage of the Duke with Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria

Francis was baptised 5 days after birth by the local archbishop in the local cathedral; Emperor Francis I of Austria, the former Holy Roman Emperor, was his godfather, but his uncle Archduke Ferdinand acted as proxy for the emperor.

In 1826

Francis IV of Modena appointed Count Clemente Coronini as tutor to Francis, with Don Pietro Raffaelli, who would later become Bishop of Carpi
and Reggio, as his assistant. In 1829, Baron Ernest Geramb became Francis' new tutor.

On 15 September 1836, Francis became a Knight of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece, and 3 years later he received the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Netherlands Lion.

After the death of his mother in 1840, Francis was considered the legitimate heir to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland by

Maria Theresia of Austria-Este
became Jacobite claimant.

Francis V, Duke of Modena.

On 30 March 1842, Francis married Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria, daughter of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, in the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche at the Munich Residenz. The Archbishop of Munich-Freising was the chief officiant of the wedding. The couple had only one child, Princess Anna Beatrice (19 October 1848 in Gries, Bolzano – 8 July 1849 in Modena).

In 1842, Francis received another order: the Order of the Most Holy Annunciation.

At the death of his father

Duke of Guastalla
.

During the revolutions of 1848, Francis was forced to flee his duchy by a popular uprising and was restored by Austrian troops in the following year.

In 1855, Francis established his own new order: the

Grand Master
.

In 1859 the

Victor Emanuel IIof Sardinia ordered Modena to be incorporated into the new Kingdom of Italy
. Francis protested against this four days later.

After the loss of his duchy, Francis withdrew to Vienna, where he lived in the Palais Modena. He also had a summer residence at Schloss Wildenwart in Bavaria. Although he spent most of his time in Austria he occasionally traveled and in 1864 he visited the Middle East.

On 7 March 1861, William Ewart Gladstone, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, made a verbal attack against Francis in the House of Commons, primarily accusing Francis of having violated criminal procedure by imposing excessive punishments. Constantine Phipps, Marquis of Normanby published a book later that year rebutting all of Gladstone's charges against Francis.[1]

Francis died at Vienna on 20 November 1875. He left most of his huge estate to his 1st cousin twice removed Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, who subsequently used the title Archduke of Austria-Este in keeping with the strict terms of the will. His remains were kept at the Capuchin Church in Vienna.

Ancestors

References

  1. ^ Marquis of Normanby (1861). A Vindication of the Duke of Modena. London: Bosworth & Harrison. Retrieved 12 September 2022.

Bibliography

External links

Francis V, Duke of Modena
Habsburg-Lorraine
Born: 1 June 1819 Died: 20 November 1875
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Duke of Modena and Reggio

1846–1859
Italian unification
Royal titles
Preceded by Archduke of Austria-Este
1846–1875
Succeeded by
Titles in pretence
Himself — TITULAR —
Duke of Modena and Reggio

1859–1875
Succeeded by
Preceded by — TITULAR —
King of England, Scotland and Ireland
1840–1875
Reason for succession failure:
Glorious Revolution
Succeeded by
Maria Theresa of Austria-Este