Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma
Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria was born at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna on the 12th of December 1791. Her father became Holy Roman Emperor a year later as Francis II. She grew up during a period marked by ongoing and unceasing conflict between Austria and revolutionary France. A series of military defeats at the hands of Napoleon Bonaparte had inflicted a heavy human toll on Austria. The end of the War of the Fifth Coalition resulted in the marriage of Napoleon and Marie Louise in 1810. This union ushered in a brief period of peace and friendship between Austria and the French Empire. Marie Louise agreed to the marriage despite being raised to despise France. Her formative years were spent under the supervision of her French imperial governess Victoire de Folliot de Crenneville. She was influenced by her grandmother Maria Carolina, who despised the French Revolution which ultimately caused the death of her sister, Marie Antoinette. The Imperial family was forced to flee Vienna in 1805. Marie Louise took refuge in Hungary and later Galicia before returning to Vienna in 1806. To make her more marriageable, her parents had her tutored in many languages. In addition to her native German, she became fluent in English, French, Italian, Latin, and Spanish.
After escaping an assassination attempt in Vienna, Emperor Napoleon decided that he needed an heir to cement his relatively young Empire. He began proceedings to divorce Joséphine de Beauharnais and began searching for a new empress. At the persuasion of Prince Metternich, a marriage between Napoleon and Marie Louise was suggested by Emperor Francis to the Count of Narbonne. Though officials in Paris and Austria were beginning to accept the possibility of the union, Marie Louise was kept uninformed of developments. Frustrated by the Russians delaying the marriage negotiations, Napoleon rescinded his proposal in late January 1810 and began negotiations to marry Marie Louise with the Austrian ambassador, the Prince of Schwarzenberg. Schwarzenberg signed the marriage contract on the 7th of February. Marie Louise was informed of the marriage by Metternich. When asked for consent, she replied: "I wish only what my duty commands me to wish." Earlier in life, a young Marie Louise had referred to Napoleon as "Krampus" and even "the Anti-Christ" in her letters to her governess. She actually hoped to marry Francis IV, Duke of Modena, who was the older brother of her step-mother. Marie Louise was married by proxy to Napoleon on the 11th of March 1810 at the Augustinian Church, Vienna. Napoleon was represented by Archduke Charles, the bride's uncle. The civil wedding was held at the Louvre on the 1st of April 1810.
Marie Louise became pregnant by July 1810 and gave birth to a son on the 20th of March 1811. The boy, Napoléon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte, was given the title King of Rome. Napoleon was delighted that his wife survived the ordeal and said: "I had rather never have any more children than see her suffer so much again." Marie Louise was devoted to her son; she had him brought to her every morning and visited him in his apartment in the course of the day. During public occasions, Marie Louise spoke little due to reserve and timidity, which some observers mistook for haughtiness. She was regarded as a quiet woman and never interfered in politics. Privately, she was polite and gentle. Napoleon arranged for Marie Louise to participate in some carefully selected charity assignments, most notably the Société de Charité Maternelle, for which he made her Honorary President. In May 1812, a month before the French invasion of Russia, Marie Louise accompanied Napoleon to Dresden, where she met her father and stepmother. It was also in Dresden where she met Count Adam Albert von Neipperg for the first time.
The weakened French position triggered the Sixth Coalition. Prussia allied with Russia and declared war on France, but Austria stayed out due to relations between the Imperial families. On the 30th of March, Marie Louise was appointed Regent as Napoleon set off for battle in Germany. The regency was only de jure, as all decisions were still taken by Napoleon and implemented by his most senior officials, including Lebrun, Joseph Bonaparte, Talleyrand and Savary. Marie Louise tried unsuccessfully to get her father to ally with France. Austria too joined the opposition to France. She maintained a correspondence with Napoleon, informing him of increasing demands for peace in Paris and the provinces. Napoleon was decisively defeated in Leipzig on the 19th of October and returned to Saint Cloud on the 9th of November. On the 23rd of January 1814, Marie Louise was appointed Regent for the second time. On the 25th of January, at 03:00 in the morning, Napoleon embraced Marie Louise and his son for the last time. He left to lead a hastily formed army to stave off the Allied invasion from the north. As the Allies neared Paris, Marie Louise was reluctant to leave. She felt that as the daughter of the sovereign of Austria, one of the allied members, she would be treated with respect by Allied forces. On the 29th of March, the court left Paris. The Allies entered the city the following day.
Napoleon abdicated the throne on the 11th of April 1814 in Fontainebleau. The Treaty of Fontainebleau exiled him to Elba, allowed Marie Louise to retain her imperial rank and style and made her ruler of the duchies of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla. In the summer of 1814, Emperor Francis sent Count Adam Albert von Neipperg to accompany Marie Louise to the spa town of Aix-les-Bains to prevent her from joining Napoleon on Elba. Neipperg was a confidant of Metternich and an enemy of Napoleon. Marie Louise fell in love with Neipperg. They became lovers. He became her chamberlain, and her advocate at the Congress of Vienna. News of the relationship was not received well by the French and the Austrian public. Marie Louise departed for Parma on the 7th of March 1816, accompanied by Neipperg. She entered the duchy on the 18th of April. She wrote to her father: "People welcomed me with such enthusiasm that I had tears in my eyes." She largely left the running of day-to-day affairs to Neipperg, who received instructions from Metternich. In December 1816, Marie Louise removed the incumbent Grand Chamberlain (prime minister) and installed Neipperg.
Napoleon died on the 5th of May 1821. On the 8th of August, Marie Louise married Neipperg morganatically. Neipperg died of heart problems on the 22nd of February 1829, devastating Marie Louise. She was banned by Austria from mourning in public. To replace Neipperg, Austria appointed Josef von Werklein as Grand Chamberlain. 1831 saw the outbreak of the Carbonari-led uprisings in Italy. In Parma, protesters gathered in the streets to denounce Grand Chamberlain Werklein. Marie Louise did not know what to do and wanted to leave the city, but was prevented from doing so by the protesters. She managed to leave Parma between 14 and the 15th of February, and the rebels formed a provisional government, led by Count Filippo Luigi Linati. At Piacenza, she wrote to her father, asking him to replace Werklein. Francis sent in Austrian troops, which crushed the rebellion. To avoid further turmoil, Marie Louise granted amnesty to the dissidents on the 29th of September. To replace Werklein, in 1833, Metternich sent Charles-René de Bombelles, a French émigré nobleman who had served in the Austrian army against Napoleon. Bombelles was an excellent Grand Chamberlain, who thoroughly reformed the finances of the duchy. A middle-aged widower, he also developed a close personal relationship with Marie Louise. Six months after his arrival, on the 17th of February 1834, she married him, again morganatically. Marie Louise fell ill on the 9th of December 1847. Her condition worsened for the next few days. On the 17th of December, she passed out after vomiting and never woke up again. She died in the evening. The cause of death was determined to be pleurisy.
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Common questions
When was Marie Louise Duchess of Parma born?
Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria was born at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna on the 12th of December 1791. Her father became Holy Roman Emperor a year later as Francis II.
Who did Marie Louise marry after Napoleon died?
On the 8th of August, Marie Louise married Count Adam Albert von Neipperg morganatically. Neipperg died of heart problems on the 22nd of February 1829, and she subsequently married Charles-René de Bombelles on the 17th of February 1834.
What caused the death of Marie Louise Duchess of Parma?
Marie Louise fell ill on the 9th of December 1847 and passed out after vomiting on the 17th of December. The cause of death was determined to be pleurisy.
Why did Marie Louise leave Paris during the Napoleonic Wars?
As the Allies neared Paris, Marie Louise felt that as the daughter of the sovereign of Austria she would be treated with respect by Allied forces. The court left Paris on the 29th of March while the Allies entered the city the following day.
When did Marie Louise become Regent of France for the first time?
On the 30th of March, Marie Louise was appointed Regent as Napoleon set off for battle in Germany. She was appointed Regent for the second time on the 23rd of January 1814.