| Maria Elisabeth of Austria | |||||||||
| Succession: | Governor of the Austrian Netherlands
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| Birth Date: | 13 December 1680 | ||||||||
| Birth Place: | Linz, Archduchy of Austria, Holy Roman Empire | ||||||||
| Death Date: | 26 August 1741 (aged 60) | ||||||||
| Death Place: | Château of Mariemont, Morlanwelz, County of Hainaut, Holy Roman Empire | ||||||||
| Burial Place: | Imperial Crypt, Vienna | ||||||||
| Father: | Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor | ||||||||
| Mother: | Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg | ||||||||
Archduchess Maria Elisabeth of Austria (13 December 1680 in Linz – 26 August 1741 in Mariemont, Morlanwelz), was the governor of the Austrian Netherlands between 1725 and 1741.
Maria Elisabeth was a daughter of Emperor Leopold I and Eleonore-Magdalena of Pfalz-Neuburg. She was well educated and fluent in Latin, German, French and Italian.She never married.
In 1725, she was appointed Prince Eugene of Savoy's successor as the regent governor of the Austrian Netherlands by her brother, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor.
Maria Elisabeth was described as a forceful administrator and a popular regent. Her independent politics, however, were not always appreciated in Vienna. She suspended the Ostend Company in 1727 and closed it in 1731.
She had enough financial means at her disposal to uphold an elaborate court which stimulated culture and music. Among others, she patronized Jean-Joseph Fiocco, her maestro di cappella who dedicated several oratorios to her between 1726 and 1738.
The architect Jean-Andre Anneessens designed the Château of Mariemont for her, where she spent her summers. Also, he renovated the Tervuren castle for her.
She died unexpectedly at the age of 60, at Mariemont. She was then displayed at a public Lit-de-parade in Brussels 29 August. She was first buried in Brussels, then moved to Vienna in 1749 to the Imperial Crypt next to her brother Charles.