Maria Anna of Austria explained

Burial Place:Imperial Crypt, Vienna (heart)
Pantheon of the House of Braganza, Lisbon (body)
Consort:yes
Maria Anna of Austria
Succession:Queen consort of Portugal
Reign:27 October 1708 – 31 July 1750
Full Name:Maria Anna Josepha Antonia Regina
House:Habsburg
Father:Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
Mother:Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg
Birth Date:7 September 1683
Birth Place:Linz, Archduchy of Austria, Holy Roman Empire
Death Place:Palace of Belém, Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal
Signature:Assinatura Rainha D. Maria Ana de Áustria 1743.svg

Maria Anna of Austria (Maria Anna Josepha Antonia Regina; 7 September 1683 – 14 August 1754) was Queen of Portugal as the wife of King John V of Portugal. She served as the regent of Portugal from 1742 until 1750 during the illness of her husband. She was born an Archduchess of Austria as the daughter of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg.

Life

Early life

Born Maria Anna Josepha Antonia Regina, she was the eleventh child and seventh daughter of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (1640–1705) by his third wife, Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg (1655–1720). Two of her brothers, Joseph and Charles later became emperors. Through Charles, she was an aunt of Maria Theresa, the only woman to ever rule the Habsburg monarchy in her own right.

Life as queen consort

On 27 October 1708, Maria Anna married John V, King of Portugal (1689–1750) to seal the alliance between the two countries against France and Spain during the War of Spanish Succession. Maria Anna reformed the court and its customs to follow the traditions and customs of the traditional Queens of Portugal. Her greatest influence on the court and Portuguese nobility as a whole was the increase of segregation between men and women, as well as between servants and masters. Like John, Maria Anna had an exuberant taste, best shown in her famous parties: she would invite the nobility from all over the country and hold a magnificent festival, often lasting several days.

Regency

In 1742 Maria Anna became regent after her husband had suffered a stroke and became partially paralyzed. When John V died on 31 July 1750, their eldest son Joseph I of Portugal inherited the throne.

She died in the Belém Palace on 14 August 1754.[1] After her death, she was buried in Lisbon, but her heart was brought to Vienna and buried there in the Imperial Crypt.

Issue

Maria Anna had six children with her husband, John V, King of Portugal, four of whom survived infancy.

Bibliography

External links

|-

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Palácio Nacional de Belém . SIPA – Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico . SIPA . Lisbon, Portugal . pt . Teresa . Vale . Carlos . Gomes . 1994 . 18 July 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110928232439/http://www.monumentos.pt/Site/APP_PagesUser/SIPA.aspx?id=6547 . 28 September 2011 .