Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany explained
Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany (Italian: Ferdinando IV, Granduca di Toscana;[1] 10 June 1835 - 17 January 1908) was the last Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1859 to 1860.
Biography
Born at Florence, he was the son of Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Princess Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies.
His first wife died on February 1859. Sometime later, he and his family were forced to flee Florence on 27 April 1859, with the outbreak of a revolution inspired by the outbreak of the Second Italian War of Independence as part of the unification of Italy. The family took refuge in Austria. After the end of the war, Leopold II abdicated on 21 July and Ferdinand succeeded him as Grand Duke. Ferdinand proved unable to return to Florence to claim his throne, and an elected Tuscan National Assembly formally deposed him only a month later, on 16 August, with Tuscany being merged into the United Provinces of Central Italy. Ferdinand still hoped to recover his throne, as both France and Austria had promised to recognize his rights to it in the Armistice of Villafranca. However, neither power was willing to take any steps to bring about his restoration; Sardinia would annex Tuscany on 22 March 1860, and with Austria recognizing the new Kingdom of Italy after the Third War of Independence in 1866, Ferdinand's hopes to reclaim the throne were ended.
Subsequently Ferdinand and his family returned to Austria. While Ferdinand was allowed to keep the grand ducal title as a courtesy and retain his status as grand master of all Tuscan orders of chivalry for his lifetime, his descendants could only bear the title of "Archduke/Archduchess of Austria"; the right to bear the title "Prince/ss of Tuscany" became restricted solely to family members born before 1866. In 1870 Ferdinand relinquished all dynastic rights to the defunct Grand Duchy for himself and his future heirs in favour of his second cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I, effectively ending the House of Habsburg-Tuscany's status as a sovereign cadet branch.[2] [3]
Ferdinand died in Salzburg in 1908, after spending the rest of his life in exile. Upon his death, his descendants were barred from using their Tuscan titles by Imperial decree.[4] [5]
Family and children
He married twice and had issue:
From his first marriage in Dresden on 24 November 1856 to Princess Anna of Saxony, (Dresden, 4 January 1836 – Naples, 10 February 1859), daughter of King John I of Saxony, was born:
From his second marriage in Frohsdorf on 11 January 1868 to Princess Alice "Alix" of Bourbon-Parma (Parma, 27 December 1849 – Schwertberg, 16 November 1935), daughter of Duke Charles III of Parma:
- Archduke Leopold Ferdinand (1868–1935). He renounced his titles on 29 December 1902 and took the name Leopold Wölfling. He married three times, without issue.
- Archduchess Louise (1870–1947). Married first King Frederick Augustus III of Saxony and after divorcing him married second Enrico Toselli and had issue by both marriages.
- Archduke Josef Ferdinand (1872–1942). He married, firstly, Rosa Kaltenbrunner and, after divorcing her married, secondly Gertrud Tomanek, by whom he had issue. Both marriages were morganatic.
- Archduke Archduke Peter Ferdinand of Austria (1874–1948). Married Princess Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and had issue.
- Archduke Heinrich Ferdinand (1878–1969). A major general in the Austrian army, morganatically married Maria Karoline Ludescher, and had issue.
- Archduchess Anna Maria (1879–1961). She married Johannes, Prince of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein; their granddaughter married Hans Veit, Count of Toerring-Jettenbach, son of Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark.
- Archduchess Margareta Maria (1881–1965)
- Archduchess Germana Maria (1884–1955)
- Archduke Robert Ferdinand (1885–1895)
- Archduchess Agnes Maria (1891–1945)
Honours
Ferdinand received the following awards:[6]
See also
External links
Notes and References
- Full name: Italian: Ferdinando Salvatore Maria Giuseppe Giovan Battista Francesco Luigi Gonzaga Raffaello Ranieri Gennaro, German: Ferdinand Salvator Maria Joseph Johann Baptist Franz Ludwig Gonzaga Raphael Rainerius Gennarius
- Bernd Braun: Das Ende der Regionalmonarchien in Italien. Abdankungen im Zuge des Risorgimento. In: Susan Richter, Dirk Dirbach (Hrsg.): Thronverzicht. Die Abdankung in Monarchien vom Mittelalter bis in die Neuzeit. Böhlau Verlag, Köln, Weimar, Wien 2010, pp. 251-266
- Andrea Borella (a cura di): Annuario della Nobiltà italiana, XXXIII edizione, 2015-2020, parte I, Teglio, marzo 2021, ISBN 978-88-942861-0-6
- Prerogative dinastiche della casa granducale di lorena dopo la perdita del granducato di toscana (in Italian). Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- Rivista Araldica, anno 1913, volume 11, pagina 381, Roma, Collegio Araldico: " Da informazione ufficiale assunta a Vienna togliamo quanto segue «A Sua Altezza I. R. il defunto Granduca Ferdinando IV di Toscana era stato permesso dall'Impero austro-ungarico e dagli Stati dell'Impero germanico, di conferire i tre Ordini toscani, inerenti alla Sovranità, che anche spodestato, rimase all'Augusto principe fino alla sua morte. Il titolo di Principe di Toscana fu solo autorizzato ai membri della famiglia granducale nati prima del 1866. Dopo la morte del Granduca (1908) tutti gli augusti figli del defunto dovettero solennemente rinunciare ad ogni qualsiasi diritto di cui personalmente ed eccezionalmente godeva il padre. Quindi il Gran Magistero dell'Ordine di S. Stefano per volontà di S. M. l'Imperatore e Re è terminato col defunto granduca, né più sarebbe accettato dagli augusti principi lorenesi" (in Italian)
- Hof- und Staats-Handbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie (1908), Genealogy p. 5
- Book: Almanacco Toscano per l'anno 1855. 1840. Stamperia Granducale. 271.
- Web site: Chevaliers de la Toisón d'Or - Knights of the Golden Fleece . Boettger. T. F.. La Confrérie Amicale. 25 June 2019.
- http://tornai.com/rendtagok.htm "A Szent István Rend tagjai"
- Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1896), "Großherzogliche Orden" p. 63, 77
- Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Bayern (1906), "Königliche Orden" p. 7
- Book: 1880 . Ruolo generale del sov. mil. ordine di S. Giovanni de Gerulasemme ovvero di Malta . Roma . Tipografia Poliglotta della S. Congregazione di Propaganda Fide . 124.
- Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (1869), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" p. 12
- Book: Staatshandbuch für den Freistaat Sachsen: 1865/66. 1866. Heinrich. 4.
- Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg (1896), "Königliche Orden" p. 28
Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold (civil), 24 September 1856