Claudia Felicitas of Austria
| Claudia Felicitas of Austria | |
|---|---|
| Holy Roman Empress Archduchess of Austria Queen consort of Bohemia and Hungary | |
 | |
| Tenure | 15 October 1673 – 8 April 1676 |
| Born | 30 May 1653 Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany |
| Died | 8 April 1676 (aged 22) Vienna, Holy Roman Empire |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Issue | Archduchess Anna Maria Sophia Archduchess Maria Josepha |
| House | Habsburg dynasty |
| Father | Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Further Austria |
| Mother | Anna de' Medici |
Archduchess Claudia Felicitas of Austria (30 May 1653 – 8 April 1676) was the eldest daughter of Archduke Ferdinand Charles of Austria, and his wife Anna de' Medici. She was Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, Archduchess of Austria, German Queen, Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia as the spouse of Leopold I.[1]
Family and early life
Claudia Felicitas was born in Florence at the court of her mother Anna de' Medici. She was their eldest daughter and only child to survive into adulthood. The failure of her parents to produce male heirs meant that her father's brother Sigismund Francis succeeded to Tyrol and Further Austria upon Ferdinand Charles' death in 1662.
Her maternal grandparents were Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Maria Magdalena of Austria.
Marriage and children
After his first wife Margaret Theresa of Spain died in 1673, many among the court expected the Emperor Leopold I to find another spouse. He was the last of the male Habsburgs, besides the sickly King Charles II of Spain and thus was in dire need of a male heir.[2] Leopold deeply mourned his first wife, but was obligated to seek another six months later. Claudia was chosen, and she became his second wife on 15 October 1673, in Graz. She was young, attractive, and apparently aware of the great status it implied. Leopold lamented that she was "not like my only Margareta".[3]
Claudia bore Leopold two children:
- Anna Maria Sophia (11 September 1674 – 21 December 1674).
- Maria Josepha (11 October 1675 – 11 July 1676).
Both her children died young. Claudia Felicitas herself died shortly thereafter in Vienna, where she is buried in the Capuchin monastery. Leopold remarried later that year to Eleonor Magdalene of the Palatinate-Neuburg.
Ancestors
References
- ^ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/336625/Leopold-I
- ^ Wheatcroft (1995), pp. 200-201.
- ^ Wheatcroft (1995), p. 201.
Sources
- Wheatcroft, Andrew (1995). The Habsburgs: Embodying Empire. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-670-85490-5.
External links
Media related to Claudia Felicitas of Austria at Wikimedia Commons
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