Maria Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Massa

Maria Beatrice d'Este
Archduchess of Austria Duchess of Modena
Spouse	Archduke Ferdinand of Austria
Detail Issue
Maria Teresa, Queen of Sardinia Maria Leopoldina, Electress of Bavaria Francis IV, Duke of Modena Archduke Maximilian Joseph Archduke Karl, Archbishop of Esztergom Maria Ludovika, Empress of Austria
Full name
Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este
House	House of Habsburg-Lorraine House of Este
Father	Ercole III d'Este, Duke of Modena
Mother	Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina
Born	7 April 1750(1750-04-07)
Died	14 November 1829(1829-11-14) (aged 79)

Maria Beatrice d’Este (Maria Beatrice Ricciarda; 7 April 1750 – 14 November 1829) was heiress of Modena and Reggio and Duchess of Massa and Carrara from 1790 until 1797 and from 1816 until her death in 1829.

Biography

Maria Beatrice of Modena and her husband Ferdinand

Maria Beatrice was born in Modena, the only daughter of two monarchs, Duke Ercole III, Duke of Modena and Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, ruling Duchess of Carrara and Massa.

Her parents were not expected to produce more children, as their marriage was unhappy and they lived separated from each other, and Maria was therefore early acknowledged as an heiress.

Her paternal ancestors included Louis XIII of France and Philippe d'Orléans, Regent of France for Louis XV. Her maternal ancestors were members of the House of Cybo-Malaspina, members of the Italian nobility.

As heiress to four Duchies (Modena and Reggio from her father, and Massa and Carrara from her mother), she was a very attractive wedding partner. Empress Maria Theresa sought to arrange a marriage between Maria Beatrice and the Archduke Leopold (future Holy Roman Emperor) but this never materialised; she instead married Leopold's brother, Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, in a union through which the Austrians aimed to expand their influence in Italy.

The couple was engaged in 1754, at a very young age, and the marriage was celebrated in Milan on 15 October 1771. Festivities arranged for this occasion included the operas Ascanio in Alba by Mozart and Il Ruggiero by Johann Adolph Hasse.

The couple settled in Modena. As the Duchy of Modena did not allow female succession, Maria Beatrice's rights to the throne of Modena and Reggio passed to her son when her father died. When her mother died in 1790, however, she succeeded her as Duchess of Massa and Carrara. After the French conquest of Northern Italy, she spent her life mostly in Austria and left the rule to administrators.

By her marriage, the House of Austria-Este was created, a cadet branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, which ruled Modena between 1814 and 1859. After Maria Beatrice d'Este's death at Vienna in 1829, Massa and Carrara were added to the Duchy of Modena.

Issue

Issue

Name Portrait Lifespan Notes Archduke Josef Franz 1772- 1772 Died in infancy Archduchess Maria Theresa Queen of Sardinia 1773- 1832 Married Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia and had issue Archduchess Josepha 1775- 1777 Died in infancy Archduchess Maria Leopoldine Electress of Bavaria 1776- 1848 Married first Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria no issue; married second Ludwig Count of Arco, had issue, Francis IV Duke of Modena 1779- 1846 Married Maria Theresa of Austria-Este (1773–1832) and had issue Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph Commander-in-Chief of the Austrian army during the Napoleonic Wars 1781- 1850 Died unmarried Archduke Maximilian Joseph Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights 1782- 1863 Died unmarried; Archduchess Maria Antonia 1784- 1786 Died in infancy Archduke Karl Ambrosius Archbishop of Esztergom 1785- 1809 Died unmarried; Archduchess Maria Ludovika Empress of Austria 1787- 1816 Married her cousin Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor and had no issue

Ancestry

Ancestors of Maria Beatrice d'Este

16. Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena

8. Rinaldo III, Duke of Modena

17. Lucrezia Barberini

4. Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena

18. John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

9. Charlotte Felicity of Brunswick-Lüneburg

19. Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate

2. Ercole III d'Este, Duke of Modena

20. Philippe I, Duke of Orléans

10. Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans

21. Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate

5. Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans

22. Louis XIV of France

11. Françoise Marie de Bourbon, Legitimée de France

23. Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart

1. Maria Beatrice d'Este

24. Alberico Cybo-Malaspina, Duke of Massa and Prince of Carrara

12. Carlo II Cibo-Malsapina, Duke of Massa

25. Fulvia Pico de Mirandola

6. Alderano Cibo-Malsapina, Duke of Massa

26. Camillo Pamphili, Prince of Valmontone & San Martino

13. Teresa Pamfili

27. Olimpia Aldobrandini, Princess of Meldola & Rossano

3. Maria Teresa Cibo-Malsapina, Duchess of Massa

28. Alfonso Gonzaga, Count of Novellara

14. Camillo II Gonzaga, Count of Novellara

29. Ricciarda Cybo-Malaspina, Princess of Massa

7. Ricciardia Gonzaga of Novellara

30. Sigismondo III d'Este, Marquess of San Martino

15. Matilde d'Este

31. Teresa Maria Grimaldi

External links

Media related to Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este at Wikimedia Commons

Regnal titles
Preceded by Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina	Duchess of Massa and Princess of Carrara 1790-1797	Cisalpine Republic
Cisalpine Republic	Duchess of Massa and Princess of Carrara 1815-1829	Succeeded by Francis

Persondata
Name	Maria Beatrice Ricciarda D'este
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	7 April 1750
Place of birth
Date of death	14 November 1829
Place of death