Maria Anna Josepha, Archduchess of Austria

Infobox Austrian Royalty|archduchess|consort
name =Archduchess Maria Anna Josepha
title =


caption =
reign =1654-1689
spouse =Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine
royal house =House of Habsburg
titles ="HI&RH" Archduchess Maria Anna Josepha of Austria
father =Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor
mother =Eleanor Gonzaga
date of birth =30 December 1654
place of birth =
date of death =c.1689
place of death =
place of burial =|

Maria Anna Josepha of Austria (30 December 1654 – 1689) was the youngest surviving daughter of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor and his third wife Eleonora of Mantua.

Biography

Maria Anna's mother Eleonora was the third wife of Ferdinand, his two previous wives were Maria Leopoldine of Austria and Maria Anna of Spain. The first two wives had all provided Maria's father with a son but Eleonora didn't until 1657 when she gave birth to as son called Ferdinand, born the year of the death of his father, the infant died the following year. Maria Anna also had two sisters Eleonora Maria Josefa of Austria who became Duchess of Lorraine by her marriage to Charles V, Duke of Lorraine in 1678. Another sister was Theresia Maria Josefa of Austira who was born 1652 but died one year later.

Maria Anna married 1678 aged 24 to Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine the son of Philipp Wilhelm, Elector Palatine and Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt. Maria Anna gave birth to two baby boys, both of them died in infancy, she died aged 35 in 1689. Her husband remarried to Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, this marriage was childless. If Maria Anna had lived for another year she would have became the Electress Palatine.

Ancestors

As well as being a descendent of the Gonzaga family and the Holy Roman Emperors her great great great grandmother was Eleonora de' Medici, this meant that among her her ancestors were the Medici family. Two of her surviving half sibling, her half sister was Marianna of Austria who became Queen of Spain and mother of Charles III of Spain, her half brother was Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor who susceeded their father.