Elias, Duke of Parma

Elias, Duke of Parma and Piacenza (Italian: "Elias, Duca di Parma e Piacenza"; July 23, 1880 - June 27, 1959) was the head of the House of Bourbon-Parma and the titular duke of Parma from 1950 to 1959. From 1907 to 1950 he served as regent for the claims of his two older disabled brothers.

Early life

Elias was born at Biarritz, the youngest son of the deposed Duke Robert I of Parma and his first wife Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (daughter of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies).

Despite the loss of his throne, Robert and his family enjoyed considerable wealth. They owned castles at Schwarzau am Steinfelde near Vienna in Austria, Villa Pianore near Viareggio in Italy, and the magnificent château de Chambord in France.

Marriage and family

On May 25, 1903 at Vienna, Elias married Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (1882-1940), daughter of Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen and a niece of Queen Maria Cristina of Spain. Elias and Maria Anna had eight children:

*Princess Elisabetta (1904-1983); she died unmarried.

*Prince Carlo (1905-1912); he died of poliomyelitis.

*Princess Maria Francesca (1906-1994); she died unmarried.

*Robert II, Duke of Parma (1909-1974); he died unmarried.

*Prince Francesco (1913-1939); he died unmarried.

*Princess Giovanna (1916-1949); she never married and was killed in a shooting accident in La Toledana, Spain.

*Princess Alicia (born 1917); she married Infante Alfonso, Duke of Calabria.

*Princess Maria Cristina (born 1925); she is unmarried.

Regent for his brothers

In 1907 Elias' father Robert died and was succeeded in his claims as Duke of Parma by his son Enrico who was mentally disabled. Less than four months later the Grand Marshal of the Austrian court declared Enrico and five of his siblings legally incompetent. Elias became regent for Enrico's claims and guardian for his disabled siblings.

In 1907 Elias was made a knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece by the Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria.

In 1910 Elias came to an agreement with his half-siblings, his father's children by his second wife, about the division of their father's estate. Elias was to have half of the estate in order to support his rank as head of the family; this half included the château de Chambord.

In 1915 Chambord was sequestered by the French government as alien property, since Elias held a commission in the Austrian Army. ["Demands Seizure of Bourbon Estate", "The New York Times" (April 21, 1915): 1; "France Takes Chambord", "The New York Times" (April 25, 1915): 3.] Liquidation proceedings were started in 1919 in application of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, which gave the Allies the right to keep such property. Elias' half-brothers, Sixtus and Xavier took Elias to court to obtain a greater share of their father's estate. They claimed that the 1910 family agreement violated the French law which mandated equal division between siblings. In 1925 the French courts determined that Sixtus and Xavier should have a larger share, but in 1928 this judgement was overturned on appeal. In 1932 the court of cassation upheld the appeal on the grounds that there was a valid agreement between the siblings to an unequal division. Elias' rights to the château de Chambord were thereby recognised - but the wartime confiscation was upheld and Elias was financially compensated with 11 million francs.

In 1939 Enrico died and was succeeded in his claims as Duke of Parma by his brother Giuseppe who also was mentally disabled. Elias continued to act as regent.

In 1950 Giuseppe died and Elias succeeded as Duke of Parma.

Elias died at Friedberg, Styria in 1959. He and his wife are buried in the nearby village of Mönichkirchen.

Ancestry

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1= 1. Elias, Duke of Parma
2= 2. Robert I, Duke of Parma
3= 3. Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
4= 4. Charles III, Duke of Parma
5= 5. Princess Louise Marie Thérèse of France
6= 6. Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies
7= 7. Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria
8= 8. Charles II, Duke of Parma
9= 9. Maria Teresa of Savoy
10= 10. Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry
11= 11. Princess Caroline Ferdinande Louise of the Two Sicilies
12= 12. Francis I of the Two Sicilies
13= 13. Infanta Maria Isabella of Spain
14= 14. Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
15= 15. Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg
16= 16. Louis of Etruria
17= 17. Infanta Maria Louisa of Spain
18= 18. Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia
19= 19. Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este
20= 20. Charles X of France
21= 21. Princess Marie Thérèse of Savoy
22= 22. Francis I of the Two Sicilies (= 12)
23= 23. Archduchess Maria Clementina of Austria
24= 24. Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies
25= 25. Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria
26= 26. Charles IV of Spain
27= 27. Princess Maria Luisa of Parma
28= 28. Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
29= 29. Infanta Maria Louisa of Spain
30= 30. Frederick William, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg
31= 31. Louise Isabelle of Kirchberg

Notes