Maria Theresa of Austria (31 July 1816 – 8 August 1867) was the second wife of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, making her Queen of the Two Sicilies. She was the eldest daughter of Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen, and Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg.
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Early life (1816–1837)
Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria was born on 31 July 1816 in Vienna, Austria. She was the eldest child of Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen and Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg. Maria Theresa spent her youth with her parents and siblings in the family home.
Shortly before her marriage, Maria Theresa served as Princess-Abbess of the Theresian Institution of Noble Ladies in Prague Castle from 1834-1835.
Queen consort (1837–1859)
In 1836, King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies lost his first wife, Maria Cristina of Savoy in childbirth; they had one son, the future Francis II, last king of the Two Sicilies.
Maria Theresa had met her future husband in July 1837, when Ferdinand had traveled to Vienna to reassure the Austrian government of his support for the conservative cause. Their engagement was kept a secret until December, and they married in January of the next year.
Queen Maria Theresa was described as badly dressed and did not answer to the ideal image of a regal person. She disliked her public role and life at court, and preferred to confine herself in her private rooms dedicated to needlework and her children.
She had a good relationship with both her spouse and her stepson Francis: her stepson respected her and she used to demonstratively call him her son. Maria Theresa was interested in politics; she is known to have acted as the king's advisor and to have influenced him to be strict, and when she could not be present at the reception of officials and wished to hear the conversation, she listened to the talk behind the door.
She nursed Ferdinand on his deathbed.
Queen dowager (1859–1867)
At the death of her spouse in 1859, she intended to continue her political activity by being the advisor to her stepson Francis, who was the new monarch. Francis was willing, and her authoritarian policy has been considered to contribute to the public discontent which led to the abolishment of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Francis' spouse Duchess Maria Sophia in Bavaria, however, disputed her influence and Francis had a difficult position in the conflict between his wife and stepmother, without being able to satisfy either. Maria Sophia informed Francis about a plot created by Maria Theresa with the attempt to put the biological son of Maria Theresa on the throne, but Francis chose to believe Maria Theresa when she swore her innocence. It was not until the revolts against the monarchy had already begun that Francis decided to listen to the advice of his wife rather than his stepmother.
It was first believed that Maria Theresa would take up exile in Vienna, however, she was among the first to leave Naples during the revolt: first to Gaeta with her children and advisors, and then to Rome. She resided in the same palace that Francis and Maria Sophia would use when they arrived. She died from cholera, nursed by her stepson Francis, who mourned her greatly.
Issue
Maria Theresa gave birth to twelve children, but only seven of them lived to mature adulthood: