Maria Theresa of Austria-Este (German: Maria Theresia Josefa Johanna; 1 November 1773 – 29 March 1832) was Queen of Sardinia as the wife of Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia. She was born an archduchess of Austria-Este and a princess of Modena as the daughter of Ferdinand Karl, Archduke of Austria-Este, and Maria Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Massa. Her husband’s reign as King of Sardinia ended in abdication in 1821, when he elected his brother Charles Felix king after a liberal revolution, during which Victor Emmanuel proved unwilling to accept a liberal constitution. She was a part of the then newly-founded House of Austria-Este.
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Early life
Maria Theresa was born on 1 November 1773 at the Royal Palace of Milan in Milan. She was the second child and first daughter of Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria, governor of Milan, and Maria Beatrice d'Este, heir to the Duchy of Modena. She was named after her paternal grandmother, Empress Maria Theresa, as all eldest granddaughters of the empress were. Maria Theresa had one older brother, Josef Franz, but he died in infancy in 1772 before she was born.
The Duke of Aosta, Victor Emmanuel, was still unmarried when he reached the age of twenty-nine. This was rare for royalty during the 18th century and was considered late by standards of the time. The choice for the royal bride fell on Maria Theresa. A lot of information had been gathered regarding the appearance, personality and manners about the princess before her marriage.