Marie-louise duchess of parma age when married

She had eleven siblings:. Maria Ludovica far right with her parents and siblings, circa She did not, however, have a close relationship with her mother, who showed little affection for her children. Maria Ludovica received a traditional education at court, focusing on religion and languages, becoming fluent in at least six languages. From a young age, she developed a dislike for all things French.

This was greatly influenced by her grandmother a sister of the French Queen Marie Antoinette who was killed during the French Revolution when Maria Ludovica was just a toddler.

When did napoleon marry marie-louise

She lost her mother in but became close to her stepmother, Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este , who was very close in age. By the end of , the French Emperor Napoleon was searching for a new bride who could bear him an heir and set his sights on the leading royal families of Europe. Ending his quest for a Russian bride, Napoleon began negotiations to marry Maria Ludovica.

A marriage contract was signed in February , and the couple was married by proxy on March 11, , at the Augustinian Church in Vienna. Quickly adapting to her role as Empress of the French, Marie Louise found the French court was not welcoming. Marie Louise was also timid and reserved and did not speak much publicly, which did not reassure many people that she was different from her great-aunt.

Emperor Napoleon went out of his way to make her as comfortable as possible and appears to have developed quite a love for his second wife.

Marie louise, duchess of parma spouse

Soon, the couple had their only child:. Little did she know that their paths would cross again in a few years, in a much different manner. After disastrous results against Russia, Napoleon soon saw the collapse of his empire. Prussia and the United Kingdom soon joined forces with Russia, declaring war on France.