Archduchess Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este

Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este
Electress of Bavaria
Archduchess Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este (1776-1848), Electress of Bavaria (wife of Prince Elector Carl Theodor of Bavaria).
Born	(1776-12-10)10 December 1776 Milan, Duchy of Milan
Died
Spouse	Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria Count Ludwig Arco
Issue	Count Aloys Nikolaus Count Maximilian Joseph Countess Caroline
House	House of Austria-Este House of Wittelsbach
Father	Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este
Mother	Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este

Archduchess Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este (December 10, 1776 – June 23, 1848) was the second wife of Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria.

Biography

Early life

Maria Leopoldine was born in Milan, the second eldest daughter of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este and of his wife, Princess Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este.

Marriages and issue

In August 1795, Maria Leopoldine was forced to marry Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria, who was 52 years older. The marriage was arranged with the hope that it would result in a son and heir for the senior line of the House of Wittelsbach, but Maria Leopoldine rejected sexual contact with her husband. Instead, she started to take lovers, among them Maximilian of Palatinate-Zweibrücken and Maximilian von Montgelas. She was described as terrorizing her spouse in front of the Bavarian court. She chose herself to make an alliance with the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken in opposition to the alliance her husband had forged with her own Habsburg family. When her spouse was dying in 1799, she helped his heir Maximilian of Palatinate-Zweibrücken arrange for his succession and retired to Berg Castle at Lake Starnberg, where she soon became known for a libertine lifestyle with permissive parties. She became pregnant and was exiled to Laibach for some time. Later she became very wealthy through the management of her Bavarian manor in Stepperg.

Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este as Countess of Arco, with her sons Aloys and Maximilian.

On 14 November 1804 in Munich, Maria Leopoldine married Count Ludwig Arco. They had three children:

• Count Aloys Nikolaus Ambros von Arco (December 6, 1808 – September 10, 1891)
• Count Maximilian Joseph Bernhard von Arco-Zinneberg (December 13, 1811 – November 13, 1885)
• Countess Caroline von Arco (December 26, 1814 – January 18, 1815)

In 1848, Maria Leopoldine was traveling by carriage from Munich to Vienna. Her carriage overturned near Wasserburg am Inn and she was killed. She left a fortune of 15 million florins to her two sons.

Honours

Electorate of Bavaria : Sovereign of the Order of Saint Elizabeth (feminine order)

Ancestry

Family of Archduchess Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este

16. Charles V, Duke of Lorraine               8. Leopold, Duke of Lorraine                       17. Eleonora Maria Josefa of Austria               4. Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor                             18. Philippe I, Duke of Orléans               9. Élisabeth Charlotte of Orléans                       19. Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine               2. Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este                                   20. Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor               10. Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor                       21. Eleonore-Magdalena of Neuburg               5. Maria Theresa of Austria                             22. Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg               11. Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel                       23. Princess Christine Louise of Oettingen-Oettingen               1. Archduchess Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este                                         24. Rinaldo III, Duke of Modena               12. Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena                       25. Charlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg               6. Ercole III d'Este, Duke of Modena                             26. Philippe II, Duke of Orléans               13. Charlotte Aglaé of Orléans                       27. Françoise-Marie de Bourbon               3. Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este                                   28. Carlo II Cybo-Malaspina, Duke of Massa               14. Alderano I Cybo-Malaspina, Duke of Massa                       29. Teresa Pamfili               7. Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, Duchess of Massa                             30. Camillo II Gonzaga, Count of Novellara               15. Ricciardia Gonzaga di Novellara                       31. Matilde d'Este

Bibliography

• Krauss-Meyl, Sylvia. Das "Enfant terrible" des Königshauses: Maria Leopoldine, Bayerns letzte Kurfürstin (1776-1848). Regensburg: Pustet, 1997. ISBN 3-7917-1558-5.