Claudia Felicitas of Austria
Encyclopedia
Archduchess Claudia Felicitas of Austria (30 May 1653 – 8 April 1676) was the eldest daughter of Archduke Ferdinand Charles of Austria
, and his wife Anna de' Medici
. She was Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, Archduchess of Austria, German Queen, Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia as the spouse of Leopold I
.
at the court of her mother Anna de' Medici. She was their eldest daughter and only child to survive into adulthood. The failure of her parents to produce male heirs meant that her father's brother Sigismund Francis succeeded to Tyrol and Further Austria upon Ferdinand Charles' death in 1662.
Her maternal grandparents were Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
and Maria Magdalena of Austria
.
died in 1673, many among the court expected the Emperor Leopold I
to find another spouse. He was the last of the male Habsburgs, besides the sickly King Charles II of Spain
and thus was in dire need of a male heir. Leopold deeply mourned his first wife, but was obligated to seek another six months later. Claudia was chosen, and she became his second wife on 15 October 1673, in Graz
. She was young, attractive, and apparently aware of the great status it implied. Leopold lamented that she was "not like my only Margareta".
Claudia bore Leopold two children:
Both her children died young. Claudia Felicitas herself died shortly thereafter in Vienna
, where she is buried in the Capuchin monastery. Leopold remarried later that year to Eleonor Magdalene of the Palatinate-Neuburg.
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Archduke Ferdinand Charles of Austria
Ferdinand Charles was the Archduke of Further Austria, including Tyrol, from 1646 to 1662.As the son of Archduke Leopold V and Claudia de' Medici, he took over his mother's governatorial duties when he came of age in 1646. To finance his extravagant living style, he sold goods and entitlements...
, and his wife Anna de' Medici
Anna de' Medici (1616–1676)
Anna de' Medici was a daughter of Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and his wife Maria Maddalena of Austria. A patron of the arts, she married Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Further Austria in 1646...
. She was Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, Archduchess of Austria, German Queen, Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia as the spouse of Leopold I
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
.
Family and early life
Claudia Felicitas was born in FlorenceFlorence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
at the court of her mother Anna de' Medici. She was their eldest daughter and only child to survive into adulthood. The failure of her parents to produce male heirs meant that her father's brother Sigismund Francis succeeded to Tyrol and Further Austria upon Ferdinand Charles' death in 1662.
Her maternal grandparents were Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Cosimo II de' Medici was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1609 until 1621. He was the elder son of the then incumbent Grand Duke and Christina of Lorraine. He married Maria Magdalena of Austria, and had eight children....
and Maria Magdalena of Austria
Maria Magdalena of Austria (+1631)
Maria Maddalena of Austria was Grand Duchess of Tuscany from her husband's accession in 1609 until his death in 1621. With him, she had eight children, including a duchess of Parma, a grand duke of Tuscany, and an archduchess of Further Austria...
.
Marriage and children
After his first wife Margaret Theresa of SpainMargaret Theresa of Spain
Margaret Theresa of Spain was Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Archduchess consort of Austria, Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia. She was the daughter of King Philip IV of Spain and his second wife Mariana of Austria...
died in 1673, many among the court expected the Emperor Leopold I
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
to find another spouse. He was the last of the male Habsburgs, besides the sickly King Charles II of Spain
Charles II of Spain
Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain and the ruler of large parts of Italy, the Spanish territories in the Southern Low Countries, and Spain's overseas Empire, stretching from the Americas to the Spanish East Indies...
and thus was in dire need of a male heir. Leopold deeply mourned his first wife, but was obligated to seek another six months later. Claudia was chosen, and she became his second wife on 15 October 1673, in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
. She was young, attractive, and apparently aware of the great status it implied. Leopold lamented that she was "not like my only Margareta".
Claudia bore Leopold two children:
- Anna Maria Sophia (11 September 1674 - 21 December 1674).
- Maria Josepha (11 October 1675 - 11 July 1676).
Both her children died young. Claudia Felicitas herself died shortly thereafter in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, where she is buried in the Capuchin monastery. Leopold remarried later that year to Eleonor Magdalene of the Palatinate-Neuburg.
Ancestors
External links
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