Duchess Mathilde Ludovika in Bavaria
Encyclopedia
Mathilde Ludovika, Duchess in Bavaria (30 September 1843 – 18 June 1925) was the fourth daughter of Maximilian, Duke in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. Her mother was the youngest daughter King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria by his second wife Margravine Karoline of Baden.
, Mathilde was a younger sister of (among others) Duke Karl-Theodor in Bavaria
, Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria
and Duchess Marie Sophie in Bavaria. She was an older sister of (among others) Duchess Sophie in Bavaria.
to his older half-brother Francis II of the Two Sicilies
. Francis was married to her older sister Marie Sophie. The bride was seventeen years old and the groom was twenty-two. They had a single daughter:
under Giuseppe Garibaldi
in 1861. Garibaldi served the Kingdom of Sardinia
which was in the process of Italian unification
.
Lodovico was still the heir of Francis as head of a deposed Royal House. He retained this position for the rest of his life but predeceased Francis on 8 June 1886. Francis was eventually succeeded by their younger brother Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta
. Mathilde survived her husband by thirty-nine years but never remarried.
Early life
Born and raised at Possenhofen CastlePossenhofen Castle
Possenhofen Castle is located in the town of Possenhofen on the western shore of Lake Starnberg in Bavaria, Germany.-History:The castle was built in 1536 by Jakob Rosenbusch, was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War, then rebuilt...
, Mathilde was a younger sister of (among others) Duke Karl-Theodor in Bavaria
Duke Karl-Theodor in Bavaria
Duke Karl-Theodor in Bavaria was a member of the House of Wittelsbach and a well-known ophthalmologist. He was the brother of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria.-Life:...
, Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria
Elisabeth of Bavaria
Elisabeth of Austria was the spouse of Franz Joseph I, and therefore both Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. She also held the titles of Queen of Bohemia and Croatia, among others...
and Duchess Marie Sophie in Bavaria. She was an older sister of (among others) Duchess Sophie in Bavaria.
Marriage & Family
On 5 June 1861, Mathilde married Lodovico, Count of Trani. He was Heir PresumptiveHeir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
to his older half-brother Francis II of the Two Sicilies
Francis II of the Two Sicilies
Francis II , was King of the Two Sicilies from 1859 to 1861. He was the last King of the Two Sicilies, as successive invasions by Giuseppe Garibaldi and Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia ultimately brought an end to his rule, and marked the first major event of Italian unification...
. Francis was married to her older sister Marie Sophie. The bride was seventeen years old and the groom was twenty-two. They had a single daughter:
- Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Two SiciliesPrincess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Two SiciliesPrincess Maria Teresa Maddalena of Bourbon-Two Sicilies was the only child of Prince Louis of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Trani and his wife Duchess Mathilde...
(15 January 1867 - 1 May 1909). She married Prince Wilhelm of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.
Two Sicilies Revolution
However the Two Sicilies were conquered by the Expedition of the ThousandExpedition of the Thousand
The Expedition of the Thousand was a military campaign led by the revolutionary general Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1860. A force of volunteers defeated the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, leading to its dissolution and annexation by the Kingdom of Sardinia, an important step in the creation of a newly...
under Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and...
in 1861. Garibaldi served the Kingdom of Sardinia
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...
which was in the process of Italian unification
Italian unification
Italian unification was the political and social movement that agglomerated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy in the 19th century...
.
Lodovico was still the heir of Francis as head of a deposed Royal House. He retained this position for the rest of his life but predeceased Francis on 8 June 1886. Francis was eventually succeeded by their younger brother Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta
Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta
Prince Alfonso Maria Giuseppe Alberto of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta was the third son of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies and Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria....
. Mathilde survived her husband by thirty-nine years but never remarried.
Titles and styles
- 30 September 1843 – 5 June 1861: Her Royal Highness Duchess Mathilde Ludovika in Bavaria
- 5 June 1861 – 8 June 1886: Her Royal Highness The Countess of Trani, Princess of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duchess in Bavaria
- 8 June 1886 – 18 June 1925: Her Royal Highness The Dowager Countess of Trani, Princess of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duchess in Bavaria