Prince Louis, Count of Trani
Encyclopedia
Prince Louis Maria of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Trani (1 August 1838, Naples
– 8 June 1886, Paris
) was the eldest son of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies
and his second wife Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria
.
His maternal grandparents were Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
and Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg
. The Duke of Teschen was a son of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
and Maria Louisa of Spain.
. He was second-in-line to the throne of the Two Sicilies since the time of his birth.
Their father died on 22 May 1859. Francis became King but had no children yet from his wife Maria Sophie of Bavaria. Louis became his heir presumptive
. However the Two Sicilies were conquered by the Expedition of the Thousand
under Giuseppe Garibaldi
in 1861. Garibaldi served the Kingdom of Sardinia
which was in the process of Italian unification
.
Louis 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. Francis was eventually succeeded by their younger brother Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta
.
, the fourth daughter of Maximilian, Duke in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. Two of Mathilde's sisters were Elisabeth of Bavaria
, married to the Emperor of Austria, and Marie Sophie of Bavaria, wife of Louis's older half-brother Francis II of the Two Sicilies
. The marriage was unsuccessful almost from the start, and while Louis took refuge in alcohol, Mathilde spent most of her life traveling from place to place, often accompanied by her sisters.
Louis and Mathilde had a single daughter:
Princess Maria Teresa married Prince Wilhelm of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
on 27 June 1889 and later became the Princess of Hohenzollern when her father-in-law died in 1905. She had two sons and a daughter.
on 8 June 1886.
Some sources claim that Louis had in fact died in 1878: his mind clouded by alcohol and tortured by the knowledge that his life was ruined, he threw himself into Lake Zug, near Zürich
. These sources claim that it would have been scandalous if it had been revealed that the brother-in-law of the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria
had committed suicide.
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
– 8 June 1886, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
) was the eldest son of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand II was King of the Two Sicilies from 1830 until his death.-Family:Ferdinand was born in Palermo, the son of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies and his wife and first cousin Maria Isabella of Spain.His paternal grandparents were King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Queen Marie...
and his second wife Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa of Austria (1816-1867)
Maria Theresa of Austria was the second wife of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies.-Family:She was the eldest daughter of Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen and Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg....
.
His maternal grandparents were Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Archduke Charles of Austria, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian field-marshal, the third son of emperor Leopold II and his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain...
and Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg
Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg
Henrietta Alexandrine Friederike Wilhelmine of Nassau-Weilburg, then of Nassau was the wife of Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen...
. The Duke of Teschen was a son of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold II , born Peter Leopold Joseph Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard, was Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary and Bohemia from 1790 to 1792, Archduke of Austria and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790. He was a son of Emperor Francis I and his wife, Empress Maria Theresa...
and Maria Louisa of Spain.
Heir to the throne
Louis was a younger half-brother of Francis II of the Two SiciliesFrancis 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...
. He was second-in-line to the throne of the Two Sicilies since the time of his birth.
Their father died on 22 May 1859. Francis became King but had no children yet from his wife Maria Sophie of Bavaria. Louis became his heir presumptive
Heir 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...
. However the Two Sicilies were conquered by the Expedition of the Thousand
Expedition 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...
.
Louis 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. 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....
.
Marriage
On 5 June 1861, Louis married Duchess Mathilde Ludovika in BavariaDuchess Mathilde Ludovika in Bavaria
Mathilde Ludovika, Duchess in Bavaria was the fourth daughter of Maximilian, Duke in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria...
, the fourth daughter of Maximilian, Duke in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. Two of Mathilde's sisters were Elisabeth of 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...
, married to the Emperor of Austria, and Marie Sophie of Bavaria, wife of Louis's 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...
. The marriage was unsuccessful almost from the start, and while Louis took refuge in alcohol, Mathilde spent most of her life traveling from place to place, often accompanied by her sisters.
Louis and Mathilde 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, ZürichZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
- 1 May 1909, CannesCannesCannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
).
Princess Maria Teresa married Prince Wilhelm of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
Wilhelm, Prince of Hohenzollern
William, Prince of Hohenzollern was the eldest son of Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern and Infanta Antónia of Portugal. His maternal grandparents were Maria II of Portugal and her King consort Ferdinand II of Portugal.William was an older brother of Ferdinand I of Romania...
on 27 June 1889 and later became the Princess of Hohenzollern when her father-in-law died in 1905. She had two sons and a daughter.
Death
Louis died of heart disease in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on 8 June 1886.
Some sources claim that Louis had in fact died in 1878: his mind clouded by alcohol and tortured by the knowledge that his life was ruined, he threw himself into Lake Zug, near Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. These sources claim that it would have been scandalous if it had been revealed that the brother-in-law of the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
had committed suicide.
Titles and styles
- 1 August 1838 – 8 June 1886: His Royal Highness The Count of Trani
Honours
- Knight of the Order of Saint Januarius (1843)
- Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint GeorgeSacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint GeorgeThe Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George is a Roman Catholic order of chivalry. It was fictively established by Constantine the Great, though in reality it was founded between 1520 and 1545 by two brothers of the Angeli Comneni family. Members of the Angeli Comneni family remained...
(1843) - Knight of the Order of Saint Hubert of Bavaria