Princess Elizabeth of Saxony
Encyclopedia
Elisabeth of Saxony was a Princess of Saxony
who married the second son of the King of Sardinia
. She was the mother of Margherita, Queen of Italy
.
, capital of Saxony
, as daughter of King John of Saxony and his wife Amalie Auguste of Bavaria
. Her paternal grandparents were Prince Maximilian of Saxony and Carolina of Parma. Her maternal grandparents were King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and Karoline of Baden.
and Maria Theresa of Austria and Tuscany. Their marriage was a dynastic arrangement, and it was generally held to be loveless.
The couple had two children:
On 10 February 1855 her husband died in Turin, leaving Elizabeth a widow at the age of 25.
Before her first year of widowhood had ended, she remarried on 4 October 1856 with her chamberlain Niccolò, Marchese Rapallo. They married secretly, before her period of official mourning was over. This act so infuritated her brother-in-law Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
that he ordered her into virtual exile and disallowed her from seeing her two children. They were later reunited however.
In 1882, her second husband committed suicide. Court gossip had often hinted that their marriage was unhappy, and his suicide added fuel to these stories. Elisabeth had no children from her second marriage.
in 1910, which caused her health to quickly deteriorate. She died on 14 August 1912.
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
who married the second son of the King 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...
. She was the mother of Margherita, Queen of Italy
Margherita of Savoy
Margherita of Savoy , was the Queen consort of the Kingdom of Italy during the reign of her husband, Umberto I.-Family:...
.
Early life and family
She was born in DresdenDresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, capital of Saxony
Kingdom of Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony , lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. From 1871 it was part of the German Empire. It became a Free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War...
, as daughter of King John of Saxony and his wife Amalie Auguste of Bavaria
Amalie Auguste of Bavaria
Amalie Auguste was a Princess of Bavaria and Queen of Saxony.-Biography:Amalie was the fourth child of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his second wife Karoline of Baden. She was the identical twin sister of Elizabeth Louise, later Queen of Prussia as wife of Frederick William IV of Prussia...
. Her paternal grandparents were Prince Maximilian of Saxony and Carolina of Parma. Her maternal grandparents were King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and Karoline of Baden.
Marriages and issue
On 22 April 1850, she married, in Dresden Cathedral, Prince Ferdinand, 1st Duke of Genoa, second son of King Charles Albert of SardiniaCharles Albert of Sardinia
Charles Albert was the King of Piedmont-Sardinia from 1831 to 1849. He succeeded his distant cousin Charles Felix, and his name is bound with the first Italian statute and the First War of Independence...
and Maria Theresa of Austria and Tuscany. Their marriage was a dynastic arrangement, and it was generally held to be loveless.
The couple had two children:
| Name | |Death | Margherita of Savoy Margherita of Savoy Margherita of Savoy , was the Queen consort of the Kingdom of Italy during the reign of her husband, Umberto I.-Family:... | Palazzo Chiablese Palazzo Chiablese The Palazzo Chiablese is a building which is part of the Royal Palace of Turin, northern Italy. It was the successive home of the Duke of Chablais and then Carlo Felice, king of Sardinia and Ferdinando the Duke of Genoa. It is today the home of a cultural collection which honouring the history... , 1851 |
1926 | married Umberto I of Italy Umberto I of Italy Umberto I or Humbert I , nicknamed the Good , was the King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his death. He was deeply loathed in far-left circles, especially among anarchists, because of his conservatism and support of the Bava-Beccaris massacre in Milan... ; had issue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas, 2nd Duke of Genoa | 1854 | 1931 | married Princess Isabella of Bavaria Princess Isabella of Bavaria Princess Isabella Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria was the third child and eldest daughter of Prince Adalbert of Bavaria and his wife Infanta Amelia Philippina of Spain... ; had issue |
||
On 10 February 1855 her husband died in Turin, leaving Elizabeth a widow at the age of 25.
Before her first year of widowhood had ended, she remarried on 4 October 1856 with her chamberlain Niccolò, Marchese Rapallo. They married secretly, before her period of official mourning was over. This act so infuritated her brother-in-law Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
Victor Emanuel II was king of Sardinia from 1849 and, on 17 March 1861, he assumed the title King of Italy to become the first king of a united Italy since the 6th century, a title he held until his death in 1878...
that he ordered her into virtual exile and disallowed her from seeing her two children. They were later reunited however.
In 1882, her second husband committed suicide. Court gossip had often hinted that their marriage was unhappy, and his suicide added fuel to these stories. Elisabeth had no children from her second marriage.
Death
Elisabeth suffered an attack of apoplexyApoplexy
Apoplexy is a medical term, which can be used to describe 'bleeding' in a stroke . Without further specification, it is rather outdated in use. Today it is used only for specific conditions, such as pituitary apoplexy and ovarian apoplexy. In common speech, it is used non-medically to mean a state...
in 1910, which caused her health to quickly deteriorate. She died on 14 August 1912.
Titles and styles
- 4 February 1830 – 22 April 1850: Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth of Saxony
- 22 April 1850 – 10 February 1855: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Genoa
- 10 February 1855 – 4 October 1856: Her Royal Highness The Dowager Duchess of Genoa
- 4 October 1856 – 27 November 1882: Her Royal Highness The Marchioness Rapallo
- 27 November 1882 – 14 August 1912: Her Royal Highness The Dowager Marchioness Rapallo