Infanta Marie Anne of Portugal

Infanta Marie Anne of Portugal (Portuguese: Maria Ana; 13 July 1861 – 31 July 1942) was Grand Duchess of Luxembourg as the wife of Grand Duke Guillaume IV and the country's regent in the name of their daughter, Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde. She was a member of the House of Braganza.

Grand Duchess Marie Anne
Grand Duchess consort of Luxembourg
Tenure17 November 1905 – 25 February 1912
Regent of Luxembourg
Tenure19 November 1908 – 18 June 1912
Born(1861-07-13)13 July 1861
Bronnbach Castle, Wertheim am Main, Kingdom of Württemberg, German Confederation
Died31 July 1942(1942-07-31) (aged 81)
New York City, U.S.
Burial
Spouse
IssueMarie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg
Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg
Hilda, Princess of Schwarzenberg
Antonia, Crown Princess of Bavaria
Princess Elisabeth
Princess Sophie
HouseBraganza
FatherMiguel I of Portugal
MotherPrincess Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
ReligionRoman Catholicism

Family

Born at Schloss Bronnbach in Bronnbach, Wertheim am Main, Kingdom of Württemberg, Infanta Marie Anne (or Maria Ana) was the fifth child and second-youngest daughter of the deposed King Miguel of Portugal and his wife Princess Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg. As such, she would have normally been titled and styled from birth as an infanta of Portugal however the treason of her father stripped him and his future children of any Portuguese royal titles and styles . At the time of her birth, her father had been exiled, and the family lived as guests in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

In spite of their straitened circumstances, the daughters of Princess Adélaïde and Miguel made good marriages, some to reigning monarchs and deposed heads of Roman Catholic European dynasties.

Marriage and children

Before her marriage with William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, she was considered by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria as a suitable bride to his only son and heir, Crown Prince Rudolf, but Rudolf did not like her and she would remain single for the next years. Maria Ana was married on 21 June 1893 at Schloss Fischhorn, Zell am See, to the Protestant Wilhelm, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, the son and heir apparent of Adolf, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, head of the House of Nassau. It was agreed that the children would be raised in their mother's Catholic faith, the religion of the overwhelming majority of Luxembourg's population.

Grand Duchess Marie Anne with her daughters, August 1920.

The couple had six daughters.

Wilhelm IV became grand duke on the death of his father on 17 November 1905, and Marie Anne became grand duchess.

Because Wilhelm was the last agnate of the House of Nassau, he had Marie-Adelaide confirmed and proclaimed heir presumptive on 10 July 1907. Upon her father's death, she became the first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. Following her abdication on 14 January 1919, her sister Charlotte succeeded her on the throne.

Grand Duchess Marie Anne was regent for her husband during his terminal illness from 19 November 1908 to 15 February 1912, and then regent for her daughter, Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde, during her minority from 25 February 1912 to 18 June 1912.

Dowager Grand Duchess Marie Anne died in exile in New York on 31 July 1942, the family having fled Germany because of World War II.

See also

Ancestry

References

    Infanta Marie Anne of Portugal
    Cadet branch of the House of Aviz
    Born: 13 July 1861 Died: 31 July 1942
    Luxembourgish royalty
    Preceded by
    Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau
    Grand Duchess consort of Luxembourg
    1905–1912
    Vacant
    Title next held by
    Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma
    as prince consort
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