Maria Louise of Austria

After the war of 1809, Napoleon, divorcing Josephine Beauharnais , chose Marie-Louise as his wife, and on April 1, 1810 they were married by Cardinal Fesch in Paris . The festivities that accompanied the marriage ended in a terrible fire at a ball at the Austrian envoy Schwarzenberg .

In 1811, the son of Napoleon was born to Maria Louise, to whom the emperor gave the title of Roman king .

In 1812, Marie-Louise accompanied Napoleon to Dresden at the congress of monarchs. While the emperor fought in Russia, she remained regent in Paris; maintained the regency in 1813-1814. Before the capture of Paris in 1814, the empress and her son moved to Blois . After the abdication of Napoleon, they lived in Schönbrunn . According to the historian Andre Castello, in the book “The Son of Napoleon”, after breaking up with the emperor, she paid less and less attention to raising her son, seeing him as his father. Later, she completely pulled away from communication with him, escaping with rare letters from Parma to Vienna.

Austrian general Earl Adam Albert von Neipperg , who became her favorite even before Napoleon's death, was appointed her chief marshal . In 1817, she gave birth to a girl from him, and in 1819 - a boy (the data are also given by Andre Castello). The birth of illegitimate children for a long time hid even from the Austrian emperor, the father of Maria Louise. Napoleon died in 1821, and only then was Marie-Louise able to enter into an organic marriage with Neipperg on August 8, 1821 .

In 1816, Marie-Louise assumed control of Parma, Piacenza and Gvastalloy , given to her with the title of Imperial Majesty under the agreement in Fontainebleau . Having moved to Parma, she acquired there a personal courtyard and countless favorites. After the death of the Count of Neipperg ( February 22, 1829 ), Marie-Louise entered into another morganatic marriage with the Count Karl-Rene de Bombel ( February 17, 1834 ). During her reign, bridges, hospitals and schools were built in Parma. The construction of the theater has begun, which the residents of the city are still proud of. Maria Louise remained the most beloved ruler of the small duchy.

The former Empress of France died on December 17, 1847, having survived her first husband for 26 years.

• de: Franz Herre . Marie Louise - Napoleon war ihr Schicksal. Köln , 1996.
• Gigi Beutler Die Kaisergruft. Wien , 1992.
• Andre Castello . Son of Napoleon. Paris , 1967.

• Marie-Louise, wife of Napoleon I // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.