Archduke Maria Elisabeth of Austria, painted by Franz Altmutter.
Maria Elisabeth of Austria (Vienna, August 13, 1743 - Linz, September 22, 1808) was Archduke of Austria and Princess of Hungary. She was a descendant from the Habsburg-Lorraine House. Life
Maria Elisabeth was born as sixth child and fifth daughter of Emperor Frans I Stefanus of the Holy Roman Empire and Emperor Maria Theresia. After Elisabeth, five more daughters were born and four boys.
Among her brothers were the later emperors Joseph II and Leopold II. Among her sisters were the later queen of Naples, Maria Carolina, the Duchess of Parma, Maria Amalia and the Queen of France, Maria Antonia (better known as Marie Antoinette).
In her early life, Maria Elisabeth was seen as beautiful and some even found her the most beautiful daughter of Frans I and Maria Theresia. Even though she had a quirky character and sometimes a brutal mouth. The French king Louis XV, who became widower in 1768, regarded Maria Elisabeth as a marriage candidate for herself.
However, the chances of Maria Elisabeth becoming the new queen of France were destroyed by the pox in one blow. This disease caused serious injuries in her face, which meant that she was no longer considered suitable for marrying. Her older sister, Archduke Maria Anna, suffered the same fate a few years earlier.
Therefore, her mother decided to make her abdish of the Imperial and Royal Clown Community for Noble Women in Prague. Maria Elisabeth lived here from 1781 to 1805. In 1805 she was forced to leave Prague because of the approaching armies of Emperor Napoleon I of France. She returned to Vienna, and lived in Linz until her death.
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