Maria Antonia of Naples And Sicily - Was She Poisoned By Her Mother-In-Law ?

Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily was born in caserta on December 14 1784. she was the youngest daughter of King faradin on the first of the two sicilies and his wife the arch Duchess Maria Carolina of Austria who was a daughter of Empress Maria Teresa and Francis the First Holy Roman Emperor Maria Antonia was named after her mother's favorite sister the unfortunate Queen Marie Antoinette of France she was described by contemporaries as a worthy granddaughter of Maria Teresa of Austria who seemed to have inherited Maria Teresa's character as well as her virtues furthermore Maria Antonia was a granddaughter of Charles III of Spain and Maria Amalia of Saxony as a consequence of the Treaty of amnia Charles IV of Spain agreed with his brother Ferdinand that a double marriage between Their Kingdoms should take place that of his son Ferdinand Prince of Asturias with Maria Antonia and that of his daughter theme Fanta Maria Isabella with a napolitan Heir Francis on October 4 1802 Maria Antonia married Ferdinand and at the same time her older brother Francis married Maria Isabella Maria Antonia's marriage was a means to two ends creating a solid alliance between Spain and Naples and she had to guarantee the birth of the future heir to the Spanish crown but the marriage was off to a bad start the brand new princess of Asturias was deeply disappointed with her husband who turned out to be rude and unattractive in appearance due to ferdinand's impotence caused by excessive development of his genitals it took almost a year before the couple consummate their marriage the union between Ferdinand and Maria Antonia produced no children Maria Antonia became pregnant twice once in 1804 and the second time in 1805 but both pregnancies ended in miscarriages Maria Antonia attempted to adjust to her life at the Spanish Court although she continued to complain about the control exercised over her by the queen of Spain Maria Louisa of Parma with time Maria Antonia's relationship with her mother-in-law deteriorated in the meantime Maria Luisa's Mother Maria Carolina of Austria had adopted a highly anti-french sentiment after the execution of her sister and brother-in-law Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI during the French Revolution seeing how the queen of Spain Maria Louisa of Parma and prime minister Manuel Godoy had a french-minded political Outlook Maria Antonia's mother asked Maria Antonia to persuade her husband to start opposing the politics of Manuel Godoy and of Queen Maria Louisa the reason that Maria Carolina wanted to get rid of Godoy word that she considered him a danger to the traditional monarchies and she viewed him as the main defender of the Spanish monarchy's alliance with France in addition the fall of Godoy would weaken the position of Queen Maria Louisa it was not very difficult for Maria Antonia to persuade her husband because she had no sympathy for Godoy nor were her relations with her mother-in-law very good this is how the so-called Neapolitan party arose at the Madrid Court around the princess of Asturias this Neapolitan party began to launch all kinds of Insidious attacks against Godoy and against Queen Maria Louisa while Maria Carolina was busy slandering them throughout Europe godoy's reaction was Swift and decisive in September 1805 he ordered the expulsion from the court of several Nobles from the antu rash of the princess of Asturias the definitive blow was dealt by Godoy months later when he expelled the ambassador of Naples and his wife from Spain shortly after the kingdom of Naples was conquered by Napoleon Maria Carolina of Austria was dethroned at the end of December 1805 and so the main political support of the princess of Asturias disappeared in the four years Maria Antonia spent at a Spanish court she was barely portrayed in and even less praised by the press nothing comparable to the prominence that her mother-in-law Maria Luisa had received when she was still princess of Asturias the poor Spanish Napoleon relations and the progressive estrangement between Ferdinand and his parents certainly did not help this lack of regard that Maria Antonia was treated with the animosity between Maria Antonia and queen Maria Louisa and Godoy did not last long as the frail princess's Health was undermined by tuberculosis and she died on May 21 1806 in the Royal Palace at arang Huez there were rumors that the princess had been poisoned by Queen Maria Louisa but no credible facts were presented to confirm this although Maria Antonia's mother believed Maria Luisa was guilty until her final breath after Maria Antonia's death Ferdinand VII married three more times to Maria Isabella of Portugal who died in 1818 Maria Joseph Amalia of Saxony who died in 1829 and Maria Cristina of the two sicilies who outlived Ferdinand by 45 years Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily was buried in the Royal tomb in the monastery of el escorial in the pantheon of the infantes her Epitaph reads whom God has loved he has quickly delivered from life thank you for watching

Channel: The Kings of France

Views: 6,180

Keywords: Maria Antonia Of Naples And Sicily, Ferdinand I Of The Two Silicies, maria Carolina Of Austria, maria theresa of austria, Francis I Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Empire, Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI Of France, Charles III Of Spain, Maria Amalia Of Saxony, Ferdinand VII Of Spain, Maria Louisa Of Parma, Spanish Bourbon, Manual Godoy, French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte, Prince Of Asturias, Princess Of Asturias, Maria Isabella Of Portugal, Maria Christina Of The Two Silicies

Id: 4DgpdrpUrLs

Length: 6min 23sec (383 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 11 2023