Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria (1740–1741)
| Archduchess Maria Carolina | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Extract from a portrait of Martin van Meytens, who represented the three daughters of Maria Theresa who died in infancy | |||||
| Born |
12 January 1740 Vienna, Austria | ||||
| Died |
25 January 1741 (aged 1) Vienna, Austria | ||||
| Burial | Imperial Crypt, Vienna | ||||
| |||||
| Father | Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor | ||||
| Mother | Maria Theresa of Austria | ||||
Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria (full German name: Maria Carolina Ernestina Antonia Johanna Josefa; 12 January 1740 – 25 January 1741) was the third child and daughter of Maria Theresa, later Queen of Hungary and Bohemia. Her father was Duke Francis of Lorraine, later Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor.
Life
Maria Carolina was born on 12 January 1740 at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. Her gender was a disappointment because hope for the third pregnancy of this couple was for a male heir to the Habsburg realms.
She was baptized the same day of her birth. Eight months later, on 20 October 1740, her grandfather Emperor Charles VI died and her mother inherited the Austrian and Bohemian lands, and with this began the War of the Austrian Succession.
The Archduchess suddenly became gravely ill on 24 January 1741 and died the next day. It appears she died of smallpox, however, the autopsy of the girl couldn't establish the exact cause of her death. She was buried in the Imperial Crypt, Vienna.
References
- Elfriede Iby, "Marie-Thérèse, biographie d'une souveraine".