Maria Anna Josepha of Austria | |
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Electoral Princess of the Palatinate | |
Born | 30 December 1654 Regensburg |
Died | 14 April 1689 (aged 34) Vienna |
Spouse | John William, Elector Palatine |
House | House of Habsburg |
Father | Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor |
Mother | Eleonora Gonzaga |
Maria Anna Josepha of Austria (30 December 1654 – 14 April 1689), was a Duchess consort of Jülich-Berg and Electoral Princess of the Palatinate.
Born in Regensburg, she was the youngest surviving daughter of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor and his third wife Eleonora Gonzaga.
In Wiener Neustadt on 25 October 1678 Maria Anna married John William, Electoral Prince of the Palatinate and brother of Empress Eleonor Magdalene, third wife of Emperor Leopold I (Maria Anna's half-brother). The wedding ceremony was performed by Archbishop Leopold Karl von Kollonitsch, who that in memory of this event and the previous wedding of Maria Anna's sister Eleanor was in the main square of Wiener Neustadt build a Marian column. After the marriage, the Electoral Prince and Princess settled in Düsseldorf, where they led an elaborate royal household.
As a gift to the newlyweds, Philip William, Elector Palatine (John William's father) ceded to them the Duchies of Jülich and Berg in 1679. During her marriage, the Electoral Princess gave birth two children, but neither survive infancy:
Maria Anna died of tuberculosis during a visit to the imperial court in Vienna. She was buried in the Imperial Crypt.