Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily
| Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily | |||||
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| Queen consort of the French | |||||
| Tenure | 9 August 1830 – 24 February 1848 | ||||
| Born |
26 April 1782 Caserta Palace, Naples |
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| Died | 24 March 1866 (aged 83) Claremont House, Surrey, England |
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| Burial | Royal Chapel, Dreux, France | ||||
| Spouse | Louis Philippe I | ||||
| Issue |
Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans Louise, Queen of the Belgians Marie, Duchess Alexander of Württemberg Louis, Duke of Nemours Princess Françoise Clémentine, Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha François, Prince of Joinville Charles, Duke of Penthièvre Henri, Duke of Aumale Antoine, Duke of Montpensier |
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| House | Bourbon-Two Sicilies | ||||
| Father | Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies | ||||
| Mother | Maria Carolina of Austria | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | ||||
| Signature |  |
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| Full name | |
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| Italian: Maria Amalia Teresa di Borbone |
Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily (Maria Amalia Teresa; 26 April 1782 – 24 March 1866) was a French queen and the wife of Louis Philippe I, King of the French.
Maria Amalia was born on 26 April 1782 at the Caserta Palace just outside Naples. She was the seventh of nine children of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Maria Carolina of Austria.
As a young Italian princess, she was educated in the Catholic tradition, which she appears to have taken to heart. Maria Carolina, like her mother, Maria Theresa, made an effort to be a part of her daughter's life, though she was cared for daily by her governess, Vicenza Rizzi. As a child, Maria Amalia's mother and her aunt, Marie Antoinette, arranged for her engagement to Marie Antoinette's son, Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France, the future king of France. Her young fiance died in 1789.
Maria Amelia faced chaos and upheaval from a young age. The death of her aunt Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution and her mother's subsequent dramatic actions emblazoned the event in her memory. During the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, the Neapolitan court was not hostile to the movement. When the French monarchy was abolished and her aunt Marie Antoinette and uncle Louis XVI were executed, Maria Amelia's parents joined the First Coalition against France in 1793. Although peace was made with France in 1796, by 1798 conflict again erupted and the royal family fled to the Kingdom of Sicily, leaving Naples on 21 December 1798 aboard the HMS Vanguard, a British Royal Navy vessel protected by two Neapolitan warships. Maria Amelia spent the years 1800 to 1802 with her mother in Austria. In 1802, she finally returned to Naples with her mother. After the invasion of Naples by Napoleon in 1806, the royal family was once more forced to flee to Sicily, where they again settled in Palermo under the protection of British troops.
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Wikipedia