Maria Kunigunde of Saxony
| Maria Kunigunde of Saxony | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Maria Kunigunde by Unknown artist.
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| Born |
10 November 1740 Warsaw, Poland |
| Died | 8 April 1826 (aged 85) Dresden, Saxony |
| Burial | Katholische Hofkirche |
| House | Wettin |
| Father | Augustus III of Poland |
| Mother | Maria Josepha of Austria |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Signature |  |
Maria Kunigunde Dorothea Hedwig Franziska Xaveria Florentina of Saxony (10 November 1740 in Warsaw – 8 April 1826 in Dresden) was a German noblewoman. She was a titular Princess of Poland, Lithuania and Saxony of the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin. She was a member of the Order of the Starry Cross and a collegiate lady in the abbey at Münsterbilzen. Later, she became Princess-Abbess of Essen and Thorn.
She was the 15th and youngest child of King Augustus III of Poland (1696-1763), who was also Elector of Saxony as Frederick August II, and his wife Maria Josepha of Austria. Her father liked hunting, often went to the opera, kept an extensive art collection, and showed a great sense of family. However, he neglected his daily government duties and left them to his first ministers Count Heinrich von Brühl and Count Aleksander Józef Sułkowski. Her parents placed great emphasis on the education of all their children. Maria Kunigunde was taught Polish, Latin, French, English, philosophy, geography, religion, drawing, music and dance. As a young girl, she took part in operas and Singspiele performed at court in Dresden. She sang the title rôle in the opera Leucippo by Johann Adolph Hasse.
As a daughter of a ruling family, she was destined to marry a prince to strengthen the political relations of the House of Wettin. The candidate her father considered was Archduke Joseph of Austria (1741-1790), who later became Emperor as Joseph II. His first wife, Isabella of Bourbon-Parma (1741-1763) had died without producing an heir and his mother, Maria Theresa (1717-1780) pressured him to remarry and produce an heir. Joseph considered marrying Isabella's younger sister Maria Louisa (1751-1819); however, she was already engaged to the Spanish heir apparent and later King Charles IV (1748-1819). Joseph asked Charles' father Charles III to break off this engagement, but Charles III refused. The Empress and her chancellor then asked him to choose a princess from Bavaria or Saxony. In 1764, he left Vienna to meet potential brides.
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