Robert I, Duke of Parma
| Robert I | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Duke of Parma | |
| Reign | 27 March 1854 – 9 June 1859 |
| Predecessor | Charles III |
| Successor | Duchy disbanded |
| Regent | Louise Marie Thérèse d'Artois |
| Born |
9 July 1848 Florence, Tuscany |
| Died | 16 November 1907 (aged 59) Florence, Italy |
| Spouse |
Maria Pia of the Two Sicilies Maria Antonia of Portugal |
| Issue | 24 By Maria Pia of the Two Sicilies: Marie Louise, Princess of Bulgaria Prince Ferdinando (died in infancy) Princess Luisa Maria Henry, Duke of Parma Princess Maria Immacolata Joseph, Duke of Parma Princess Maria Theresa Princess Maria Pia Beatrice, Countess Lucchesi-Palli Elias, Duke of Parma Princess Maria Anastasia (died in infancy) Prince Augusto/Princess Augusta (stillborn) By Maria Antonia of Portugal: Princess Maria della Neve Adelaide Prince Sixtus Xavier, Duke of Parma Princess Francesca Zita, Empress of Austria Felix, Prince consort of Luxembourg Prince René Princess Maria Antonia Princess Isabella Prince Luigi Princess Henrietta Anna Prince Thomas/Gaetano |
| House | Bourbon-Parma |
| Father | Charles III, Duke of Parma |
| Mother | Louise Marie Thérèse d'Artois |
Robert I (Italian: Roberto I Carlo Luigi Maria di Borbone, Duca di Parma e Piacenza; 9 July 1848 – 16 November 1907) was the last sovereign Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1854 to 1859, when the duchy was annexed to Sardinia-Piedmont during the unification of Italy. He was a member of the House of Bourbon, descended from Philip, Duke of Parma the third son of King Philip V of Spain and Elizabeth Farnese.
Born in Florence, Robert was the son of Charles III, Duke of Parma and Louise Marie Thérèse d'Artois, daughter of Charles Ferdinand, duc de Berry and granddaughter of King Charles X of France. He succeeded his father to the ducal throne in 1854 upon the latter's assassination, when he was only six, while his mother stood as regent.
When Duke Robert was eleven years old he was deposed, as Piedmontese troops annexed other Italian states, ultimately to form the Kingdom of Italy.
Despite losing his throne, Robert and his family enjoyed considerable wealth, traveling in a private train of more than a dozen cars from his castles at Schwarzau am Steinfeld near Vienna, to Villa Pianore in northwest Italy, and the magnificent château de Chambord in France.
Less than four months after Duke Robert's death in 1907 the Grand Marshal of the Austrian court declared six of the children of his first marriage legally incompetent (they had learning difficulties), at the behest of his widow, Duchess Maria Antonia. Nonetheless, Robert's primary heir was Elias of Parma (1880–1959), the youngest son of his first marriage and the only one of his sons by that marriage to beget children of his own. Elias also became the legal guardian of his six elder siblings. Although the eldest half-brothers, Sixte and Xavier, eventually sued their half-brother Elias for trying to obtain a greater share of the ducal fortune, they lost in the French courts, leaving the issue of Robert's second marriage with modest prospects. Some of his younger sons served in the Austrian armed forces.
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