Biography
She was the eldest daughter of Victor Emmanuel, Duke of Aosta and his wife Maria Teresa of Austria-Este. Her father became King of Sardinia unexpectedly in 1802 when Charles Emmanuel IV abdicated.
Her maternal grandparents were Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este and Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este. Ferdinand was the third son of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Theresa of Austria. Maria Beatrice was the eldest daughter of Ercole III d'Este and Maria Theresa, Princess of Carrara.
In December 1798, Maria Beatrice left Turin with her parents and uncles due to French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. They fled to Parma, then Florence. They finally settled at Sardinia, the last dominion held by Kingdom of Sardinia, for refuge. Maria Beatrice spent most of her time at Cagliari in later 13 years.
On 20 June 1812, Maria Beatrice married her maternal uncle Francis, Archduke of Austria-Este; the couple received a special dispensation for their marriage from Pope Pius VII. Maria Beatrice's husband became Francis IV, Duke of Modena, Reggio, and Mirandola on 14 July 1814, making Maria Beatrice Duchess of Modena. They were parents to four children:
- Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria-Este (14 July 1817 – 25 March 1886), married Henri, Count of Chambord.
- Francis V, Duke of Modena (1 June 1819 – 20 November 1875), married Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria.
- Ferdinand Karl Viktor, Archduke of Austria-Este (20 July 1821 – 15 December 1849), married Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria (daughter of Archduke Josef Anton of Austria and his third wife Duchess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg).
- Maria Beatrix, Archduchess of Austria-Este (13 February 1824 – 18 March 1906), married Juan, Count of Montizón.
The couple left Sardinia on 15 July 1813 for Zakynthos Island, and then sailed to Trieste off the east shore of Adriatic Sea, finally reached Vienna by land. On the invasion of Joachim Murat during The Hundred Days, they fled Modena until 15 May 1815.
Read more about this topic: Maria Beatrice Of Savoy
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