Archduchess Maria Anna Josepha of Austria


Maria Anna Josepha of Austria, 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.

Life

In Wiener Neustadt on 25 October 1678 Maria Anna married Johann Wilhelm, Electoral Prince of the Palatinate and brother of Empress Eleonor Magdalene, third wife of Emperor Leopold I. 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, ceded to them the Duchies of Jülich and Berg in 1679.
During her marriage, the Electoral Princess gave birth to two children, but neither survived infancy:
Maria Anna died of tuberculosis during a visit to the imperial court in Vienna. She was buried in the Imperial Crypt.

Ancestry