Princess Maria Immaculata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1844–1899)


Princess Maria Immaculata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies was fifth child and second-eldest daughter of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies and his wife Maria Theresa of Austria. Through her marriage to Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria, Maria Immaculata became an Austrian Archduchess.

Early life

Maria Immaculata was modest and reserved growing up and was jokingly called by her father "Petitta." Her mother, Maria Theresa, detested parties and court life and instead, she devoted herself to the care of her children and sewing. After the fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies during the Expedition of the Thousand, the royal family fled to Rome where they resided at the Quirinal Palace at the invitation of the Pope Pius IX.

Marriage and issue

Maria Immaculata married Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria, fifth child and second-eldest son of Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany and his wife Princess Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies, on 19 September 1861 in Rome. Maria Immaculata and Karl Salvator had ten children:
Maria Immaculata was known for her beauty. She was included in Empress Elisabeth of Austria's photo album of beautiful women. Because Maria Immaculata's husband gave her a pearl necklace each time she bore another child, Empress Elisabeth mockingly nicknamed the family "The Pearl Divers". Eventually, Empress Elisabeth's youngest daughter Archduchess Marie Valerie married Maria Immaculata's son Franz Salvator.

Ancestry