Archduke and Archduchess Rainer of Austria, who are both in their 80s, have adopted their niece and designated her as their heir. The Duchess of della Grazia will inherit "all of their immense wealth, including one of the stateliest palaces in Vienna and chateaux and castles scattered all off the ducal empire," reports the Marquise de Fontenoy.
The Duchess della Grazia is the daughter of Archduke Rainer's younger brother, Heinrich, who contracted a morganatic marriage in 1868 with Leopoldine Hoffman. Four years later, Leopoldine gave birth to the couple's only child, a daughter, Maria Raineria. In 1878, Emperor Franz Josef created the title Baroness von Waideck for Leopoldine and her daughter.
On July 26, 1892, Maria Raineria married Don Enrico Count Lucchesi-Palli, Prince di Campofranco. Five days before the wedding, Franz Joseph created Maria Raineria as Countess von Waideck. Don Enrico succeeded as the Duke of della Grazia on the death of his father, Adinolfo, on February 4.
The late duke's mother, Princess Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, was first married to the Duke of Berry, son of Charles X of France. The Duke of Berry was murdered at the Opera in Paris in 1820, and several months later, the duchess gave birth posthumously to a son. In 1830, during the July Revolution, Charles abdicated in favor of his nephew, who reigned for twenty-four hours as Henri V, before he and his mother and grandmother, were compelled to leave the country. The young Duke of Bordeaux, who was later known as the Count of Chambord, lived for many years at Frohsdorff in Austria.
In 1833, the Duchess of Berry led a foolhardy and mismanaged insurrection against King Louis-Philippe. She was caught and held captive at the Chateau of Blaye, where she gave birth to a daughter, Anna Maria. The infant girl lived for only a few months and died at Livorno on August 19.
Not long after giving birth to Anna Maria, the duchess revealed that she had contracted a secret marriage on December 14, 1831, with her chamberlain, Count Ettore Lucchessi-Palli, later Duke della Grazia. The marriage was performed by a Jesuit priest, and the nuptial mass was "solemnized by Cardinal de Rohan." The records of the marriage are preserved in the Vatican's archives, although many Royalists and Republicans have tried to deny the existence of this marriage.
After hearing about the duchess giving birth to her daughter, Royalists "abandoned her cause," and former King Charles X, as head of the house, "deprived her of the care and guardianship" of her son, Henri, as "punishment of her grave political indiscretion."
After her release from confinement, the Duchess of Berry went to Naples and then to Venice to live with her husband, who had become the Prince of Campofranco and the Duke della Grazia. She and her husband would have four more children, a son, Adinolfo, and three daughters.
Adinolfo and his wife, Donna Lucrezia Ruffo, maintained homes in Brunnsee, in the Austrian province of Styria, and the "lovely Vendrami palace" in Venice. All but one of their children have married into noble or royal families. Donna Blanca's husband is Georg Altgraf zu Salm-Reifferscheidt. Don Carlo has been married twice. His first wife, Countess Sidonie von Fünfkirchen, died in 1902. Nearly five years later, he married Princess Henriette of Salm-Salm. The youngest son, Pietro, is married to Princess Beatrice of Bourbon-Parma, daughter of Duke Roberto of Parma. The two youngest daughters, Caroline, who died in 1905) and Gabriella, married Count Rudolf von Enzenberg zum Freyen und Jöchelsthurm, and Count Giralamo Brandolini d'Adda, respectively.
Archduke Heinrich married Leopoldine Hoffmann, an actress, in defiance of Franz Joseph. They lived for the first nineteen years of their marriage abroad, mostly in Switzerland. It was through the intercession of Empress Elisabeth that a "complete reconciliation" took place. Franz Joseph invited Heinrich and Leopoldine and their daughter to visit him in Vienna. After taking up residence in the Hotel Sacher, the archduke "immediately called upon the emperor, who restored all of his honors and dignitaries."
The meeting between the two cousins "was most affectionate," but it was their last meeting. The following morning, Archduke Heinrich "was seized with a violent attack of illness." His wife also became ill. Their illnesses were probably caused by ptomaine poisoning. Leopoldine died the following day, and Heinrich succumbed a day later. He had not been told of his wife's death.
Eighteen-year-old Marie was now an orphan, and alone at the Hotel Sacher.
After years of banishment, the family's situation was looking up, and now young Marie was mourning the deaths of both her parents.
Heinrich's brother, Archduke Rainer, and his wife, Maria Christina, came at once to the hotel and "took charge of their niece, giving her a home," and "adopting her as their own children. She also received a settlement of a "large sum of money" from the emperor. Two years later, with the consent of Emperor Franz Joseph and of her adoptive parents, she married Count Enrico Lucchesi-Palli. Since their marriage, the couple, who have one daughter, Donna Maria Renata, live at Bozen, in a chateau owned by Archduke Rainer. They have also taken possession of the late Duke of della Grazia's schloss in Brunnsee and his palace in Venice.
[Note: Heinrich and Leopoldine were in Vienna to attend the wedding of Archduchess Luise to the Crown Prince of Saxony. It appears more likely that the couple died as a result of an influenza epidemic raging through Central Europe.
Two of Heinrich's brothers, Ernst and Sigismund, both of who were staying at Archduke Rainer's palace in Vienna, became ill with influenza. Sigismund died in mid-December. Ernst recovered. Several other members of the Habsburg family also became ill. Archduchess Marie Valerie, the youngest daughter of the Emperor, and her husband were reported to be sidelined with influenza. Marie Valerie was expecting a child at the time. In January, Archduke Karl Salvator also died as a result of influenza.]
Thank you, Marlene for this very interesting royal history article.
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