Elias, Duke of Parma

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Elias, Duke of Parma and Piacenza (Italian: Elias, Duca di Parma e Piacenza; July 23, 1880 - June 27, 1959) was the head of the House of Bourbon-Parma and the titular duke of Parma from 1950 to 1959. From 1907 to 1950 he served as regent for the claims of his two older disabled brothers.

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[edit] Early life

Elias was born at Biarritz, the youngest son of the deposed Duke Robert I of Parma and his first wife Princess Maria Pia of the Two Sicilies (daughter of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies).

Despite the loss of his throne, Robert and his family enjoyed considerable wealth. They owned castles at Schwarzau am Steinfelde near Vienna in Austria, Villa Pianore near Viareggio in Italy, and the magnificent château de Chambord in France.

[edit] Marriage and family

On May 25, 1903 at Vienna, Elias married Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (1882-1940), daughter of Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen and a niece of Queen Maria Cristina of Spain. Elias and Maria Anna had eight children:

  • Princess Elisabetta (1904-1983); she died unmarried.
  • Princess Maria Francesca (1906-1994); she died unmarried.
  • Prince Francesco (1913-1939); he died unmarried.
  • Princess Giovanna (1916-1949); she never married and was killed in a shooting accident in La Toledana, Spain.
  • Princess Maria Cristina (born 1925); she is unmarried.

[edit] Regent for his brothers

In 1907 Elias' father Robert died and was succeeded in his claims as Duke of Parma by his son Enrico who was mentally disabled. Less than four months later the Grand Marshal of the Austrian court declared Enrico and five of his siblings legally incompetent. Elias became regent for Enrico's claims and guardian for his disabled siblings.

In 1907 Elias was made a knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece by the Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria.

In 1910 Elias came to an agreement with his half-siblings, his father's children by his second wife, about the division of their father's estate. Elias was to have half of the estate in order to support his rank as head of the family; this half included the château de Chambord.

In 1915 Chambord was sequestered by the French government as alien property, since Elias held a commission in the Austrian Army.[1] Liquidation proceedings were started in 1919 in application of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, which gave the Allies the right to keep such property. Elias' half-brothers, Sixtus and Xavier took Elias to court to obtain a greater share of their father's estate. They claimed that the 1910 family agreement violated the French law which mandated equal division between siblings. In 1925 the French courts determined that Sixtus and Xavier should have a larger share, but in 1928 this judgement was overturned on appeal. In 1932 the court of cassation upheld the appeal on the grounds that there was a valid agreement between the siblings to an unequal division. Elias' rights to the château de Chambord were thereby recognised - but the wartime confiscation was upheld and Elias was financially compensated with 11 million francs.

In 1939 Enrico died and was succeeded in his claims as Duke of Parma by his brother Giuseppe who also was mentally disabled. Elias continued to act as regent.

In 1950 Giuseppe died and Elias succeeded as Duke of Parma.

Elias died at Friedberg, Styria in 1959. He and his wife are buried in the nearby village of Mönichkirchen.

[edit] Ancestry

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "Demands Seizure of Bourbon Estate", The New York Times (April 21, 1915): 1; "France Takes Chambord", The New York Times (April 25, 1915): 3.
Elias, Duke of Parma
Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty
Born: 23 July 1880 Died: 27 June 1959
Titles in pretence
Preceded by
Joseph		 — TITULAR —
Duke of Parma
1950-1959
Reason for succession failure:
Annexed by Kingdom of Sardinia		 Succeeded by
Robert II
— TITULAR —
King of Etruria
1950-1959