Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal
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Infanta Maria Antónia of Portugal (or of Beja or Braganza); full name: Maria Antónia Adelaide Camila Carolina Eulália Leopoldina Sofia Inês Francisca de Assis e de Paula Micaela Rafaela Gabriela Gonzaga Gregória Bernardina Benedita Andrea of Braganza; Bronnbach, November 28, 1862 – Schloss Colmar-Berg, 14 May 1959) was a Portuguese infanta, the seventh and last child of Miguel I of Portugal and Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg. She was born in exile in Germany as her father had been banished from Portugal by his brother Pedro after losing the Portuguese throne in the Liberal Wars.
On October 15, 1884 at Schloss Fischorn, Maria Antonia married Robert I, Duke of Parma as his second wife. She bore him twelve children:
[edit] Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princess Maria della Neve Adelaide | August 5, 1885 | February 6, 1959 | A Benedictine nun in the Monastery of Solesmes (France). |
| Prince Sixtus (Sisto, "Sixte") | August 1, 1886 | March 14, 1934 | Married Hedwige de La Rochefoucauld and had a daughter, Isabelle. |
| Prince Xavier, Duke of Parma | May 25, 1889 | May 7, 1977 | Married Madeleine de Bourbon-Busset and had issue. Head of the Ducal Family of Parma (1974-77). Carlist pretender to the throne of Spain. |
| Princess Francesca | April 22, 1890 | October 7, 1978 | A Benedictine nun at the Monastery of Solesmes. |
| Princess Zita | May 9, 1892 | March 14, 1989 | Married Emperor Karl of Austria. |
| Prince Felix | October 28, 1893 | April 8, 1970 | Married Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, his first cousin (their mothers were sisters). |
| Prince René | October 17, 1894 | July 30, 1962 | Married Princess Margrethe of Denmark and has issue. |
| Princess Maria Antonia | November 7, 1895 | October 19, 1937 | A nun at the Benedictine Monastery of Solesmes (France). |
| Princess Isabella | June 14, 1898 | July 28, 1984 | Died unmarried, was a nun. |
| Prince Louis (Luigi) | December 5, 1899 | December 4, 1967 | Married Princess Maria Francesca of Savoy and had issue. |
| Princess Henrietta Anna | March 8, 1903 | June 13, 1987 | Died unmarried, was profoundly deaf and thumb |
| Prince Thomas (Gaetano was used) | June 11, 1905 | March 9, 1958 | Married Princess Margarete of Thurn and Taxis. They had a daughter, Diana and later divorced. |
Maria Antonia was widowed when Robert died at Villa Pianore on November 16, 1907. Later on she resided with her daughter Zita while in exile. By 1940, Zita and her family, Maria Antonia and her daughter Isabella were living in reduced circumstances in Quebec. Eventually, after the War's end, Maria Antonia moved to Castle Berg, Luxembourg where she celebrated her 90th birthday. After lingering for many years, she died there in 1959 aged 96. Many of her children and grandchildren have also lived very long lives.
