Duchess Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria

Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria
Princess Rupprecht of Bavaria

Duchess Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria, photograph taken circa 1900
Spouse Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria
Issue Prince Luitpold of Bavaria
Princess Irmingard of Bavaria
Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria
Prince Rudolf of Bavaria
Full name
German: Marie Gabrielle Mathilde Isabelle Therese Antoinette Sabine Herzogin in Bayern
House House of Wittelsbach
Father Duke Karl-Theodor in Bavaria
Mother Infanta Maria Josepha of Portugal
Born 9 October 1878
Tegernsee, Bavaria
Died 24 October 1912 (aged 34)
Sorrento, Italy
Burial Theatine Church, Munich

Duchess Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria (German: Marie Gabrielle Mathilde Isabelle Therese Antoinette Sabine Herzogin in Bayern; October 9, 1878 in Tegernsee, Bavaria – October 24, 1912 in Sorrento, Italy).[1]

Biography

Family

Her parents were Duke Karl-Theodor in Bavaria, kinsman to the Kings of Bavaria and world renowned ophthalmologist, and his second wife, Princess Maria José of Bragança, a daughter of King Miguel I, exiled monarch of Portugal. Her paternal aunt was Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sissi) and one of her sisters was Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians, consort of Albert I.

Marriage

On 10 July 1900 in Munich, Marie Gabrielle married her second cousin once-removed, Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria.[1] He was the eldest son of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (later Prince Regent and King of Bavaria) and Maria Theresia of Austria-Este. The wedding was attended by Prince Joachim of Prussia, representing his father Emperor Wilhelm II.[1] After their marriage, the couple settled down in Bamberg, Bavaria, where Rupprecht was head of an army corps.[2] Their two eldest children were born there.[2]

The couple traveled a great deal. For example, they journeyed to Japan and returned by way of the United States in 1903.[3] The trip to Japan was scientific in nature, and the couple were accompanied by a renowned professor from the University of Munich.[2] Marie Gabrielle wrote home quite enthusiastically about their journey. Like her parents, she was a great lover of science and nature, as well as poetry and music.[2]

While in Japan, Marie Gabrielle became seriously ill.[4] Upon their return to Bavaria, she underwent surgery for appendicitis. She made a full recovery.[4]

Bavarian succession

Rupprecht's grandfather, Luitpold, had become de facto ruler of Bavaria when King Ludwig II and his successor King Otto I both were declared insane in 1886. The constitution of Bavaria was amended on November 4, 1913 to include a clause specifying that if a regency by reason of incapacity lasted at least ten years, with no expectation that the King would ever be able to reign, the Regent could proclaim the end of the regency and assume the crown himself. The following day, King Otto I of Bavaria was deposed by Rupprecht's father, Prince Regent Ludwig, who then assumed the title King Ludwig III. The parliament assented on November 6, and Ludwig III took the constitutional oath on November 8. Rupprecht became the Crown Prince.

However, Marie Gabrielle had died from renal failure the previous year and never became Crown Princess of Bavaria. Her husband later remarried, to her first cousin Princess Antoinette of Luxembourg, on August 26, 1918.

Marie Gabrielle was interred at Theatinerkirche in Munich near her deceased children. Her only child to survive to adulthood was her second son Albrecht.

Issue

Princess Rupprecht of Bavaria with her three sons, Luitpold, Albrecht, and Rudolf, ca. 1912.
NameBirthDeathNotes
By Rupprecht Maria Luitpold Ferdinand, Crown Prince of Bavaria (May 18, 1869–August 2, 1955; married on July 10, 1900 at the Court Church in The Residenz, Munich)[1]
Luitpold Maximilian Ludwig Karl of BavariaMay 8, 1901August 27, 1914died in childhood from polio.
Irmingard Maria Therese José Cäcilia Adelheid Michaela Antonia AdelgundeSeptember 21, 1902April 21, 1903died in childhood from diphtheria.
Albrecht Luitpold Ferdinand MichaelMay 3, 1905July 8, 1996married first, 1930, Countess Maria Draskovich von Traskotjan;
married second 1971, Countess Marie-Jenke von Buzin;
had issue.
DaughterDecember 6, 1906December 6, 1906stillborn.
Rudolf Friedrich RupprechtMay 30, 1909June 26, 1912died in childhood from diabetes.

Ancestry

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Prince Ruprecht Married" (PDF), The New York Times (Munich), 10 July 1900
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Bavarian Royalties Coming to America" (PDF), The New York Times (Munich), 9 May 1903
  3. ↑ "Bavarian Prince to See America" (PDF), The New York Times (Berlin), 26 April 1903
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Princess Rupprecht Ill" (PDF), The New York Times (Munich), 19 August 1903

External links

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