Marie Henriette of Austria

For the wife of Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, see Archduchess Maria Henrietta of Austria.

Marie Henriette
Queen consort of the Belgians Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess in Saxony Archduchess of Austria, Princess of Hungary
Queen Marie Henriette.
Queen consort of the Belgians
Tenure	10 December 1865 – 19 September 1902
Born	(1836-08-23)23 August 1836 Buda Castle, Budapest, Hungary
Died	Hôtel du Midi, Spa, Belgium
Spouse	Leopold II, King of the Belgians
Issue	Louise, Princess Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Prince Leopold, Duke of Brabant Stéphanie, Crown Princess of Austria Clémentine, Princess Napoléon
House	House of Habsburg-Lorraine (by birth) House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (by marriage)
Father	Archduke Joseph of Austria
Mother	Duchess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg

Marie Henriette of Austria (Marie Henriette Anne; 23 August 1836 – 19 September 1902) was Queen consort of the Belgians. She was married to King Leopold II of Belgium.

Marie Henriette was one of five children from the marriage of Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary, and Duchess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg. Marie Henriette was a cousin of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, and granddaughter of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor through her father. Marie Henriette was lively, energetic, and endeared herself to the people by her elevated character and indefatigable benevolence, while her beauty gained for her the sobriquet of "The Rose of Brabant". She was also an accomplished artist and musician, and a fine horsewoman.

Marriage and issue

Marie Henriette and Leopold II of Belgium

When she was 16, she married 18-year-old Prince Leopold of Belgium, the heir to the throne, on 22 August 1853. Leopold was the second-surviving son of Leopold I of Belgium and his French wife, Louise of Orléans; Marie Henriette was the sister-in-law of Charlotte of Belgium, future Empress of Mexico and a cousin by marriage to Victoria of the United Kingdom and Maria II of Portugal.

The marriage was arranged to strengthen the status of the Belgian Monarchy: as the former Protestant monarch of a newly established monarchy, the Belgian King wished his son to marry a member from a Roman Catholic and prestigious dynasty, and the name Habsburg was one of her more important qualities.

Henriette was a vivid and energetic person interested in riding. Pauline de Metternich wrote that theirs was a marriage "between a stable-boy and a nun, and by nun I mean the Duke of Brabant". Henriette is said to have had a terrible temperament. The marriage became unhappy and the couple lived more or less separate lives. She became queen in 1865. After the death of their son in 1869, the couple separated completely after having made a last attempt to have another son, which, however, resulted in their daughter Clementine. She gave her daughters a very strict upbringing. Her main interest was in her Hungarian horses. She lived most of her life unhappy and discontented. In 1895 she retreated to Spa to live out the remainder of her days; her youngest daughter Clementine replaced her as First Lady at the Court in Brussels for the remainder of her husband's life.

Marie Henriette died at the 'Hôtel du Midi in Spa; she had bought the house 1895 after separating with her husband. She was buried in the Royal Crypt at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels. Her husband later married (though illegally under Belgian law) his mistress Caroline Delacroix.

She was the 607th Dame of the Royal Order of Queen Maria Luisa. Marie Henriette also held the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert.

Issue

• Princess Louise of Belgium (1858–1924) married to Prince Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
• Prince Léopold, Duke of Brabant (1859–1869); died young;
• Princess Stéphanie of Belgium (1864–1945) married to Prince Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, son of Franz Joseph I of Austria and Elisabeth of Bavaria;
• Princess Clémentine of Belgium (1872–1955) married to Prince Victor, Prince Napoléon

Ancestry

Family of Marie Henriette of Austria

16. Leopold, Duke of Lorraine               8. Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor                       17. Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans               4. Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor                             18. Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor               9. Maria Theresa of Austria                       19. Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel               2. Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary                                   20. Philip V of Spain               10. Charles III of Spain                       21. Elisabeth of Parma               5. Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain                             22. Augustus III of Poland               11. Maria Amalia of Saxony                       23. Maria Josepha of Austria               1. Marie Henriette of Austria                                         24. Karl Alexander, Duke of Württemberg               12. Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg                       25. Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis               6. Duke Louis of Württemberg                             26. Frederick William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt               13. Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt                       27. Sophia Dorothea of Prussia               3. Duchess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg                                   28. Charles Augustus, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg               14. Charles Christian, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg                       29. Augusta Frederika Wilhelmina of Nassau-Idstein               7. Princess Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg                             30. William IV, Prince of Orange               15. Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau                       31. Anne, Princess Royal

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 23 August 1836 – 22 August 1853 Her Imperial and Royal Highness Archduchess Marie Henriette of Austria
• 22 August 1853 – 17 December 1865 Her Imperial and Royal Highness The Duchess of Brabant
• 17 December 1865 – 19 September 1902 Her Majesty The Queen of the Belgians

Honours

Belgium

• Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold

Foreign

• Dame of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert
• Golden Rose
• Dame of the Order of Queen Maria Luisa
• Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Charles

References

Marie Henriette of Austria House of Habsburg-Lorraine Cadet branch of the House of Lorraine Born: 23 August 1836 Died: 19 September 1902
Belgian royalty
Vacant Title last held by Louise of Orléans	Queen consort of the Belgians 1865–1902	Vacant Title next held by Elisabeth in Bavaria