Empress Maria Anna of Austria

Maria Anna of Savoy (; 19 September 1803 – 4 May 1884) was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary (see Grand title of the Empress of Austria) by marriage to Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria. Born a Princess of Savoy, she was the penultimate child and daughter of King Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia and his wife, Maria Theresa of Austria-Este. Biography Maria Anna was born on 19 September 1803 in Palazzo Colonna in Rome, the daughter of King Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia and his wife, Archduchess Maria Teresa of Austria-Este. She had a twin sister, Maria Teresa. The two princesses were baptised by Pope Pius VII. Their godparents were their maternal grandparents, Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este and his wife Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este. In the Museo di Roma can be seen a painting of the baptism. She was known as "Pia" within the family. On 12 February 1831, Maria Anna was married by procuration in Turin to King Ferdinand V of Hungary, eldest son and heir apparent of Emperor Francis I of Austria. On 27 February, the couple were married in person in Vienna in the Hofburg chapel by the cardinal archbishop of Olmütz. Maria Anna was selected to marry the future emperor at the age of 27, which was very late for a princess to marry in this time period. However, her age was seen as a sign that she would be more settled, religious and easier to manage.