A new year is upon us, meaning that we have more royal consorts to explore! Sometimes consorts are infamous, such as Marie Antoinette or Anne Boleyn. Occasionally they are remembered for being dedicated, like Queen Charlotte. However, most are sadly left in the shadows of history, with their role as consort, wife, and oftentimes mother reduced to a footnote. And for this consort, she is doubly-ignored as a second wife of a man who discussed continuously. Sadly, she spent her life adapting to the changing politics of men. Onto our January Consort of the Month: Empress Marie Louise!
Consort of the Month: Marie Louise
Birth Date: 12 December 1791
Death Date: 17 December 1847
Tenure: 1 April 1810 – 6 April 1814
Birth Name: Maria Ludovica Leopoldina Franziska Theresia Josepha Lucia
Spouse: Emperor Napoleon I of France
House: Habsburg-Lorraine
Father: Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Mother: Queen Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily
Why Do We Know Marie Louise?
Sadly Marie Louise not only takes a backseat to Napoleon, one of the most-discussed figures in early modern history but also his first wife, Josephine. (I will admit- I firmly believe we do not need any more biographies or history monographs on Napoleon. There are so many people from history that have little to no research done on them, while Napoleon keeps having book after book written.) If people are aware of her, it’s typically as the person that Josephine was dumped for.
Marie Louise’s early life
Born to Francis II, the last Holy Roman Emperor and first Emperor of Austria, and Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, the young archduchess spent her early years in Vienna. Her parents knew that she would be sought after as a royal bride, and ensured that she could speak several languages, including German, French, English, and Italian.
Her father’s reign as Holy Roman Emperor came to an end in 1806 with Napoleon seizing more territories. Marie Louise lived with her family in exile and she quickly learned to hate the “Corsican ogre”- she largely disliked all things French, understandably so.
Forced to marry the emperor
Despite her strong feelings about Napoleon, she did not fight against her father when he agreed that she would be the French Emperor’s new bride. Unfortunately, Josephine was unable to give Napoleon an heir despite their lasting relationship and he needed a new, younger bride who could provide that. (Her father did not actually tell her the news himself, he required one of his ministers to do it.)
The couple married by proxy on 11 March 1810 and were married in person on 2 April in Paris. And nearly exactly a year later, she gave birth to the much-needed son and heir- Napoleon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte was born on 20 March 1811. Given that she was living in Josephine’s rooms and walking in her footsteps daily, it does seem impressive that Marie Louise fully accepted her new life with grace and composure. (Josephine and Napoleon did not have what we would consider a “clean break”, either- they remained close and when she died in 1814, he was inconsolable.)
Exiled and separated
When he left on campaign in 1813, he chose Marie Louise as regent, though largely only in name. With the armies approaching, she was forced to leave Paris in March 1814, And on 11 April 1814, Napoleon officially abdicated in favour of his infant son and was exiled to Elba. Their son went to live in Vienna, and the couple separated.
It appears that Marie Louise chose to largely forget about her husband and she travelled across Europe with Comte de Neipperg, an Austrian diplomat. (After Napoleon escaped Elba, she refused to rejoin him but also did not seek a divorce.)
The Duchess of Parma
While she was no longer the Empress of France, Marie Louise did retain her title of Duchess of Parma. (She would not be She ruled Parma with the Comte de Neipperg at her side. Following Napoleon’s death in May 1821, she married her lover in August, though it was a morganatic marriage. The couple had three children together (before marrying) and were relatively happy until his death in 1829.
In 1832, her son died of tuberculosis at the age of 21, meaning Napoleon’s direct line died out. Napoleon II was not particularly close to his mother and did not approve of her second marriage and illegitimate children.
She married for a third and final time in 1834, again morganatically. Charles-René de Bombelles was appointed as the Grand Chamberlain of Parma to help rule, and the couple were reportedly happy together. In early December 1847, she fell ill and passed away on 17 December.
The Duchy of Parma did not pass to her children, but as per the treaty that granted it, it reverted back to the Bourbon dynasty.
Marie Louise: Interesting Facts
– Both of her parents were related to Marie-Antoinette.
– She is buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, close to the Hofburg Palace.
– During her short tenure as Empress, she enjoyed living at the Palace of Versailles- several of the buildings were remodelled for her.
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Further Readings/Listenings on Marie Louise
“Marie Louise, Napoleon’s Second Empress” episode- Footnoting History podcast.
Marie-Louise of Austria – napoleon.org. Accessed December 27, 2025. https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/biographies/marie-louise-of-austria/.
Palmer, Alan. Napoleon & Marie Louise. London: Constable, 2001.
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Looking for my earlier Consort of the Month posts? Read about:
Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Queen Marie Antoinette
Catherine de Medici
Queen Adelaide
Catherine de Valois
Marie de Guise
Queen Alexandra of Denmark
Empress Josephine of France
Queen Elizabeth of York
Queen Elisabeth de Valois
Queen Catherine of Braganza
Queen Caroline of Brunswick
Queen Josephine of Leuchtenberg
Elizabeth Stuart
Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians
Saint Margaret of Scotland
Queen Maud of Wales
Empress Sisi of Austria
Queen Marie of Romania
Queen Astrid of Belgium
Queen Maria Eleanora of Brandenburg
Queen Ena of Spain
Queen Mary of Modena
Sophia Dorothea of Celle
Queen Anne of Austria
Queen Louise of Hesse-Kassel
Empress Maria Feodorovna
I hope you have enjoyed Consort of the Month: Empress Marie Louise!
Cheers,
The Historian
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