Maria Ludovika of Austria
On December 14th. 1787, Maria Ludovika of Austria was born in Monza,as a daughter of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este and Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este. They were members of the House of Austria-Este, a branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Maria Ludovika of Austria - Source picture: Wikipedia Her family fled from Italy to Austria when Northern Italy was conquered by Napoleon in 1796. This caused her a hostility for Napoleon. She was the third wife of her cousin Emperor Francis of Austria. Emperor Francis of Austria Source picture: Wikipedia She had considerable influence on her husband, and her talent at ruling marvelled many officials, including the Prussian minister who considered her the ruling genius at court. Maria Ludovika was also immensely popular with her subjects who hailed her a second Maria Theresa. Together with her brother-in-law Archduke John, she made the war effort popular. During her coronation in Pressburg, she impress...