Archduchess of Austria Born in
Graz, she was the fifth child and second, but oldest surviving, daughter of Archduke
Ferdinand of Inner Austria by his first wife
Maria Anna, a daughter of
William V, Duke of Bavaria. She was probably named after her mother, who died in 1616. Maria Anna, who had a particular fondness for hunting, received a strict
Jesuit upbringing and was considered a great beauty with exceptional virtues, such as prudence, orderly life and stateliness. She also spoke fluent Italian in addition to her native German. In 1619 her father became
Holy Roman Emperor and
King of Bohemia and
Hungary, an event that considerably raised her status. Two years later, in 1622, the now Emperor Ferdinand II married again, with
Eleonora, daughter of
Vincenzo I Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, with whom he had no children.
Marriage On 15 July 1635 at the
Augustinian Church, Vienna, Maria Anna married her uncle,
Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, whose previous wife,
Elisabeth of Lorraine, had died a few months earlier. The wedding was celebrated by
Franz von Dietrichstein,
Bishop of Olomouc..In the marriage contract, which was signed two days later on 17 July, the Emperor made the exceptional stipulation that Maria Anna would not renounce her rights over the Habsburg inheritance (
Erbverzicht) as was customary for Austrian Archduchesses when they married foreign princes; this was made probably by Ferdinand II with the intention to secure the rights of his eldest daughter in the case of the extinction of his male descendants. As a dowry, Maria Anna received the amount of 250,000 florins secured from Wasserburg Castle and the districts of Kraiburg and Neumarkt. As a widow's seat she received
Trausnitz Castle in
Landshut. With this union, the Bavarian elector not only gained the opportunity to sire the long-waited heir (his first marriage was childless) but also to demonstrate his alliance with the
Holy Roman Empire against
France, which was prepared for an imminent war. However, this connection only played a minor role in the relations between
Austria and Bavaria later.
Electress of Bavaria The marriage was very happy and Maximilian I cared for his wife lovingly. During Maria Anna's first pregnancy, the electoral couple made a pilgrimage to
Andechs to pray for a happy birth. On 31 October 1636, the Electress gave birth to her first son, who was named
Ferdinand Maria after his grandfather Ferdinand II, who also acted as godfather for the child. The childbirth proved to be extremely difficult for Maria Anna; she became so weak that she lost her ability to speak. Her healing was attributed to the help of the relics of Saint
Francis of Paola, so Maximilian I founded in
Neunburg vorm Wald a monastery consecrated to him. Despite her Habsburg origins (she had an extensive correspondence with her brother
Ferdinand III and other relatives), she was completely dedicated to the Bavarian viewpoint. In addition, she conducted lively exchanges of opinion with high officials of
Munich. After the
conquest of Philipsburg fortress by the French in 1644, Maria Anna urged her brother
Leopold Wilhelm, on behalf of her husband, to enter into peace negotiations. (Archduke Leopold Wilhelm had been commander of the
Imperial army since 1639.) Shortly before his death in 1650, Maximilian I had a
Treuherzige Information (Trust information) written for his wife to give her guidance for her upcoming regency.
Regent of the Electorate of Bavaria When Maximilian I wrote his will in 1641, Maria Anna claimed in this for the eventual reign of her son, a co-signature law in national matters. However, the Office of the Administrator in Bavaria and Saxony claimed that according to the
Golden Bull women were excluded from government. She consulted an expert commission without her husband's knowledge and secured a favorable ruling concerning her rights added in Maximilian I's will. Thus, after Maximilian I's death (27 September 1651) his brother
Albert VI, Duke of Bavaria legally became the regent for Ferdinand Maria and was confirmed in that position in both Imperial and electoral courts. Maria Anna assumed full responsibility for the Department of Justice and other country administrative tasks, however, which virtually left the Dowager Electress ruler of Bavaria. In addition to Albert VI and the Dowager Electress, the
Hofkammerpräsident Mändl belonged to the administration that continued to work with the young elector when he attained his majority in 1654. In 1664 Maria Anna, who remained a close advisor to her son even after the end of her regency, suggested putting the country under the patronage of
Saint Joseph. After the death of her husband, she lived in the so-called Widow's floor (
Witwenstock) in the southwestern part of the
Munich Residenz. Until her death she was a member of the Privy Council, the highest governmental body, although she hadn't the right of voting. She died in
Munich aged 55 and was buried at
St. Michael's Church, while her heart was deposited in the
Shrine of Our Lady of Altötting. ==In literature==