Maria Amalia left Austria on 1 July 1769, accompanied by her brother, Joseph II, and married Ferdinand on 19 July, at the
Ducal Palace of Colorno. She was instructed by her mother to be submissive, obedient, adapt to local customs, and never interfere with politics. The Duchy of Parma was ruled more or less as a French
puppet state by Minister
Guillaume du Tillot. She defended the independence of the Duchy of Parma, strengthened its sense of
nationality, supported art, culture, and literature, working efficiently with her ministerial cabinet. Ferdinand did not have political influence, and she openly changed and contradicted his orders and had him sign state documents for her, including her name in his orders as if they were co-rulers. on
Carlo Angelo dal Verme's portrait, currently displayed at the
Galleria nazionale di Parma From the beginning, Maria Amalia caused a scandal with her personal lifestyle. She made no effort to conceal her displeasure with her husband or her new circumstances. She used the funds from her mother for her wardrobe, a grand court and parties; she replaced most of her
ladies-in-waiting with an entourage of handsome men from the royal guards; she
cross-dressed as male, spent her nights unaccompanied and incognito on the streets, gambled in the officers' club and, while Ferdinand took mistresses from the peasantry, she enjoyed affairs with members of his guard. All of this became a worry for her mother, who feared that Maria Amalia would stain the reputation of her sisters, especially that of the youngest,
Maria Antonia, whom Maria Theresa wanted to marry to the
dauphin of France. Maria Amalia never established a good relationship with her husband, but they were both described as loving parents. She was greatly disliked by the Parmesan nobility, who described her as a shameful
Messalina and blamed her for living a life of imperial luxury in such a small state. In turn, she considered them mostly useless and not beneficial to the interests of Parma. She was, however, popular among the public for her generosity toward the poor; at her famous gala parties in Colorno, she had tables set up for both noble and poor guests who enjoyed the same meals. , commissioned by Maria Theresa Maria Amalia would remain largely estranged from her mother, except for a brief reconciliation in 1773 when her first son was born, despite her mother's repeated efforts at reconciliation. The duchess resisted her mother's efforts to control her from afar. When her sister
Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen, and her husband,
Albert of Saxony, Duke of Teschen, visited her in Parma in 1776, after several years of not seeing each other, Prince Albert wrote in his journal the following about Maria Amalia: "The Infanta was so changed that I did not recognize her. No trace remained of that glamour, that beauty that was once admired in her; her beautiful waist had disappeared, and her dress and gait contributed even more to disfiguring her." Maria Amalia was in touch with her younger sisters Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, and
Maria Carolina of Austria, Queen of Naples and Sicily, for most of their married lives. The three sisters exchanged letters, portraits and gifts; one of Marie Antoinette's last letters during her imprisonment was written to Maria Amalia. However, her conflicts with their mother put a strain on her relationship with her siblings. In 1778, her eldest son, Prince
Louis, injured himself by banging his head into a
marble table while playing with his sister. He recovered from a serious
concussion, but after this, he suffered from
epileptic seizures and was often confused. This crisis contributed to an improvement in the relationship between Maria Amalia and Ferdinand. During the 1780s, Ferdinand was also more interested in state affairs, and the welfare of Parma became another common interest which made their relationship more cordial. ==Later life==