Maria Antonia of Austria

Early years , 1670|289x289px Archduchess Maria Antonia was born in Vienna on 18 January 1669, the eldest daughter of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor born from his first marriage to his niece, Infanta Margaret Theresa of Spain. Her only older sibling had already died by the time she was born. She had two younger siblings, both of whom died in infancy, and twelve half-siblings, six of whom lived into adulthood. Since her childhood, Maria Antonia was an intelligent and cultivated girl, sharing her parents' passion for music. Maria Antonia had the highest coefficient of inbreeding in the House of Habsburg, 0.3053, higher than that of a child born to a parent and offspring, or brother and sister: her father was her mother's maternal uncle and paternal first cousin once removed, and her maternal grandparents were uncle and niece too. However, despite this extreme inbreeding, she managed to survive childhood and reach adulthood, and she was the only one among her siblings to do so. In exchange, he promised to have his son-in-law appointed as governor of the Spanish Netherlands. The marriage was very unhappy, as the extroverted Maximilian and the introverted and serious Maria Antonia had little in common. Maria Antonia was reportedly offended by Maximilian's constant infidelity. When he was appointed governor of the Spanish Netherlands and left for Brussels in the company of his mistress Countess Canozza, Maria Antonia left for her father in Vienna to give birth, and it was widely assumed that she did not intend to return to Maximilian. She died of postpartum infections after childbirth. ==Legacy==

As the niece of Charles II of Spain, Maria Antonia was of great relevance in connection with the succession to the Spanish throne, which was a major political issue in late-17th-century Europe. One of her sons, Joseph Ferdinand, was of central importance to European politics at the end of the seventeenth century as a claimant to the throne of Spain. Maria Antonia was the last of the Habsburg line in that country and Joseph Ferdinand's death before that of Charles II, the last Habsburg king of Spain, helped to trigger the War of the Spanish Succession. If he had survived Charles, the European powers might have permitted him to accede to the throne of Spain under the terms of the 1698 Treaty of The Hague. ==Issue==

• Leopold Ferdinand of Bavaria (22 May 1689) – died at birth • Anton of Bavaria (19 November 1690) – died at birth • Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria (28 October 1692 – 6 February 1699) – died in childhood ==Ancestors==