Princess Isabella of Croÿ

Princess Isabella Hedwig Franziska Natalie of Croÿ (27 February 1856 – 5 September 1931) was by birth member of House of Croÿ and by marriage member of House of Habsburg.

Biography

Early life and family

Princess Isabella was daughter of Rudolf, 11th Duke of Croÿ (1823–1902) and Princess Natalie of Ligne (1835–1863). Her paternal grandparents were Alfred, 10th Duke of Croÿ (1789–1861) and Princess Eleonore of Salm-Salm (1794–1861). Her maternal grandparents were Eugène, 8th Prince of Ligne (1804–1880) and Nathalie de Trazegnies (1811–1835).

Marriage and issue

She married Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen on 8 October 1878. They had eight daughters and one son:

• Maria Christina, Archduchess of Austria-Teschen (1879–1962), married Prince Emanuel of Salm-Salm
• Maria Anna, Archduchess of Austria-Teschen (1882–1940), married Elias, Duke of Parma
• Maria Henrietta, Archduchess of Austria-Teschen (1883–1956), married Prince Gottfried of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst
• Natalie Maria, Archduchess of Austria-Teschen (1884–1898)
• Stephanie Maria Isabelle, Archduchess of Austria-Teschen (1886–1890)
• Gabriele Maria Theresia, Archduchess of Austria-Teschen (1887–1954)
• Isabella, Archduchess of Austria-Teschen (1888–1973), married Prince Georg of Bavaria
• Maria Alice, Archduchess of Austria-Teschen (1893–1962), married Baron Friedrich von Waldbott-Bassenheim (their daughter Countess Maria Immaculata Waldbott von Bassenheim was the second wife of Count Hans Heribert of Toerring-Jettenbach, son of Duchess Sophie Adelheid in Bavaria)
• Albrecht Franz, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Teschen (1897–1955)

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

In the mid-1890s, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria began visiting Isabella and Friedrich's home. At first, it was assumed that he was there to court one of their many daughters. Eventually, it was discovered that in fact he was courting Countess Sophie Chotek von Wognin, lady-in-waiting to Archduchess Isabella and daughter of Austrian ambassador Bohuslav, Count Chotek of Chotkow and Wognin.

Isabella became infuriated that Franz Ferdinand had not singled out one of her eight daughters as his bride and future empress; as a result she engaged in a crusade to thwart the marriage of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie. Sophie was dismissed from service, thus beginning an ongoing conflict between Friedrich and Franz Ferdinand, who married Sophie in 1900. The marriage was morganatic; Sophie was subjected to the indignities of a much lower rank at court than that of her husband, and none of their children could succeed to their father's dynastic honours—all chiefly as a result of Isabella's machinations.

A decade later, Isabella created a similar furore when her nephew, Karl, 13th Prince von Croÿ, sought to marry Nancy Leishman, the charming young daughter of John George Alexander Leishman, United States Ambassador to Germany, the former president of Carnegie Steel. The Archduchess felt that Nancy, being an American and a commoner, was not an appropriate spouse for a prince of Croÿ. Karl and Nancy were wed, nonetheless, and their grandson became the Duke of Croÿ.

Honours

Isabella received the following awards:

• Grand Cross of the Imperial Austrian Order of Elizabeth, 1901 (Austria-Hungary)
• Dame of the Dame of the Starry Cross, 1st Class (Austria-Hungary)
• Order of Merit of the Red Cross, 1st Class with War Decoration (Austria-Hungary)
• Dame Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion, with Distinction for Jerusalem (Sovereign Military Order of Malta)
• Order of the Sun, 2nd Class in Diamonds (Persia)
• Dame of the Order of Queen Maria Luisa, 30 August 1883 (Spain)
• Dame of Honour of the Order of Theresa (Kingdom of Bavaria)
• Dame of the Order of Saint Elizabeth (Kingdom of Bavaria)
• Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Civil Merit (Kingdom of Bulgaria)

Ancestry

Sources