Archduchess Maria Elisabeth of Austria (13 December 1680 in Linz – 26 August 1741 in Mariemont, Morlanwelz), was the governor of the Austrian Netherlands between 1725 and 1741.

Life

Maria Elisabeth was a daughter of Emperor Leopold I and Eleonore-Magdalena of Pfalz-Neuburg. She was well educated and fluent in Latin, German, French and Italian. She never married.

Governor

In 1725, she was appointed Prince Eugene of Savoy's successor as the regent governor of the Austrian Netherlands by her brother, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor. Maria Elisabeth was described as a forceful administrator and a popular regent. Her independent politics, however, were not always appreciated in Vienna. She suspended the Ostend Company in 1727 and closed it in 1731. She had enough financial means at her disposal to uphold an elaborate court which stimulated culture and music. Among others, she patronized Jean-Joseph Fiocco, her maestro di cappella who dedicated several oratorios to her between 1726 and 1738. The architect Jean-Andre Anneessens designed the Château of Mariemont for her, where she spent her summers. Also, he renovated the Tervuren castle for her.

Death

She died unexpectedly at the age of 60, at Mariemont. She was then displayed at a public Lit-de-parade in Brussels 29 August. She was first buried in Brussels, then moved to Vienna in 1749 to the Imperial Crypt next to her brother Charles.

Ancestors