Maria Christina (1742–1798)
Maria Christina (1742–1798)
Archduchess and governor-general of Austrian Netherlands . Name variations: Maria Cristina; Marie Christine, stattholder or stadholder of the Netherlands; (nickname) Mimi. Born on May 13, 1742, in Vienna; died on June 24, 1798, in Vienna; daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria (1717–1780) and Francis I, Holy Roman emperor (r. 1745–1765); sister of Marie Antoinette (1755–1793), Maria Carolina (1752–1814), and Joseph II, Holy Roman emperor (r. 1765–1790); married Albert, duke of Saxony-Teschen.
Maria Christina was one of 16 children of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria , and the empress' favorite daughter. Quick-minded and pretty, Maria Christina was governor-general of the Austrian Netherlands (present-day Belgium), during her brother Joseph II's reign as Holy Roman emperor.