Empress Maria Theresa was the ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1740 until her death in 1780 and was Holy Roman Empress by right of her husband, Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. The couple had 16 children together, of which the future Queen of France – Marie Antoinette – was the youngest daughter. Her other daughters became Duchess of Teschen, Duchess of Parma and Queen of Naples, while some remained unmarried.
In the Shadow of the Empress by Nancy Goldstone focuses on both the Empress and her daughters. It is an interesting look at how interwoven the family connections were, even when they were separated by borders. However, I find myself not always agreeing with the author on certain matters, such as her insistence that Count Fersen was the father of Marie Antoinette’s last two children. We can speculate, but we will never know for sure.
Overall, it’s a good book that lets you see how everything was connected, but it certainly has its flaws.
In the Shadow of the Empress by Nancy Goldstone is available now in the US and the UK.
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