Members of the House of Saxe-Coburg [3/?] - Princess Maria Antonia Koháry (later Princess Maria Antonia of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha)
Titled Countess Maria Antonia Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya at birth, Maria Antonia was born in Buda on 2 July 1797, the only daughter and second child of Ferenc József, Count Koháry, and his wife, Countess Maria Antoinetta of Waldstein-Wartenberg. Her only sibling, a brother named Ferenc, had died two years before she was born and her parents had no further children, so Maria Antonia was recognised from birth as her father's heir. Though she was born in the Kingdom of Hungary, Maria Antonia was primarily raised in Vienna. She appears to have been quite close to her mother, who she maintained a relationship with as an adult; Maria Antoinetta had an active role in the lives of Maria Antonia's children, who deeply respected her.
In 1815, when she was eighteen, Maria Antonia became engaged to Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Ferdinand, who was twelve years her senior, was a general in the Austrian Imperial Army, noteworthy for his service during the Napoleonic Wars. The match was arranged by Ferdinand's ambitious mother, the Dowager Duchess Augusta. Maria Antonia's father, Ferenc József, was one of the richest landowners in Europe, meaning Maria Antonia was destined to become an extremely wealthy lady. Augusta knew Maria Antonia's immense fortune would be invaluable to the comparatively impoverished Saxe-Coburg family.
On 15 November 1815, Emperor Francis I of Austria elevated Maria Antonia's father from a Count to a Prince, meaning Maria Antonia, as a Princess, would be equal to her future husband. The wedding took place in Vienna on 30 November. Maria Antonia was nicknamed "Tony" by her husband's family, but it's unclear whether her in-laws were the ones who came up with the name or if she already used it at the time of her marriage.
Although it hadn't started as a love match, Ferdinand and Maria Antonia were a happy couple who, with time, became devoted to each other, and Maria Antonia gave birth to four children: Ferdinand in 1816, August in 1818, Victoria in 1822, and Leopold in 1824. The children were raised as Catholics, Maria Antonia's religion; Ferdinand was a Lutheran and remained so for the early years of their marriage, but voluntarily converted to Catholicism in 1818, around the time their second child was born. The couple seem to have been attentive parents, who both had close relationships with their children. Interestingly, it appears that Maria Antonia breastfed her son Ferdinand herself, an unusual decision for such a wealthy woman during the time period, and was extremely involved in his upbringing during his infancy, but her three younger children were primarily cared for by nurses.
In 1826, Ferenc József died and Maria Antonia inherited his fortune of two million francs, several palaces and manor houses dotted throughout Austria, mansions in Hungary and modern-day Solvakia (which was part of the Kingdom of Hungary at the time), and large pieces of land that included mines, forests, and factories. The family's wealth was immense. Until World War I, the Koháry branch of the House of Saxe-Coburg was one of the three largest landowners in Hungary.
After almost thirty six years of happy, if largely uneventful, marriage, Ferdinand suffered a stroke around late May or early June 1851, and afterwards was described as, "being in a very weak state, though but slightly paralysed & able to speak." He became increasingly weak over the next few months, and it reached a point where it was difficult for him to eat or drink. On 27 August 1851, Ferdinand died. Ferdinand's niece Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (whose mother was Ferdinand's sister) wrote of the sad event in her diary:
On getting up Albert received a letter from Uncle Leopold [...] announcing the death of poor dear Uncle Ferdinand, which took place that morning at 6. How very sad! [...] Cannot imagine how poor dear Aunt Tony, who so adored him, will exist without him.
Queen Victoria never met Maria Antonia; Ferdinand made all of his visits to England alone, or sometimes with just his children. Regardless, Queen Victoria seems to have held her in high regard, as did her other relatives. Another niece of Ferdinand's, Princess Feodora of Leiningen, described Maria Antonia as "quite lovely".
Maria Antonia's mother, who also lived in Vienna, died in 1854, and in October 1857, her daughter Victoria died from complications in childbirth. Her son Ferdinand had married Maria II of Portugal, and never left the country after his marriage in 1836, however, it seems she had regular contact with August. Nothing, or at least very little, is known of her relationship with her youngest child, Leopold, especially during Leopold's adulthood, but he also lived in Vienna and there's nothing to suggest they were estranged, so it's conceivable that they also maintained correspondence.
Maria Antonia died in Vienna on 25 September 1862, aged sixty five. She was survived by her three sons and fourteen of her grandchildren. Her brother-in-law Leopold I of Belgium (Ferdinand's younger brother) wrote, upon hearing of her death, "I was grieved to hear that poor Tony had closed her lonely existence. The life she led was truly dull enough but her warm heart caused her to be much interested in every thing connected with the family. She had been a most devoted wife to your Uncle, always ready for every sacrifice that should have been wished – a very honest and generous character."
Maria Antonia, Duchess Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha by William Essex, 1842 (x)
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