Maria Anna of Austria

Maria Anna of Austria (Maria Anna Josepha Antonia Regina; 7 September 1683 – 14 August 1754) was Queen of Portugal as the wife of King John V of Portugal. She served as the regent of Portugal from 1742 until 1750 during the illness of her husband. She was born an Archduchess of Austria as the daughter of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg. Life Early life Born Maria Anna Josepha Antonia Regina, she was the eleventh child and seventh daughter of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (1640–1705) by his third wife, Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg (1655–1720). Two of her brothers, Joseph and Charles later became emperors. Through Charles, she was an aunt of Maria Theresa, the only woman to ever rule the Habsburg dominions in her own right. Life as queen consort On 27 October 1708, Maria Anna married John V, King of Portugal (1689–1750) to seal the alliance between the two countries against France and Spain during the War of Spanish Succession. Maria Anna reformed the court and its customs to follow the traditions and customs of the traditional Queens of Portugal. Her greatest influence on the court and Portuguese nobility as a whole was the increase of segregation between men and women, as well as between servants and masters. Like John, Maria Anna had an exuberant taste, best shown in her famous parties: she would invite the nobility from all over the country and hold a magnificent festival, often lasting several days.