Louis I of Etruria
Louis I (Italian: Ludovico I; 5 July 1773 – 27 May 1803) was the first of the two kings of Etruria. Louis was the son of Ferdinand, Duke of Parma, and Maria Amalia of Austria. He was born in 1773, when his great-grandfather, King Louis XV of France, was still alive.
Louis I
21 March 1801 – 27 May 1803
Ferdinand III as Grand Duke of Tuscany
5 July 1773
Piacenza, Duchy of Parma
27 May 1803 (aged 29)
Florence, Kingdom of Etruria
Early life[edit]
Louis Francis Philibert (Italian: Ludovico Francesco Filiberto) was the second child and eldest son of Ferdinand, Duke of Parma, a grandson of French King Louis XV and Marie Leczinska, and his wife Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria. Louis and his older sister Carolina were the favorites of their parents. They were personally instructed in religion by their father, despite the fact that their younger children was actually more interested in the subject than they were.[1] In 1778, he hit his head on a marble table while playing with Carolina, and afterward suffered from epilepsy.[1]
In 1795, Louis came to the Spanish court to finish his education and also to marry one of the daughters of King Charles IV of Spain, who were his first cousins. He was to marry Infanta Maria Amalia or Infanta Maria Luisa, and chose the latter, who was somewhat more attractive and cheerful than the melancholy Maria Amalia. On 25 August 1795, he married Maria Luisa at Madrid and was made an Infante of Spain.
The marriage between the two different personalities turned out to be happy, though it was clouded by Louis's ill health. He was frail, suffered chest problems, and since a childhood accident when he hit his head on a marble table, suffered from symptoms that have been identified as epileptic fits. As the years went on, his health deteriorated, and he grew to be increasingly dependent on his wife. The young couple remained in Spain during the early years of their marriage.
The couple had two children:
