Princess Maria Antónia of Bragança
Princess Maria Antónia of Braganza, Infanta of Portugal[citation needed][1] (Maria Antónia Micaela Rafaela Gabriela Adelaide Xavier Josefa Expedita Gregoria) (12 March 1903, Viareggio, Lucca, Toscana, Italy – 6 February 1973, Water Mill, Suffolk, New York) was a member of the House of Braganca. She married Sidney Ashley Chanler, the grandson of John Winthrop Chanler and Margaret Astor Ward.
| Maria Antónia de Bragança | |
|---|---|
| Infanta of Portugal[citation needed] | |
| Born | Maria Antónia Micaela Rafaela Gabriela Adelaide Xavier Josefa Expedita Gregoria de Bragança 12 March 1903 Villa Arciducale, Viareggio, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | 6 February 1973 Water Mill, New York |
| Spouse | Sidney Ashley Chanler |
| Issue |
|
| House | Braganza |
| Father | Miguel Januário, Duke of Braganza |
| Mother | Princess Maria Theresa of Löwenstein |
Family
editMaria Antónia was born at the Villa Arciducale in Viareggio, a Tuscan commune. Her namesake, the Duchess of Parma, was sister-in-law to the Villa's owner, Infanta Bianca of Spain, Archduchess of Austria. This hospitality was likely why Maria Antónia was named after her father's sister. Her parents, Miguel Januário, Duke of Braganza, and Princess Maria Theresa of Löwenstein, were the Miguelist claimants to the deposed Portuguese throne. Maria Antónia was thus an aunt to Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis and Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza, as well as a first cousin, twice removed to Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein, King Albert II of Belgium and Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
Marriage and issue
editMaria Antónia married American heir Sidney Ashley Chanler (1907–1994) on June 13, 1934, at Burg Seebenstein.[2][3] Chanler was the son of novelist, politician, and explorer Rep. William A. Chanler and stage actress Minnie Ashley, thus making him a relative of the Stuyvesant family, the Astor family, the Livingston family, the Schuyler family, and the Dudley-Winthrop family, as well as a descendant of John Jacob Astor, Samuel Ward, Jr., Gen. John Armstrong, Gov. William Greene, Gov. William Greene Jr., Samuel Gorton, Robert Livingston, Gov. Richard Ward, Peter Stuyvesant, and others.[4] They later divorced in December 1948. She never remarried, though he remarried twice.
During her marriage, Maria Antónia used the title and style of: Her Royal Highness Princess Maria Antónia of Braganza, Mrs. Chanler.
- Maria Mafalda Teresa de Bragança Chanler (1 Apr 1935 in Barrytown, New York), who married and divorced Baron Emanuel von Pereira-Arnstein (1931-1976) in 1962. She later wed Count Andrei Ivanovich Stenbock-Fermor on November 24, 1967. From this marriage, they had two children: Count Alexis Stenbock-Fermor (born 1968) and Countess Xenia Stenbock-Fermor (born 1969). Xenia and Camillo Costa have one child, Alexandre Costa (born on September 21, 1997, in Nice, France).
- Antony Ashley de Bragança Chanler (21 Feb 1938 in New York City – 23 Dec 2016), died unmarried and without issue.[5]
- Robert Alain de Bragança Chanler (12 May 1941 in New York City – 2014 at the Casa Da Infanta in Ferragudo, Portugal), died unmarried.
Later life and death
editAfter her divorce, Princess Maria Antónia spent her summers at her home on Cobb Road in Water Mill, New York, part of The Hamptons summer colony. She spent her winters at the Casa da Infanta in Ferragudo, Portugal. The primary resident of the home at this time was her younger sister, Princess Filipa de Bragança (1905-1990), with whom she had a close relationship.[6]
Ancestry
edit| Ancestors of Princess Maria Antónia of Bragança |
|---|
References
edit- ^ Miguelists were Portuguese individuals who opposed the constitutional monarchy and therefore did not recognize King Miguel I's forced abdication, and believed his reign never ended. At his 1866 death, Maria Antonia's father, Miguel Januário, succeeded his father's position and posed himself as a defender of the traditional monarchy. To Miguelists, Miguel Januário was King Miguel II from 1866 until July 31, 1920. Thus, Miguelists stylized the children as those of the children of monarchs: as Infantes and Infantas. That being said, the latter Miguel was still a Prince of Portugal and a Duke of Braganza, the children of Miguel, would likely have been stylized with an Infanta title anyhow.
- ^ "Beatrice Astor Chanler's son is set to marry a princess". The Times. 29 May 1934. p. 4.
- ^ "MARIA DE BRAGANCA MARRIED IN AUSTRIA; Princess Becomes the Bride of Ashley Chanler, a Son of Late Explorer and Represengatlve". The New York Times.
- ^ "Sidney Ashley Chanler". 28 April 2022.
- ^ "Son to MRS. Ashley Chanler". The New York Times. 22 February 1938.
- ^ This information can be found in the archives of the East Hampton Library in East Hampton, NY. Their address book contain the Princess' residences.