Grand Duchess Marie Adelheid of Luxembourg
14 June, 1894 - 24 January, 1924
Marie Adelheid Theresia Hilda Antonia Wilhelmina (French: Marie Adélaïde Thérèse Hilde Antonie Wilhelmine) was the first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. She ruled the small European country for only 7 years and was forced to abdicate in favour of her sister Charlotte.
She was born as the eldest daughter of Grand Duke William IV of Luxembourg and Infanta Marie Anne of Portugal. She only had sisters, and to solve the succession crisis, she was named heir presumptive. She succeeded her father on the throne when she was only seventeen, and her mother served as a regent until her 18th birthday. During the First World War, her political opponents painted her as pro-German and after the war she was critized for her attitude. The now 25-year old Grand Duchess was forced to abdicate in 1919 and her younger sister Charlotte succeeded her. Marie-Adelheid went into exile and traveled around Europe. Being a devout catholic, she entered a convent in Italy but didn’t stay there for long. When her health worsened, she moved to Hohenberg Castle in Bavaria and died there when she was only 29.
