COMPANIONS from Austria

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Austrian Companions of all time. This list of famous Austrian Companions is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Austrian Companions.

1. Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma (1791 - 1847)

With an HPI of 82.16, Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma is the most famous Austrian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 61 different languages on wikipedia.

Marie Louise (Maria Ludovica Leopoldina Franziska Theresia Josepha Lucia; 12 December 1791 – 17 December 1847) was Duchess of Parma from 11 April 1814 until her death in 1847. She was Napoleon's second wife and as such Empress of the French and Queen of Italy from their marriage on 2 April 1810 until his abdication on 6 April 1814. As the eldest child of Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor and Emperor of Austria, and his second wife, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, Marie Louise grew up during a period marked by ongoing and unceasing conflict between Austria and revolutionary France. A series of military defeats at the hands of Napoleon Bonaparte had inflicted a heavy human toll on Austria and led Francis to dissolve the Holy Roman Empire. The end of the War of the Fifth Coalition resulted in the marriage of Napoleon and Marie Louise in 1810, which ushered in a brief period of peace and friendship between Austria and the French Empire, much like prior alliances between the Austrian and French Royal family. Marie Louise agreed to the marriage despite being raised to despise France. She bore Napoleon a son, styled the King of Rome at birth, who briefly succeeded him as Napoleon II. Marie Louise's son was later titled Duke of Reichstadt. Napoleon's fortunes changed dramatically in 1812 after his failed invasion of Russia. The European powers, including Austria, resumed hostilities towards France in the War of the Sixth Coalition, which ended with the abdication of Napoleon and his exile to Elba. The 1814 Treaty of Fontainebleau gave the Duchies of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla to Marie Louise, who ruled the duchies until her death. Marie Louise married morganatically twice after Napoleon's death in 1821. Her second husband was Count Adam Albert von Neipperg (married 1821), an equerry she met in 1814. She and Neipperg had three children: Albertine, William Albert, and Mathilde. Neipperg died in 1829. Marie Louise married Count Charles-René de Bombelles, her chamberlain, in 1834. She died in Parma in 1847.

2. Klara Hitler (1860 - 1907)

With an HPI of 81.35, Klara Hitler is the 2nd most famous Austrian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 52 different languages.

Klara Hitler (née Pölzl; 12 August 1860 – 21 December 1907) was the mother of Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. In 1934, Adolf Hitler honored his mother by naming a street in Passau after her.

3. Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain (1584 - 1611)

With an HPI of 73.75, Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain is the 3rd most famous Austrian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 45 different languages.

Margaret of Austria (25 December 1584 – 3 October 1611) was Queen of Spain and Portugal by her marriage to King Philip III & II.

4. Maria Amalia of Austria (1701 - 1756)

With an HPI of 73.48, Maria Amalia of Austria is the 4th most famous Austrian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Maria Amalia of Austria (German: Maria Amalia Josefa Anna; 22 October 1701 – 11 December 1756) was Holy Roman empress, queen of Bohemia, and electress of Bavaria among many other titles as the spouse of Emperor Charles VII. By birth, she was an archduchess of Austria as the daughter of Emperor Joseph I. One of her children was Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria.

5. Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France (1554 - 1592)

With an HPI of 73.37, Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France is the 5th most famous Austrian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Elisabeth of Austria (5 July 1554 – 22 January 1592) was Queen of France from 1570 to 1574 as the wife of King Charles IX. A member of the House of Habsburg, she was the daughter of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, and Maria of Spain.

6. Albert VII, Archduke of Austria (1559 - 1621)

With an HPI of 71.25, Albert VII, Archduke of Austria is the 6th most famous Austrian Companion.  His biography has been translated into 36 different languages.

Albert VII (German: Albrecht VII; 13 November 1559 – 13 July 1621) was the ruling Archduke of Austria for a few months in 1619 and, jointly with his wife, Isabella Clara Eugenia, sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands between 1598 and 1621. Prior to this, he had been a cardinal, Archbishop of Toledo, viceroy of Portugal and Governor General of the Habsburg Netherlands. He succeeded his brother Matthias as reigning archduke of Lower and Upper Austria, but abdicated in favor of Ferdinand II the same year, making it the shortest (and often ignored) reign in Austrian history.

7. Maria Theresa of Austria (1816 - 1867)

With an HPI of 70.66, Maria Theresa of Austria is the 7th most famous Austrian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Maria Theresa of Austria (31 July 1816 – 8 August 1867) was the second wife of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, making her Queen of the Two Sicilies. She was the eldest daughter of Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen and Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg. Maria Theresa was Princess-Abbess of the Theresian Royal and Imperial Ladies Chapter of the Castle of Prague (1834–1835). Her paternal grandparents were Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Luisa of Spain. Her maternal grandparents were Frederick William of Nassau-Weilburg and his wife Burgravine Louise Isabelle of Kirchberg.

8. Anne of Austria, Queen of Poland (1573 - 1598)

With an HPI of 70.37, Anne of Austria, Queen of Poland is the 8th most famous Austrian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Anne of Austria (16 August 1573 – 10 February 1598) was Queen of Poland and Sweden and a Grand Duchess of Lithuania as the first consort of King Sigismund III Vasa.

9. Archduchess Maria Johanna Gabriela of Austria (1750 - 1762)

With an HPI of 70.29, Archduchess Maria Johanna Gabriela of Austria is the 9th most famous Austrian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Archduchess Maria Johanna of Austria (German: Maria Johanna Gabriele Josefa Antonia; 4 February 1750 – 23 December 1762) was an Archduchess of Austria as the eleventh child of Empress Maria Theresa and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. She was originally meant to marry Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, however, the marriage plans were never finalised due to Maria Johanna's death due to smallpox.

10. Constance of Austria (1588 - 1631)

With an HPI of 69.53, Constance of Austria is the 10th most famous Austrian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Constance of Austria (German: Konstanza; Polish: Konstancja; Lithuanian: Konstancija; 24 December 1588 – 10 July 1631) was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania as the second wife of King-Grand Duke Sigismund III Vasa and the mother of King John II Casimir.