Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria (1868-1924)

Austria-Hungarian Royalty. She was the third daughter and fourth and last child of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and Empress Elisabeth of Bavaria. Her given name was Marie Valerie Mathilde Amalie, but she was usually called Valerie. She was her mother's favorite child and growing up, she spoke German, English, French, and Italian fluently and enjoyed writing plays and poems, and was an amateur artist. On July 31, 1890, she married her third cousin Archduke Franz Salvator and ten children were born to this union. Their marriage was harmonious at first, but it it became less so with time due to his many affairs. Following the end of World War I, when the Austria-Hungary Empire was dissolved, she officially recognized the end of the Habsburg monarchy and signed documents renouncing all rights toward the same for herself and her descendants. She died from lymphoma at the age of 56.

Bio by: William Bjornstad