Maria Amalia of Saxony
1759 - 1760
The fourth of fourteen children born to Augustus III (1696-1763), King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, and Maria Josepha of Austria (1699-1757), Maria Amalia of Saxony spent her childhood between Dresden, Pilnitz and Warsaw, where she moved after her father's accession to the Polish throne. Described by a contemporary witness as a "tall and robust" young woman, she had a strong personality, was noted for her religious piety and fondness for animals, especially exotic ones such as monkeys and parrots. Her marriage to the future Charles III (1716-1788), then King of Naples and Sicily, was ratified in Portella (Naples) on 19th June 1738, when Maria Amalia of Saxony had not yet reached the age of fourteen. The King and Queen had thirteen children: the Infanta María Isabe...
