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For the daughter of Umberto II of Italy and Marie José of Belgium, see Princess Maria Beatrice of Savoy

Maria Beatrice of Savoy

Maria Beatrice Victoria Josephine of Savoy (December 6, 1792 - September 15, 1840) was the eldest daughter of King Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia and Archduchess Maria Teresa of Austria-Este.

Her maternal grandparents were Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este and Maria Beatrice d'Este, Heiress of Modena. Ferdinand was the fourteenth child and third son born to Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Theresa of Austria. Maria Beatrice was the eldest daughter of Ercole III d'Este and Maria Theresa Cybo, Princess of Carrera.

On June 20, 1812, Maria Beatrice married her maternal uncle Francis, Archduke of Austria-Este; the couple received a special dispensation for their marriage from Pope Pius VII. Maria Beatrice's husband became Francis IV, Duke of Modena, Reggio, and Mirandola on July 14, 1814. They were parents to four children:

• Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria-Este (14 July 1817 - 25 March 1886), married Henri, comte de Chambord.
• Francis V, Duke of Modena (1 June 1819 - 20 November 1875), married Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria.
• Ferdinand Karl Viktor, Archduke of Austria-Este (20 July 1821 - 15 December 1849), married Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria (daughter of Archduke Josef Anton of Austria and his third wife Duchess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg).
• Maria Beatrix, Archduchess of Austria-Este (13 February 1824 - 18 March 1906), married Juan, Count of Montizón.

With the death of her father on January 10, 1824, Maria Beatrice became recognized by Jacobites as "Mary III, Queen of England, France and Ireland" and as "Mary II, Queen of Scotland". The regnal numbers in England are a reference to the Jacobites belief that Mary I of Scotland had been the rightful successor to her cousin Mary I of England as "Mary II of England". They considered Elizabeth I of England to be an illegitimate daughter of Henry VIII of England and a usurper of the throne.

Actually at the time of her "ascension" the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland were no longer independent entities. They had merged to the Kingdom of Great Britain under the Act of Union 1707. The new Kingdom had in turn merged with the Kingdom of Ireland to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland under the Act of Union 1800. The actual King was George IV of the United Kingdom. The claim to the throne of France had begun with Edward III of England on 24 January 1340. The actual King at the time was Louis XVIII of France. Maria Beatrice never actively pursued either of her claims.

Maria Beatrice died of a heart condition on September 15, 1840. Her son Francis was the next Jacobite pretender.