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 80.14, Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma is the most famous Austrian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 60 different languages on wikipedia.

Marie Louise (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 1 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. 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 77.51, Klara Hitler is the 2nd most famous Austrian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 49 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. According to the family physician, Eduard Bloch, she was a quiet, sweet, and affectionate person. 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 68.76, Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain is the 3rd most famous Austrian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 43 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. Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France (1554 - 1592)

With an HPI of 66.86, Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France is the 4th most famous Austrian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 32 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.

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

With an HPI of 65.42, Albert VII, Archduke of Austria is the 5th 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.

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

With an HPI of 65.27, Archduchess Maria Johanna Gabriela of Austria is the 6th most famous Austrian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 27 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.

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

With an HPI of 65.21, Anne of Austria, Queen of Poland is the 7th most famous Austrian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 33 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.

8. Elizabeth of Austria (1437 - 1505)

With an HPI of 63.75, Elizabeth of Austria is the 8th most famous Austrian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Elizabeth of Austria (German: Elisabeth von Habsburg; Polish: Elżbieta Rakuszanka; Lithuanian: Elžbieta Habsburgaitė; c. 1436 – 30 August 1505) was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania as the wife of King Casimir IV of Poland. Orphaned at an early age, she spent her childhood in the court of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III. As one of the three surviving grandchildren of Emperor Sigismund, she had a strong claim to the kingdoms of Hungary and Bohemia. That made her an attractive bride for a Polish prince. The Polish nobility, seeking to increase Polish influence in Hungary and Bohemia, pursued marriage with Elizabeth since she was born and finally succeeded in 1454. Her marriage to Casimir was one of the most successful royal marriages in Poland. She gave birth to thirteen children, eleven of whom survived to adulthood. Four of her sons were crowned as kings.

9. Maria Anna of Austria (1683 - 1754)

With an HPI of 63.64, Maria Anna of Austria is the 9th most famous Austrian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Maria Anna of Austria (Maria Anna Josepha Antonia Regina; 7 September 1683 – 14 August 1754) was Queen of Portugal as the wife of King John V of Portugal. She served as the regent of Portugal from 1742 until 1750 during the illness of her husband. She was born an Archduchess of Austria as the daughter of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg.

10. Constance of Austria (1588 - 1631)

With an HPI of 63.57, Constance of Austria is the 10th most famous Austrian Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 30 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.