The Grand Duchy of Tuscany existed between 1569 and 1860 with some interruptions. It ended when Tuscany was annexed by Sardinia as part of the new Kingdom of Italy. Ferdinand IV was the last Grand Duke of Tuscany. The Grand Duchy operated under semi-salic law, which allowed for the succession of women only if there were no more male dynasts. Thus, the Grand Duchesses mentioned will always be consorts. Any titles mentioned after the end of the monarchy are titular.
The future Ferdinand IV was first married to Princess Anna of Saxony in 1856. They had a daughter named Maria Antonia in 1858, but Anna died in February 1859 after a miscarriage. Ferdinand succeeded his father, Leopold II, in July 1859 after his abdication during the outbreak of revolution. Ferdinand remarried in 1868, long after Tuscany had been annexed. Thus, Ferdinand’s mother, Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies, was the last Grand Duchess of Tuscany.
Ferdinand’s second wife, Princess Alice of Bourbon-Parma, was thus the first titular Grand Duchess of Tuscany. They went on to have ten children together, but their youngest son died at the age of 9. Ferdinand died on 17 January 1908, and he was succeeded as head of the house by their second son, Archduke Joseph Ferdinand. Their eldest son, Archduke Leopold Ferdinand, had renounced his titles and was living under the name Leopold Wölfling. Archduke Joseph Ferdinand renounced his titles in 1921 when he wanted to marry a commoner, Rosa Kaltenbrunner.
He was succeeded as the head of the house by his younger brother, Archduke Peter Ferdinand. Peter Ferdinand had married Princess Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies in 1900, making her the second titular Grand Duchess of Tuscany. They went on to have four children together. Peter Ferdinand died on 8 November 1948 and was succeeded as head of the house by their eldest son, Archduke Gottfried.
Archduke Gottfried had married Princess Dorothea of Bavaria in 1938, making her the third titular Grand Duchess of Tuscany. They went on to have four children together. Gottfried died on 21 January 1984 and was succeeded as head of the house by their only son, Archduke Leopold Franz. He had married Laetitia de Belzunce d’Arenberg in 1965, but they divorced in 1981 before his succession. He and Laetitia had two sons together. After their divorce, Leopold Franz married Marta Julia Pérez Valverde in 1993. At the same time, he renounced his titles in favour of his eldest son, Archduke Sigismund.
Archduke Sigismund is the current Head of the House of Habsburg-Tuscany. He married Elyssa Juliet Edmonstone in 1999, making her the fourth titular Grand Duchess of Tuscany. They went on to have three children before their divorce in 2013.
Their divorce means that the position of titular Grand Duchess of Tuscany is currently vacant.
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