Predecessor Duke Joseph Burial Monichkirchen House House of Bourbon-Parma | Successor Duke Robert Hugo Name Elias, of | |
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Reign 7 January 1950 – 27 June 1959 Born 23 July 1880
Biarritz ( 1880-07-23 ) Issue Princess Elisabetta
Prince Carlo
Princess Maria Francesca
Robert Hugo, Duke of Parma
Prince Francesco
Princess Giovanna
Princess Alicia, Duchess of Calabria
Princess Maria Cristina Father Robert I, Duke of Parma Died June 27, 1959, Friedberg, Austria Spouse Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (m. 1903–1940) Children Infanta Alicia, Duchess of Calabria Parents Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Robert I, Duke of Parma Similar People Robert I - Duke of Parma, Prince Sixtus of Bourbon‑Parma, Infanta Alicia - Duchess, Prince Xavier of Bourbon‑Parma, Infanta Maria Antonia o | ||
Elias, Duke of Parma and Piacenza (Italian: Elia di Borbone-Parma; 23 July 1880 – 27 June 1959) was the head of the House of Bourbon-Parma and pretender to the defunct throne of Parma between 1950 and 1959. From 1907 to 1950 he served as regent for the claims of his two older disabled brothers.
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Early life
Elias was born at Biarritz, the youngest son of the deposed Duke Robert I of Parma and his first wife Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (daughter of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies).
Despite the loss of the throne, His father Robert enjoyed considerable wealth. They owned castles at Schwarzau am Steinfeld near Vienna in Austria, Villa Pianore near Viareggio in Italy, and the magnificent Chateau de Chambord in France (up until its confiscation in World War I).
Marriage and family
On 25 May 1903 at Vienna, Elias married Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (1882–1940), daughter of Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen and a niece of Queen Maria Cristina of Spain. Elias and Maria Anna had eight children:
Regent for his brothers
In 1907 Elias' father Robert died and was succeeded in his ducal claims of Parma by his son Enrico who was mentally disabled. Less than four months later the Grand Marshal of the Austrian court declared Enrico and five of his siblings legally incompetent. Elias became regent for Enrico's claims and guardian for his disabled siblings.
In 1907 Elias was made a knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece by the Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria.
In 1910 Elias came to an agreement with his half-siblings, his father's children by his second wife, about the division of their father's estate. Elias was to have half of the estate in order to support his rank as head of the family; this half included the chateau de Chambord.
In 1915 Chambord was sequestered by the French government as alien property, since Elias held a commission in the Austro-Hungarian Army. Liquidation proceedings were started in 1919 in application of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, which gave the Allies the right to keep such property. Elias' half-brothers, Sixtus and Xavier took Elias to court to obtain a greater share of their father's estate. They claimed that the 1910 family agreement violated the French law which mandated equal division between siblings. In 1925 the French courts determined that Sixtus and Xavier should have a larger share, but in 1928 this judgement was overturned on appeal. In 1932 the court of cassation upheld the appeal on the grounds that there was a valid agreement between the siblings to an unequal division. Elias' rights to the chateau de Chambord were thereby recognised - but the wartime confiscation was upheld and Elias was financially compensated with 11 million francs.
In 1939 Enrico died and was succeeded in his ducal claims of Parma by his brother Giuseppe who also was mentally disabled. Elias continued to act as regent.
In 1950 Giuseppe died and Elias succeeded as pretender of Parma.
Elias died at Friedberg, Styria in 1959. He and his wife are buried in the nearby village of Monichkirchen.