Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma, Empress Consort of Austria

Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma (Zita Maria delle Grazie Adelgonda Micaela Raffaela Gabriella Giuseppina Antonia Luisa Agnese; 9 May 1892 -- 14 March 1989) was the wife of Emperor Charles of Austria; the last Empress of Austria, Queen of Hungary

Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma was born at the Villa Pianore in the Italian Province of Lucca, 9 May 1892. She was the third daughter and fifth child of the deposed Robert I, Duke of Parma and his second wife, Maria Antonia of Portugal. Zita was the 17th child among Duke Robert's 24 children.

Having met as children, Zita and Karl would become reacquainted in 1909. They soon became close friends and for Karl it soon blossomed into love. Zita would be a little slower to realize her feelings. Karl would be forced to act in the autumn of 1910 when rumor had it Zita was to marry the Duke of Madrid. They turned out to be false but Karl was more sure than ever that he wanted Zita to be his wife. "'Well, I had better hurry in any case or she will get engaged to someone else."

They were married on 21 October 1911. Their first child, Otto, was born 20 November 1912. Seven more children would follow in the next decade.

On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia sparking the First World War. The war was especially trying on Zita as Karl was taken away to the front to lead the troops, her Italian family was fighting on France's side of the war and the people of Austria mistrusted her as an Italian.

In 1916, Emperor Franz Joseph died, making Karl Emperor of the Austria Empire. They were crowned in Budapest on Decemer 30, 1916. While her husband was away at the front, Zita acted as regent and implemented small social reforms. She was a dedicated nurse and a sponsor of many charities.

The People's Manifesto of 1918 effectively dissolved the Empire and the establishment of the state of German-Austria brought an end to the Hapsburg dynasty. "A sovereign can never abdicate. He can be deposed... All right. That is force. But abdicate — never, never, never! I would rather fall here at your side. Then there would be Otto. And even if all of us here were killed, there would still be other Habsburgs!"

The Imperial family spend their lives abroad in exile moving from one place to another in search of a permanent home. Zita's life would change forever when on Karl died of pneumonia on April 1, 1922 after shopping on a chilly day for toys for his young son. His last words to her would be "I love you so much."She would wear widows black for 63 years she would stay on this earth.

The family continued to move about, from Spain to as far away as Montreal, Canada. Her sons would participate in the Second World War and the Hapsburg's were the champions of Nazi resistance. She also involved herself in the efforts to have her deceased husband, the "Peace Emperor" canonised.

In 1982, she returned to Austria after having been absent for six decades. After a memorable 90th birthday, where she was surrounded by her now vast family, Zita's strong health began to fail. She developed inoperable cataracts in both eyes. Her last big family gathering took place at Zizers, in 1987, when her children and grandchildren joined in celebrating Empress Zita's 95th birthday. While visiting her daughter, in summer 1988, she developed pneumonia and spent most of the autumn and winter bedridden. Finally, she called Otto, in early March 1989, and told him she was dying. He and the rest of the family travelled to her bedside and took turns keeping her company until she died in the early hours of 14 March 1989. She was 96 years old.

MY APOLOGIES FOR CALLING HER ARCHDUCHESS "OTTO" OF AUSTRIA. I MUST HAVE ACCIDENTALLY PUT DOWN THE NAME OF HER SON. I MEANT TO PUT KARL SO PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!

(Note: Happy Belated Birthday, Joong! Derp - Sorry I forgot to congratulate you on the actual day but that doesn't mean I'll ever forget our amazing friendship)