Antonia Mary, Duchess of Corden

## Infanta Antonia

Duchess of Corden

**Infanta Antonia Maria of Astério** (Antonia Maria Joana Gabriela; 12 August 1829 - 7 January 1903), was an Asterian infanta by birth and **Duchess of Corden** by marriage as the wife of Prince Augustus, Duke of Corden. The ninth and youngest child and fourth daughter of the King and Queen of Astério, although the third to reach adulthood, she grew up in the Royal Palace of Belo Monte alongside her siblings.

> I don’t believe that this marriage is about love, no, but I do recognize that respect and care exist, and me and Augustus own them ourselves, and know how to work this out.
>
> Antonia in a letter to her sister Maria José after a couples months wed.

## Biography

**Antonia Maria** was born at the Royal Palace of Belo Monte on 12 August 1829, the daughter of King Guilherme IV of Astério and his wife Queen Maria Gabriela. She was named after her great-grandmother, Queen Antonietta of Cantenaro.

Augusta was particularly close throughout her whole life to her sisters, Infanta Maria José and Infanta Leopolda, and her brother, Infante Gabriel, as they were all pretty close in age.

## Marriage and issue

In 1854, when she was twenty five, Antonia married Prince Augustus, Duke of Corden, who was twenty four. Antonia and Augustus had five children, four of whom lived to adulthood, and three miscarriages:

* Stillborn daughter at seven months (7 April 1855).
* Prince William (18 June 1857 - 24 November 1928), who wed his first cousin and heir to the throne, Princess Charlotte of Escoffier, and had issue.
* Prince George Henry (26 June 1859), born and died the same day.
* Princess Augusta (7 November 1861 - 10 July 1930), who wed Johann Leopold II, Grand Duke of Schöffer, eldest son and heir of Leopold II, Grand Duke of Schöffer, and had issue.
* Prince Arthur, Duke of Corden (24 January 1864 - 20 March 1976), who wed firstly his first cousin Princess Henriette of Bradsen, and had issue, and secondly his first cousin Princess Maria Anna of Leimund, and had issue.
* Stillborn son at six months (30 September 1865).
* Princess Louise (22 January 1868 - 8 May 1921), who wed nobleman Richard, 6th Duke of Kesteven, and had issue.
* Stillborn daughter at six months (4 February 1870).

The marriage was an arrangement between the families, and they didn’t know each other previously their engagement day, only receiving a portrait of one another months prior. Augustus chose Antonia as wife after learning about her piano skills and love for art, besides knowing five languages (portuguese, spanish, french, english and german) and coming from a family known for their fertility. He made his final decision after seeing a photo of her that was made just for him.

The engagement took place in April 1854 in Escoffier at the Royal Palace of Bloua, and the moment Augustus saw Antonia in person he was heartbroken that she was not the same as her photo and ran away from the ball. In exchange, Antonia spent the night crying in her bed saying that “The Duke hates me! He hates me, I know!”. It was necessary that Augustus younger sister, Princess Wilhelmina, went to talk to her so she could participate in others affairs that was prepared for the young couple.

Later on that week Augustus officially went to talk to his fiancée and apologized for the way he acted, and the couple started a friendship from then own. Antonia talked openly to her two sisters how she didn’t love her husband, how he had lovers once or twice a year and that she encouraged that from him as, that way, she had more free time for herself. Even though it wasn’t a love match, they were devoted to their children, and when something happened to one of them they both stopped whatever they were doing to take care of them.

## Later life

Antonia’s arrival and wedding wasn’t seen as a good one from the people of Escoffier as she was a catholic, but, with time, they realized how she kept her faith for herself and how she asked to all her children to be raised protestant, and they started to like her. However, it is most likely she only chose that so her children would be still in line of succession of the Escoffierese throne, as her brother and sister-in-law struggled with pregnancy, childbirth and how sick their surviving children were.

The death of her older brother, Infante Pedro, on March 1856, after the ship he and his family were in to travel to Escoffier to see Antonia messed with her a lot. She was unable to eat properly for weeks, and her husband was scared that she would die of sadness. She would later recover, and the birth of her eldest son, William, helped on that. She would be forever close to him and he was her favorite child, and everyone knew that.

## Death

Antonia died in 7 January 1903, at 83, in the Castle Charlotte, the winter home of the royal family, and was buried in the Royal Cript, at the St. Arthur Abbey in Tesser.

## Titles and Styles

* 12 August 1829 - 5 September 1854: *Her Royal Highness* The Infanta Antonia of Astério
* 5 September 1854 - 7 January 1903: *Her Royal Highness* The Duchess of Corden