Theodora of Hesse-Darmstadt

Theodora
Duchess of Guastalla
Duchess consort of Guastalla
Tenure	23 February 1727 – 16 April 1729
Born	(1706-02-06)6 February 1706 Vienna, Austria
Died	23 January 1784(1784-01-23) (aged 77) Parma, Duchy of Parma and Piacenza
Burial	Cathedral of Guastalla
Spouse	Antonio, Duke of Guastalla ​ ​ (m. 1727; died 1729)​
House	Hesse-Darmstadt
Father	Prince Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt
Mother	Princess Marie Ernestine of Croÿ-Havré
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Princess Theodora of Hesse-Darmstadt (6 February 1706 – 23 January 1784) was Duchess of Guastalla through her marriage to Antonio Ferrante Gonzaga, Duke of Guastalla and was a member of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Life

Theodora was the only daughter and second child of Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt and Princess Marie Ernestine of Croÿ-Havré. She was a granddaughter of Louis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt.

On 23 February 1727, she married Antonio Ferrante Gonzaga, Duke of Guastalla in Mantua and became the Duchess of Guastalla. They had no children. Antonio died on 16 April 1729 after burning to death, meaning his brother and heir, Giuseppe Gonzaga, Duke of Guastalla inherited his duchy. After the death of Theodora's husband she became known as the Dowager Duchess of Guastalla.

On 25 February 1740, Theodora was welcomed by a delegation of the Augsburg city council at the "Drei Mohren" inn. She arranged for the innkeeper to hold masked balls, securing permission for two such events in February 1740 and January 1752. She visited Augsburg on 10 June 1746, again receiving a city council welcome, this time at her brother's residence where she was staying. It is presumed that she always resided with him during her Augsburg visits, rather than establishing an independent household. This assumption stems from Augsburg's laws restricting land and property ownership to city citizens, of which Theodora was not. Additionally, no evidence suggests she ever acquired residency or citizenship in Augsburg, which would have been necessary for extended stays. Theodora, whose union had represented the most significant moment in the intertwining between large landed property and aristocracy , favored by marriage exchanges between Mantuan families and families of the Empire. In May 1771 Theodora obtained a loan of 1,850 Roman sequins (81,400 Mantua lire) with a redemption agreement within one year from Moisè Coen's firm, offering family jewels as a pledge. Hereditary misfortunes did not allow her to redeem the precious items and the request for an extension from the Israelite lender yielded only a two-month extension. Even the search for new financing was in vain since "the mournful year in this low province keeps traders intent on using the money on grain". All that remained was to personally contact the plenipotentiary to have a charitable institution, Monte take over the debt, saving it from the alienation of the pledge. By involving the head of the Congregation in the operation, he was however invited to be vigilant in estimating the joys, considering the particular nature of the institute. For his part, Coen had granted the loan at the official interest rate of 8%, counting in all likelihood on the insolvency of the duchess, so much so that by mid-June 1772 he had already sent the jewels to Senigallia for sale. Monte's intervention hindered his financial strategy, forcing him to call them back to the city to persuaded that he deserved superior approval.

The Cathedral of Guastalla, burial place of Theodora of Hesse-Darmstadt

Theodora died on 23 January 1784 at 77 with no issue. Two tombstones commemorate her inside the Cathedral of Guastalla, near the altar of the Beata Vergine delle Grazie in front of which she was buried: the first, from 1773, in recognition of the great benefits she obtained for the Guastalla church; the second, from 1784, commissioned by her cousin, the Duke of Havré and Croy.