Maria Theresa, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, gave a whole new meaning to the word 'fertile'. Maria Antonia had a whole gaggle of brothers and sisters to play with as she grew up in Vienna.

Here they are:

Maria Elisabeth Amelia Antonia Josepha Gabriella Johanna Agatha (1737-1740)
Maria Anna Antonia Johanna Josepha (1738-1789)
Maria Karolina Ernestina Antonia Johanna Josepha (1740-1741)
Josef Benoit August Johan Anton Michael Adam (1741-1790) - later Holy Roman Emperor
Maria Christina Josepha Johanna Antonia (1742-1798)
Maria Elisabeth Josepha Johanna Antonia (1743-1808)
Karl Josef Emmanuel Johan Nepomuk Anton Prokop (1745-1761)
Maria Amalia Josepha Johanna Antonia (1746-1802)
Peter Leopold Josef (1747-1792) - also became Holy Roman Emperor
Maria Karolina (born and died 1748)
Maria Johanna Gabriella Josepha Antonia (1750-1762) (according to the second site below, this sister did not have the first name "Maria")
Maria Josepha Gabriella Johanna Antonia Ana (1751-1767)
Maria Karolina Luisa Josefa Johanna Antonia (1752-1825)
Ferdinand (of Austria-Este) (1754-1806)
Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna (1755-1793) - Marie Antoinette
Maximilian Franz Xaver Josef Johan Anton de Paul Wenceslaus (1756-1801

Thanks for posting this list - seeing all the birthdates together like this really gives a better sense of all the years that Maria Theresa spent pregnant! I cannot imagine being consistently pregnant like she was.

You're welcome, Lilly. I'm glad you found the post worthwhile. What surprised me about it was Maria Theresa's ability to maintain a basically heathy constitution despite the repeated assaults to her body by pregnancy. And to think that the most common, popular 'treatment' was bleeding, and fresh air and water for bathing were thought to transmit disease, the Empress' general heath and that of her offspring is truly remarkable.

i can't believe these list because the detail list shown total pregnancy nothing else.

What is it that you don't believe??

This user looks like a spammer - see the advertisement in his signature?

Thanks for the heads up Fleur ... I shall delete the signature for now ... the comments are odd but vaguely on topic so I will leave them for the time being!

Wow. Not only did every archduchess have the same forename, they also had similar names after that. Could Maria Theresa not come up with other names instead of reusing the same ones over again? It's no wonder each child had a nickname!

The name 'Mary' is Latin in origin; some of it's derivations are Marie, Maria, Miriam and Mariah. It was used by the vast majority of Catholic royalty for female children in honor of Mary, the mother of Jesus. I can't help but feel that Maria Theresa took some pride in the fact that her name would be spread all over Europe by eleven (11) Hapsburg princesses.

Health issues aside, bear in mind this woman was ruling a country the whole time she was having all these children. Ruling it very attentively. AND keeping close tabs on the older kids.

Talk about having it all....

There's nothing unusual even today about giving children the same first name as a homage to some member of the Holy Family. I'm guessing it's done with some idea of putting the child under that person's protection, though I haven't verified it. Several of my own French half-siblings, for instance, share a first name.

I've also seen less known names reused among siblings, possibly including one of my own ancestors (though we're still trying to confirm that).

Well yes, partly because of that and partly for the intention to "honour", or to "remember" the Virgin Mary or a beloved Saint. I don't know siblings who share first-names, but it's quite common,when you have more than one name, that the second or last one (not the main one) is the name of a Saint, or Mary's. For example I have three names (though I commonly use the first one only) and my third name is Maria.

People back then seemed to reuse names a lot (e.g. Mary, Catherine, Elisabeth, Marie). I would of gotten so confused.

Well, traditionally people tended to give their children names that were recurrent in their families. Of course this is especially true of royal or noble families (and I don't think it has changed much even today), but I think it was a common practice among common people too. In my family, for example, names tend to recur. I guess it's a way of remembering past people and keeping up a tradition.

Yes this is also common in Australia amongst Catholic families - both my mother and her sister for example have the second name Mary.