When the young Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria married Napoleon Bonaparte of France, the shy teenager quickly endeared herself to the citizens of her adopted land, improving her husband’s tenuous relationship with his people during a tumultuous time in the country’s history. Although Napoleon’s eventual abdication and exile led to the dissolution of the marriage, she retained her imperial rank and was made ruler of several duchies, including Parma, Italy, where she took up residence in 1816. She remained its devoted duchess until her death in 1847.