I agree! Parma may not have been as grand as Vienna, Versailles or Naples, but ultimately it seems to have been the sort of place that suited Amalia well. Had she been mistress of a grander Court I think she would have become very frustrated with protocol. The comparative informality of Parma allowed her to live the sort of active, outdoor life that she seemed to enjoy. Also, Ferdinand, though not initially the man of her dreams (!) was clearly a decent man and one that she came to care for. Also she had children and appears to have been a devoted mother. Most importantly she was essentially her own mistress with no one controlling her life the way her mother appeared to do with her two unmarried sisters.
That's why I seriously doubt what some authors wrote, that Maria Amalia was unhappy in Parma because it was a middling state. If she loathed it (like her mother-in- law Louise Elisabeth of France seemed to), she would not have bothered traveling all over the duchy over and over and made friends with the "locals", she could have confined her travels to other states in Italy and became aloof. I'm certain she made many mistakes on being a mother (especially when she was in a bad mood) but one could say she that she showed more interest in her children and was anxious, not to criticise, but to correct their shortcomings, than her own mother. It would be very interesting to read her letters to her children but I'm not sure if such are still extant.
There's evidence that Ferdinand, at certain times, put his foot down but I doubt if any discipline/control was anywhere as harsh as Maria Theresa's. Overall, he let her be and tried to exercise patience and goodwill, which, considering Maria Amalia's caprices, one would need a lot of ....
Mimi's comments about Amalia's altered appearance have always struck me as a little bitchy. As Eric Lowe said, Amalia looked very attractive in the Roslin portrait which is dated after the visit. I've often wondered if Mimi at some level envied Amalia her independent spirit and the fact that she was not willing to meekly accede to all their mother's wishes. I wouldn't be surprised that when her brothers visited Amalia, they all had a good moan about Mimi. Mimi was probably aware of this and trying to get her own back!
Well, like I said earlier (not sure if it was deleted in one of the "purges" made on this thread), one would think someone with Mimi's **advantages** (real or imagined) would try to have goodwill towards her siblings but no, she still chose to be the troublemaker. Which says a lot about Mimi's real character and also that of her mother's (favouring a nasty child). I can't say for the rest, but I remember reading earlier that, according to Joseph II, Archduke Ferdinand on his first visit to Vienna (1775 or 1776, after he got married and moved to Milan) was unhappy to see Mimi.....
Indeed, Maria Amalia was not very well educated and took not trouble to books or politics (like Maria Carolina did) or obsessed with fashion & looks (like Marie Antoinette did). Her outspoken ways WERE very unroyal as most courts play by charm, scheme and hypocrisy (Yes even MT did that in response to Poland), and her outburst were also more a result of willfulness than a strategic planner like Maria Carolina. That is the reason why MT was so pissed off by Maria Amalia as she was "a loose cannon" not under control.
Well, according to Maria Amalia's detractors, she was crafty and scheming. I have no doubt that she was very willful and had outbursts but she was also said to have a very keen perception, even if she wasn't the "bookish" type like Maria Carolina. Judging from what we can see later on, she produced more good results (both in her personal and public life) than the bookish and highly politicised Maria Carolina, and without the same level of efforts at that. I'm not aware of any instance that Maria Carolina displayed her skills as a "strategic planner" and judging from what resulted from her rule in Naples, she wasn't as good as she thought and was just hyped that way ..... Can you please cite instance(s)?
There was not much difference between Maria Amalia's and Maria Carolina's (political and personal) behaviour once they were in their new homes, both brought "disgrace" as far the world was concerned. I think Maria Theresa was more forgiving of Maria Carolina's behaviour because she was her 2nd favourite daughter in contrast to Maria Amalia, whom she never seemed to like.
=====
Svetabel, thanks for making the name change in this thread!
