Lucia Migliaccio (also spelled Migliori; 1749 – 1825) was a Sicilian noblewoman who became the morganatic second wife of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, the former King of Naples and Sicily. Through her marriage, she received the title Duchess of Floridia, though she was not recognized as queen consort.
Early Life and Family
Lucia Migliaccio was born in 1749 into a prominent Sicilian aristocratic family. She was the daughter of Pietro Migliaccio, Prince of Carcaci, and his wife, Maria Cottone di Carcaci. The Migliaccio family held extensive lands and titles in Sicily, and Lucia was raised in a milieu of high social standing.
Marriage to Ferdinand I
Ferdinand I, who reigned as King of Naples and Sicily from 1759 to 1816 and thereafter as King of the Two Sicilies, was widowed after the death of his first wife, Maria Carolina of Austria, in 1814. In 1814, he entered into a morganatic marriage with Lucia Migliaccio. Because the marriage was morganatic, Lucia did not acquire the rank of queen, and the union did not affect the succession to the throne.
The couple was granted the title Duchess of Floridia (Duchessa di Floridia). The title had previously been associated with the Spanish royal family and was revived for Lucia as part of the marriage settlement. Despite her elevated status, Lucia remained largely out of public political life, and her influence on court affairs was limited.
Later Life and Death
Lucia Migliaccio lived out her later years primarily in Palermo and other royal residences in Sicily. She died in 1825, a few years after the death of her husband in 1825. Her death marked the end of a relatively quiet chapter in the Bourbon dynasty's personal history.
Historical Assessment
Lucia Migliaccio's significance lies chiefly in her role as a morganatic spouse of a major European monarch during a period of political transition in Southern Italy. Her marriage illustrates the practice of morganatic unions within European royalty, wherein a spouse of lower rank could marry a sovereign without altering dynastic succession or conferring full royal titles.
Legacy
The Duchess of Floridia title continued to be used within the Bourbon family, though subsequent holders were unrelated to Lucia Migliaccio. She is occasionally referenced in historical works concerning the personal life of Ferdinand I and the social customs of the Sicilian aristocracy in the early 19th century.