Ferdinando Carlo Vittorio Giuseppe Maria Baldassarre, better known as Charles III of Bourbon-Parma – thank goodness there was no identity card, otherwise it would have been half a meter long – was born in Lucca on 14 January 1823. He was the son of Carlo Ludovico, Prince of Lucca and Duke of Parma and Princess Maria Teresa of Savoy, daughter of Vittorio Emanuele I of Sardinia, in short, of humble origins. Ferdinando Carlo spent the first years of his life wandering with his parents, among the Germany and Austria, where his family owned some castles. He learned the Italian language from Lazzaro Papi and learned French, German, English and Spanish. Ferdinand Charles returned to Lucca, together with his mother in 1833. The character of the parent was very reserved and religious, while his father was restless, loved travel and pranks, often grotesque – then he says that one goes into analysis, but that is another story. Ferdinand Charles, in any case, followed in his father’s footsteps and revealed himself to be rebellious and spoiled. As a teenager he became passionate about military life. He entered the army in Lucca as a private and shared the harsh training with his fellow soldiers, never flaunting his rank. In 1841, at the age of eighteen, he was sent to the Turin Military Schoolarousing the disdain of his father and grandfather Vittorio Emanuele, who did not understand the motivations of his restless nephew. Due to the economic difficulties of the Duchy of Lucca, his father decided to marry him to a princess who possessed a large dowry. The choice fell on Louise Maria Theresa of France, a noble sister of the pretender to the throne, count of Chambord, as well as grandson of King Charles. Initially Ferdinand Charles refused an arranged marriage with an older woman who was also a relative of him. When his father blocked his credit card at the time, he returned to more gentle advice and magically decided to accept marriage to his cousin Luisa Maria Teresa. They married on November 10, 1845 Lanzenkirchen in Austria and they spent their honeymoon at Uchendorff and then into England. Despite his initial hesitations, Ferdinand Charles was happy with his marriage. Luisa Maria was a woman of pleasant appearance, although with a slightly cold and detached character. Ferdinando Carlo became for everyone: the Duchino, both for his stature, which was not that of a cuirassier, and for his role as his father’s heir. Ferdinand Charles had a large nose and receding chin, yet he dressed elegantly and was considered a dandy of the time. On 17 December 1847 the Empress Maria Luisa died and her father Carlo succeeded him as Duke of Parma, with the name of Charles II. The Duchy of Lucca was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and Ferdinand Charles became Hereditary Prince of Parma. The reign of Charles II lasted very short. In March 1848, the revolution promoted by King Charles Albert of Sardinia. Charles II attempted to escape, but was arrested Cremona and taken prisoner to Milan. He was freed by the English and after repairing in Malta, Naples and Livornotook refuge in England, where he thought of abdicating in favor of his son Ferdinando Carlo. He desisted, as the situation was not yet such as to put his offspring in danger. However, on March 24, 1849 he decided that the time had come and Ferdinand Charles became Duke of Parma, Piacenza and the annexed states with the name of Charles III. In May of that same year, the new duke secured Austrian protection and made his solemn entry into Parma on 25 August 1849. Charles III was a staunch anti-clerical, perhaps in contrast to his mother’s exasperated bigotry, and was a proud opponent of the death penalty. Even if related to the Habsburghe much preferred to spend his time in England. He was much loved by the popular classes and not much by the noble ones, as he was less reactionary than the nobles desired. Charles III was a lover of ballet and the arts and always attentive to fashion and style. When his wife became fat and ungroomed, he separated from her and began a relationship with her Countess Emma Guadagniwith whom he spent a lot of time between 1852 and 1853, also being accompanied on official visits, such as by Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany. In February 1854 Charles III returned to Parma having to face political and family storms. He arrived on Sunday 26 March 1854, when Charles III Duke of Parma, accompanied by Count Bacinetti, he decided to take a walk. While he was returning, towards evening, two men approached and stabbed him violently. The Duke fell wounded and was brought back to the palace. His condition appeared serious from the beginning, but he did not show the slightest fear of the end. He died on the evening of March 27, 1854, after showing leonine courage. He today he rests at Viareggio at the Chapel of the Macchiawhile his fearless heart is found in a shrine in the crypt of the basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata in Parmaa city that had welcomed the Duke arrived from Lucca.
