Anna Maria Erdődy

Countess Anna Maria (Marie) von Erdődy (8 September 1779 – 17 March 1837) was a Hungarian noblewoman and among the closest confidantes and friends of Ludwig van Beethoven.

[1] In 1805 she became estranged from Count Péter through desertion[2] and eventually settled into a ménage with Johann Xaver Brauchle (1783–1838), her long-serving secretary and children's music teacher, who later became a composer.

[2] Thayer writes, "It is not at all improbable that the vicinity of the Erdödy estate at Jedlesee am Marchfeld was one reason for his frequent choice of summer lodgings in the villages on the Danube, north of the city".

Marie was instrumental in helping to sway members of the Imperial nobility to granting Beethoven a lifelong annuity in an effort to induce him to remain in Austrian lands in the face of an offer of employment as Kapellmeister in Cassel, from Jérôme, King of Westphalia.

[10]Thayer states, "It seems likely that the suggestion that formal stipulations for a contract be drawn up under which Beethoven would decline the offer from Cassel and remain in Vienna came from the Countess Erdödy.

"[3][4] Negotiations resulted in Beethoven signing a contract with princes Lobkowitz, Kinsky and the Archduke Rudolf (in which they promised to pay him a regular stipend for life), his rejection of the Cassel post, and his remaining in Vienna until his death in 1827.

Marie Erdődy as remembered by a plaque at her estate in Jedlesee for her residence and patronage there during Beethoven's lifetime.
Beethoven plaque, Erdödy estate, Jedlesee, Floridsdorf-Vienna, citing Beethoven's repeated sojourns there as a guest.
The Erdödy estate in Jedlesee, formerly a museum and memorial. A plaque commemorating Beethoven's frequent visits there can be seen on the wall at left (enlarged, middle), Marie's own plaque (enlarged, top) at far right.
1872 map, showing "Jedlersee" on the east bank of the Danube, and Klosterneuburg on the west