Born on 14 March 1822 in Naples, Teresa Cristina became an orphan when her father died in 1830. Her mother is said to have neglected her after marrying a young officer in 1839. Historiography has long asserted that she was raised in lonely isolation, in an environment of religious superstition, intolerance and conservatism. It has also described Teresa Cristina as a soft and timid character, unlike her ruthless father or her impulsive mother. She has even been depicted as unassertive, and accustomed to be satisfied in whatever circumstances she found herself.