Henrietta Anne, Duchess of Orléans
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Henrietta Anne (June 16, 1644 - June 30, 1670), in French Henriette d'Angleterre, sometimes known familiarly as Minette, was the youngest daughter of King Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France. The Stewart Legitimist Claims to the throne following the death of Henry Benedict Stuart, descend from her.
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[edit] Early life
Henrietta was born at Bedford House, Exeter, at a time when the English Civil War was raging across the land. Two weeks after Henriette's birth, her mother, the Queen, fled the country leaving her in the care of Lady Villiers. Henrietta-Anne (the "Anne" was added after she was baptized into the Catholic Church) was not reunited with her mother until she was two years old. After Henrietta's father Charles I was beheaded in 1649 and a republic was proclaimed in England, Henrietta's mother made her home at the French court, nominally presided over by her minor nephew, Louis XIV. Henrietta thus grew up at the French court.
[edit] Diplomacy and Death
In 1661, Henrietta-Anne married Philippe I, Duke of Orléans. Today, she is best known through her correspondence with her brother King Charles II of England, with whom she was very close. With her brother, she helped to negotiate the Secret Treaty of Dover (1670), which was an offensive and defensive alliance between England and France. She died at the Palace of Saint-Cloud, near Paris on June 30, 1670, just two weeks after the treaty was signed. At the time of her death, it was widely believed that Henrietta-Anne had been poisoned by friends of her husband’s jealous lover and exiled favorite, the Chevalier de Lorraine. An autopsy was performed, however, and it was reported that Henrietta-Anne had died of peritonitis caused by a perforated ulcer.[1]
[edit] Trivia
Louis XIV was very close to his sister-in-law. In fact it was believed at the time that Louis was the real father of Henrietta's two daughters. Louis' mourning of her after her tragic death was even greater than that of Philippe's, lending credence to that theory. However, Philippe was extremely jealous of his wife, possibly abusive, and paraded a succession of male lovers before her.
All of Louis XIV's mistresses (Louise de la Valliere and Athenais de Montespan) were originally ladies-in-waiting to the household of Henrietta. In fact Henrietta encourage the king's dalliance with Louise to silence the gossip about her and Louis. [2]
[edit] Ancestors
| Henrietta Anne Stuart | Father: Charles I of England |
Paternal Grandfather: James I of England |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley |
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Mary I of Scotland |
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| Paternal Grandmother: Anne of Denmark |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Frederick II of Denmark |
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| Paternal Great-grandmother: Sofie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
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| Mother: Henrietta Maria of France |
Maternal Grandfather: Henry IV of France |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Antoine of Navarre |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Jeanne III of Navarre |
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| Maternal Grandmother: Marie de' Medici |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Francesco I de' Medici |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Johanna of Austria |
[edit] Marriage and Issue
Henrietta Anne Stuart married Philippe I, Duke of Orléans on March 31, 1661.
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maria Luisa of Orléans | April 26, 1662 | February 12, 1689 | Marries Charles II of Spain. |
| Philippe Charles, Duke of Valois | July 16, 1664 | December 8, 1666 | |
| Unnamed daughter. | July 9, 1665 | Dies shortly after birth. | |
| Anne Marie of Orléans | August 27, 1669 | August 26, 1728 | Married Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia. Had issue. Grandmother of Louis XV of France. |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Robinson, James. "The History of Gastric Surgery" Chapter 20, page 239. The History of Gastroenterology.
- ^ Hartmann, Cyril Hughes. The King My Brother William Heinemann . London. 1954 ASIN: B000GBX3JS
