Louise Elisabeth of Orléans
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Louise-Élisabeth d'Orléans (11 December 1709, Versailles Palace, France — 16 June 1742, Luxembourg Palace, Paris, France), Queen Consort of Spain as the wife of King Louis I of Spain.
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[edit] Life
Louise-Élisabeth was one of the many daughters of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans and his wife, Françoise-Marie de Bourbon. Her mother was a legitimised daughter of Louis XIV of France and his most famous mistress, Madame de Montespan. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon, Louise-Élisabeth was a Princesse du Sang.
[edit] Early life
She was born at the Palace of Versailles on December 11, 1709 and was her parents fourth surviving daughter (the first , Mademoiselle de Valois died a year after brith). As a result of her mothers illegitimate birth, she was not officially classed, like her siblings, as a Petite Fille de France (Grand daughter of France).
During her youth prior to her marriage, she was known as Mademoiselle de Montpensier. She grew up among a brother and many sisters. Because no one was much interested in her as a child, Louise-Elisabeth received a poor education and seemed destined for marriage to some obscure German or Italian prince.
Since 1715, her father was de facto ruler of France as the regent for the child, King Louis XV. In 1718 the War of the Quadruple Alliance broke out between France and Spain. In 1720, King Philip V of Spain wanted to make peace and proposed a double marriage: his three year old daughter, Mariana Victoria, would marry the fifteen year old Louis XV, and his son and heir, Louis, would marry one of the Regent's daughters.
[edit] Marriage
By that time, Louise-Elisabeth and her sister Philippine d'Orléans were the Regent's only unmarried daughters. It was later decided that these two daughters of the Regent would marry two Infantes of Spain.
Therefore, in 1721, at just twelve years old Louise Élisabeth was married by Proxy in Paris in November[1], Louise-Elisabeth and her younger sister left for Madrid. Despite a cold reception from the Spanish royal family, especially by Elizabeth of Parma, her future husband's stepmother, she married Louis of Spain on 20 January 1722 at Lerma. The dowry of this marriage was an enormous 4 million Livres.[2]
Her sister was later engaged to Don Carlos of Spain, another heir to the throne of Spain; but the marriage came to nothing and her sister was later sent back to France where she died at the age of 19 in Paris.
[edit] Princess of Asturias
As wife of the heir to the Spanish throne, she assumed the title of Princess of Asturias. Despite her rank at court, Louise-Elisabeth was spied upon and accused of all sorts of wrongdoings. Her poor education hindered her ability to deal with the pressures exerted on her, and she reacted by withdrawing emotionally and exhibiting odd behaviour, like walking around naked and burping and breaking wind in public.
[edit] Queen of Spain
On January 15, 1724, an emotionally unstable Philip V abdicated in favour of his eldest son, who became King Louis I. Louise-Elisabeth became Queen, but after only seven months, Louis died of smallpox. Because he died without an heir, his father became the king once again. She stayed in Madrid for some time after the death of her husband but the Spanish court was unkind and malicious towards the lonely teenage widow.
[edit] Later life
After the death of her husband, the marriage was annuled and returned back to France at the request of her proud mother the Dowager duchesse d'Orléans. She was obliged to live peacefully in the Capital away from the court of her young cousin Louis XV. As she was th widow of the King of Spain, it was customary for her recive an annual pension of 600,000 Livres from the state; she was unable to keep when as Spain would not pay her as the marriage was annuled.[3]
She discreetly travelled back to Paris and resided in the Château de Vincennes and the Palais du Luxembourg (The Luxembourg had been given to her sister by her father). It was at the latter that she died in 1742, sadly forgotten by everyone. She was buried at the church of Saint Suplice in Paris, close to the Luxembourg where her half brother Louis Charles de Saint-Albin was a bishop.
[edit] Ancestors
[edit] References
[edit] Sources
- comte de Pimodan, Louise-elisabeth d'Orléans, reine d'Espagne 1709-1742, 393 p., Plon, 1928
[edit] Titles
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Louise Elisabeth of Orléans
Cadet branch of the House of Bourbon
Born: 11 December 1709 Died: 16 June 1742 |
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| French nobility | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by N/A |
Mademoiselle de Montpensier 1709–1721 |
Succeeded by N/A |
| Spanish royalty | ||
| Preceded by Elisabeth Farnese |
Queen Consort of Spain 14 January 1724 – 6 September 1724 |
Succeeded by Elisabeth Farnese |
