Anne Marie Louise | |
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La Grande Mademoiselle | |
Portrait by the school of Pierre Mignard (Musée de Versailles) |
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Tenure | 4 June 1627 – 5 April 1693 |
Predecessor | Marie de Bourbon |
Successor | Philippe de France |
Full name | |
Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans | |
House | House of Orléans |
Father | Gaston, Duke of Orléans |
Mother | Marie, Duchess of Montpensier |
Born | 29 May 1627 Palais du Louvre, Paris, France |
Died | 5 April 1693 Palais du Luxembourg, Paris, France |
(aged 65)
Burial | 19 April 1693 Royal Basilica of Saint Denis, Saint Denis, France |
Religion | Roman Catholic |
Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans (29 May 1627 – 5 April 1693) known as la Grande Mademoiselle or Mademoiselle de Montpensier was the eldest daughter of Gaston d'Orléans, and his wife Marie de Bourbon. Although never a great beauty, she was one of the greatest heiresses in history. She died unmarried and childless, leaving her vast fortune to her cousin, Philippe de France[1]. After a string of proposals from various member of European royalty including Charles II of England[2], Afonso VI of Portugal and Charles Emmanuel II of Savoy, she eventually fell in love with Antoine Nompar de Caumont and scandalised the court when she asked Louis XIV for permission to marry him despite it being viewed as a mésalliance which never occurred. She is best remembered for her role in the Fronde and bringing the famous Lully to the king's court[3]. She carried out various improvements to the château d'Eu, château de Saint-Fargeau and the château de Choisy her personal properties.
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Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans[4] was born at the Palais du Louvre in Paris, France on 29 May 1627[5] Her father was Gaston, Duke of Orléans, only surviving brother of the then ruling Louis XIII of France and known as Monsieur. Her mother was Marie de Bourbon, the Duchess of Montpensier and the last of the Montpensier line of the House of Bourbon. Fives days after the birth of Mademoiselle, her twenty-one year old mother died giving birth to her. Her mothers legacy was the huge fortune she left her daughter. From her mother she inherited some five duchies, the land of Auvergne as well as the sovereign Principality of Joinville. She is sometimes known as the Duchess of Montpensier.
From birth, the Anne Marie Louise was known primarily as Mademoiselle. As French court etiquette dictated, she was the eldest daughter of Monsieur, she must be known as Mademoiselle till her marriage whenever that would be. Another point of rank was her status as a Granddaughter of France; As a male line descendant of the late king Henry IV of France, she held the prestigious style of petite-fille de France. Though useless to the succession and the childless Louis XIII and his consort Queen Anne, she was the most important child at the French court. She was the first of her generation, which was an unusual status. Louis XIII thus bestowed the new rank of granddaughter of France on his only niece[4].
Mademoiselle was moved from the Louvre to the Palais des Tuileries and placed under the care of Jeanne de Harley, Madame de Saint Georges who was also the head of her household[6]. Mademoiselle always had a great sense of her own self importance and when asked about her maternal grandmother the Henriette Catherine de Joyeuse she replied that she was not her grandmother because she was "not a queen". She grew up in the company of Mademoiselle de Longueville, as well as the sisters of the Maréchal de Gramont. Madame de Saint George, as Mademoiselle's mentor and head of her household, taught the infant to read and write[7].
Mademoiselle was very close to her father, Gaston, Duke of Orléans. Frequently involved in conspiracies against Louis XIII and his unpopular chief advisor, Cardinal Richelieu, he was often on bad terms with the court and thus banished on several occasions.
Her father married Marguerite of Lorraine in a secret ceremony in Nancy during the night of 2 – 3 January 1632[8]. Having not obtained the prior permission of his elder brother, the couple could not appear at the French court and the marriage was kept secret. On learning that the cardinal was the force behind her father's exile, Mademoiselle would sing the various street songs and lampoons in the presence of the cardinal himself[9] which earned her a cold scolding from the cardinal who was ironically her godfather[9].
The seven year old Mademoiselle saw her father again in October 1634 having renounced his associates. For the first time in two years she met him at Limours where seeing him she "flung [myself] into his arms"[10]. Gaston resided at Blois where Mademoiselle would be a frequent visitor.
At the birth of the future Louis XIV, the determined Mademoiselle decided that she would marry him[11], calling him "her little husband" to the amusement of Louis XIII. Richelieu subsequently reprimanded her for her remarks. Regardless of her dreams, her father made no secret that he wanted her to marry Louis, Count of Soissons, a prince du Sang and one of his old conspirators however it never materialised.
Madame de Saint Georges died in 1643 and her father chose Madame de Fiesque to take her place. Mademoiselle was devastated at the death of her former governess[12] and, unkeen on having a new governess, was an awkward student; she once recalled that she locked her governess in her room as well as Madame de Fiesque's grandson who was in another[13]. Her uncle also died in May 1643, leaving Louis XIV as King of France. Louis XIII, prior to death, had accepted his brother's plea for forgiveness and authorised his marriage to Marguerite of Lorraine, whereupon the couple undertook nuptials for the third time in July 1643 before the Archbishop of Paris at Meudon, and the Duke and Duchess of Orléans were finally received at court.[8].
In 1646, she met Charles, Prince of Wales. Her aunt, Queen Henrietta Maria of England, encouraged the idea of marrying Charles, stating he had taken a "fancy" to Mademoiselle, but nothing further was said at the time[14].
Soon after, at the death of Empress Maria Anna, Mademoiselle ceased all interest in the prince and thus sighed over a union with her widower, Emperor Ferdinand III, Charles having become the "object of pity".[15] However, under the influence of Mazarin, Queen Anne ignored Mademoiselle's pleas. The "wealthiest single princess of Europe" ws unable to marry the infant Louis XIV or his brother, the Duke of Anjou. Queen Anne herself suggested her brother the Cardinal Ferdinand of Austria; Mademoiselle however declined[16].
One of the key areas of the life of Mademoiselle her involvement in the period of French history known as the Fronde. This was a civil war in France which came in two main parts called the Fronde Parlementaire (1648–1649) and the Fronde des nobles (1650–1653). The former regarded a tax which was levied on judicial officers of the Parlement of Paris, a tax which was met with a refusal to pay and the leadership of Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé (future Grand Condé) who took the city of Paris by siege[17]. The influence of Cardinal Mazarin was also opposed.
At the peace of Rueil of 1 April 1649, the Fronde Parlementaire ended and the court returned to Paris in August amid great celebration. Mademoiselle caught smallpox but survived the illness[18]. Having convalesced, Mademoiselle befriended Claire Clémence de Brézé, Madame la Princesse, the unwanted wife of the Grand Condé[19]. The pair sojourned in Bordeaux where Mademoiselle was involved in the peace which ended the siege of Bordeaux in October 1650 which made her look like a "frondeuse" in the eyes of Queen Anne[19].
Even in uncertain times, the subject of a marriage between Mademoiselle and the Prince of Condé arose when Claire Clémence became critically ill with Erysipelas. Mademoiselle considered the proposal as she would still maintain her rank as one of the most important females at court and her father had a good relationship with Condé; plans however failed due to the recovery of Madame la Princesse[20].
Marriage ideas aside, in 1652, there was another Fronde, this time regarding the Princes of the Blood. Mazarin was in exile and was not recalled till October 1653. The city of Orléans, Mademoiselles namesake and the capital of her fathers duchy had wanted to stay neutral within the civil war; the magistrates of the city had seen what the war had done to the nearby area of Blaisons and wanted to avoid the same fate[21]. The city requested the input of Mademoiselle's father in order to avoid being pillaged. As such, her father undecided, Mademoiselle took it upon herself to go to Orléans to represent her father and put an end to the troubles[22]. Travelling via Artenay, Mademoiselle was informed that the city would not receive her due to her and the king being on different sides, referring to Mademoiselle's dislike for Mazarin.
Arriving at Orléans, the city gates were locked and the city refused to open them. Mademoiselle herself shouted that they should open the gates which again ignored. An approaching boatman offered to row her to the Porte de La Faux, a gate on the river; Mademoiselle got onboard "climbing like a cat" and "jumping over the hedge" in order not to hurt herself[23] climbed through a gap in the gate; got into the city and was greeted triumphantly being carried through the streets of Orléans on a chair for all to see later admitting she was "in so entrancing a situation"[23].
Staying for some five weeks, she became attached calling it "my town" before returning to Paris in May 1652. Paris was once again under a state of panic when the on the eve of the Battle of the Faubourg Saint Antoine[24]; Mademoiselle, in order to allow the Prince of Condé into the city which was dominated by Turenne fired from the Bastille on the army of Turenne on 2 July 1652. Mazarin remarked "with that canon, Mademoiselle has shot her husband"[25].
Fearing for her life, she fled Paris for the safety of her residence at Saint-Fargeau[26]. She remained in exile till 1657 when she was welcomed to the court once again. She went with Madame de Fiesque and Madame de Frontenac, wife of the future Governor General of New France.
Having never been to Saint-Fargeau before, she was unaware of the state of the building and thus stayed at a small residence Dannery having been received by the bailiff of her estates[27]. Convinced to return to Saint-Fargeau, she settled into her home for the next four years and soon began to improve the building under the direction of François Le Vau, brother of the renowned Louis Le Vau.
Le Vau redid the exterior's at a cost of 200,000 Livres which were lost in a fire in 1752 suffering further damage in 1850 and thus loosing all evidence of Mademoiselle's residence[28]. Despite being an exile, she still visited her father at Blois. While at Saint-Fargeau, she dabbled in writing where she wrote a small biography under the title of Madame de Fouquerolles[29] despite her bad spelling and grammar. Mademoiselle looked to her financial affairs which had been under her fathers management. Having reached her majority in 1652 it was discovered that her father had not been entirely honest with his management and was the reason for her 800,000 Livres debt[30]. At the same time her grandmother the Dowager Duchess of Guise tricked Mademoiselle into signing away money to her under false pretences in which her father was involved in causing her relationship with Gaston to deteriorate[31]. In 1656, hearing that her father had been excused for his various scandals, Mademoiselle herself said she would forget the bad blood caused by his financial misdemeanour's and thus the once close relationship between father and daughter resumed.
When her father was welcomed back to court, it paved the way for Mademoiselle. She left for Sedan where the court was established in July 1657. Having not seen any of her family for some five years, she was greeted with being reminded that "everything was forgotten" with the added compliment that her "looks had improved" according to Queen Anne[32].
In a pen portrait of herself later the same year, she noted how she was not "fat nor thin" and "looked healthy; my bosom is fairly well formed; my hands and arms not beautiful;, but the skin is good..."[33]. The same year, she met Christina of Sweden who had arrived in France in July 1656. The two ladies met at Essone where they watched a ballet together. Mademoiselle later exclaimed that Christina "surprised me very much. [...] She was in all respects a most extraordinary creature"[34].
"Greatness of birth and the advantages bestowed by wealth [...] should provide all the elements of a happy life...yet there are many people who have had all these things and are not happy. The events of my own past would give me enough proof of this without looking for examples everywhere" |
Mademoiselle on the subject of her wealth[35] |
At court, her cousins Louis XIV and the Duke of Anjou were nineteen and seventeen respectively. Mademoiselle's part in the Fronde had ruined her dream of becoming Louis's consort but Philippe, Duke of Anjou had allegedly courted her despite his open homosexualilty[36]. Despite toying with the idea, Mademoiselle later said of him that he always stayed near his mother as if he was "like a child".
Despite more dashed hopes, Mademoiselle fell ill in Paris during September of 1657 when she bought the Château d'Eu from Mademoiselle de Guise (her niece) at the end of her illness[37] before returning to her beloved Saint-Fargeau for Christmas.
In 1660, Gaston died of a stroke at Blois in February. As his eldest daughter she was his main heiress and Gaston left a considerable fortune to his daughter's already vast personal wealth[38]. As a result of her mourning her father, Mademoiselle was only allowed to go to the formal marriage between Louis and his new spouse Maria Theresa of Austria; however, Mademoiselle went to the proxy ceremony incognito which fooled no one[39]. The next marriage at court was between Philippe now the Duke of Orléans and known as Monsieur.
Monsieur married Princess Henrietta of England (youngest child of Queen Henrietta Maria and the dead Charles I of England) on 31 March 1661[40] with Mademoiselle in attendance and various other members of the court.
Philippe and Henrietta were a stormy couple. Philippe was an overt homosexual and openly lived with his lovers at the Palais Royal much to the dislike of Henrietta. In retaliation, she openly flirted with Louis XIV as well as seduced Philippe's own lover the Guiche[41]. Mademoiselle was the godmother of Philippe and Henrietta's youngest child Mademoiselle de Valois in 1670[42]. Once again at Henrietta's death in 1670, allegedly poisoned, Louis XIV asked if Mademoiselle wanted to fill "the vacant place" that had been left by Henrietta; to which she declined[43].
Mademoiselle and her younger half sister Marguerite Louise enjoyed a close relationship. The two would go to the theatre and attend Mademoiselle's salon[44]
Marguerite Louise later asked her to sort out arrangements when the Grand Prince of Tuscany proposed an alliance in 1658: Mademoiselle was asked to ensure its fulfilment,[45] a previous proposal from the Duke of Savoy having failed[46].
Initially overjoyed at the prospect of marrying, Marguerite Louise's ebullience faded to dismay when she discovered Mademoiselle no longer favoured the Tuscan match unlike before[45]. After this, Marguerite Louise's behaviour became erratic: she shocked the court by going out unaccompanied with her cousin Prince Charles of Lorraine, who soon became her lover[47]. Her proxy marriage did nothing to change her attitude and she attempted to abscond and go hunting, only to be stopped by Mademoiselle herself[48].
In 1663, Louis XIV again turned to Mademoiselle in order to arrange a match for his cousin. This match came in the form of Alfonso VI of Portugal who acceded to the Portuguese throne in 1656 and the brother of Catherine of Braganza[49]. The proud Mademoiselle ignored the idea saying she would rather stay in France with her vast income, estates and that she did not want a husband who was rumoured to be an alcoholic, impotent as well as paralytic.Alfonso instead married Marie Françoise of Savoy[50].
An angry Louis thus ordered she return to Saint-Fargeau for having disobeyed him. This "exile" lasted roughly a year and during it she began to make repairs to the Château d'Eu where she began to write her memoirs. Appealing to Louis regarding her health, she was allowed to return to court, where upon return, Louis proposed she marry Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy who had previously married Mademoiselle's younger half sister Françoise Madeleine. Ironically, Mademoiselle seemed very keen on the match but Charles Emmanuel II however was not and made various excuses regarding the match[51]. This proposal was to be the last for la Grande Mademoiselle.
Away from court in 1666, Mademoiselle regretted not being present at the entertainments organised at Fontainebleau in honour of Queen Marie Thérèse that summer. At the entertainments was a man called Antoine Nompar de Caumont, an impoverished nobleman from Guyenne[52]. Close to the king, he was renowned for his wit as well as his evident "sex appeal" despite being "the smallest man god ever made"[53]. He was also a distinguished soldier and was part of the marriage negotiations between Louis XIV and Queen Marie Thérèse[54]. Very opinionated and louche, once, Lauzun seeing Mademoiselle had a red ribbon in her hair, he declared it being too "youthful" for her to which the proud Mademoiselle replied "people of my rank are always young"[53].
Before long, Mademoiselle fell hopelessly in love with Lauzun. In December 1670, the most senior female at the court (behind Madame Royale, only legitimate daughter of Louis XIV who died young) asked Louis XIV's permission to marry Lauzun; Louis accepted astonishing his court[53] much to the dislike of Queen Marie Thérèse, Monsieur and various members of the court[55]; the Queen and Monsieur refused to sign the marriage contract[56]. The date was set for the ceremony to occur at the Louvre on Sunday 21 December 1670. Lauzun even asked Madame de Montespan to help convince the king to submit to the match. Mademoiselle was in high spirits later stating that from the 15th till the 18th December 1670 were the happiest days of her life referring to him as "[...]Monsieur le duc de Montpensier" to her friends[57].
The joy was not to last; Louis XIV opposed the match and thus called off the engagement on 18 December stating that the match would damage his reputation however court disapproval was the main reason[55]. Mademoiselle was asked to have an interview with the king and Madame de Montespan. The former informed her of his choice; "what cruelty..!"...[58] Louis thus replied "kings must please the public" having ruined Mademoiselle's hopes of marriage on the "malheureux jeudi" as she later called it[59].
Mademoiselle secluded herself in her apartments and did not reappear till the beginning of 1671 when she was informed of the arrest of Lauzun which had occurred without an official reason released. He was taken to the Bastille and then the Pignerol fortress where he remained till 1681[60] despite making several attempts to escape.
Determined to get Lauzun freed, she devoted herself to his interests and approached Madame de Montespan to try and encourage the king to release Lauzun. The release came at a cost; she would have to sell two of her most profitable lands the principality of Dombes and the County of Eu[61]. These titles would be given to Louis Auguste de Bourbon, Légitimé de France, Duke of Maine – eldest and favourite son of Louis and La Montespan[62]. Capitulating on 2 February 1681, Mademoiselle sold the lands, both of which she had a great personal meaning to her. Unknown to Mademoiselle, she was only buying Lauzuns release and the right for him to live on her estates as an exile[63].
Lauzun was freed on 22 April 1681[64] who was obliged to live quietly at Bourbon before returning to Paris (not the court however) to live at the Hôtel de Lauzun in March 1682 Mademoiselle having given the duchies of Saint-Fargeau and Châtellerault to the son of La Montespan. Prior to the death of Queen Marie Thérèse in July 1683, the couple had been on bad terms when they again came together temporarily in their grief[65]. Soon after the two had an interview and that was the last time they saw each other before Mademoiselle retired to her Parisian residence the Palais du Luxembourg.
Mademoiselle fell ill on 15 March 1693 with what appears to have been stoppage of the bladder or some related disease. Lauzun asked to see her, but due to her pride Mademoiselle refused to admit him. She died at the Palais du Luxembourg in Paris on Sunday 5 April 1693[66]. As a Grand daughter of France, the title she treasured so much, she was buried at the Royal Basilica of Saint Denis outside Paris in Saint Denis on 19 April. At her funeral, according to Saint-Simon she was noted as being "the wealthiest single princess of Europe". Laying in state the urn containing her entrails exploded mid-ceremony, which caused chaos people fleeing to avoid the smell[67]. Eventually, the ceremony continued with the conclusion of it being "[...] another jest at the expense of Mademoiselle".[67]
Ancestors of Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier
Cadet branch of the House of Capet
Born: 29 May 1627 Died: 5 April 1693 |
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French nobility | ||
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Preceded by Marie de Bourbon |
Dauphine of Auvergne 4 June 1627 – 5 April 1693 |
Succeeded by Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate |
Princess of Dombes 4 June 1627 – 5 April 1693 |
Succeeded by Louis Auguste de Bourbon, Légitimé de France |
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Duchess of Montpensier 4 June 1627 – 5 April 1693 |
Succeeded by Philippe de France |
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Preceded by Marie de Lorraine |
Princess of Joinville 3 March 1688 – 5 April 1693 |
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