Catherine Opalińska
| Catherine Opalińska | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Grand Duchess consort of Lithuania | |
| Tenure | 1705–1708 1733–1736 |
| Coronation | 4 October 1705 |
| Spouse | Stanislaus I of Poland |
| Issue | |
| Anna Leszczyńska Maria, Queen of France | |
| House | House of Opaliński (by birth) House of Poniatowski (by marriage) |
| Father | Jan Karol Opaliński |
| Mother | Zofia Czarnkowska |
| Born | 13 October 1680 Poznań, Poland |
| Died | 19 March 1747 (aged 66) Lunéville, France |
| Burial | Église Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours, Nancy |
Catherine Opalińska (1680–1747) was Queen consort of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth twice and a Duchess consort of Lorraine through her marriage with Stanislaus I of Poland.
Biography
Catherine was the daughter of magnate Jan Karol Opaliński and his wife Zofia Czarnkowska. On May 10, 1698 in Kraków she married Stanislas Leszczynski, who became Duke of Lorraine and was, briefly, king of Poland. In 1699, she gave birth to Anna Leszczyńska, and in 1703, to Marie Leszczynska, the future wife of Louis XV of France.
In 1704, her spouse was made King of Poland by Charles XII of Sweden, who had invaded the country in 1704. In 1709, her spouse was deposed when the Swedish army lost the military upper hand in Poland, and the family was by Charles XII granted refuge in the Swedish city of Kristianstad in Scania.[1] In Sweden, the family was welcomed by the Queen Dowager Hedwig Eleonora and became popular members of the society life on the estates of the nobility around Kristianstad; in 1712, they also visited Medevi, the spa of the Queen Dowager.[2] In 1714, Charles XII gave them permission to live in the Swedish province of Zweibrücken in Germany, were they were supported by the income of Zweibrücken: they lived there until the death of Charles XII in 1718[3]
In 1725, her daughter Marie was chosen to be the queen of France, which made Catherine mother-in-law to Louis XV of France. Catherine, as well as her daughter queen Marie, maintained a political correspondence with Margareta Gyllenstierna, the spouse of Arvid Horn, with whom she had made the acquaintance during her stay in Sweden[4] In 1737, her spouse was made Duke of Lorraine, which made Catherine duchess consort of Lorraine.
When his mother-in-law, the wife of the dethroned king of Poland, died in 1747, Louis XV ordered a commemorative ceremony, in her honour at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The ceremony glorified the deceased who underwent a veritable deification.
Her tomb is in the church of Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours, in Nancy, next to her husband and the heart of their daughter.
Ancestors
| Piotr Opaliński, voivode of Poznań | |||||||||||||
| Krzysztof Opaliński, voivode of Poznań | |||||||||||||
| Zofia Kostka | |||||||||||||
| Jan Karol Opaliński, castellan of Poznań | |||||||||||||
| Adam Sędziwój Czarnkowski, voivode of Łęczyca | |||||||||||||
| Teresa Konstancja Czarnkowska | |||||||||||||
| Katarzyna Leszczyńska | |||||||||||||
| Catherine Opalińska | |||||||||||||
| Kazimierz Franciszek Czarnkowski, castellan of Poznań | |||||||||||||
| Adam Uriel Czarnkowski | |||||||||||||
| Princess Konstancja Lubomirska | |||||||||||||
| Zofia Anna Czarnkowska | |||||||||||||
| Remigian Zaleski, Castellan of Łęczyca | |||||||||||||
| Teresa Zaleska | |||||||||||||
| Anna Miełżyńska | |||||||||||||
Gallery
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Portrait of Catherine Opalińska when Queen of Poland.
-
The towers of the church in Sieraków were built in 1740 on her order.
-
Pompe funebre for Catherine Opalińska in Notre Dame de Paris.
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See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Catherine Opalińska. |
References
- ↑ Lundh-Eriksson, Nanna (1947). Hedvig Eleonora (in Swedish). Wahlström & Widstrand.
- ↑ Lundh-Eriksson, Nanna (1947). Hedvig Eleonora (in Swedish). Wahlström & Widstrand.
- ↑ Lundh-Eriksson, Nanna (1947). Hedvig Eleonora (in Swedish). Wahlström & Widstrand.
- ↑ Norrhem, Svante (2007). Kvinnor vid maktens sida : 1632-1772. (Women alongside power: 1632-1772) Lund: Nordic Academic Press. Libris 10428618. ISBN 978-91-89116-91-7 (Swedish)
- This article is based on a translation of the equivalent article of the French Wikipedia on 7 March 2007
Further reading
- Zieliński, Ryszard (1978). Polka na francuskim tronie. Czytelnik.
| Catherine Opalińska House of Opaliński Born: 13 October 1680 Died: 19 March 1747 | ||
| Royal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth |
Queen consort of Poland Grand Duchess consort of Lithuania 1705–1708 |
Succeeded by Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth |
| Preceded by Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth |
Queen consort of Poland Grand Duchess consort of Lithuania 1733–1736 |
Succeeded by Maria Josepha of Austria |
| Preceded by Maria Theresia of Austria |
Duchess of Lorraine 1737–1747 |
Succeeded by None |
|