Anne Marie of Orléans
Encyclopedia
Anne Marie d'Orléans (27 August 1669 – 26 August 1728) was the first Queen consort
of Sardinia
and the maternal grandmother of Louis XV of France
. She is also an important figure in British history (see Jacobite Succession below).
, younger brother of Louis XIV, and Princess Henrietta of England
, the youngest daughter of Charles I of England
. Her mother died at the Château de Saint-Cloud ten months after Anne Marie's birth. A year later, her father married 21-year-old Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate
, who became very close to her stepdaughters. Her half-brother Philippe d'Orléans
, the future Regent of France, was born of her father's second marriage.
Her stepmother later described her as one of the most amiable and virtuous of women.
arranged her marriage, at the age of fifteen, to Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, then Duke of Savoy, later King of Sicily
and then of Sardinia
.
The proxy marriage
of Anne Marie and Víctor Amadeus took place at Versailles
on 10 April 1684, the day after the signature of the marriage contract. Her husband-to-be was represented by her cousin, Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine
. Louis XIV gave her a dowry of 900,000 livres
.
The Duke of Orléans accompanied his daughter as far as Juvisy-sur-Orge
(18 kilometers south of Paris), and the comtesse de Lillebonne
accompanied her all the way to Savoy. She met her husband Victor at Chambéry
on 6 May, the nuptials being performed at the castle by the Archbishop
of Grenoble
. Two days later, the newlyweds made their "Joyous Entry
" into Turin.
The first of the eight children she bore was Marie-Adélaïde, whose birth nearly cost Anne Marie her life, prompting administration of the viaticum
. Marie-Adélaïde married Louis, Duke of Burgundy, grandson of Louis XIV in 1697, and was the mother of Louis XV
. But both she and her husband died before he could succeed to the throne.
This marriage was arranged with the assistance of the maréchal de Tessé
and of Jeanne Baptiste d'Albert de Luynes
, comtesse de Verrué, who was Victor's mistress from 1689 till 1700.
Her husband had two children with Jeanne. Nonetheless, when he fell ill with smallpox, Anne Marie nursed him until his recovery.
. The young princess would become Regent
of Spain while her husband was away campaigning in Italy.
Despite his marriage ties to France, Victor Amadeus joined the anti-French side in the War of the Spanish Succession
. In 1706, Turin was besieged
by French forces under the command of Anne Marie's half-brother Philippe d'Orléans, and Spanish forces of her cousin and son-in-law Philip V. She and her sons Victor Amadeus
and Carlo Emanuele were forced to flee the city.
When the war was ended in 1713 by the Treaty of Utrecht
, Victor Amadeus received the Kingdom of Sicily
, formerly a Spanish possession. Anne Marie's stepmother, Madame, the Duchess of Orléans, wrote: I shall neither gain nor lose by the peace, but one thing I shall enjoy is to see our Duchess of Savoy become a queen, because I love her as though she were my own child... He was forced to exchange Sicily for the less important domain of Sardinia in 1720, but retained the title of King.
As the Savoyard consort, Anne-Marie had the use of the Royal Palace of Turin, the vast Palazzina di caccia di Stupinigi outside the capital, and the Vigna di Madama Reale.
Queen Anne-Marie died of heart failure at her villa on 26 August 1728, the day before her 59th birthday. She is buried at the Basilica of Superga
in Turin, where all her children, except Marie-Adélaïde and Maria Luisa, are also buried.
Her husband, Víctor Amadeus II, abdicated in favour of his son in 1730, and died two years later in Moncalieri
, after having remarried morganatically
.
to the Jacobite
claim to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland. These claims were held at the time by James Francis Edward Stuart
("the Old Pretender", son of James II). Ann Marie became heiress presumptive with the death of James' sister Queen Anne in 1714. She was displaced as heir by the birth of the Old Pretender's son, Charles Edward Stuart
("Bonnie Prince Charlie"), on 31 December 1720. Charles Edward and his brother Henry, Cardinal Stuart
, both died without legitimate issue, so the descendants of Anne Marie d'Orléans inherited the Jacobite claim, i.e. they would have inherited the British crown had it not been for the Act of Settlement, which excluded the claims of the catholic Stuarts and d'Orléans' and settled the throne on the nearest protestant relatives, the Hanoverians
.
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
and the maternal grandmother of Louis XV of France
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
. She is also an important figure in British history (see Jacobite Succession below).
Youth
She was the daughter of Philippe I, Duke of OrléansPhilippe I, Duke of Orléans
Philippe of France was the youngest son of Louis XIII of France and his queen consort Anne of Austria. His older brother was the famous Louis XIV, le roi soleil. Styled Duke of Anjou from birth, Philippe became Duke of Orléans upon the death of his uncle Gaston, Duke of Orléans...
, younger brother of Louis XIV, and Princess Henrietta of England
Princess Henrietta of England
Henrietta Anne of England & Scots was born a Princess of England and Scotland as the youngest daughter of King Charles I of England and his consort Henrietta Maria of France. Fleeing England with her governess at the age of three, she moved to the court of her first cousin Louis XIV of France,...
, the youngest daughter of Charles I of England
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
. Her mother died at the Château de Saint-Cloud ten months after Anne Marie's birth. A year later, her father married 21-year-old Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate
Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate
Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine was a German princess and the wife of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, younger brother of Louis XIV of France. Her vast correspondence provides a detailed account of the personalities and activities at the court of her brother-in-law, Louis XIV...
, who became very close to her stepdaughters. Her half-brother Philippe d'Orléans
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Philippe d'Orléans was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723. Born at his father's palace at Saint-Cloud, he was known from birth under the title of Duke of Chartres...
, the future Regent of France, was born of her father's second marriage.
Her stepmother later described her as one of the most amiable and virtuous of women.
Marriage
To maintain French influence in the Italian states, her uncle King Louis XIVLouis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
arranged her marriage, at the age of fifteen, to Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, then Duke of Savoy, later King of Sicily
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of southern Italy...
and then of Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
.
The proxy marriage
Proxy marriage
A proxy wedding or is a wedding in which the bride or groom is not physically present, usually being represented instead by another person...
of Anne Marie and Víctor Amadeus took place at Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
on 10 April 1684, the day after the signature of the marriage contract. Her husband-to-be was represented by her cousin, Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine
Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine
Louis Auguste de Bourbon, Legitimé de France was the eldest legitimised son of the Louis XIV of France and his maîtresse-en-titre, Madame de Montespan...
. Louis XIV gave her a dowry of 900,000 livres
French livre
The livre was the currency of France until 1795. Several different livres existed, some concurrently. The livre was the name of both units of account and coins.-Etymology:...
.
The Duke of Orléans accompanied his daughter as far as Juvisy-sur-Orge
Juvisy-sur-Orge
Juvisy-sur-Orge is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France.Inhabitants of Juvisy-sur-Orge are known as Juvisiens.-Geography:Neighboring communes:* Athis-Mons* Draveil* Savigny-sur-Orge* Viry-Châtillon...
(18 kilometers south of Paris), and the comtesse de Lillebonne
François Marie, Prince of Lillebonne
François Marie de Lorraine was a French nobleman and member of the House of Lorraine. He was known as the prince de Lillebonne...
accompanied her all the way to Savoy. She met her husband Victor at Chambéry
Chambéry
Chambéry is a city in the department of Savoie, located in the Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France.It is the capital of the department and has been the historical capital of the Savoy region since the 13th century, when Amadeus V of Savoy made the city his seat of power.-Geography:Chambéry...
on 6 May, the nuptials being performed at the castle by the Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
. Two days later, the newlyweds made their "Joyous Entry
Joyous Entry
A Joyous Entry was a local name used for the royal entry - the first official peaceable visit of a reigning monarch, prince, duke or governor into a city - mainly in the Duchy of Brabant or the County of Flanders and occasionally in France, Luxembourg or Hungary, often coinciding with...
" into Turin.
The first of the eight children she bore was Marie-Adélaïde, whose birth nearly cost Anne Marie her life, prompting administration of the viaticum
Viaticum
Viaticum is a term used especially in the Roman Catholic Church for the Eucharist administered, with or without anointing of the sick, to a person who is dying, and is thus a part of the last rites...
. Marie-Adélaïde married Louis, Duke of Burgundy, grandson of Louis XIV in 1697, and was the mother of Louis XV
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
. But both she and her husband died before he could succeed to the throne.
This marriage was arranged with the assistance of the maréchal de Tessé
René de Froulay de Tessé
René de Froulay, comte de Tessé was a French Marshal and diplomat.- Military career :Tessé was born at Le Mans...
and of Jeanne Baptiste d'Albert de Luynes
Jeanne Baptiste d'Albert de Luynes
Jeanne Baptiste d'Albert de Luynes, comtesse de Verrue was a French noblewoman and the mistress of Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia.-Biography:...
, comtesse de Verrué, who was Victor's mistress from 1689 till 1700.
Her husband had two children with Jeanne. Nonetheless, when he fell ill with smallpox, Anne Marie nursed him until his recovery.
Queen consort
At the death of her father in June 1701, her half-brother became the new Duke of Orléans. On 2 November 1701, her third daughter, Maria Luisa, then barely thirteen years old, married Philippe de France, duc d'Anjou, who had just become King Philip V of SpainPhilip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
. The young princess would become Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of Spain while her husband was away campaigning in Italy.
Despite his marriage ties to France, Victor Amadeus joined the anti-French side in the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
. In 1706, Turin was besieged
Battle of Turin
The Siege of Turin was undertaken by the Duke of Orléans and Marshal de la Feuillade between May and September 1706 against the Savoyard city of Turin during the War of the Spanish Succession...
by French forces under the command of Anne Marie's half-brother Philippe d'Orléans, and Spanish forces of her cousin and son-in-law Philip V. She and her sons Victor Amadeus
Victor Amadeus, Prince of Piedmont
Victor Amadeus of Savoy was the eldest son of Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy and his French wife Anne Marie d'Orléans. He was the Heir apparent of Savoy from his birth and as such was styled as the Prince of Piedmont. He acted as Regent of Savoy from September 1713 till September 1714 in the...
and Carlo Emanuele were forced to flee the city.
When the war was ended in 1713 by the Treaty of Utrecht
Treaty of Utrecht
The Treaty of Utrecht, which established the Peace of Utrecht, comprises a series of individual peace treaties, rather than a single document, signed by the belligerents in the War of Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht in March and April 1713...
, Victor Amadeus received the Kingdom of Sicily
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of southern Italy...
, formerly a Spanish possession. Anne Marie's stepmother, Madame, the Duchess of Orléans, wrote: I shall neither gain nor lose by the peace, but one thing I shall enjoy is to see our Duchess of Savoy become a queen, because I love her as though she were my own child... He was forced to exchange Sicily for the less important domain of Sardinia in 1720, but retained the title of King.
As the Savoyard consort, Anne-Marie had the use of the Royal Palace of Turin, the vast Palazzina di caccia di Stupinigi outside the capital, and the Vigna di Madama Reale.
Queen Anne-Marie died of heart failure at her villa on 26 August 1728, the day before her 59th birthday. She is buried at the Basilica of Superga
Basilica of Superga
The Basilica of Superga is a church in the vicinity of Turin.It was built from 1717 to 1731 for Victor Amadeus II of Savoy by Filippo Juvarra, at the top of the hill of Superga, to fulfill a vow the duke had made during the Battle of Turin...
in Turin, where all her children, except Marie-Adélaïde and Maria Luisa, are also buried.
Her husband, Víctor Amadeus II, abdicated in favour of his son in 1730, and died two years later in Moncalieri
Moncalieri
Moncalieri is a town and comune of approximately 58,000 inhabitants about eight kilometers directly south of downtown Turin , in Piedmont, Italy. It is notable for its castle, built in the 12th century and enlarged in the 15th century, which later became the favorite residence of Maria Clotilde...
, after having remarried morganatically
Morganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
.
Jacobite succession
From 1714 to 1720, Anne Marie d'Orléans was the heiress presumptiveHeir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
to the Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
claim to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland. These claims were held at the time by James Francis Edward Stuart
James Francis Edward Stuart
James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales was the son of the deposed James II of England...
("the Old Pretender", son of James II). Ann Marie became heiress presumptive with the death of James' sister Queen Anne in 1714. She was displaced as heir by the birth of the Old Pretender's son, Charles Edward Stuart
Charles Edward Stuart
Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
("Bonnie Prince Charlie"), on 31 December 1720. Charles Edward and his brother Henry, Cardinal Stuart
Henry Benedict Stuart
Henry Benedict Stuart was a Roman Catholic Cardinal, as well as the fourth and final Jacobite heir to publicly claim the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Unlike his father, James Francis Edward Stuart, and brother, Charles Edward Stuart, Henry made no effort to seize the throne...
, both died without legitimate issue, so the descendants of Anne Marie d'Orléans inherited the Jacobite claim, i.e. they would have inherited the British crown had it not been for the Act of Settlement, which excluded the claims of the catholic Stuarts and d'Orléans' and settled the throne on the nearest protestant relatives, the Hanoverians
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
.
Issue
- Princess Marie Adélaïde of Savoy (1685–1712); married Louis, Duke of Burgundy and was the mother of Louis XV of FranceLouis XV of FranceLouis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
- Princess Maria Anna of Savoy (1687–1690)
- Maria Luisa of SavoyMaria Luisa of SavoyMaria Luisa of Savoy was a Savoyard princess and the first wife of Philip V of Spain. She acted as Regent of Spain and had great influence over her husband...
(1688–1714); married Philip V of SpainPhilip V of SpainPhilip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
, had issue - Victor Amadeus, Prince of PiedmontVictor Amadeus, Prince of PiedmontVictor Amadeus of Savoy was the eldest son of Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy and his French wife Anne Marie d'Orléans. He was the Heir apparent of Savoy from his birth and as such was styled as the Prince of Piedmont. He acted as Regent of Savoy from September 1713 till September 1714 in the...
(1699–1715) - Charles Emmanuel III of Savoy (1701–1773); next King of Sardinia; married Anne Christine of Sulzbach, had issue; married Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg, had issue; married Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine, had issue
- Prince Emanuele Philibert of Savoy (1705), Duke of Chablais
Ancestors
Titles and styles
- 27 August 1669 – 30 August 1679 Her Royal Highness, Mademoiselle de Valois
- 30 August 1679 – 10 April 1684 Her Royal Highness, Mademoiselle
- 10 April 1684 – 22 September 1713 Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Savoy
- 22 September 1713 – 8 August 1720 Her Majesty the Queen of Sicily
- 8 August 1720 – 26 August 1728 Her Majesty the Queen of Sardinia