Princess Marie Thérèse of Savoy
Encyclopedia
Maria Theresa of Savoy (Maria Teresa; 31 January 1756 – 2 June 1805) was a princess of Savoy
by birth and the wife of Charles Philippe, Count of Artois
, grandson of Louis XV. Some nineteen years after her death, her husband was recognised as King Charles X of France.
in Turin
, during the reign of her grandfather Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia
. The daughter of the heir apparent
and his wife, Victor Amandeus
and Maria Antonia of Spain. The couples fifth daughter, her parents had eleven children overall, of which ten survived infancy. She was raised with her sister Princess Maria Giuseppina (Josephine) who was three years her senior.
. Artois had previously been intended to marry Mademoiselle de Condé
, the daughter of the Prince of Condé; however the union never took place as Mademoiselle de Condé's rank was much less than Artois who, as a male line descendant of a French monarch, was a grandson of France
. The young princess married the count in a proxy ceremony at the Palazzina di caccia di Stupinigi before her official marriage which took place at the Palace of Versailles
on 16 November 1773. This union was the second of three Franco-Savoyard marriages that would take place within 4 years. In April 1771, her elder sister, Maria Giuseppina (Josephine), had married the Count of Provence
; in 1775 Maria Teresa's brother, by then heir to the throne himself, married Princess Marie Clotilde.
As her husband was the grandson of a king, the newly named Marie Thérèse held the rank of a granddaughter of France and thus a member of the immediate royal family
. This rank, allowed to her to maintain the style of Royal Highness which she had had from birth being the granddaughter of a Sovereign. However, at Versailles, the simple style of Madame la comtesse d'Artois was used instead.
She was one of the most disliked figures at the French court of the time, although she avoided the worst of the abuse directed at Marie Antoinette
. Comte de Mercy-Argenteau
, who corresponded with Empress Maria Theresa regarding Marie Antoinette, said that she was silent and was interested in absolutely nothing Marie Thérèse was not regarded as a beauty at Versailles but her complexion was generally admired. Maria Theresa was a cousin of the infamous Madame de Lamballe
, great friend of the Queen Marie Antoinette; she was also a cousin of the said Prince of Condé who would later be instrumental in leading a large counter-revolutionary army of émigré
s.
Roughly a year after Maria Theresa's arrival at Versailles, she became pregnant with her first child, and she gave birth to the first child of the new royal generation. Three weeks after the birth of her son, the Duke of Angoulême, her sister-in-law, Marie Clotilde of France, was married to Maria Theresa's brother, the Prince of Piedmont
, in a proxy ceremony at Versailles on 27 August 1775.
The next year she gave birth to a daughter Sophie who was known as Mademoiselle as the most senior unmarried princess at court. She died at the age of six in 1783. She was buried at the Royal Basilica of Saint Denis. Her second son was born in 1778. Her last child Marie Thérèse d'Artois, presumably named after her mother, died while the court was at Choisy-le-Roi
aged just 6 months.
She fled France with her husband shortly after the storming of the Bastille
(14 July 1789), which marked the beginning of the French Revolution
. Some time after, she took refuge in her homeland of Savoy. She died in exile at Graz
(Austria
) in 1805. Because she died before her husband became king of France, she remained Countess of Artois. She was buried in the Imperial Mausoleum next to Graz cathedral.
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
by birth and the wife of Charles Philippe, Count of Artois
Charles X of France
Charles X was known for most of his life as the Comte d'Artois before he reigned as King of France and of Navarre from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. A younger brother to Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him...
, grandson of Louis XV. Some nineteen years after her death, her husband was recognised as King Charles X of France.
Background
HRH Princess Maria Teresa of Savoy was born at the Royal PalaceRoyal Palace of Turin
Royal Palace of Turin or Palazzo Reale, is a palace in Turin, northern Italy. It was the royal palace of the House of Savoy. It was modernised greatly by the French born Madama Reale Christine Marie of France in the seventeenth century. The palace was worked on by Filippo Juvarra...
in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, during the reign of her grandfather Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia
Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia
Charles Emmanuel III was the Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia from 1730 until his death.-Biography:...
. The daughter of the heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
and his wife, Victor Amandeus
Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia
Victor Amadeus III was King of Sardinia from 1773 until his death. Although he was politically conservative, he carried out numerous administrative reforms until declaring war on revolutionary France in 1792...
and Maria Antonia of Spain. The couples fifth daughter, her parents had eleven children overall, of which ten survived infancy. She was raised with her sister Princess Maria Giuseppina (Josephine) who was three years her senior.
Betrothal and marriage
Following a series of dynastic alliances, Maria Teresa was betrothed to the Count of Artois, the youngest grandson of the reigning Louis XV of FranceLouis 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...
. Artois had previously been intended to marry Mademoiselle de Condé
Louise Adélaïde de Bourbon (1757–1824)
Louise Adélaïde de Bourbon was a French nun. She was the last Remiremont abbess and founded at the beginning of the Bourbon Restoration a religious community that became famous among French Catholics under the name of Bénédictines de la rue Monsieur...
, the daughter of the Prince of Condé; however the union never took place as Mademoiselle de Condé's rank was much less than Artois who, as a male line descendant of a French monarch, was a grandson of France
Fils de France
Fils de France was the style and rank held by the sons of the kings and dauphins of France. A daughter was known as a fille de France .The children of the dauphin, who was the king's heir apparent, were accorded the same style and status as if they were the king's children instead of his...
. The young princess married the count in a proxy ceremony at the Palazzina di caccia di Stupinigi before her official marriage which took place at the Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
on 16 November 1773. This union was the second of three Franco-Savoyard marriages that would take place within 4 years. In April 1771, her elder sister, Maria Giuseppina (Josephine), had married the Count of Provence
Louis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...
; in 1775 Maria Teresa's brother, by then heir to the throne himself, married Princess Marie Clotilde.
As her husband was the grandson of a king, the newly named Marie Thérèse held the rank of a granddaughter of France and thus a member of the immediate royal family
Royal family
A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
. This rank, allowed to her to maintain the style of Royal Highness which she had had from birth being the granddaughter of a Sovereign. However, at Versailles, the simple style of Madame la comtesse d'Artois was used instead.
She was one of the most disliked figures at the French court of the time, although she avoided the worst of the abuse directed at Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
. Comte de Mercy-Argenteau
Florimond Claude, Comte de Mercy-Argenteau
Florimond Claude, comte de Mercy-Argenteau was an Austrian diplomat.He was the son of Antoine, comte de Mercy-Argenteau, and entered the diplomatic service of Austria going to Paris in the train of Reichsfürst Kaunitz...
, who corresponded with Empress Maria Theresa regarding Marie Antoinette, said that she was silent and was interested in absolutely nothing Marie Thérèse was not regarded as a beauty at Versailles but her complexion was generally admired. Maria Theresa was a cousin of the infamous Madame de Lamballe
Princess Marie Louise of Savoy
Maria Luisa of Savoy was a member of the House of Savoy. She was married at the age of 16 to Louis Alexandre de Bourbon, Prince de Lamballe, the heir to the greatest fortune in France. After her marriage, which lasted a year, she went to court and became the confidante of Queen Marie Antoinette...
, great friend of the Queen Marie Antoinette; she was also a cousin of the said Prince of Condé who would later be instrumental in leading a large counter-revolutionary army of émigré
Émigré
Émigré is a French term that literally refers to a person who has "migrated out", but often carries a connotation of politico-social self-exile....
s.
Roughly a year after Maria Theresa's arrival at Versailles, she became pregnant with her first child, and she gave birth to the first child of the new royal generation. Three weeks after the birth of her son, the Duke of Angoulême, her sister-in-law, Marie Clotilde of France, was married to Maria Theresa's brother, the Prince of Piedmont
Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia
Charles Emmanuel IV was King of Sardinia from 1796 to 1802. He abdicated in favour of his brother Victor Emmanuel I...
, in a proxy ceremony at Versailles on 27 August 1775.
The next year she gave birth to a daughter Sophie who was known as Mademoiselle as the most senior unmarried princess at court. She died at the age of six in 1783. She was buried at the Royal Basilica of Saint Denis. Her second son was born in 1778. Her last child Marie Thérèse d'Artois, presumably named after her mother, died while the court was at Choisy-le-Roi
Château de Choisy
The Château de Choisy was a sometime royal French residence in the commune of Choisy-le-Roi in the Val-de-Marne département, not far from Paris...
aged just 6 months.
She fled France with her husband shortly after the storming of the Bastille
Storming of the Bastille
The storming of the Bastille occurred in Paris on the morning of 14 July 1789. The medieval fortress and prison in Paris known as the Bastille represented royal authority in the centre of Paris. While the prison only contained seven inmates at the time of its storming, its fall was the flashpoint...
(14 July 1789), which marked the beginning of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. Some time after, she took refuge in her homeland of Savoy. She died in exile at Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
(Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
) in 1805. Because she died before her husband became king of France, she remained Countess of Artois. She was buried in the Imperial Mausoleum next to Graz cathedral.
Issue
- Louis Antoine d'Artois, Duke of Angoulême (Versailles, 6 August 1775 – GoriziaGoriziaGorizia is a town and comune in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, and it is a local center of tourism, industry, and commerce. Since 1947, a twin...
, 3 June 1844) married Marie Thérèse of France had no issue. - Sophie d'ArtoisSophie d'ArtoisSophie d'Artois was a French princess of the House of Bourbon.-Biography:Sophie d'Artois was born at the Palace of Versailles during the reign of her paternal uncle, Louis XVI. Her father was Charles Philippe de France, known as the comte d'Artois...
, Mademoiselle d'Angoulême (Versailles, 5 August 1776 – Versailles, 5 December 1783) died in infancy. - Charles Ferdinand d'Artois, Duke of Berry (Versailles, 24 January 1778 – Paris, 14 February 1820); married Princess Maria Carolina of Naples and SicilyPrincess Caroline of Naples and SicilyCaroline of Naples and Sicily was the daughter of the future King Francis I of the Two Sicilies and his first wife, Maria Clementina of Austria.-Life:...
and had issue. - Marie Thérèse d'Artois, Mademoiselle d'Angoulême (Versailles, 6 January 1783 - Château de ChoisyChâteau de ChoisyThe Château de Choisy was a sometime royal French residence in the commune of Choisy-le-Roi in the Val-de-Marne département, not far from Paris...
, 22 June 1783) died in infancy.