Élisabeth Sophie de Lorraine
Encyclopedia
Élisabeth Sophie of Lorraine (Marie Élisabeth Sophie; 1710 – 2 August 1740.) was a French noblewoman and the second wife of Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, the famous womaniser the Duke of Richelieu
.
married the Duke of Bouillon
in 1725.
A member of the House of Guise founded by Claude, Duke of Guise
, she was a Princess of Lorraine as a male line descendant of René II, Duke of Lorraine
. At court, she, like his Lorraine family, held the rank of Foreign Prince
, a rank which was below that of the immediate Royal Family
and Princes of the Blood. This also allowed her the style of Her Highness.
Family relations included Emmanuel Maurice, Duke of Elbeuf
, second cousin of her husband via Emmanuel Maurice's mother Élisabeth de La Tour d'Auvergne. Others included the Abbess of Remiremont
, Princess of Epinoy
and a Queen consort of Sardinia.
She was a propsed bride of Paul II Anton Esterházy
, a prince of the House of Esterházy, a distinguished soldier and patron of music. The marriage never materialised.
In the end, with the help of Voltaire
, the Duke of Richelieu was married to Élisabeth Sophie. As she was a Princess of Lorraine
, Richelieu had to ask permission from the then Duke of Lorraine Francis III Stephen. The Duke of Lorraine accepted and Élisabeth Sophie married Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, duc de Richelieu on 7 April 1734.
Richelieu had been married before to Anne Catherine de Noailles and had had no children. Élisabeth Sophie however, gave him two children including the next duke of Richelieu.
The court said that Élisabeth Sophie had a strong mind and a heart capable of great affection and gratitude. She was praised for her virtuous, passionate nature and was a devoted wife to one of the most notorious womaniser's of the age.
She died of Scurvy
in her husbands arms on 2 August 1740 aged roughly 30 and only five months after the birth of her daughter. She was buried at the Chapelle de la Sorbonne of the on 20 August 1740. In 1780, her husband married again to Jeanne Catherine Josèphe de Lavaulx; there were no children from the marriage.
Duke of Richelieu
Duke of Richelieu was a title in the peerage of France. It was created on 26 November 1629 for cardinal Richelieu who, as a clergyman, had no issue to pass it down to...
.
Biography
She was born in 1710 and was the second daughter of Joseph de Lorraine, Count of Harcourt and his wife Marie Louise Jeannin de Castille. Her older sister Louise Henriette FrançoiseLouise Henriette Françoise de Lorraine
Louise Henriette Françoise de Lorraine was a French noblewoman and member of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine...
married the Duke of Bouillon
Emmanuel Théodose de La Tour d'Auvergne (1668–1730)
Emmanuel Théodose de La Tour d'Auvergne was a French nobleman and ruler of the Soveriegn Duchy of Bouillon. He was the son of Godefroy Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne and his wife Marie Anne Mancini...
in 1725.
A member of the House of Guise founded by Claude, Duke of Guise
Claude, Duke of Guise
Claude de Lorraine, duc de Guise was a French aristocrat and general. He became the first Duke of Guise in 1528....
, she was a Princess of Lorraine as a male line descendant of René II, Duke of Lorraine
René II, Duke of Lorraine
René II was Count of Vaudémont from 1470, Duke of Lorraine from 1473, and Duke of Bar from 1483 to 1508. He claimed the crown of the Kingdom of Naples and the County of Provence as the Duke of Calabria 1480–1493 and as King of Naples and Jerusalem 1493–1508...
. At court, she, like his Lorraine family, held the rank of Foreign Prince
Foreign Prince
Foreign Prince is the English translation of prince étranger, a high, though somewhat ambiguous, rank at the French royal court of the ancien régime.-Terminology:...
, a rank which was below that of the immediate Royal Family
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...
and Princes of the Blood. This also allowed her the style of Her Highness.
Family relations included Emmanuel Maurice, Duke of Elbeuf
Emmanuel Maurice, Duke of Elbeuf
Emmanuel Maurice de Lorraine was Duke of Elbeuf and Prince of Lorraine. He succeeded his older brother Henri de Lorrraine as duke...
, second cousin of her husband via Emmanuel Maurice's mother Élisabeth de La Tour d'Auvergne. Others included the Abbess of Remiremont
Béatrice Hiéronyme de Lorraine
Béatrice Hiéronyme de Lorraine was a member of the House of Lorraine and was the Abbess of Remiremont. She was a member of the household of Le Grand Dauphin and was the supposed wife of her cousin the Chevalier de Lorraine...
, Princess of Epinoy
Élisabeth Thérèse de Lorraine
Élisabeth de Lorraine-L'islebonne was a French noblewoman and the Princess of Epinoy by marriage. She is often styled as the princesse de Lillebonne...
and a Queen consort of Sardinia.
She was a propsed bride of Paul II Anton Esterházy
Paul II Anton Esterházy
Prince Paul II Anton Esterházy de Galantha was a prince of the Esterházy family. He had a distinguished career as a soldier and patron of music.-Life:...
, a prince of the House of Esterházy, a distinguished soldier and patron of music. The marriage never materialised.
In the end, with the help of Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
, the Duke of Richelieu was married to Élisabeth Sophie. As she was a Princess of Lorraine
House of Lorraine
The House of Lorraine, the main and now only remaining line known as Habsburg-Lorraine, is one of the most important and was one of the longest-reigning royal houses in the history of Europe...
, Richelieu had to ask permission from the then Duke of Lorraine Francis III Stephen. The Duke of Lorraine accepted and Élisabeth Sophie married Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, duc de Richelieu on 7 April 1734.
Richelieu had been married before to Anne Catherine de Noailles and had had no children. Élisabeth Sophie however, gave him two children including the next duke of Richelieu.
The court said that Élisabeth Sophie had a strong mind and a heart capable of great affection and gratitude. She was praised for her virtuous, passionate nature and was a devoted wife to one of the most notorious womaniser's of the age.
She died of Scurvy
Scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic...
in her husbands arms on 2 August 1740 aged roughly 30 and only five months after the birth of her daughter. She was buried at the Chapelle de la Sorbonne of the on 20 August 1740. In 1780, her husband married again to Jeanne Catherine Josèphe de Lavaulx; there were no children from the marriage.
Issue
- Antoine de Vignerot du PlessisLouis Antoine Sophie de Vignerot du PlessisLouis Antoine Sophie de Vignerot du Plessis , duke of Fronsac, then duke of Richelieu , prince de Mortagne, marquis du Pont-Courlay, comte de Cosnac, baron de Barbezieux, baron de Coze et baron de Saugeon, was a French nobleman and general.-Life:He was the son of Louis François Armand de Vignerot...
(4 February 1736 – 1791) married Adélaide Gabrielle de Hautefort in 1765 and had issue; married Marie Antoinette de Gallifet and had issue; - Jeanne Sophie de Vignerot du Plessis (1 March 1740 – 14 October 1773) married Don Casimir Pignatelli, Count of Egmont, Duke of Bisaccia in 1755; no issue.
Ancestry
Titles and styles
- 1710 – 7 April 1734 Her Highness Mademoiselle de Guise (Son Altesse Mademoiselle de Guise)
- 7 April 1734 – 2 August 1740 Her Highness the Duchess of Richelieu (Son Altesse Madame la duchesse de Richelieu)