Elisabeth Teresa of Lorraine
Encyclopedia
Élisabeth Thérèse of Lorraine (15 October 1711 – 3 July 1741) was born a princess of Lorraine
and was the last queen consort of Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia
. The sister of Francis Stephan, Duke of Lorraine
, she died as a result of giving birth to Benedetto of Savoy
.
and was the ninth of eleven children of Leopold, Duke of Lorraine
and his wife Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans. Her mother was a niece of Louis XIV and her father a son of Eleanor of Austria, Queen of Poland. Her eldest brother became Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
, four years after her death.
Her father died in 1729 amid negotiations regarding a marriage between the then seventeen-year-old Élisabeth Thérèse and her recently widowed cousin Louis d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans. He refused outright, much to the annoyance of her mother. The match having come to nothing, leading her mother to name her daughter the coadjutrice
of Remiremont Abbey
on 19 October 1734. The Abbey of Remiremont was closely associated with the House of Lorraine. Her younger sister Anne Charlotte was later the abbess of the prestigious institution.
, daughter and heiress of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
. The union between the House of Lorraine
and the House of Habsburg was used to ensure a more prestigious marriage for the unwed princess. The already twice widowed Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia
asked for her hand in late 1736 and the marriage went ahead.
She married the king of Sardinia by proxy on 5 March 1737 at Lunéville with Victor Amadeus I, Prince of Carignan acting as the king, who was the prince's brother-in-law. The day after the proxy marriage, she left for Lyon
where she arrived on 14 March. Her brother the Duke of Lorraine raised a dowry for her and the marriage contract was signed in Vienna by the Duke and Duchess of Lorraine and Emperor Charles VI.
The couple married in person on 1 April 1737. Charles Emmanuel III was her first cousin, his mother being Anne Marie d'Orléans – a half sister of her mother Élisabeth Charlotte. The marriage produced three children, only one of whom survived infancy. She and her husband arrived in Turin on 21 April.
Élisabeth Thérèse died at the Palace of Venaria
aged 29, having fallen ill with puerperal fever after childbirth. She was buried in the Cathedral of Saint Giovanni Battista in Turin
. She was moved to the Basilica of Superga
in 1786 by her stepson Victor Amadeus III.
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...
and was the last queen consort of 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 sister of Francis Stephan, Duke of Lorraine
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I was Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, though his wife effectively executed the real power of those positions. With his wife, Maria Theresa, he was the founder of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty...
, she died as a result of giving birth to Benedetto of Savoy
Benedetto, Duke of Chablais
Benedetto of Savoy was a prince of Savoy and Duke of Chablais. He was born in the reign of his father Charles Emmanuel III, King of Sardinia. He has no descendants but had a distinguished military career...
.
Princess of Lorraine
Élisabeth Thérèse of Lorraine was born at the Château de LunévilleChâteau de Lunéville
The Château de Lunéville which had belonged to the Dukes of Lorraine since the thirteenth century, was rebuilt as “the Versailles of Lorraine” by Duke Léopold from 1703 to 1723, from designs of Pierre Bourdict and Nicolas Dorbay and then of the architect Germain Boffrand, whose masterwork it became...
and was the ninth of eleven children of Leopold, Duke of Lorraine
Leopold, Duke of Lorraine
Leopold , surnamed the Good, was Duke of Lorraine and Bar from 1690 to his death.-Early life:Leopold Joseph Charles Dominique Agapet Hyacinthe was the son of Charles V, Duke of Lorraine, and his wife Eleonora Maria Josefa of Austria, a half-sister of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.At the time of...
and his wife Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans. Her mother was a niece of Louis XIV and her father a son of Eleanor of Austria, Queen of Poland. Her eldest brother became Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I was Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, though his wife effectively executed the real power of those positions. With his wife, Maria Theresa, he was the founder of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty...
, four years after her death.
Her father died in 1729 amid negotiations regarding a marriage between the then seventeen-year-old Élisabeth Thérèse and her recently widowed cousin Louis d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans. He refused outright, much to the annoyance of her mother. The match having come to nothing, leading her mother to name her daughter the coadjutrice
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
of Remiremont Abbey
Remiremont Abbey
Remiremont Abbey was a Benedictine abbey near Remiremont, Vosges, France.-History:It was founded about 620 by Romaric, a lord at the court of Chlothar II, who, having been converted by Saint Ame, a monk of Luxeuil, took the habit at Luxeuil...
on 19 October 1734. The Abbey of Remiremont was closely associated with the House of Lorraine. Her younger sister Anne Charlotte was later the abbess of the prestigious institution.
Queen of Sardinia
In 1736 her brother the Duke of Lorraine married the Archduchess Maria Theresa of AustriaMaria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma...
, daughter and heiress of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
. The union between the House 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...
and the House of Habsburg was used to ensure a more prestigious marriage for the unwed princess. The already twice widowed 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:...
asked for her hand in late 1736 and the marriage went ahead.
She married the king of Sardinia by proxy on 5 March 1737 at Lunéville with Victor Amadeus I, Prince of Carignan acting as the king, who was the prince's brother-in-law. The day after the proxy marriage, she left for Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
where she arrived on 14 March. Her brother the Duke of Lorraine raised a dowry for her and the marriage contract was signed in Vienna by the Duke and Duchess of Lorraine and Emperor Charles VI.
The couple married in person on 1 April 1737. Charles Emmanuel III was her first cousin, his mother being Anne Marie d'Orléans – a half sister of her mother Élisabeth Charlotte. The marriage produced three children, only one of whom survived infancy. She and her husband arrived in Turin on 21 April.
Élisabeth Thérèse died at the Palace of Venaria
Palace of Venaria
The Palace of Venaria is a former royal residence located in Venaria Reale, near Turin, in Piedmont, northern Italy...
aged 29, having fallen ill with puerperal fever after childbirth. She was buried in the Cathedral of Saint Giovanni Battista 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...
. She was moved to 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 1786 by her stepson Victor Amadeus III.
Issue
- Prince Carlo of Savoy (1 December 1738 – 25 March 1745)
- Princess Vittoria of Savoy (22 June 1740 – 14 July 1742)
- Prince Benedetto of Savoy; 21 June 1741 – 4 January 1808), died without issue.
Ancestry
Titles and styles
- 15 October 1711 – 1737 Her Highness Princess Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine
- 1 April 1737 – 3 July 1741 Her Majesty the Queen of Sardinia