Louise Elisabeth of Orléans
Encyclopedia
Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans (11 December 1709 – 16 June 1742) was Queen consort of Spain as the wife of King Louis I. In her adopted country, she was known as Luisa Isabel de Orléans.
, and his wife, Françoise Marie de Bourbon. Her mother was a legitimised daughter of Louis XIV of France
and his mistress, Madame de Montespan. She was known as Élisabeth. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon
, Élisabeth was a princesse du sang
, despite the fact that her mother was illegitimate by birth, although legitimised by King Louis XIV.
She was born at the Palace of Versailles, and was her parents' fourth surviving daughter (the first, Mademoiselle de Valois died a year after birth). Prior to her marriage, she was known as Mademoiselle de Montpensier. She grew up among one brother and five sisters. Because no one was much interested in her as a child, Louise Élisabeth received a poor education and seemed destined for marriage to some obscure German or Italian prince. Like her younger sister, Louise
, she had a convent education. She was very close to her brother, Louis, Duke of Chartres at birth, who, upon the death of their father in 1723, would inherit the title of Duke of Orléans.
Since 1715, her father was de facto
ruler of France as the Regent
for the child, King Louis XV
. In 1718, the War of the Quadruple Alliance
broke out between France and Spain. In 1720, King Philip V of Spain
wanted to make peace and proposed a double marriage: his three-year old daughter, Infanta Mariana Victoria
, would marry the fifteen-year old Louis XV, and his son and heir, Louis, would marry one of the Regent's daughters.
. Despite a cold reception from the Spanish royal family, especially by Elisabeth Farnese, the stepmother of her future husband, she married Louis of Spain on 20 January 1722 at Lerma. Her dowry was of 4 million Livres.
Her sister Philippine Élisabeth was later engaged to Infante Charles of Spain
, another heir to the throne of Spain; but the marriage came to nothing and her sister was later sent back to France where she died at the age of nineteen in Paris.
As wife of the heir to the Spanish throne, Élisabeth assumed the title of Princess of Asturias
. Despite her rank at court, she was spied upon and accused of all sorts of wrongdoings. Her poor education hindered her ability to deal with the pressures exerted on her, and she reacted by withdrawing emotionally and exhibiting odd behaviour, such as walking around naked and burping and breaking wind in public.
. Because he died without an heir, his father ascended the throne once again. Élisabeth stayed in Madrid for some time after the death of her husband but the Spanish court was malicious towards the lonely teenage widow.
. As the widow of the King of Spain, she was to receive an annual pension of 600,000 Livres from the state; however, Spain would not pay because her marriage had been annulled.
She discreetly travelled to Paris and resided in the Château de Vincennes
and the Luxembourg Palace
, which had been given to her sister
by her father, and where she died in 1742, sadly forgotten by everyone. She was buried at the church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, close to the Luxembourg Palace, where her half-brother Louis Charles de Saint-Albin was a bishop.
from which she descended from (R) and the arms of her husband (L) who was the King.
When she moved back to France, Louise Élisabeth was formally known as the Queen-Dowager, Reine douairière d'Espagne. There was even a dispute with her sister, the Duchess of Modena and Reggio, when it came to the Duchess's coach having to let that of the younger Louise Élisabeth past first, a queen having a higher rank than a duchess
Mademoiselle de Montpensier
Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans was one of the seven daughters of Philippe II, Duke of OrléansPhilippe 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...
, and his wife, Françoise Marie de Bourbon. Her mother was a legitimised daughter of Louis XIV of France
Louis 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...
and his mistress, Madame de Montespan. She was known as Élisabeth. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
, Élisabeth was a princesse du sang
Prince du Sang
A prince of the blood was a person who was legitimately descended in the male line from the monarch of a country. In France, the rank of prince du sang was the highest held at court after the immediate family of the king during the ancien régime and the Bourbon Restoration...
, despite the fact that her mother was illegitimate by birth, although legitimised by King Louis XIV.
She was born at the Palace of Versailles, and was her parents' fourth surviving daughter (the first, Mademoiselle de Valois died a year after birth). Prior to her marriage, she was known as Mademoiselle de Montpensier. She grew up among one brother and five sisters. Because no one was much interested in her as a child, Louise Élisabeth received a poor education and seemed destined for marriage to some obscure German or Italian prince. Like her younger sister, Louise
Louise Diane d'Orléans
Louise d'Orléans was the sixth daughter and last child of Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans and his wife, Françoise Marie de Bourbon, the youngest legitimised daughter of King Louis XIV of France and his mistress, Madame de Montespan...
, she had a convent education. She was very close to her brother, Louis, Duke of Chartres at birth, who, upon the death of their father in 1723, would inherit the title of Duke of Orléans.
Since 1715, her father was de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
ruler of France as the 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...
for the child, King 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...
. In 1718, the War of the Quadruple Alliance
War of the Quadruple Alliance
The War of the Quadruple Alliance was a result of the ambitions of King Philip V of Spain, his wife, Elisabeth Farnese, and his chief minister Giulio Alberoni to retake territories in Italy and to claim the French throne. It saw the defeat of Spain by an alliance of Britain, France, Austria , and...
broke out between France and Spain. In 1720, King Philip V of Spain
Philip 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...
wanted to make peace and proposed a double marriage: his three-year old daughter, Infanta Mariana Victoria
Mariana Victoria of Spain
Mariana Victoria of Spain was an Infanta of Spain and Queen consort of Portugal as wife of King Joseph I. The mother of Queen Maria I of Portugal, she also acted as Regent of Portugal during the last months of her husband's life and advisor to her daughter during her reign.-Background:Mariana...
, would marry the fifteen-year old Louis XV, and his son and heir, Louis, would marry one of the Regent's daughters.
Princess of Asturias
By that time, Élisabeth and her sister Philippine Élisabeth were the Regent's only unmarried daughters. It was later decided that they would marry two Infantes of Spain. Therefore, in 1721, at the age of eleven, Élisabeth was married by proxy in November, in Paris, Louise Élisabeth and her younger sister left for MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. Despite a cold reception from the Spanish royal family, especially by Elisabeth Farnese, the stepmother of her future husband, she married Louis of Spain on 20 January 1722 at Lerma. Her dowry was of 4 million Livres.
Her sister Philippine Élisabeth was later engaged to Infante Charles of Spain
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
, another heir to the throne of Spain; but the marriage came to nothing and her sister was later sent back to France where she died at the age of nineteen in Paris.
As wife of the heir to the Spanish throne, Élisabeth assumed the title of Princess of Asturias
Princess of Asturias
This is a list of women who held the title Princess of Asturias by marriage.The title was created in 1388 for the future Henry III of Castile and Catherine of Lancaster. A part of the pact was to gran the young couple the title of Prince and Princess of Asturias, which was modelled after that of...
. Despite her rank at court, she was spied upon and accused of all sorts of wrongdoings. Her poor education hindered her ability to deal with the pressures exerted on her, and she reacted by withdrawing emotionally and exhibiting odd behaviour, such as walking around naked and burping and breaking wind in public.
Queen of Spain
On 15 January 1724, the emotionally unstable Philip V abdicated in favour of his eldest son, who became King Louis. Élisabeth became Queen of Spain, but after only seven months of reign, Louis died of smallpoxSmallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
. Because he died without an heir, his father ascended the throne once again. Élisabeth stayed in Madrid for some time after the death of her husband but the Spanish court was malicious towards the lonely teenage widow.
Widow
After the death of her husband, she returned to France at the request of her mother, the Dowager Duchess of Orléans. She was obliged to live peacefully in Paris, away from the Court of her young cousin Louis XVLouis 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...
. As the widow of the King of Spain, she was to receive an annual pension of 600,000 Livres from the state; however, Spain would not pay because her marriage had been annulled.
She discreetly travelled to Paris and resided in the Château de Vincennes
Château de Vincennes
The Château de Vincennes is a massive 14th and 17th century French royal castle in the town of Vincennes, to the east of Paris, now a suburb of the metropolis.-History:...
and the Luxembourg Palace
Luxembourg Palace
The Luxembourg Palace in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, north of the Luxembourg Garden , is the seat of the French Senate.The formal Luxembourg Garden presents a 25-hectare green parterre of gravel and lawn populated with statues and provided with large basins of water where children sail model...
, which had been given to her sister
Marie Louise Elisabeth d'Orléans
Marie Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans, Duchess of Berry , was a member of the House of Orléans who married Charles, Duke of Berry.-Biography:...
by her father, and where she died in 1742, sadly forgotten by everyone. She was buried at the church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, close to the Luxembourg Palace, where her half-brother Louis Charles de Saint-Albin was a bishop.
Ancestors
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
- 11 December 1709 - 20 January 1722 Her Serene Highness Mademoiselle de Montpensier
- 20 January 1722 - 15 January 1724 Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias
- 15 January 1724 - 6 September 1724 Her Majesty the Queen of Spain
- 6 September 1724 - 16 June 1742 Her Majesty the Dowager Queen of Spain
Arms
Louise Élisabeth held the arms of the House of OrléansHouse of Orleans
Orléans is the name used by several branches of the Royal House of France, all descended in the legitimate male line from the dynasty's founder, Hugh Capet. It became a tradition during France's ancien régime for the duchy of Orléans to be granted as an appanage to a younger son of the king...
from which she descended from (R) and the arms of her husband (L) who was the King.
When she moved back to France, Louise Élisabeth was formally known as the Queen-Dowager, Reine douairière d'Espagne. There was even a dispute with her sister, the Duchess of Modena and Reggio, when it came to the Duchess's coach having to let that of the younger Louise Élisabeth past first, a queen having a higher rank than a duchess