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Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy
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Princess Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy (December 6 1685 - February 12 1712), Princess of Savoy and Sardinia, was the eldest daughter of Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia and of his first wife Anne Marie of Orléans. Her maternal grandparents were Philippe of France, duc d'Orléans and Princess Henrietta Anne of England. She married the eldest grandson of the King of France, Louis XIV and became the mother of Louis XV.
Life
Maria Adélaïde of Savoia was born at the Royal Palace of Turin in 1685, the daughter of the Sovereign Duke of Savoy and Prince of Pedimont; her mother, Anne Marie was a French princess by birth, Petite-Filles de France and niece of Louis XIV.
The eldest of 8 children (4 of whom survived infancy), her younger sister Maria Luisa of Savoy went onto marry the King of Spain in 1701; her brother Victor Amadeus of Savoy was the Prince of Pedimont but died aged 16 in 1715; Another brother would succed her father in 1730 as Charles Emmanuel III of Savoy.
Discussion
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Encyclopedia
Princess Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy (December 6 1685 - February 12 1712), Princess of Savoy and Sardinia, was the eldest daughter of Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia and of his first wife Anne Marie of Orléans. Her maternal grandparents were Philippe of France, duc d'Orléans and Princess Henrietta Anne of England. She married the eldest grandson of the King of France, Louis XIV and became the mother of Louis XV.
Life
Maria Adélaïde of Savoia was born at the Royal Palace of Turin in 1685, the daughter of the Sovereign Duke of Savoy and Prince of Pedimont; her mother, Anne Marie was a French princess by birth, Petite-Filles de France and niece of Louis XIV.
The eldest of 8 children (4 of whom survived infancy), her younger sister Maria Luisa of Savoy went onto marry the King of Spain in 1701; her brother Victor Amadeus of Savoy was the Prince of Pedimont but died aged 16 in 1715; Another brother would succed her father in 1730 as Charles Emmanuel III of Savoy. Very close to her paternal grandmother Marie Jeanne of Savoy-Nemours, the two would remain in contact while Maria-Adélaïde was in France.
Marriage
At the age of ten (1695), Marie-Adélaïde was betrothed to her cousin Louis, Duke of Burgandy (1682-1712), the eldest son of Monseigneur, the Grand Dauphin, and of his wife, Maria Anna of Bavaria, which placed Bourgogne next in line to the throne of Louis XIV, right after his father.
This match was decided as part of the Treaty of Turin, which ended Franco-Savoyard conflicts during the Nine Years' War. At the age of 10, Marie was sent to Versailles so as to learn her proper role as the future Dauphine and Queen. Louis XIV declared that she was to be the First Lady of Versailles, and he loved his granddaughter-in-law dearly.
She reinvigorated the life of the aging king, and enchanted the court. She was doll-like, some courtiers referred to her as a "walking doll". It was said that Louis XIV has not loved anyone as much as he loved Marie Adelaide. Other members of the court called her a walking doll or plaything. Adélaïde was taught well on how to please the King and did her best to amuse him at all times. One anecdote says that she once sat on the lap of Mme de Maintenon, and told her: "Teach me well, I beg you, what I have to do to please the King" . In her letters to her family members, she frequently wrote of her love for the King and his kindness to her. Her closeness with Madame de Maintenon was demonstrated by her addressing her as ma Tante - My aunt in English and a serious breech of etiquette at Versailles.
The marriage of Marie-Adélaïde to the duc de Bourgogne, took place on 7 December 1697. The two were in love with one another, a rarity at the court of Versailles. Her position at court, very close to the King, was said to have annoyed her husband's aunt - the legitimised daughters of Louis XIV with his mistresses Madame de Montespan (Princess of Condé and Duchess of Orléans) and Mademoiselle de La Vallière (Dowager Princess of Conti). The king, though very fond of the Princess of Conti was more interested in his young Dauphine.
Due to her mother-in-law dying in 1690, even before coming the Dauphine of France, she was regarded as first lady of the Kingdom. The queen of Louis XIV (Infanta Maria Teresa of Spain having died in 1683), Marie-Adélaïde was given her old apartments at Versailles. These were on the same floor as the King's Rooms and those of Mme de Maintenon.
Children
- a stillborn child (1702)
- a stillborn child (1703)
- Louis, Duke of Bretagne (1704-1705)
- Louis, Duke of Brittany (1707-1712)
- stillborn child (1708)
- Louis, Duke of Anjou (1710-1774), later King Louis XV
- an unborn child (1712)
Dauphine of France
On 14 April, 1711, her father-in-law died. Her husband became the Dauphin and she his Dauphine. Both she and her husband fell ill in early 1712 and died within six days of each other from an illness, thought to be the measles. Her second son died the same year from the same disease. When she was dying, she said to Mme de Guiche:
Good bye, beautiful duchess. Today Dauphine, and tomorrow nothing.
Her death affected the king and his wife greatly. Her husband would succumb to the illness a week later and would die at Versailles also. The king forbade any entertainments at Versailles due to mourning and as was customary during royal deaths, the royal family were obliged to move out of Versailles for a time in order to let servants clear up after the great loss.
Ancestry
Titles
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