Victoire of France
Encyclopedia
Victoire de France, Princess of France (Marie Louise Thérèse Victoire; 11 May 1733 – 7 June 1799) was the seventh child and fifth daughter of King Louis XV of France
and his Queen consort
Maria Leszczyńska
. As the daughter of the king, she was a Fille de France.
Originally known as Madame Quatrième (her older sister died in February 1733, before her birth) she was later known as Madame Victoire. She outlived eight of her nine siblings, and was survived by her older sister Madame Adélaïde by less than a year.
. Unlike the older children of Louis XV (including Adélaïde, just one year her senior), Madame Victoire was not raised at the Palace of Versailles
. Rather, she was sent to live at the Abbey of Fontevraud. She would remain there till 1748 when she was 15. She was one of many children.
and later Madame du Barry
.
Often thought to be the most beautiful of the king's daughters, she never married. In 1753, it was suggested that she marry her brother-in-law, Ferdinand VI of Spain
, as his wife
was seriously ill at the time. Despite her illness, though, the Queen of Spain survived another five years.
In 1765, her older brother died of consumption
at Fontainebleau
at the age of 36. Victoire, like all of her sisters, mourned intensely. The family was again pushed closer together. By 1768, Versailles was again in mourning for the death of the Queen, her mother Maria Leszczyńska
. This sorrow was exacerbated by the fact that her father had acquired a new maîtresse-en-titre
, the comtesse du Barry
. Victoire, like all her sisters, was jealous of the amount of time the king spent with his many mistresses.
On 16 May 1770, Madame Victoire's nephew, Louis-Auguste
, the Dauphin of France, married the Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria
. The wedding occurred at Versailles. Victoire and her older sister, Madame Adélaïde, met the girl and tried to use her influence over the king in order to get rid of La du Barry. This idea only worked temporarily. Although, she initially snubbed the comtesse du Barry, the new Dauphine quickly changed course when she was advised by her powerful mother, the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria
, that she was worsening Austria's relationship with King Louis XV by such behavior. The king's daughters, however, got their way when Louis XV sent Madame du Barry away from Versailles just before he died in 1774 in order that he could receive the last rites of the Catholic Church. His successor Louis XVI, Victoire's nephew, then permanently exiled the powerless mistress from court.
Life changed greatly for "Mesdames", as the surviving daughters of Louis XV were collectively known, during the reign of Louis XVI. Although the princesses were allowed to stay at court and keep their apartments at Versailles, the courtiers of Versailles soon forgot about the ladies as they were much more concerned with showing their loyalty to Louis XVI and his wife. As a result, Victoire and her older sister Madame Adélaïde, began touring the country, travelling in a lavish style. Such expensive travels became a constant financial burden on the state and thus helped fan the flames of the French Revolution.
. Horrified by new revolutionary laws against the Catholic Church, the religious sisters left France for Italy
on 20 February 1791, although they were arrested and detained for several days at Arnay-le-Duc
before they were allowed to depart.
In Italy, they first visited their niece, Clotilde, Queen of Sardinia, the sister of Louis XVI, in Turin
. They arrived in Rome
on 16 April 1791.
in 1796, where Marie Caroline, the sister of their niece, Marie Antoinette
, was queen. They then moved to Corfu
in 1799, and finally ended up in Trieste
, where Victoire died of breast cancer
. Adélaïde died one year later in Rome
. The bodies of both princesses were later returned to France by their nephew, King Louis XVIII
, and buried at the Abbey of Saint-Denis.
Madame Victoire's nephews included (among others) Ferdinand, Duke of Parma
, Louis XVI of France
, Louis XVIII of France
, Charles X of France
. Her nieces included Madame Élisabeth and Queen Maria Louisa of Spain. Her goddaughter was Angélique Victoire, comtesse de Chastellux
.
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...
and his Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
Maria Leszczyńska
Maria Leszczynska
Marie Leszczyńska was a queen consort of France. She was a daughter of King Stanisław Leszczyński of Poland and Catherine Opalińska. She married King Louis XV of France and was the grandmother of Louis XVI, Louis XVIII, and Charles X. In France, she was referred to as Marie Leczinska...
. As the daughter of the king, she was a Fille de France.
Originally known as Madame Quatrième (her older sister died in February 1733, before her birth) she was later known as Madame Victoire. She outlived eight of her nine siblings, and was survived by her older sister Madame Adélaïde by less than a year.
Life
Marie Louise Thérèse Victoire de France was born at the Palace of VersaillesPalace 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....
. Unlike the older children of Louis XV (including Adélaïde, just one year her senior), Madame Victoire was not raised 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....
. Rather, she was sent to live at the Abbey of Fontevraud. She would remain there till 1748 when she was 15. She was one of many children.
Versailles
At the age of 15, she was allowed to return to her father's court. Close to her religious mother, brother and sisters, she shared their moral indignation at the king's frequently open adultery, a situation which served to push the king's immediate family away from him as he turned more and more to Madame de PompadourMadame de Pompadour
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour, also known as Madame de Pompadour was a member of the French court, and was the official chief mistress of Louis XV from 1745 to her death.-Biography:...
and later Madame du Barry
Madame du Barry
Jeanne Bécu, comtesse du Barry was the last Maîtresse-en-titre of Louis XV of France and one of the victims of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.-Early life:...
.
Often thought to be the most beautiful of the king's daughters, she never married. In 1753, it was suggested that she marry her brother-in-law, Ferdinand VI of Spain
Ferdinand VI of Spain
Ferdinand VI , called the Learnt, was King of Spain from 9 July 1746 until his death. He was the fourth son of the previous monarch Philip V and his first wife Maria Luisa of Savoy...
, as his wife
Barbara of Portugal
Barbara of Portugal was an Infanta of Portugal and later Queen of Spain as wife of Ferdinand VI of Spain.-Life in Portugal:...
was seriously ill at the time. Despite her illness, though, the Queen of Spain survived another five years.
In 1765, her older brother died of consumption
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
at Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
at the age of 36. Victoire, like all of her sisters, mourned intensely. The family was again pushed closer together. By 1768, Versailles was again in mourning for the death of the Queen, her mother Maria Leszczyńska
Maria Leszczynska
Marie Leszczyńska was a queen consort of France. She was a daughter of King Stanisław Leszczyński of Poland and Catherine Opalińska. She married King Louis XV of France and was the grandmother of Louis XVI, Louis XVIII, and Charles X. In France, she was referred to as Marie Leczinska...
. This sorrow was exacerbated by the fact that her father had acquired a new maîtresse-en-titre
Maîtresse-en-titre
The maîtresse-en-titre was the chief mistress of the king of France. It was a semi-official position which came with its own apartments. The title really came into use during the reign of Henry IV and continued until the reign of Louis XV....
, the comtesse du Barry
Madame du Barry
Jeanne Bécu, comtesse du Barry was the last Maîtresse-en-titre of Louis XV of France and one of the victims of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.-Early life:...
. Victoire, like all her sisters, was jealous of the amount of time the king spent with his many mistresses.
On 16 May 1770, Madame Victoire's nephew, Louis-Auguste
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
, the Dauphin of France, married the Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria
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....
. The wedding occurred at Versailles. Victoire and her older sister, Madame Adélaïde, met the girl and tried to use her influence over the king in order to get rid of La du Barry. This idea only worked temporarily. Although, she initially snubbed the comtesse du Barry, the new Dauphine quickly changed course when she was advised by her powerful mother, the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria 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...
, that she was worsening Austria's relationship with King Louis XV by such behavior. The king's daughters, however, got their way when Louis XV sent Madame du Barry away from Versailles just before he died in 1774 in order that he could receive the last rites of the Catholic Church. His successor Louis XVI, Victoire's nephew, then permanently exiled the powerless mistress from court.
Life changed greatly for "Mesdames", as the surviving daughters of Louis XV were collectively known, during the reign of Louis XVI. Although the princesses were allowed to stay at court and keep their apartments at Versailles, the courtiers of Versailles soon forgot about the ladies as they were much more concerned with showing their loyalty to Louis XVI and his wife. As a result, Victoire and her older sister Madame Adélaïde, began touring the country, travelling in a lavish style. Such expensive travels became a constant financial burden on the state and thus helped fan the flames of the French Revolution.
French Revolution
After the storming of Versailles by an army of hungry Parisian women on 6 October 1789, Mesdames Victoire and Adélaïde, now alone as the only surviving children of Louis XV, took up residence at the Château de BellevueChâteau de Bellevue
The Château de Bellevue was a small château built for Madame de Pompadour in 1750. It was constructed on a broad plateau in Meudon, above a slope overlooking the Seine to the east, but was demolished in 1823 and little remains....
. Horrified by new revolutionary laws against the Catholic Church, the religious sisters left France for Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
on 20 February 1791, although they were arrested and detained for several days at Arnay-le-Duc
Arnay-le-Duc
Arnay-le-Duc is a commune of the Côte-d'Or department in Bourgogne in eastern France.-History:Arnay-le-Duc was the location of the worship of the Celtic god Abilus, who was associated with the goddess Damona.-Population:-Personalities:...
before they were allowed to depart.
In Italy, they first visited their niece, Clotilde, Queen of Sardinia, the sister of Louis XVI, 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...
. They arrived in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
on 16 April 1791.
Death
As a result of the increasing influence of Revolutionary France, the sisters were forced to constantly move. They went to NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
in 1796, where Marie Caroline, the sister of their niece, 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....
, was queen. They then moved to Corfu
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
in 1799, and finally ended up in Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, where Victoire died of breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
. Adélaïde died one year later in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. The bodies of both princesses were later returned to France by their nephew, King Louis XVIII
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...
, and buried at the Abbey of Saint-Denis.
Madame Victoire's nephews included (among others) Ferdinand, Duke of Parma
Ferdinand, Duke of Parma
Ferdinand Maria Philip Louis Sebastian Francis James of Parma was Duke of Parma from 1765 to 1802. He was the second child and only son of Philip, Duke of Parma and Princess Louise-Élisabeth of France, eldest daughter of Louis XV of France and Maria Leszczyńska...
, Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
, Louis XVIII of France
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...
, Charles X of France
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...
. Her nieces included Madame Élisabeth and Queen Maria Louisa of Spain. Her goddaughter was Angélique Victoire, comtesse de Chastellux
Angelique Victoire, Comtesse de Chastellux
Angélique Victoire de Durfort, Countess of Chastellux was a French noblewoman. The goddaughter of Princess Victoire of France, daughter of Louis XV, she became a courtier at Versailles and at Bellevue, and succeeded her mother as lady-in-waiting to her godmother.She was the daughter of Aymeric...
.
- It has also been suggested that it was she that said the phrase let them eat cake but it is not for certain
- She is portrayed by Molly ShannonMolly ShannonMolly Helen Shannon is an American comic actress best known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995–2001 and for starring in the films Superstar and Year of the Dog. More recently, she starred in NBC's Kath & Kim from 2008–2009 and on the TBS animated series Neighbors from...
in the 2006 film Marie AntoinetteMarie Antoinette (2006 film)Marie Antoinette is a 2006 biographical film, written and directed by Sofia Coppola. It is very loosely based on the life of the Queen consort in the years leading up to the French Revolution. It won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design...
.
Ancestry
Titles and Styles
- 11 May 1733 – 7 June 1799 Her Royal HighnessRoyal HighnessRoyal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...
Princess Victoire of France