Élisabeth Thérèse de Lorraine
Encyclopedia
Élisabeth de Lorraine-L'islebonne (Élisabeth Thérèse; 5 April 1664 – 7 March 1748) was a French noblewoman and the Princess of Epinoy by marriage. She is often styled as the princesse de Lillebonne. She was the mother of Louis de Melun, duc de Joyeuse
who disappeared under mysterious circumstances in 1724 and of Anne Julie de Melun
, princesse de Soubise.
of the House of Guise
, her father
was the eldest son of Charles II de Lorrain-Guise, duc d'Elbeuf
and Catherine Henriette de Bourbon
, a natural daughter of Henry IV of France
and Gabrielle d'Estrées
. Her mother, Anne, was her father's distant cousin and was the only daughter of Charles IV of Lorraine
and his secret
wife Béatrice de Cusance.
The fifth of her parents' nine children, she was the only one of her siblings to marry or have children. She was styled Mademoiselle de Commercy at the French royal court
, the princedom of Commercy
being a subsidiary domain of the House of Lorraine.
On 7 October 1691, Mlle. de Commercy married Louis de Melun, prince d'Epinoy and Duke of Joyeuse, who was nine years younger than his bride). The couple had two children, one son born in 1694 and a daughter born in 1698. Only the latter would have issue.
Élisabeth Thérèse was the Duchess of Luxembourg-Saint-Pôl in her own right
. She bought the duchy from Marie d'Orléans
She was a lady in waiting
to Marie Anne de Bourbon
, Princess of Conti
(1666–1739), a legitimised daughter of Louis XIV of France
.
She and her sister were said, by Saint-Simon
, to be spies for Madame de Maintenon. While in the circle of the Grand Dauphin
, she became close to his other half sister Louise Françoise de Bourbon
known as Madame la Duchesse. She was also close to her uncle Charles Henri de Lorraine, prince de Vaudémont and to the Louis Joseph de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme.
In 1721, at the death of her great-aunt, Marguerite Louise d'Orléans
, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Élisabeth Thérèse was designated her heiress, despite Marguerite Louise having allegedly promised that she would make her children her heirs.
She lost both her children in 1724: Louis, having secretly married Marie Anne de Bourbon (1697–1741),, disappeared while at a ball at the Château de Chantilly
in July. Anne Julie had died earlier from smallpox
, leaving five young children.
She and her husband died on 7 March 1748 at the Hôtel de Mayenne. She was aged eighty-three.
Through her daughter, she is an ancestor of the present ducs de Montbazon
of the House of Rohan.
Louis, Duke of Joyeuse (1694–1724)
Louis de Melun, Duke of Joyeuse was a French noble man. He was the Prince of Epinoy, Baron then Duke of Joyeuse and Peer of France, Baron of Cysoing, Antoing and Wiers, Earl of Saint-Pol, Viscount of Gand, châtelain de Bapaume, Lord of Villemareuil, of Vaucourtois and of...
who disappeared under mysterious circumstances in 1724 and of Anne Julie de Melun
Anne Julie de Melun
Anne Julie de Melun was a French noblewoman and mother of Charles de Rohan, the famous general of Louis XV as well as Madame de Marsan. She died of smallpox in her twenties.-Biography:...
, princesse de Soubise.
Biography
A member of a cadet branchCadet branch
Cadet branch is a term in genealogy to describe the lineage of the descendants of the younger sons of a monarch or patriarch. In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets – titles, realms, fiefs, property and income – have...
of the House of Guise
House of Guise
The House of Guise was a French ducal family, partly responsible for the French Wars of Religion.The Guises were Catholic, and Henry Guise wanted to end growing Calvinist influence...
, her father
François Marie, Prince of Lillebonne
François Marie de Lorraine was a French nobleman and member of the House of Lorraine. He was known as the prince de Lillebonne...
was the eldest son of Charles II de Lorrain-Guise, duc d'Elbeuf
Charles II, Duke of Elbeuf
Charles de Lorraine was a French nobleman, the son of Charles I of Lorraine, Duke of Elbeuf by his wife, Marguerite de Chabot. He succeeded his father in the Elbeuf dukedom in 1605.- Biography :He joined the French royal court in 1607, becoming a playmate to the future King Louis XIII...
and Catherine Henriette de Bourbon
Catherine Henriette de Bourbon
Catherine Henriette de Bourbon, Légitimée de France was an illegitimate daughter of King Henri IV and his long-term maîtresse en titre Gabrielle d'Estrées. She married into the Princely House of Guise.-Early years:...
, a natural daughter of Henry IV of France
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
and Gabrielle d'Estrées
Gabrielle d'Estrées
Gabrielle d'Estrées, Duchess of Beaufort and Verneuil, Marchioness of Monceaux was a French mistress of King Henry IV of France, born at either the Château de la Bourdaisière in Montlouis-sur-Loire, in Touraine, or at the château de Cœuvres, in Picardy....
. Her mother, Anne, was her father's distant cousin and was the only daughter of Charles IV of Lorraine
Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine
Charles IV was Duke of Lorraine from 1624 to 1634, when he abdicated under French pressure in favor of his younger brother, and again from 1661 until 1675.- Biography :...
and his secret
Morganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
wife Béatrice de Cusance.
The fifth of her parents' nine children, she was the only one of her siblings to marry or have children. She was styled Mademoiselle de Commercy at the French royal court
Royal court
Royal court, as distinguished from a court of law, may refer to:* The Royal Court , Timbaland's production company*Court , the household and entourage of a monarch or other ruler, the princely court...
, the princedom of Commercy
Commercy
Commercy is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.It is the home of the madeleines referred to by Marcel Proust in A la Recherche du Temps Perdu.-History:...
being a subsidiary domain of the House of Lorraine.
On 7 October 1691, Mlle. de Commercy married Louis de Melun, prince d'Epinoy and Duke of Joyeuse, who was nine years younger than his bride). The couple had two children, one son born in 1694 and a daughter born in 1698. Only the latter would have issue.
Élisabeth Thérèse was the Duchess of Luxembourg-Saint-Pôl in her own right
Suo jure
Suo jure is a Latin phrase meaning "in her [or his] own right".It is commonly encountered in the context of titles of nobility, especially in cases where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage....
. She bought the duchy from Marie d'Orléans
She was a lady in waiting
Lady in Waiting
Lady in Waiting is the 2nd album by American southern rock band Outlaws, released in 1976. -Track listing:#"Breaker-Breaker" – 2:59#"South Carolina" – 3:05#"Ain't So Bad" – 3:48...
to Marie Anne de Bourbon
Marie Anne de Bourbon
Marie Anne de Bourbon, Légitimée de France was the eldest legitimised daughter of King Louis XIV of France and Louise de La Vallière. At the age of thirteen, she was married to Louis Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti and as such was the Princess of Conti by marriage...
, Princess of Conti
Princess of Conti
-First Creation:-Second Creation:...
(1666–1739), 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...
.
She and her sister were said, by Saint-Simon
Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon
Louis de Rouvroy commonly known as Saint-Simon was a French soldier, diplomatist and writer of memoirs, was born in Paris...
, to be spies for Madame de Maintenon. While in the circle of the Grand Dauphin
Louis, Grand Dauphin
Louis of France was the eldest son and heir of Louis XIV, King of France, and his spouse, Maria Theresa of Spain. As the heir apparent to the French throne, he was styled Dauphin...
, she became close to his other half sister Louise Françoise de Bourbon
Louise-Françoise de Bourbon
Louise Françoise de Bourbon, Légitimée de France was the eldest surviving legitimised daughter of Louis XIV of France and his maîtresse-en-titre, Madame de Montespan. She was said to have been named after her godmother, Louise de La Vallière, the woman that her mother had replaced as the king's...
known as Madame la Duchesse. She was also close to her uncle Charles Henri de Lorraine, prince de Vaudémont and to the Louis Joseph de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme.
In 1721, at the death of her great-aunt, Marguerite Louise d'Orléans
Marguerite Louise d'Orléans
Marguerite Louise d'Orléans was Grand Duchess of Tuscany, as the wife of Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici. Deprived of her lover, Charles V of Lorraine, and yearning for France, Marguerite Louise despised her husband and his family, whom she often quarrelled with and falsely suspected of...
, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Élisabeth Thérèse was designated her heiress, despite Marguerite Louise having allegedly promised that she would make her children her heirs.
She lost both her children in 1724: Louis, having secretly married Marie Anne de Bourbon (1697–1741),, disappeared while at a ball at the Château de Chantilly
Château de Chantilly
The Château de Chantilly is a historic château located in the town of Chantilly, France. It comprises two attached buildings; the Grand Château, destroyed during the French Revolution and rebuilt in the 1870s, and the Petit Château which was built around 1560 for Anne de Montmorency...
in July. Anne Julie had died earlier from smallpox
Smallpox
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"...
, leaving five young children.
She and her husband died on 7 March 1748 at the Hôtel de Mayenne. She was aged eighty-three.
Through her daughter, she is an ancestor of the present ducs de Montbazon
Duchy of Montbazon
The Duchy of Montbazon is the area around Montbazon, near Tours, in France. During the Ancien Régime, Montbazon became a seigneurie held by the House of Rohan in the fifteenth century; was elevated to a comté in 1557, and raised to the level of a duchy in 1588.-List of Lords of Guéméné, ca...
of the House of Rohan.
Issue
- Louis de MelunLouis, Duke of Joyeuse (1694–1724)Louis de Melun, Duke of Joyeuse was a French noble man. He was the Prince of Epinoy, Baron then Duke of Joyeuse and Peer of France, Baron of Cysoing, Antoing and Wiers, Earl of Saint-Pol, Viscount of Gand, châtelain de Bapaume, Lord of Villemareuil, of Vaucourtois and of...
, Duke of Joyeuse (October 1694 – 31 July 1724) married first to Armande de La Tour d'AuvergneArmande de La Tour d'AuvergneArmande de La Tour d'Auvergne was a French noblewoman and Princess of Epinoy by marriage. She died without issue.-Biography:...
, no issue; married secondly to Marie Anne de Bourbon (1697–1741), no issue; - Anne Julie de MelunAnne Julie de MelunAnne Julie de Melun was a French noblewoman and mother of Charles de Rohan, the famous general of Louis XV as well as Madame de Marsan. She died of smallpox in her twenties.-Biography:...
(1698 – 18 May 1724) married Jules de Rohan, prince de SoubiseJules, Prince of SoubiseJules de Rohan was a French nobleman and Prince of Soubise. He died of smallpox aged twenty-seven.-Biography:...
and had issue; was grandmother of Charlotte de Rohan, wife of Louis Joseph, prince de Condé.
Ancestry
Titles and styles
- 5 April 1664 – 7 October 1691 Mademoiselle de Commercy
- 7 October 1691 – 24 September 1704 Madame la princesse d'Epinoy
- 24 September 1704 – 7 March 1748 the Dowager princess d'Epinony