Charlotte Aglaé of Orléans
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Aglaé
d'Orléans, (20 October 1700 - 19 January 1761) was the Duchess of Modena and Reggio by marriage. She was the third daughter of Philippe d'Orléans
, (successively, the Duke of Chartres
, the Duke of Orléans, and eventually the Regent
of France from 1715 to 1723), and of his wife, Françoise-Marie de Bourbon
. She was born a princesse du sang
. When a married women, she had ten children.
; Aglaea
.
At a young age, she and Louise Adélaïde were placed in the Abbey of Chelles, which her sister would years later 'rule' as abbess. Charlotte Aglaé was one of eight children. In 1714, she was sent by her parents to Val-de-Grâce
Abbey.
At that time, her marriage became the preoccupation of her family. Her older sister, the Duchess of Berry suggested that she marry the young Louis Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti
, the son of François Louis, Prince of Conti
and of his wife Marie Thérèse de Bourbon, but Louis XIV would not give his consent to the union.
In 1715, Charlotte Aglaé moved into the Palais-Royal with her family. The following year, her mother suggested her marriage to her first cousin, Louis Auguste de Bourbon, prince de Dombes, son of her uncle, Louis Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine
, but Charlotte Aglaé refused. Shortly thereafter, Charlotte Aglaé went to live at the Château de Saint-Cloud
with her paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate
, the Dowager Duchess of Orléans who was known as Madame at court. Her grandmother made a pen portrait of her granddaughter at this time:
The Dowager Duchess of Orléans also said of her granddaughter that:
Her cousin, Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon, proposed to her on behalf of his younger brother, Charles de Bourbon, comte de Charolais. Charlotte Aglaé is said to have seriously considered the proposal but her parents refused outright.
In 1718, Charlotte Aglaé began a romantic affair with Louis François Armand du Plessis, duc de Richelieu
. In 1719, the duke was arrested and jailed in Hem
in connection with his participation in the Cellamare Conspiracy
. Charlotte Aglaé visited the duke several times in prison. Wishing to marry him, she urged her father, the Regent, to pardon
him.
Her older cousin, Louise Anne de Bourbon, was another of the promiscuous Richelieu's conquests. The cousins, who had never been very close, became bitter enemies due to their simultaneous romantic involvement with the womanising duke. This enmity continued long after each amorous affair had ended. The young Louise-Anne was considered the most attractive daughter of Louis III, Prince of Condé
.
. Earlier projects to marry Charlotte Aglaé to either an English prince or to Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia
had failed. Her grandmother is known to have written to Charlotte Aglaé's aunt, Anne Marie d'Orléans, Queen of Sicily, on the marriage proposal. As a pre-condition to the liberation of Richelieu, her lover, it was decided that she would marry the heir of Modena.
According to her grandmother's writings, her future husband had fallen in love with the young Charlotte Aglaé upon, "the mere sight of her portrait".
Few expected the marriage to succeed, as Charlotte Aglaé had no desire to leave France. Her distant cousin, Marguerite Louise d'Orléans
, who had previously been wedded against her will to Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
in 1661, had suffered through a disastrous marriage. Eventually, Marguerite was forced to return to France in disgrace. People assumed that the same fate awaited Charlotte Aglaé. The Grand Duchess noticed the similarities between herself and her younger cousin and, unable to deal with the situation, refused to speak to Charlotte Aglaé about her impending nuptials:
The original date for the marriage was 25 January 1720, but this date was postponed till the next month due to an oversight by the Bishop of Modena. Despite this, the marriage certificate was signed on 31 January.
On 11 February 1720, a proxy marriage was performed at the Tuileries Palace
. Her brother, the Duke of Chartres stood in for his future brother-in-law, while her younger sister Louise Élisabeth held her train. After this, there was a banquet at the Palais Royal where the young king Louis XV attended and presented his gifts to the new Hereditary Princess of Modena.
and next Genoa
.
Arriving in Reggio
on 20 June, she met her father-in-law, husband and brother-in-law for the first time. The formal wedding ceremony took place on 21 June 1720 in Modena
. Charlotte Aglaé received an enormous dowry
of 1.8 million livres, half of which was contributed in the name of the young king, Louis XV
, on orders of the Regent. From her adopted country, Charlote Aglaé received a trousseau
consisting of diamond
s and portraits of her future husband.
As her husband's mother had died in 1710, the Hereditary Princess was the most senior princess in Modena.
Although by rank she was neither a fille nor petite-fille de France
, Charlotte Aglaé was allowed to keep the Duchess of Villars in attendance as a lady-in-waiting at the Modenese court. The Duchess of Villars was there to represent the French king.
In Modena, Charlotte Aglaé grew bored and lonely. Her father-in-law, with whom she got on rather well, was a dull man ruled by monks and his favourites. The court at Modena was said to have been more of a convent then a court.
Everyone was expected to rise very early and attend Mass; dinner was served at an hour when many of the fashionable ladies of Paris and Versailles were sipping their morning chocolate; the usual occupation of the ducal family in the afternoon was a carriage ride, the carriages proceeding at an almost funeral pace; supper was at eight o'clock ; and ten was bed time. Her boredom was only agitated when her father-in-law's favourite, the Count of Salvatico (an admirer of Charlotte Aglaé) was made Grand Master of Ceremonies. The count used his new position to claim the right of entering the princess's apartments at any time he wished. He intercepted her mail from relatives and friends in France, and actually had the audacity to stop delivery of several letters from her father, in order to create the impression that she had quarrelled with the Regent. In addition, he furnished blind and lame horses for her carriage and pewter for her table. In short, he tried to annoy her as much as possible.
In order to distract herself from the boring court, Charlotte Aglaé began holding small private gatherings in her apartments where she would entertain a small circle attended by her husband's three surviving sisters including Enrichetta d'Este
, future Duchess of Parma.
In September 1720, Charlotte Aglaé caught smallpox
and, according to her grandmother, the last sacrements were administered. She called her French confessor, Colibeaux, to her bedside, and, handing him a casket, directed him to secretly burn all the papers which it contained. Probably among these papers were the love-letters which she had received from the Duke of Richelieu. During this illness, her husband was forbidden to see her; he stayed at his villa at Sassuolo
until she recovered. Soon the marriage was criticised for not having produced any children, and blame fell upon the then recovering princess.
This criticism of the couple led them to flee to Verona
for a short spell, much to the annoyance of her father-in-law. In retaliation, he cut off the postal service to the prince and princess in the hope that they would return. It was at this time that Charlotte first asked her father to let her return to France and live at Versailles with her family. This request only served to complicate marriage plans already under way for her younger sisters Louise Élisabeth and Philippine Élisabeth. In December 1723, while she was away in Italy, her father died. Her younger brother, Louis, succeeded to the Orléans titles.
Following her father's death, Charlotte Aglaé and her husband were asked to stay at the prince's villa at Reggio, in a sort of private exile away from the court of Modena.
In 1727, her former lover, the Duke of Richelieu, visited her in Modena in disguise, and the two resumed their romantic affair. When this was exposed, her husband allowed her to return to France in temporary disgrace. She returned to Modena later in 1727. The next year, 1728, she and her husband fled to Genoa; five years later in 1733, she returned to France where she found herself unwelcome; her mother, who had never liked her, was cold; her closest friend in the family was her illegitimate half-brother, the chevalier d'Orléans.
In 1733, the War of the Polish Succession
broke out. Despite her father-in-law declaring himself neutral, the ducal family still found their home being occupied by foreign armies.
As a result, the Duke of Modena went to Bologna
while his son and Charlotte Aglaé travelled to France where they stayed in Lyon
s. Her mother, trying to keep her scandalous daughter away from Paris and Versailles, wrote to the Duke of Modena to make sure that Charlotte Aglaé and her husband stayed in Lyons. Her younger brother, Louis, Duke of Orléans, did the same. The next year, after much correspondence on her husband's part with the French court, the two were allowed to go to Paris incognito. They arrived on 12 March 1734. Her arrival at the Palais-Royal was a cold one. She met her mother and brother, neither of whom even bothered to offer her any accommodation or refreshment.
Initially, she and her husband lived at the Hôtel de Luynes Rue du Colombier (where her son Benedetto was born), not far from the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Soon after, they moved to the Hôtel de Lyon, in the Rue des Petits-Champs, which was much closer to her brother's residence, the Palais-Royal. Her brother gave her the small sum of 25,000 écus during her stay in Paris, but he refused to help in any other way.
In 1735 her husband was recalled to Modena on matters of state. Charlotte Aglaé used her looks to influence her cousin, the young king, to let her stay after her husband's departure. This was done on the condition that she stay away from the court and live at the Val-de-Grâce
convent of her childhood. As a result of manipulations by her mother and brother, she was never allowed to be received by the queen, Maria Leszczyńska
. It was always maintained that such a public event would cause too much damage by exposing her incognito status. Her husband returned in May 1736.
Much to the annoyance of her family, Charlotte Aglaé and her husband remained in Paris. A dramatic argument followed in which Charlotte Aglaé and her sister, the Dowager Queen of Spain, squabbled over a question of etiquette. When her family took the Dowager Queen's side completely, Charlotte Aglaé became even further isolated.
Sometime after, her husband had to go to Hungary. Charlotte Aglaé persuaded Cardinal Fleury to convince the young king to once again let her stay in Paris and not depart with her husband. The cardinal also convinced her family into accepting her continued presence in France.
Upon the death of her father-in-law in 1737, her husband became Francesco III, reigning Duke of Modena. Despite Charlotte Aglaé's new rank as the wife of a Sovereign Prince
, she did not receive any better treatment in France. Family relations were further worsened when Charlotte Aglaé and her brother engaged in a trivial lawsuit regarding some family property.
In June 1739, she reluctantly returned to Modena. In an attempt to make the place fashionable, she promoted the arts. She introduced a French-style theatre to Modena, which was a great success. She also added a corps de ballet
to the city in which she took great pride. Her husband also made several additions to the Ducal Palace of Modena
, including a large hall which was an exact replica of one at the Tuileries Palace
. During their marriage, her husband amassed one of the finest portrait collections in Italy.
In 1741, her eldest son, Ercole, the ducal heir, married Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina
(1725–1790). She was the daughter of Alderano Cibo-Malsapina, Duke of Massa
and his wife Ricciardia Gonzaga di Novellara. Maria Teresa had become the Duchess of Massa and Cararra in her own right in 1731 upon the death of her father. The young couple would later have two children who survived into adulthood.
In 1743, due to the War of the Austrian Succession
, Charlotte Aglaé was forced to ask for permission to return to Paris with her eldest daughter, Maria Teresa. This request was at first ignored but help came from her old lover, the Duke of Richelieu, who used his influence over Louis XV's current mistress, the Duchess of Châteauroux, to gain the necessary approval. When she arrived in Paris, she was greeted with all of the honours owed her due to her rank.
She was now a stout, red-faced woman, looking rather like her father. She lived on the Rue de Grenelle in the Faubourg Saint-Germain and became a friend of the Duchess of Châteauroux.
Upon the death of Duchess of Châteauroux, her influence dwindled for a time. In 1744, however, she was able to secure for her daughter, Princess Maria Teresa of Modena
, a marriage to the Duke of Penthièvre, the richest noble in France. Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, was Charlotte Aglaé's younger first cousin and was the heir to the vastly wealthy House of Bourbon-Penthièvre
. The couple married happily in 1744 and had two surviving children. Their eldest child, the Prince de Lamballe, married Maria Teresa Luigia di Savoia
, the future friend of Marie Antoinette
, in 1767. Their second child, Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon
, married the Duke of Chartres
, (known as Philippe Égalité
during the French Revolution
of 1789) and later became the mother of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French
.
At Maria Teresa's death in 1754, Monsieur de Penthièvre travelled to Italy where another of Charlotte Aglaé's daughters was proposed, the Princess Matilde. Penthièvre refused and never remarried.
This advantageous marriage by her daughter allowed Charlotte Aglaé to have some say in French politics for a short period. Things began to change when Madame de Pompadour
was presented at court in 1745. After the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
was signed in 1748, Charlotte Aglaé did not return to Modena. By 1754, it seemed that she had lost her flare at Versailles.
Despite this, she did manage to secure a French marriage for her fourth daughter, Princess Maria Fortunata
. Maria Fortunata, like her older sister, married one of her mother's cousins, Louis François II de Bourbon, Prince of Conti
. He was the last prince de Conti. The marriage proved very unhappy, to the point where the groom did not want to live any longer with his wife.
Charlotte Aglaé finally returned to Modena in 1759. There, she discovered that her husband had eloped with one Marchesa Simonetti, a widow of 60. She decided to leave the old couple to their own devices and began travelling extensively around Europe. She died in Paris at the Petit Luxembourg
, where her two of her sisters, the old Duchess of Berry and Dowager Queen of Spain, had previously died. Her heart was placed in the Church of Val-de-Grâce
but was removed and lost during the French Revolution
. After her death, her husband remarried twice more morganatically
to Teresa Castelberco and Renata Teresa d'Harrach.
Her body was buried at the Val-de-Grâce
Abbey where she had spent some of her youth.
Aglaea
Aglaea or Aglaïa is the name of several figures in Greek mythology.-Charis:The youngest of the Charites, Aglaea or Aglaia was one of three daughters of Zeus and the Oceanid Eurynome. Her other two sisters were Euphrosyne, and Thalia. Together they were known as the Three Graces, or the Charites...
d'Orléans, (20 October 1700 - 19 January 1761) was the Duchess of Modena and Reggio by marriage. She was the third daughter of Philippe d'Orléans
Philippe 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...
, (successively, the Duke of Chartres
Duke of Chartres
Originally, the Duchy of Chartres was the comté de Chartres, an Earldom. The title of comte de Chartres thus became duc de Chartres. This duchy–peerage was given by Louis XIV of France to his nephew, Philippe II d'Orléans, at his birth in 1674...
, the Duke of Orléans, and eventually 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...
of France from 1715 to 1723), and of his wife, Françoise-Marie de Bourbon
Françoise-Marie de Bourbon
Françoise Marie de Bourbon, Légitimée de France was the youngest legitimised daughter of Louis XIV of France and his maîtresse-en-titre, Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan. Originally known as the second Mademoiselle de Blois, that style eventually gave way to the name Françoise Marie de...
. She was born 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...
. When a married women, she had ten children.
Youth
Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans was born at the Palais-Royal, her parents' residence in Paris. As a young child, Charlotte Aglaé was known at court as Mademoiselle de Valois. Her second name comes from the youngest of the three Greek CharitesCharites
In Greek mythology, a Charis is one of several Charites , goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility. They ordinarily numbered three, from youngest to oldest: Aglaea , Euphrosyne , and Thalia . In Roman mythology they were known as the Gratiae, the "Graces"...
; Aglaea
Aglaea
Aglaea or Aglaïa is the name of several figures in Greek mythology.-Charis:The youngest of the Charites, Aglaea or Aglaia was one of three daughters of Zeus and the Oceanid Eurynome. Her other two sisters were Euphrosyne, and Thalia. Together they were known as the Three Graces, or the Charites...
.
At a young age, she and Louise Adélaïde were placed in the Abbey of Chelles, which her sister would years later 'rule' as abbess. Charlotte Aglaé was one of eight children. In 1714, she was sent by her parents to Val-de-Grâce
Val-de-Grâce
This article describes the hospital and former abbey. For the main article on Mansart and Lemercier's central church, see Church of the Val-de-Grâce....
Abbey.
At that time, her marriage became the preoccupation of her family. Her older sister, the Duchess of Berry suggested that she marry the young Louis Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti
Louis Armand II, Prince of Conti
Louis Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti was Prince of Conti, from 1709 to his death, succeeding his father François Louis, Prince of Conti. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon, he was a Prince du Sang. His mother was the pious Marie Thérèse de Bourbon, a grand daughter of Louis de...
, the son of François Louis, Prince of Conti
François Louis, Prince of Conti
François Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Conti was Prince de Conti, succeeding his brother Louis Armand I, Prince of Conti in 1685. Until this date he used the title of Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon. He was son of Armand de Bourbon and Anne Marie Martinozzi, niece of Cardinal Jules Mazarin...
and of his wife Marie Thérèse de Bourbon, but Louis XIV would not give his consent to the union.
In 1715, Charlotte Aglaé moved into the Palais-Royal with her family. The following year, her mother suggested her marriage to her first cousin, Louis Auguste de Bourbon, prince de Dombes, son of her uncle, Louis Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine
Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine
Louis Auguste de Bourbon, Legitimé de France was the eldest legitimised son of the Louis XIV of France and his maîtresse-en-titre, Madame de Montespan...
, but Charlotte Aglaé refused. Shortly thereafter, Charlotte Aglaé went to live at the Château de Saint-Cloud
Château de Saint-Cloud
The Château de Saint-Cloud was a Palace in France, built on a magnificent site overlooking the Seine at Saint-Cloud in Hauts-de-Seine, about 10 kilometres west of Paris. Today it is a large park on the outskirts of the capital and is owned by the state, but the area as a whole has had a large...
with her paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate
Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate
Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine was a German princess and the wife of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, younger brother of Louis XIV of France. Her vast correspondence provides a detailed account of the personalities and activities at the court of her brother-in-law, Louis XIV...
, the Dowager Duchess of Orléans who was known as Madame at court. Her grandmother made a pen portrait of her granddaughter at this time:
Mademoiselle de Valois is not, in my opinion, pretty, and yet occasionally she does not look ugly. She has something like charms, for her eyes, her colour and her skin are good. She has white teeth, a large, ill-looking nose, and one prominent tooth, which when she laughs has a bad effect
The Dowager Duchess of Orléans also said of her granddaughter that:
She has a good deal of the Mortemart family in her, and is as much like the Duchess of Sforza, the sister of Montespan
Her cousin, Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon, proposed to her on behalf of his younger brother, Charles de Bourbon, comte de Charolais. Charlotte Aglaé is said to have seriously considered the proposal but her parents refused outright.
In 1718, Charlotte Aglaé began a romantic affair with Louis François Armand du Plessis, duc de Richelieu
Louis François Armand du Plessis, duc de Richelieu
Armand de Vignerot du Plessis was a French soldier, diplomat and statesman. Joining the army, he participated in three major wars and eventually rose to the rank of Marshal of France....
. In 1719, the duke was arrested and jailed in Hem
Hem
To hem a piece of cloth is to sew a cut edge in such a way as to prevent unraveling of the fabric.There are many different styles of hems of varying complexities. The most common hem...
in connection with his participation in the Cellamare Conspiracy
Cellamare Conspiracy
The Cellamare Conspiracy of 1718 was a conspiracy against the then Regent of France, Philippe d'Orléans . "Created" in Spain, it was the brainchild of Antonio del Giudice, Prince of Cellamare.-Background and Plot:...
. Charlotte Aglaé visited the duke several times in prison. Wishing to marry him, she urged her father, the Regent, to pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
him.
Her older cousin, Louise Anne de Bourbon, was another of the promiscuous Richelieu's conquests. The cousins, who had never been very close, became bitter enemies due to their simultaneous romantic involvement with the womanising duke. This enmity continued long after each amorous affair had ended. The young Louise-Anne was considered the most attractive daughter of Louis III, Prince of Condé
Louis III, Prince of Condé
Louis de Bourbon, , was Prince of Condé for less than a year, following the death of his father Henry III, Prince of Condé in 1709...
.
Marriage
Against Charlotte Aglaé's wishes, the Regent accepted an offer of marriage for his daughter that was proffered by Rinaldo d'Este, Sovereign Duke of Modena for his son and heir, Prince Francesco d'EsteFrancesco III d'Este
Francesco III was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1737 until his death.-Biography:He was born in Modena, the son of Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena, and Charlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg....
. Earlier projects to marry Charlotte Aglaé to either an English prince or to 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:...
had failed. Her grandmother is known to have written to Charlotte Aglaé's aunt, Anne Marie d'Orléans, Queen of Sicily, on the marriage proposal. As a pre-condition to the liberation of Richelieu, her lover, it was decided that she would marry the heir of Modena.
According to her grandmother's writings, her future husband had fallen in love with the young Charlotte Aglaé upon, "the mere sight of her portrait".
Few expected the marriage to succeed, as Charlotte Aglaé had no desire to leave France. Her distant cousin, 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...
, who had previously been wedded against her will to Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Cosimo III de' Medici was the penultimate Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany. He reigned from 1670 to 1723, and was the elder son of Grand Duke Ferdinando II. Cosimo's 53-year long reign, the longest in Tuscan history, was marked by a series of ultra-reactionary laws which regulated prostitution and...
in 1661, had suffered through a disastrous marriage. Eventually, Marguerite was forced to return to France in disgrace. People assumed that the same fate awaited Charlotte Aglaé. The Grand Duchess noticed the similarities between herself and her younger cousin and, unable to deal with the situation, refused to speak to Charlotte Aglaé about her impending nuptials:
the Grand Duchess of Tuscany says that she will not see Mademoiselle de Valois nor speak to her, knowing very well what Italy is, and believing that Mademoiselle de Valois will not be able to reconcile herself to it. She is afraid that if her niece should ever return to France they will say, "There is the second edition of the Grand Duchess".
The original date for the marriage was 25 January 1720, but this date was postponed till the next month due to an oversight by the Bishop of Modena. Despite this, the marriage certificate was signed on 31 January.
On 11 February 1720, a proxy marriage was performed at the Tuileries Palace
Tuileries Palace
The Tuileries Palace was a royal palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine until 1871, when it was destroyed in the upheaval during the suppression of the Paris Commune...
. Her brother, the Duke of Chartres stood in for his future brother-in-law, while her younger sister Louise Élisabeth held her train. After this, there was a banquet at the Palais Royal where the young king Louis XV attended and presented his gifts to the new Hereditary Princess of Modena.
Modena
Charlotte Aglaé set off first for AntibesAntibes
Antibes is a resort town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.It lies on the Mediterranean in the Côte d'Azur, located between Cannes and Nice. The town of Juan-les-Pins is within the commune of Antibes...
and next Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
.
Arriving in Reggio
Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia is an affluent city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 170,000 inhabitants and is the main comune of the Province of Reggio Emilia....
on 20 June, she met her father-in-law, husband and brother-in-law for the first time. The formal wedding ceremony took place on 21 June 1720 in Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
. Charlotte Aglaé received an enormous dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
of 1.8 million livres, half of which was contributed in the name of the young 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...
, on orders of the Regent. From her adopted country, Charlote Aglaé received a trousseau
Trousseau
Trousseau may refer to:*A dowry*The outfit of a bride, including the wedding dress or similar clothing*A name for the Bastardo grape in some regions*A white mutation of the Trousseau grape, known as Trousseau Gris...
consisting of diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s and portraits of her future husband.
As her husband's mother had died in 1710, the Hereditary Princess was the most senior princess in Modena.
Although by rank she was neither a fille nor petite-fille de France
Fils de France
Fils de France was the style and rank held by the sons of the kings and dauphins of France. A daughter was known as a fille de France .The children of the dauphin, who was the king's heir apparent, were accorded the same style and status as if they were the king's children instead of his...
, Charlotte Aglaé was allowed to keep the Duchess of Villars in attendance as a lady-in-waiting at the Modenese court. The Duchess of Villars was there to represent the French king.
In Modena, Charlotte Aglaé grew bored and lonely. Her father-in-law, with whom she got on rather well, was a dull man ruled by monks and his favourites. The court at Modena was said to have been more of a convent then a court.
Everyone was expected to rise very early and attend Mass; dinner was served at an hour when many of the fashionable ladies of Paris and Versailles were sipping their morning chocolate; the usual occupation of the ducal family in the afternoon was a carriage ride, the carriages proceeding at an almost funeral pace; supper was at eight o'clock ; and ten was bed time. Her boredom was only agitated when her father-in-law's favourite, the Count of Salvatico (an admirer of Charlotte Aglaé) was made Grand Master of Ceremonies. The count used his new position to claim the right of entering the princess's apartments at any time he wished. He intercepted her mail from relatives and friends in France, and actually had the audacity to stop delivery of several letters from her father, in order to create the impression that she had quarrelled with the Regent. In addition, he furnished blind and lame horses for her carriage and pewter for her table. In short, he tried to annoy her as much as possible.
In order to distract herself from the boring court, Charlotte Aglaé began holding small private gatherings in her apartments where she would entertain a small circle attended by her husband's three surviving sisters including Enrichetta d'Este
Enrichetta d'Este
Enrichetta d'Este was an Italian noblewoman. She was the Duchess of Parma by marriage to Antonio Farnese, Duke of Parma, who was her first cousin as well as an uncle of Elisabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain....
, future Duchess of Parma.
In September 1720, Charlotte Aglaé caught 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"...
and, according to her grandmother, the last sacrements were administered. She called her French confessor, Colibeaux, to her bedside, and, handing him a casket, directed him to secretly burn all the papers which it contained. Probably among these papers were the love-letters which she had received from the Duke of Richelieu. During this illness, her husband was forbidden to see her; he stayed at his villa at Sassuolo
Sassuolo
Sassuolo is an important industrial centre of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The town stands on the right bank of the river Secchia some 17 km south-west of Modena.-History :...
until she recovered. Soon the marriage was criticised for not having produced any children, and blame fell upon the then recovering princess.
This criticism of the couple led them to flee to Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
for a short spell, much to the annoyance of her father-in-law. In retaliation, he cut off the postal service to the prince and princess in the hope that they would return. It was at this time that Charlotte first asked her father to let her return to France and live at Versailles with her family. This request only served to complicate marriage plans already under way for her younger sisters Louise Élisabeth and Philippine Élisabeth. In December 1723, while she was away in Italy, her father died. Her younger brother, Louis, succeeded to the Orléans titles.
Following her father's death, Charlotte Aglaé and her husband were asked to stay at the prince's villa at Reggio, in a sort of private exile away from the court of Modena.
In 1727, her former lover, the Duke of Richelieu, visited her in Modena in disguise, and the two resumed their romantic affair. When this was exposed, her husband allowed her to return to France in temporary disgrace. She returned to Modena later in 1727. The next year, 1728, she and her husband fled to Genoa; five years later in 1733, she returned to France where she found herself unwelcome; her mother, who had never liked her, was cold; her closest friend in the family was her illegitimate half-brother, the chevalier d'Orléans.
In 1733, the War of the Polish Succession
War of the Polish Succession
The War of the Polish Succession was a major European war for princes' possessions sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II, King of Poland that other European powers widened in pursuit of their own national interests...
broke out. Despite her father-in-law declaring himself neutral, the ducal family still found their home being occupied by foreign armies.
As a result, the Duke of Modena went to Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
while his son and Charlotte Aglaé travelled to France where they stayed in 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....
s. Her mother, trying to keep her scandalous daughter away from Paris and Versailles, wrote to the Duke of Modena to make sure that Charlotte Aglaé and her husband stayed in Lyons. Her younger brother, Louis, Duke of Orléans, did the same. The next year, after much correspondence on her husband's part with the French court, the two were allowed to go to Paris incognito. They arrived on 12 March 1734. Her arrival at the Palais-Royal was a cold one. She met her mother and brother, neither of whom even bothered to offer her any accommodation or refreshment.
Initially, she and her husband lived at the Hôtel de Luynes Rue du Colombier (where her son Benedetto was born), not far from the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Soon after, they moved to the Hôtel de Lyon, in the Rue des Petits-Champs, which was much closer to her brother's residence, the Palais-Royal. Her brother gave her the small sum of 25,000 écus during her stay in Paris, but he refused to help in any other way.
Val-de-Grâce
This article describes the hospital and former abbey. For the main article on Mansart and Lemercier's central church, see Church of the Val-de-Grâce....
convent of her childhood. As a result of manipulations by her mother and brother, she was never allowed to be received by the queen, 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...
. It was always maintained that such a public event would cause too much damage by exposing her incognito status. Her husband returned in May 1736.
Much to the annoyance of her family, Charlotte Aglaé and her husband remained in Paris. A dramatic argument followed in which Charlotte Aglaé and her sister, the Dowager Queen of Spain, squabbled over a question of etiquette. When her family took the Dowager Queen's side completely, Charlotte Aglaé became even further isolated.
Sometime after, her husband had to go to Hungary. Charlotte Aglaé persuaded Cardinal Fleury to convince the young king to once again let her stay in Paris and not depart with her husband. The cardinal also convinced her family into accepting her continued presence in France.
Upon the death of her father-in-law in 1737, her husband became Francesco III, reigning Duke of Modena. Despite Charlotte Aglaé's new rank as the wife of a Sovereign Prince
Dukes in Italy, Germany and Austria
-Germany:Although the titled aristocracy of Germany no longer holds a legal rank, nearly all ducal families in Germany continued to be treated as dynastic for marital and genealogical purposes after 1918...
, she did not receive any better treatment in France. Family relations were further worsened when Charlotte Aglaé and her brother engaged in a trivial lawsuit regarding some family property.
In June 1739, she reluctantly returned to Modena. In an attempt to make the place fashionable, she promoted the arts. She introduced a French-style theatre to Modena, which was a great success. She also added a corps de ballet
Corps de ballet
In ballet, the corps de ballet is the group of dancers who are not soloists. They are a permanent part of the ballet company and often work as a backdrop for the principal dancers. A corps de ballet works as one, with synchronized movements and corresponding positioning on the stage...
to the city in which she took great pride. Her husband also made several additions to the Ducal Palace of Modena
Ducal Palace of Modena
The Ducal Palace of Modena is a Baroque palace in Modena, Italy. It was the residence of the Este Dukes of Modena between 1452 and 1859. It currently houses a portion of the Italian Military Academy.-History:...
, including a large hall which was an exact replica of one at the Tuileries Palace
Tuileries Palace
The Tuileries Palace was a royal palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine until 1871, when it was destroyed in the upheaval during the suppression of the Paris Commune...
. During their marriage, her husband amassed one of the finest portrait collections in Italy.
In 1741, her eldest son, Ercole, the ducal heir, married Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina
Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina
Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina was the Duchess of Massa and the Princess of Carrara from 1731 until her death in 1790. She was the eldest child of her parents, Alderano I Cybo-Malaspina and his wife Ricciarda Gonzaga...
(1725–1790). She was the daughter of Alderano Cibo-Malsapina, Duke of Massa
Massa
Massa is a town and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, the administrative centre of the province of Massa-Carrara. It is located in the Frigido River Valley, near the Alpi Apuane, some 5 kilometers from the Tyrrhenian Sea....
and his wife Ricciardia Gonzaga di Novellara. Maria Teresa had become the Duchess of Massa and Cararra in her own right in 1731 upon the death of her father. The young couple would later have two children who survived into adulthood.
In 1743, due to the War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
, Charlotte Aglaé was forced to ask for permission to return to Paris with her eldest daughter, Maria Teresa. This request was at first ignored but help came from her old lover, the Duke of Richelieu, who used his influence over Louis XV's current mistress, the Duchess of Châteauroux, to gain the necessary approval. When she arrived in Paris, she was greeted with all of the honours owed her due to her rank.
She was now a stout, red-faced woman, looking rather like her father. She lived on the Rue de Grenelle in the Faubourg Saint-Germain and became a friend of the Duchess of Châteauroux.
Upon the death of Duchess of Châteauroux, her influence dwindled for a time. In 1744, however, she was able to secure for her daughter, Princess Maria Teresa of Modena
Maria Teresa d'Este
Maria Teresa Felicitas d'Este was born a Princess of Modena and was by marriage the Duchess of Penthièvre. She was the mother-in-law of Philippe Égalité and thus the grandmother to the future Louis-Philippe of France.-Life:...
, a marriage to the Duke of Penthièvre, the richest noble in France. Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, was Charlotte Aglaé's younger first cousin and was the heir to the vastly wealthy House of Bourbon-Penthièvre
Bourbon-Penthièvre
The House of Bourbon-Penthièvre was an illegitimate branch of the House of Bourbon, thus descending from the Capetian dynasty. It was founded by the duc de Penthièvre , the only child and heir of the comte de Toulouse, the youngest illegitimate son of Louis XIV of France and the marquise de...
. The couple married happily in 1744 and had two surviving children. Their eldest child, the Prince de Lamballe, married Maria Teresa Luigia di Savoia
Princess Marie Louise of Savoy
Maria Luisa of Savoy was a member of the House of Savoy. She was married at the age of 16 to Louis Alexandre de Bourbon, Prince de Lamballe, the heir to the greatest fortune in France. After her marriage, which lasted a year, she went to court and became the confidante of Queen Marie Antoinette...
, the future friend of 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....
, in 1767. Their second child, Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon
Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon
Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon, Duchess of Orléans, , was the daughter of Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre and of Princess Maria Theresa Felicitas of Modena. At the death of her brother, Louis Alexandre de Bourbon, prince de Lamballe, she became the wealthiest heiress in France...
, married the Duke of Chartres
Duke of Chartres
Originally, the Duchy of Chartres was the comté de Chartres, an Earldom. The title of comte de Chartres thus became duc de Chartres. This duchy–peerage was given by Louis XIV of France to his nephew, Philippe II d'Orléans, at his birth in 1674...
, (known as Philippe Égalité
Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Louis Philippe Joseph d'Orléans commonly known as Philippe, was a member of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, the ruling dynasty of France. He actively supported the French Revolution and adopted the name Philippe Égalité, but was nonetheless guillotined during the Reign of Terror...
during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
of 1789) and later became the mother of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French
Louis-Philippe of France
Louis Philippe I was King of the French from 1830 to 1848 in what was known as the July Monarchy. His father was a duke who supported the French Revolution but was nevertheless guillotined. Louis Philippe fled France as a young man and spent 21 years in exile, including considerable time in the...
.
At Maria Teresa's death in 1754, Monsieur de Penthièvre travelled to Italy where another of Charlotte Aglaé's daughters was proposed, the Princess Matilde. Penthièvre refused and never remarried.
This advantageous marriage by her daughter allowed Charlotte Aglaé to have some say in French politics for a short period. Things began to change when Madame de Pompadour
Madame 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:...
was presented at court in 1745. After the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)
The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle of 1748 ended the War of the Austrian Succession following a congress assembled at the Imperial Free City of Aachen—Aix-la-Chapelle in French—in the west of the Holy Roman Empire, on 24 April 1748...
was signed in 1748, Charlotte Aglaé did not return to Modena. By 1754, it seemed that she had lost her flare at Versailles.
Despite this, she did manage to secure a French marriage for her fourth daughter, Princess Maria Fortunata
Maria Fortunata d'Este
Maria Fortunata d'Este was a Modenese princess by birth and a princess of the blood of France by marriage. By her marriage to a second cousin Louis François Joseph de Bourbon, Prince of Conti, she became the Countess of La Marche and later the Princess of Conti and was a member of the French court...
. Maria Fortunata, like her older sister, married one of her mother's cousins, Louis François II de Bourbon, Prince of Conti
Louis François II de Bourbon, prince de Conti
Louis François Joseph de Bourbon was Prince of Conti, succeeding his father Louis François de Bourbon. His mother was Louise Diane d'Orléans, the youngest daughter of Philippe d'Orléans, duc d'Orléans, the Regent of France during the minority of King Louis XV of France...
. He was the last prince de Conti. The marriage proved very unhappy, to the point where the groom did not want to live any longer with his wife.
Charlotte Aglaé finally returned to Modena in 1759. There, she discovered that her husband had eloped with one Marchesa Simonetti, a widow of 60. She decided to leave the old couple to their own devices and began travelling extensively around Europe. She died in Paris at the Petit Luxembourg
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...
, where her two of her sisters, the old Duchess of Berry and Dowager Queen of Spain, had previously died. Her heart was placed in the Church of Val-de-Grâce
Val-de-Grâce
This article describes the hospital and former abbey. For the main article on Mansart and Lemercier's central church, see Church of the Val-de-Grâce....
but was removed and lost during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. After her death, her husband remarried twice more morganatically
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...
to Teresa Castelberco and Renata Teresa d'Harrach.
Her body was buried at the Val-de-Grâce
Val-de-Grâce
This article describes the hospital and former abbey. For the main article on Mansart and Lemercier's central church, see Church of the Val-de-Grâce....
Abbey where she had spent some of her youth.
Issue
| Name | | Portrait | Lifespan | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Alfonso |
.svg.png) |
18 November 1723 - 16 June 1725, |
died in infancy at Ducal Palace of Reggio Reggio Emilia Reggio Emilia is an affluent city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 170,000 inhabitants and is the main comune of the Province of Reggio Emilia.... |
|
| Prince Francesco Constantino |
|
22 November 1724 - 16 June 1725 |
born at the Ducal Palace of Reggio, he died in infancy | |
| Princess Maria Teresa Felicita Maria Teresa d'Este Maria Teresa Felicitas d'Este was born a Princess of Modena and was by marriage the Duchess of Penthièvre. She was the mother-in-law of Philippe Égalité and thus the grandmother to the future Louis-Philippe of France.-Life:... Duchess of Penthièvre |
 |
6 October 1726 - 30 April 1754 |
born at the Ducal Palace of Modena Ducal Palace of Modena The Ducal Palace of Modena is a Baroque palace in Modena, Italy. It was the residence of the Este Dukes of Modena between 1452 and 1859. It currently houses a portion of the Italian Military Academy.-History:... , Modena, she wed Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre and had issue; was mother in law of Philippe Égalité Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Louis Philippe Joseph d'Orléans commonly known as Philippe, was a member of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, the ruling dynasty of France. He actively supported the French Revolution and adopted the name Philippe Égalité, but was nonetheless guillotined during the Reign of Terror... and the Princesse de Lambelle and the maternal grandmother of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French; she died in childbirth at the Château de Rambouillet Château de Rambouillet The château de Rambouillet is a castle in the town of Rambouillet, Yvelines department, in the Île-de-France region in northern France, southwest of Paris... , France aged 27 |
|
| Prince Ercole Rinaldo Duke of Modena and Reggio |
 |
22 November 1727 - 14 October 1803 |
born at the Ducal Palace of Modena Ducal Palace of Modena The Ducal Palace of Modena is a Baroque palace in Modena, Italy. It was the residence of the Este Dukes of Modena between 1452 and 1859. It currently houses a portion of the Italian Military Academy.-History:... , he succeeded his father as the Duke of Modena and Reggio. Married Princess Maria Teresa Cybo Malaspina Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina was the Duchess of Massa and the Princess of Carrara from 1731 until her death in 1790. She was the eldest child of her parents, Alderano I Cybo-Malaspina and his wife Ricciarda Gonzaga... heiress of Massa and Carrara; had issue (Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este Maria Beatrice d’Este was heiress of Modena and Reggio and Duchess of Massa and Carrara from 1790 until 1797 and from 1816 until her death in 1829.-Biography:... ) became the heiress of Modena, Reggio, Massa and Cararra and married Archduke Ferdinand of Austria Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este Archduke Ferdinand Karl Anton Joseph Johann Stanislaus of Austria-Este was a son of Holy Roman Emperor Franz I and Maria Theresa of Austria. He was the founder of the House of Austria-Este and Governor of the Duchy of Milan between 1765 and 1796... in 1777. The couple founded the modern House of Austria-Este Austria-Este Archduke of Austria-Este and Habsburg-Este are a title and a surname which have been used by several cadet branches of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine to denote a connection with the extinct Italian princely and feudal family of Este and the Duchy of Modena ruled by them... ; he died in Treviso Treviso Treviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city... and was buried at the Convent of the Visitation in Venice |
|
| Princess Matilde |
|
7 February 1729 - 14 November 1803 |
born in Genoa Genoa Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria.... , she died in Treviso Treviso Treviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city... aged 74 |
|
| Princess Beatrice |
|
14 July 1730 - 12 July 1731 |
born in 1730, she died at Reggio Reggio Emilia Reggio Emilia is an affluent city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 170,000 inhabitants and is the main comune of the Province of Reggio Emilia.... two days before her 1st birthday |
|
| Princess Beatrice |
|
24 November 1731 - 3 April 1736 |
born at the Ducal Palace of Modena Ducal Palace of Modena The Ducal Palace of Modena is a Baroque palace in Modena, Italy. It was the residence of the Este Dukes of Modena between 1452 and 1859. It currently houses a portion of the Italian Military Academy.-History:... , she died in the same palace aged 4 |
|
| Princess Maria Fortunata Maria Fortunata d'Este Maria Fortunata d'Este was a Modenese princess by birth and a princess of the blood of France by marriage. By her marriage to a second cousin Louis François Joseph de Bourbon, Prince of Conti, she became the Countess of La Marche and later the Princess of Conti and was a member of the French court... Princess of Conti |
 |
24 November 1731 - 21 September 1803 |
born at the Ducal Palace of Modena Ducal Palace of Modena The Ducal Palace of Modena is a Baroque palace in Modena, Italy. It was the residence of the Este Dukes of Modena between 1452 and 1859. It currently houses a portion of the Italian Military Academy.-History:... , she wed Louis François de Bourbon, Prince of Conti Louis François II de Bourbon, prince de Conti Louis François Joseph de Bourbon was Prince of Conti, succeeding his father Louis François de Bourbon. His mother was Louise Diane d'Orléans, the youngest daughter of Philippe d'Orléans, duc d'Orléans, the Regent of France during the minority of King Louis XV of France... ; had no issue and died in Venice Venice Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region... , Italy; was buried at the Convent of the Visitation in Venice |
|
| Prince Benedetto Filippo Abbot of Anchin Anchin Abbey Anchin Abbey was a Benedictine monastery founded in 1079 in the commune of Pecquencourt in what is now the Nord department of France.-History:... |
|
30 September 1736 - 16 September 1751 |
born at the Hôtel de Lyon in Paris during his mother's "escape", he was made Abbot of Anchin; little else is known about him; he died at the Ducal Palace of Modena Ducal Palace of Modena The Ducal Palace of Modena is a Baroque palace in Modena, Italy. It was the residence of the Este Dukes of Modena between 1452 and 1859. It currently houses a portion of the Italian Military Academy.-History:... |
|
| Princess Maria Elisabetta Ernestina | |
12 February 1741 - 4 August 1774 |
born at the Ducal Palace of Modena Ducal Palace of Modena The Ducal Palace of Modena is a Baroque palace in Modena, Italy. It was the residence of the Este Dukes of Modena between 1452 and 1859. It currently houses a portion of the Italian Military Academy.-History:... , little else is known of her |
Ancestors
Titles and styles
- 20 October 1700 – 21 June 1720: Her Serene HighnessSerene HighnessHis/Her Serene Highness is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein and Monaco. It also preceded the princely titles of members of some German ruling and mediatised dynasties as well as some non-ruling but princely German noble families until 1918...
Mademoiselle de Valois (Son Altesse sérénissime Mademoiselle de Valois) - 21 June 1720 – 26 October 1737: Her Royal HighnessRoyal HighnessRoyal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...
the Hereditary Princess of Modena - 26 October 1737 – 19 January 1761: Her Royal Highness the Duchess Consort of Modena and Reggio (Son Altesse royale Madame la duchesse de Modène et Reggio)
External links
- French Memoirs of her Grand mother
- French site on her, siblings and cousins
- Picture of Charlotte as Duchess of Modena