Maria Francisca of Savoy
Encyclopedia
Maria Francisca of Savoy (Marie Françoise Élisabeth; 21 June 1646 – 27 December 1683) was a Princess of Savoy and a Queen consort of Portugal. She was the younger daughter of Charles Amadeus, Duke of Nemours, and Élisabeth de Bourbon. Maria Francisca was actually the consort
of two Portuguese kings. She first became Queen of Portugal at the age of 20 on the day of her marriage to Afonso VI of Portugal. Since the marriage was never consummate
d, she was able to obtain an annulment
. On 28 March 1668, she married Afonso's brother, the Infante Peter, Duke of Beja, who was appointed prince regent
the same year due to Afonso's perceived incompetence. Maria Francisca became Queen of Portugal for the second time when Peter succeeded his brother as Peter II in 1683. She herself died later that year.
with the name Marie Françoise Élisabeth as a great-granddaughter of Henry IV of France
and his mistress
Gabrielle d'Estrées
. Her only surviving sibling was Marie Jeanne of Savoy. Prior to marriage she was styled Mademoiselle d'Aumale, a title derived from the duchy of Aumale which was a property of her father.
, arranged a marriage between Marie Françoise, an important member of the French nobility as a cousin of the king, and the new Portuguese king, Afonso VI, an ill young man who was paralysed on his left side and mentally unstable.
She departed from La Rochelle
aboard the Vendôme. Upon her arrival in Portugal, she became known as Maria Francisca Isabel de Sabóia. She was deeply disappointed with her new life at the court of Portugal. Nonetheless, the wedding with King Afonso took place on 2 August 1666. She soon saw fit to participate in a palace coup
that ended the government of Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, 3rd Count of Castelo Melhor
, in cooperation with her brother-in-law, the Infante Peter.
As the Portuguese Restoration War
continued, the incapable King Afonso VI became dominated by ambitious members of the nobility. Queen Maria Francisca and the king's brother Peter sponsored a revolt that forced the king to abdicate his powers and consent to an exile in Terceira in the Azores
. She was revolted at her impotent and fat husband King Afonso, and after sixteen months of an unconsummated marriage, she had it annulled.
of Portugal. In 1669 she gave birth to a daughter, Isabel Luísa Josefa of Portugal, Princess of Beira. The Braganza dynasty was at the brink of extinction, and Peter needed heirs, yet Maria Francisca was unable to produce further issue.
When Afonso died in 1683, Peter succeeded him as Peter II of Portugal and Maria Francisca became queen again — but died in December of the same year.
She was first buried at the Convent of the Francesinhas, then moved in 1912 to the Braganzas' (or National) Pantheon at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora
.
Maria Francisca's only child, the Infanta Isabel Luísa
, died unmarried at age 22. Peter remarried to Maria Sofia of the Palatinate, who produced the much-needed heir, the future John V of Portugal.
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...
of two Portuguese kings. She first became Queen of Portugal at the age of 20 on the day of her marriage to Afonso VI of Portugal. Since the marriage was never consummate
Consummate
Consummation or consummation of a marriage, in many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, is the first act of sexual intercourse between two individuals, following their marriage to each other...
d, she was able to obtain an annulment
Annulment
Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost as if it had never taken place...
. On 28 March 1668, she married Afonso's brother, the Infante Peter, Duke of Beja, who was appointed prince regent
Prince Regent
A prince regent is a prince who rules a monarchy as regent instead of a monarch, e.g., due to the Sovereign's incapacity or absence ....
the same year due to Afonso's perceived incompetence. Maria Francisca became Queen of Portugal for the second time when Peter succeeded his brother as Peter II in 1683. She herself died later that year.
Family
Maria Francisca was born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
with the name Marie Françoise Élisabeth as a great-granddaughter 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 his mistress
Henry IV of France's wives and mistresses
Henry IV of France's wives and mistresses played a significant role in the politics of his reign. Both Henry and his first wife Marguerite of Valois, whom he married in 1572, were repeatedly unfaithful to each other, and the collapse of their marriage led to their estrangement and living apart...
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 only surviving sibling was Marie Jeanne of Savoy. Prior to marriage she was styled Mademoiselle d'Aumale, a title derived from the duchy of Aumale which was a property of her father.
First marriage
In need of support from Portugal against their mutual enemy Spain, the king of France, Louis XIVLouis 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...
, arranged a marriage between Marie Françoise, an important member of the French nobility as a cousin of the king, and the new Portuguese king, Afonso VI, an ill young man who was paralysed on his left side and mentally unstable.
She departed from La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
aboard the Vendôme. Upon her arrival in Portugal, she became known as Maria Francisca Isabel de Sabóia. She was deeply disappointed with her new life at the court of Portugal. Nonetheless, the wedding with King Afonso took place on 2 August 1666. She soon saw fit to participate in a palace coup
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
that ended the government of Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, 3rd Count of Castelo Melhor
Count of Castelo Melhor
thumb|Luis de Vasconcelos e Sousa, count of Castelo MelhorDom Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, 3rd Count of Castelo Melhor was a Portuguese politician and prime minister....
, in cooperation with her brother-in-law, the Infante Peter.
As the Portuguese Restoration War
Portuguese Restoration War
Portuguese Restoration War was the name given by nineteenth-century 'romantic' historians to the war between Portugal and Spain that began with the Portuguese revolution of 1640 and ended with the Treaty of Lisbon . The revolution of 1640 ended the sixty-year period of dual monarchy in Portugal...
continued, the incapable King Afonso VI became dominated by ambitious members of the nobility. Queen Maria Francisca and the king's brother Peter sponsored a revolt that forced the king to abdicate his powers and consent to an exile in Terceira in the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
. She was revolted at her impotent and fat husband King Afonso, and after sixteen months of an unconsummated marriage, she had it annulled.
Second marriage
Months after her annulment, Maria Francisca married the Infante Peter, now the Prince RegentPrince Regent
A prince regent is a prince who rules a monarchy as regent instead of a monarch, e.g., due to the Sovereign's incapacity or absence ....
of Portugal. In 1669 she gave birth to a daughter, Isabel Luísa Josefa of Portugal, Princess of Beira. The Braganza dynasty was at the brink of extinction, and Peter needed heirs, yet Maria Francisca was unable to produce further issue.
When Afonso died in 1683, Peter succeeded him as Peter II of Portugal and Maria Francisca became queen again — but died in December of the same year.
She was first buried at the Convent of the Francesinhas, then moved in 1912 to the Braganzas' (or National) Pantheon at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora
Monastery of São Vicente de Fora
The Church or Monastery of São Vicente de Fora; meaning "Monastery of St. Vincent Outside the Walls" is a 17th century church and monastery in the city of Lisbon, in Portugal...
.
Maria Francisca's only child, the Infanta Isabel Luísa
Isabel Luísa, Princess of Beira
Infanta Isabel Luísa of Portugal was a Portuguese infanta and the sole daughter of King Peter II of Portugal and his first wife and former sister-in-law Maria Francisca of Savoy. As such she was styled Princess of Beira...
, died unmarried at age 22. Peter remarried to Maria Sofia of the Palatinate, who produced the much-needed heir, the future John V of Portugal.
Ancestry
Titles and styles
- 21 June 1646 – 2 August 1666 Her Highness Mademoiselle d'Aumale
- 2 August 1666 – 21 December 1668 Her Majesty the Queen of Portugal and the Algarves
- 21 December 1668 – 2 April 1668 Dona Maria Francisca de Bragança
- 2 April 1668 – 12 September 1683 Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Beja
- 12 September 1683 – 27 December 1683 Her Majesty the Queen of Portugal and the Algarves