Inés de la Torre, 1st Countess of la Torre facts for kids
Inés Enríquez y Sandoval or Inés Enríquez Tavera de Saavedra, also known as the 1st Countess of la Torre (who passed away after 1618), was an important Spanish court official. She later served in the French court. From 1615 to 1618, she held the position of Première dame d'honneur (First Lady of Honor) to the Queen of France, Anne of Austria.
Becoming a Countess
Inés de la Torre was the daughter of Juan de Saavedra el Turquillo and Francisca Enríquez de Sandoval. She was also a cousin to Francisco Gómez de Sandoval, 1st Duke of Lerma, who was a very powerful figure under Philip III of Spain. Inés inherited the important Saavedra family estate.
She married Per Afán de Ribera y Guzmán, who was the lord of La Torre de la Reina. Inés de la Torre worked as a lady-in-waiting for Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain. After her husband died, the king made her the first Countess de la Torre.
In 1615, Inés was chosen to lead the ladies-in-waiting for Anne of Austria. This happened just before Anne left Spain to marry Louis XIII of France. King Philip III and the Duke of Lerma wanted to keep their influence over Anne in France. So, they appointed people they trusted to Anne's household. As the Duke of Lerma's cousin, Inés de la Torre received the highest position. She was expected to look after Spain's interests at the French court. The Spanish king told her to make sure Anne kept her Spanish customs in France. He also asked her to send him regular updates on his daughter.
Life in France
When Queen Anne arrived at the French royal court in Paris, a problem came up. She was given a new household of French people. However, she did not want to send away her Spanish attendants. They found a solution: she was allowed to keep both groups of staff.
This meant that some jobs at her court were split. For example, the role of Première dame d'honneur was shared by Inés de la Torre and her French counterpart, Laurence de Montmorency. The second-highest job, Dame d'atour, was also shared. It was held by the Spanish Luisa de Osorio and the French Antoinette d'Albert de Luynes.
Inés de la Torre had a strong influence on Queen Anne. Having two sets of staff was not popular. It caused jealousy and arguments at court. This was because the queen seemed to prefer her Spanish attendants. People said she spent too much time with her Spanish ladies-in-waiting. They also felt she kept her Spanish customs too much. This stopped her from getting used to France. It was also thought to have made it harder for her to build a relationship with King Louis XIII. The Queen Mother, who was still the main lady at court, did not change this situation. She seemed to prefer Queen Anne's choice to stay somewhat separate.
Leaving the Court
In 1617, the government led by Maria de' Medici lost power. Her close advisors, Concino Concini and Leonora Dori, were removed. This happened with help from Charles d'Albert, duc de Luynes. De Luynes then decided to reorganize the royal household. He replaced all of Anne's Spanish ladies-in-waiting with French ones. By the winter of 1618-1619, almost all of Anne's Spanish staff were gone. Only her Spanish confessor and one chamber woman remained.
During this time, it was found that Inés de la Torre had misused a lot of money. This money was meant for the queen's household expenses. It was also known that she had worked closely with the Spanish ambassador to France, Hector de Pignatelli y Colonna, duke of Monteleon. She had given him regular reports about the queen. Because of these actions, she was sent away from France and went back to Spain.
After Inés de la Torre left, Marie de Rohan became the queen's new favorite. Marie de Rohan, with support from the Duke de Luynes, helped Anne learn about French fashion and customs. She also helped the king and queen become closer, though this was only for a while. However, Marie de Rohan later became a very controversial figure herself.
See also
In Spanish: Inés de la Torre para niños
