Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Louise Élisabeth |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portrait by Jean Ranc, 1724
|
|||||
| Queen consort of Spain | |||||
| Tenure | 15 January 1724 – 31 August 1724 | ||||
| Born | 9 December 1709 Palace of Versailles, Versailles, France |
||||
| Died | 16 June 1742 (aged 32) Luxembourg Palace, Paris, France |
||||
| Burial | 21 June 1742 Église Saint-Sulpice, Paris, France |
||||
| Spouse | |||||
|
|||||
| House | Orléans | ||||
| Father | Philippe II, Duke of Orléans | ||||
| Mother | Françoise Marie de Bourbon | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||
Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans (born December 9, 1709 – died June 16, 1742) was a Queen of Spain. She became queen when she married King Louis I. Their time as king and queen was very short, lasting only seven months.
Louise Élisabeth was the fourth daughter of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans and Françoise Marie de Bourbon. Her father was the ruler of France for a time.
People at the Spanish royal court often did not like Louise Élisabeth. This was because of her many unusual behaviors and scandals. She would sometimes walk around the palace without clothes. She also acted in strange ways in public. Today, experts believe her behavior might have been caused by a serious mental health condition called borderline personality disorder.
After her husband died, Louise Élisabeth went back to France. She passed away in Paris at the Luxembourg Palace. She and her husband did not have any children.
Contents
Early Life and Family (1709–1720)
Louise Élisabeth d’Orléans was the fifth child and fourth daughter born to Philippe II, Duke of Orléans and his wife, Françoise Marie de Bourbon. Her mother, Françoise, was a daughter of King Louis XIV of France. This made Louise Élisabeth a member of the royal House of Bourbon. She had the title of princesse du sang, which meant she was a royal princess. Her family often called her Élisabeth.
Élisabeth was born at the grand Palace of Versailles. Before she got married, people knew her as Mademoiselle de Montpensier. She grew up with one brother and five sisters. Her brother, Louis, was very close to her.
Élisabeth's education was not very good. Few people were interested in teaching her. Like her younger sister, she received her schooling in a convent. It seemed she would likely marry a less important German or Italian prince.
In 1715, her father, Philippe, became the actual ruler of France. He was the regent for the young King Louis XV. In 1718, a war started between France and Spain. To make peace, King Philip V of Spain suggested a double marriage in 1720. His three-year-old daughter, Mariana Victoria, would marry Louis XV. His son and heir, Louis, would marry one of the regent's daughters.
Becoming a Princess (1721–1724)
In November 1721, when she was eleven, Élisabeth was married by proxy in Paris. This means someone stood in for her husband during the ceremony. She and her sister Philippine Élisabeth then traveled to Madrid, Spain.
The Spanish royal family did not give her a warm welcome. Her future husband's stepmother, Elisabeth Farnese, was especially unwelcoming. Élisabeth married Louis of Spain on January 20, 1722, in Lerma. Her dowry, which was money or goods given with the bride, was very large.
Her relationship with her sister Philippine was already difficult. It became worse because Philippine received a lot of attention at the Spanish court. Philippine was seen as beautiful, charming, and smart. Élisabeth never got such attention. Her sister was later supposed to marry another Spanish prince, but it did not happen. Philippine was sent back to France and died young.
As the wife of the person who would inherit the Spanish throne, Élisabeth became the Princess of Asturias. This was an important title.
Queen of Spain
On January 15, 1724, King Philip V of Spain gave up his throne. He was not emotionally stable. His oldest son became King Louis of Spain. This meant Élisabeth became the Queen of Spain.
However, King Louis reigned for only seven months. He died from smallpox. Since he had no children, his father became king again. Élisabeth stayed in Madrid for a while after her husband's death. But her behavior before he died had made her very unpopular at the Spanish court.
From the moment she arrived, Louise Élisabeth became known for her many strange actions. Some were just social mistakes, but her behavior was often very wild and impulsive. She would sometimes walk around without clothes. She would also make strange noises or act oddly in public. She would run through the palace or jump off her horse to climb trees. Today, many of her behaviors are thought to be signs of a serious mental health condition called borderline personality disorder.
She would sometimes appear in public looking dirty and smelling bad. She would refuse to wear undergarments. She would try to get attention by behaving in very unusual and sometimes shocking ways. She would not touch the food at her table. But then she would hide and quickly eat anything she could find, even if it wasn't food. Her behavior seemed to get worse over time. At one point, she started cleaning the palace windows and floors with her own clothes.
Her husband, King Louis, even wrote to his father about her. He said, "I see no other solution but to lock her down as soon as possible, for her troubles keep increasing." He did put her in a convent for a short time. Louise cried and sent him letters asking for forgiveness. He later felt sorry for her and let her out.
When her husband became sick with his final illness, she took great care of him. She put herself at risk of getting sick too. Still, because she was so unpopular and behaved so strangely, her father-in-law, King Felipe V, wanted to officially cancel her marriage after Louis died. This meant she lost a valuable payment she would have received as a former queen of Spain. She was forced to move back to France. Her cousin, King Louis XV, would not let her live at Versailles.
Life as a Widow (1724–1742)
After her husband died, Louise Élisabeth returned to France. Her mother, the former Duchess of Orléans, asked her to come back. She had to live quietly in Paris, away from the royal court of her young cousin, King Louis XV.
As the widow of the King of Spain, she was supposed to get a yearly payment. However, Spain refused to pay because her marriage had been officially cancelled. When she moved back to France, Louise Élisabeth was still known as the queen dowager of Spain. This caused a disagreement with her older sister, Charlotte Aglaé. Because a queen had a higher rank than a duchess, Louise Élisabeth's carriage had to be allowed to pass first.
She traveled quietly to Paris. She lived in the Château de Vincennes and the Luxembourg Palace. Her father had given the Luxembourg Palace to her sister. Élisabeth died there on June 16, 1742. She was buried at the Église Saint-Sulpice church in Paris. This church was close to the Luxembourg Palace.
Images for kids
-
Portrait by Jean Ranc, 1724
-
Birth certificate of Louise-Élisabeth d'Orléans, December 11, 1709 at the Palace of Versailles
See also
In Spanish: Luisa Isabel de Orleans para niños
