Marie Mancini facts for kids

Marie Mancini by Jacob Ferdinand Voet, Rijksmuseum

Anna Maria (Marie) Mancini (born August 28, 1639 – died May 8, 1715) was one of five sisters. These sisters were nieces of a very powerful man, Cardinal Mazarin, who was a chief minister in France. He brought them to France from Italy. His goal was for them to marry important and wealthy people.

Along with two of their cousins, the Mancini sisters were famous at the court of King Louis XIV of France. People called them the Mazarinettes. Marie Mancini is an ancestor of Queen Paola of Belgium.

Marie's Early Life and Family

Marie Mancini was born in Rome, Italy, on August 28, 1639. She grew up there. Her father was Lorenzo Mancini, an Italian nobleman.

After her father passed away in 1650, Marie's mother, Geronima Mazzarini, moved her daughters to Paris. She hoped her brother, Cardinal Mazarin, would help them find good marriages.

Marie had four sisters:

• Laure (1636 - 1657) was the oldest. She married Louis de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme. He was a grandson of King Henry IV of France. Laure became the mother of a famous French general, Louis Joseph de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme.
• Olympe (1638 - 1708) married Eugène-Maurice of Savoy-Carignano. She was the mother of the famous Austrian general Prince Eugene of Savoy.
• Hortense (1646 - 1699) was known as the most beautiful sister. She later moved to London.
• Marie Anne (1649 - 1714) married Maurice Godefroy de la Tour d'Auvergne, duc de Bouillon. He was a nephew of the famous military leader Turenne.

Cardinal Mazarin also brought other family members to the French court. These were Marie's cousins, who were daughters of Mazarin's oldest sister.

• The older cousin, Laura Martinozzi, married Alfonso IV d'Este, who was the duke of Modena. She was the mother of Mary of Modena, who became the second wife of King James II of England.
• The younger cousin, Anne Marie Martinozzi, married Armand, Prince de Conti.

The Mancini family also had three brothers: Paul, Philippe, and Alphonse.

Marie's Youth at Court

When Marie came to France, her name was changed to Marie. She was described as "dark, lively, and beautiful." Marie caught the attention of the young King Louis XIV of France. He fell in love with her.

According to a book by Antonia Fraser, Marie's mother had been told by a fortune-teller that Marie would cause trouble. Her mother even asked Cardinal Mazarin to keep Marie in a special school for girls.

King Louis XIV wanted to marry Marie. However, Cardinal Mazarin and the King's mother, Anne of Austria, did not approve. They sent Marie away from the court. They also arranged for Louis to marry his cousin, Maria Theresa of Spain.

Marriage and Later Life

In 1661, Marie was sent to Italy to marry an Italian prince named Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna. After their wedding, they had three sons:

• Filippo, born in 1663
• Marcantonio, born in 1664
• Carlo, born in 1665

After her third child was born, Marie's relationship with her husband became difficult. On May 29, 1672, Marie left Rome. Her sister Hortense went with her.

Marie did not return to Italy until her husband died in 1689. After that, she spent about ten years traveling around Europe. She wrote her own story, called a memoir. The Mancini sisters were among the first women in France to publish their personal stories.

Marie passed away in Pisa, Italy, in May 1715. She was 75 years old. She is buried in the church of the Holy Sepulchre there. King Louis XIV died just a few months later in September of that same year.

Marie in Books and Plays

Marie Mancini appears in several stories and plays:

• She is a character in Letitia Elizabeth Landon's novel, Francesca Carrara.
• Marie's character is in the French musical Le Roi Soleil. Anne-Laure Girbal played her role.
• She is also a character in the 2008 Italian novel Secretum by Rita Monaldi and Francesco Sorti.
• Marie is the main character in the 2015 novel The Enchantress of Paris by Marci Jefferson.

Marie and her sister Hortense Mancini are the main people in a book called The King's Mistresses: The Liberated Lives of Marie Mancini, Princess Colonna, and Her Sister Hortense, Duchess Mazarin. This book was written by Elizabeth C. Goldsmith in 2012.

See also

In Spanish: Maria Mancini para niños