Victoire de Rohan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Victoire de Rohan
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| Princess of Guéméné | |
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| Born | 28 December 1743 Hôtel de Soubise, Paris, France |
| Died | 20 September 1807 (aged 63) Paris, France |
| Noble family | Rohan |
| Spouse(s) | Henri Louis, Prince of Guéméné |
| Issue Detail |
Charles Alain, Prince of Guéméné Marie Louise Joséphine, Princess of Rochefort Louis Victor, Duke of Bouillon |
| Father | Charles de Rohan |
| Mother | Anne Therese of Savoy |
Victoire Armande Josèphe de Rohan (born December 28, 1743 – died September 20, 1807) was a French noblewoman. She held the title of Princess of Guéméné. She was also a court official who worked for the royal family.
Victoire was the governess for the children of Louis XVI of France. People often knew her as Madame de Guéméné. She was also the Lady of Clisson in her own right.
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Biography of Victoire de Rohan
Victoire Armande Josèphe de Rohan was the second daughter of Charles de Rohan, who was the Prince of Soubise. The Princes of Soubise were a branch of the important House of Rohan family.
Her mother was Princess Anna Teresa of Savoy. Princess Anna Teresa was a daughter of Victor Amadeus I, Prince of Carignano. She was also related to King Louis XV of France.
Victoire had an older half-sister named Charlotte de Rohan. Charlotte married Louis Joseph de Bourbon, Prince de Condé in 1753. As the Princesse de Condé, Charlotte had a higher rank at court than Victoire.
The House of Rohan family claimed to be descended from the old Dukes of Brittany. Because of this, they were treated as "foreign princes" at the French court. This gave them a special high rank.
Marriage and Family Life
When she was seventeen, Victoire married her cousin, Henri Louis, Prince of Guéméné. He was fifteen years old at the time. Henri Louis was part of the main branch of the Rohan family. His uncle was the Cardinal de Rohan, who was involved in a famous scandal.
Henri Louis later became the Grand Chamberlain of France. This was an important position at the royal court. Victoire and Henri Louis had five children together.
In 1788, Henri Louis's father passed away. Henri Louis then became the Prince de Guéméné. After this, Victoire was known at court as Madame de Guéméné.
The family lived a very grand lifestyle in Paris. Their home was the Hôtel de Rohan-Guéméné, located in the famous Place des Vosges.
Working at the Royal Court
In 1775, Victoire's aunt, Marie Louise de Lorraine, resigned her job. She had been the governess for the royal children. Victoire took over this important role.
From 1778 to 1782, Victoire was in charge of the household for Louis XVI of France's oldest child. This was Marie Thérèse of France, also known as Madame Royale. Victoire managed over one hundred staff members and servants.
As the royal governess, Victoire usually needed written permission from the king to leave court. She only asked for this permission to attend parties. She became a close friend of Marie Antoinette, the Queen.
Some people believed Victoire influenced the Queen to spend too much money. She introduced the Queen to expensive games and new English horse races. These interests led the Queen to build up large debts.
Victoire was seen as intelligent. She was also interested in spiritualism, which was a popular belief at the time. She owned a large collection of valuable jewels. She often lent these jewels to others for formal events.
Later Life and Challenges
In 1782, Victoire had to leave her job as governess. This was because her husband had a huge debt of 33 million livres. This was a very large amount of money.
The debt later led to their home, the Hôtel de Rohan-Guémené, being sold in 1797. Marie Antoinette helped Victoire get a pension for her service. However, the couple was no longer welcome at court, and their friendship with the Queen ended.
After this financial problem, Victoire and her husband were not as accepted in society. Victoire moved into a palace provided by her father. People said she handled the difficult situation with dignity.
Victoire and her husband lived to see the French Revolution begin in 1789. They later fled France and went to Austria. They eventually settled in Bohemia, at Sychrov Castle. The Rohan family lived there for the next 125 years.
Victoire passed away in Paris in September 1807. She was sixty-three years old. Her husband died two years after her.
Children of Victoire de Rohan
- Charlotte Victoire Joséphe Henriette de Rohan (1761–1771)
- Charles Alain Gabriel de Rohan (1764–1836): He became the Duke of Montbazon, Rohan, and Guéméné. He married Louise Aglae de Conflans d'Armentieres and had children.
- Marie Louise Joséphine de Rohan (1765–1839): She married her cousin, Charles Louis Gaspard de Rohan, Duke of Montbazon, and had children.
- Louis Victor Meriadec de Rohan (1766–1846): He became the Duke of Rohan and Bouillon. He married his niece, Berthe de Rohan, but they had no children.
- Jules Armand Louis de Rohan (1768–1836): He married Princess Wilhelmine Catherine Frédérique Biron von Kurland, Duchess of Sagan, who was a wealthy heiress. They had no children.
See also
In Spanish: Victoria de Rohan para niños
