Victoire of France Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Victoire of France

Princess of France

Victoire by Nattier in 1748, the year she returned to Versailles

Born

11 May 1733
Palace of Versailles, France

Died

7 June 1799 (aged 66)
Trieste, Italy

Full name
Victoire Louise Marie Thérèse de France

Father

Mother

Signature

Victoire of France (born Victoire Louise Marie Thérèse; May 11, 1733 – June 7, 1799) was a princess of France. She was the fifth daughter of Louis XV of France, who was the King of France, and his wife, Marie Leszczyńska. She was known at court simply as "Madame Victoire". Princess Victoire never married.

Early Life of Princess Victoire
Life at the Royal Court
- Changes in the Royal Family
- Later Years and Travel
Titles and Styles
Images for kids
See also

Early Life of Princess Victoire

Princess Victoire was born at the grand Palace of Versailles in 1733. As a daughter of the King of France, she held the special title of "Daughter of France." This title was very important within the royal family. She was the seventh of ten children born to the King and Queen.

When she was born, she was called Madame Quatrième because she had not yet been officially baptized. Later, she was given the names Victoire Louise Marie Thérèse, but most people just called her Victoire.

Unlike her older brothers and sisters, Victoire stayed at the Palace of Versailles only until she was five years old. In 1738, she left Versailles to live at the Abbey of Fontevraud in northern France. She traveled there with her younger sisters, Sophie and Thérèse, on June 6, 1738. They were accompanied by their belongings and a military escort.

Life at the Royal Court

When Victoire was 15, in 1748, she was allowed to return to the royal court at Versailles. Her strong religious beliefs stayed with her throughout her life. She also remained very close to her brothers and sisters and her mother.

When Victoire returned, the court was greatly influenced by Madame de Pompadour. She had become a very influential person close to King Louis XV in 1745. Many people thought Victoire was the most beautiful of the King's daughters.

There was only one idea for her to marry, which came up in 1753. It was suggested that she might marry King Ferdinand VI of Spain. This was because his wife, Queen Bárbara, was very ill at the time. However, Queen Bárbara recovered, and so Victoire never had another marriage proposal.

Changes in the Royal Family

In 1765, Victoire's older brother, who was the heir to the throne, sadly passed away from an illness at Fontainebleau. He was 36 years old. Victoire and her sisters were very sad about his death. Because of this, her nephew, the future Louis XVI, became the next in line for the throne. This event brought the royal family closer together.

Three years later, in 1768, the court at Versailles was sad again when Queen Marie, Victoire's mother, died. The sadness in the royal family grew worse because the King, Louis XV, became very fond of Madame du Barry. The princesses, including Victoire, refused to accept Madame du Barry. This caused some disagreements and tension within the court.

However, when King Louis XV died in 1774, Madame du Barry was sent away from the court. Then, Louis XVI became the new King. Victoire and her sister, Marie Adélaïde, were close to the young King. However, they did not like his wife, Marie Antoinette, mainly because she was from Austria.

Later Years and Travel

After King Louis XV died, Victoire and her sisters had to move out of their apartments at Versailles. They soon moved to the Château de Bellevue, a castle outside the capital city. Victoire lived there with Marie Adélaïde and their younger sister Sophie. They redecorated the castle to make it suit their tastes.

Since they no longer had much influence at Versailles, the sisters started traveling around France. These trips were very expensive, which added to France's already difficult financial situation.

When the French Revolution began and the Palace of Versailles was stormed, the sisters were at Bellevue. This meant they were not placed under house arrest. They quickly left France and went to stay with their niece, Marie Clotilde of France, in Turin. Marie Clotilde was married to Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia.

From Turin, they traveled to Rome in 1791. They then moved to Naples in 1796, where Marie Antoinette's sister, the Queen of Naples, lived. In 1799, they moved to Corfu, and then finally to Trieste. It was in Trieste that Victoire sadly died from an illness. Her sister, Marie Adélaïde, died the following year in Rome.

Years later, during the reign of their nephew Louis XVIII, the two sisters' remains were brought back to France. They were buried at the Basilica of Saint Denis, a traditional burial place for French royalty.