Victoire of France

Birth of Victoire of France, daughter of king Louis XV

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Princess Victoire was born at the Palaceof Versailles on 11th May 1733.

She was the seventh child and fifth daughter of King Louis XV of France and Queen Maria Leszczyńska.

Unlike the older children of Louis XV, Madame Victoire was not raised at the Palace of Versailles, in June 1738, she was sent to live at the Abbey of Fontrevraud with her younger sisters.

She remained there until 1748, when she was aged 15.

On 24th March 1748, being fifteen and no longer regarded a child, Victoire wrote to her father the king and successfully asked permission to return to court.

While her education had been neglected in the convent, she reportedly compensated for this, and studied extensively after her return to court

She devoted herself ardently to study, enabling herself to write French correctly, and acquired a good knowledge of history.

Victoire made a success at court, she was also regarded to be a beauty and was described,

"Madame Victoire was handsome and very graceful; her address, mien, and smile were in perfect accordance with the goodness of her heart", and "her beautiful, tender, soft brown eyes, fresh complexion and a bright smile gave the impression of happiness and health, which, together with her desire to please, radiated from her whole personality".

Despite Victoire's wit and charm, no marriage partner of suitable religion and status was found.

Victoire remained unmarried, and over time, she became quite overweight.

Because of this, her father the King came to refer to her as ‘Coche’ meaning Pig/Piggy/Sow!

From April 1774, Madame Victoire and her sisters attended to their father Louis XV on his deathbed, until his death from smallpox on 10th May.

After the death of Louis XV, he was succeeded by his grandson, Victoire's nephew ~ Louis-Auguste as Louis XVI.

Her nephew the king allowed her to keep apartments in the Palace of Versailles, and Victoire kept attending court at special occasions.

Madame Victoire and her sister were present at Versailles during the Parisian's Women march on Versailles, on 6th October 1789.

She was among those gathered in the king's apartment on the night of the attack on Marie Antoinette's bedroom.

Victoire participated in the wagon train leaving the Palace of Versailles for Paris; on the way, however, their carriage separated from the rest of the procession before they reached Paris.

Victoire never took up residence at the Tuileries with the royal family, but preferred to retire to the Chateau de Bellevue instead.

Victoire then left for Italy on 20th February 1791, with a large entourage.

Victoire and her sister arrived in Rome on 16th April 1791, where she stayed for about five years.

They were highly respected by the Romans, not only by the higher orders, but by the common people, who had a horror of the French revolution.

Upon the invasion of Italy by Revolutionary France in 1796, Victoire left Rome for Naples, where Marie Antoinette's sister, Maria Carolina was queen.

Victoire settled at the Neapolitan royal court, but Queen Maria Carolina found their presence in Naples difficult, saying~

"I have the awful torment of harbouring the two old Princesses of France with eighty persons in their retinue and every conceivable impertinence... The same ceremonies are observed in the interior of their apartments here as were formerly at Versailles"

When Naples was invaded by France in 1799, Victoire and her sister Adélaïde, left for Corfu.

Finally settled in Trieste, Victoire died of breast cancer.

Adélaïde died one year later.

Their bodies were returned to France during the Boubon Restoration by King Louis XVIII by and buried at the Basilica of Saint~Denis.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/.../Victoire_of_France_(1733%E2...

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https://ko-fi.com/thetudorintruders

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Madame Victoire de France 1748, by Jean-Marc Nattier.