Élisabeth d'Orléans

Death Of Élisabeth d'Orléans

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Élisabeth d'Orléans was born to Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, and his wife, Françoise Marie de Bourbon.

As the fifth of seven children, it was always assumed that she would make an uninspiring and unimportant dynastic marriage.

However, her father was regent ruler of France, and when war broke out with Spain, King Philip V suggested that a way to make peace, might be through a series of alliance-building marriages.

It was agreed that the 11 year old Élisabeth, would marry Louis of Spain, and the wedding took place by proxy in November 1721.

Élisabeth left for Madrid immediately afterwards, taking with her an enormous dowry of 4 million livres, but upon her arrival she received a far from glowing welcome.

Given the title of Princess of Asturias, she was not made welcome at the Spanish court, and found herself mocked and gossiped about.

Still only a girl, Élisabeth lacked the emotional maturity to stand up to such bullying, and instead began to behave increasingly bizarrely, displaying poor manners and hygiene and apparently appearing naked in front of people.

She and Louis did not get on at all, and went for long periods without seeing one another, often not speaking when they were together.

Unsurprisingly, there were no children from the marriage.

Louis and Élisabeth became king and queen on 15th January 1724, yet the reign was a short one, and Louis died of smallpox within the year.

A widow at just 15, Élisabeth remained in Madrid after her husband's death.

Finding herself utterly isolated, with no support, and friendless, she eventually returned to France.

The unhappy young girl endured another isolated existence in Paris, when she was obliged to live peacefully, away from the Court of her young cousin Louis XV.

Élisabeth died on 16th June 1742.

She was buried at the Église Saint-Sulpice church in Paris, close to the Luxembourg Palace, where her half-brother Louis Charles was a bishop.

She died at the age of just 32, lonely to the last.

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Source~madamegilflurt.

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https://ko-fi.com/thetudorintruders

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Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans by Jean Ranc, 1724