Princess Louise-Marie of France
Henri IV
Sister
Catherine, Duchess of Lorraine
Children included
Louis XIII
Elisabeth, Queen of Spain
Christine Marie, Duchess of Savoy
Nicholas Henri, duc d'Orléans
Gaston, duc d'Orléans
Henriette-Marie, Queen of England
Louis XIII
Children
Louis XIV
Philippe, duc d'Orléans
Louis XIV
Children included
Louis, Dauphin
Marie-Anne
Marie-Therèse
Philippe-Charles, duc d'Anjou
Grandchildren included
Louis, Dauphin
King Felipe V of Spain
Charles, duc de Berry
Great Grandchildren included
Louis, Dauphin
Louis XV
Louis XV
Children included
Louise-Elisabeth, duchesse de Parme
Madame Henriette
Louis, Dauphin
Madame Adélaïde
Madame Victoire
Madame Sophie
Madame Louise
Grandchildren included
Marie Clotilde, Queen of Sardinia
Louis XVI
Louis XVIII
Charles X
Madame Élisabeth
Louis XVI
Children included
Marie-Thérèse, duchesse d'Angouleme
Louis-Joseph, Dauphin
Louis XVII
Sophie-Beatrix
Louis XVII
Louis XVIII
Charles X
Children
Louis XIX
Charles, duc de Berry
Grandchildren included
Henri V
Louise, duchesse de Parme
French monarchy, 843–1870
See also Louise-Marie of France (1812-1850), Queen of the Belgians.
Louise Marie de France or Marie Louise and sometimes just Louise (15 July 1737 - 23 December 1787) was the youngest of the 10 children of Louis XV of France and his Queen consort Maria Leszczyńska. As a daughter of the king, she held the rank of a fille de France. Louise outlived her father, mother, and all of her siblings except for her two older sisters, known Madame Adélaïde and Madame Victoire.
Early life
Louise was born at Versailles, and was known as "Madame Septième"[1] (one of her seven older sisters died before her birth) or "Madame Dernière", later "Madame Louise"[2]. She was brought up at the Abbey of Fontevraud with Louis' three other youngest daughters, Victoire, Sophie and Thérèse-Félicité (who died aged 8).
Marriage
None of her father's projects for her marriage came to fruition, and she sought sanctuary from the world in her religion. In 1748, there were rumours that Louis would have her engaged to Charles Edward Stuart (also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Young Pretender to the throne of England). She said:
N'ai-je pas sujet d'être bien inquiète puisqu'on me destine un époux, moi qui n'en veux d'autre que Jésus-Christ?" ("Shouldn't I be anxious when I am destined for a husband, when I don't want any other than Jesus Christ?).[citation needed]
Gallery
A young Louise Marie by Jean-Marc Nattier
Louis XV visiting his youngest daughter
Louise as she was when she took the name of Thérèse of Saint Augustine
Versailles
She returned to the court in 1750. She returned to a court that was ruled by his fathers lust for his Maîtresse-en-titre Madame de Pompadour. She stayed at the court of Versailles for another 20 years seeing, the death of her older sister Madame Henriette (1752); the births of her nieces and nephews; the Assassination attempt on her father in 1757; the introduction of Madame du Barry; construction the the Petit Trianon; death of her older sister known as Madame Infante (1759) and mother (1768)).
The year she left (1770) she saw the marriage of her nephew Louis-Auguste to Marie Antoinette. In 1770, to general amazement, Louise asked her father to allow her to become a Carmelite nun[3][4]. She believed that becoming a nun would compensate for her father's lax morals.[citation needed] She joined the convent at Saint-Denis[5], where the order's rule was obeyed strictly, taking the name Thérèse of Saint Augustine.
She became Mother Superior of the convent[6], and interceded with her father to allow Austrian Carmelites persecuted by the Emperor Joseph II to enter France. While at the convent, she tried her best to make sure that the other nuns treated her as an equal rather than the daughter of a king.[citation needed] As a child she had had an accident which had affected her knee. As a result of that, she found it difficult to kneel and when offered assistance, she refused.[citation needed]
Death
She died at Saint-Denis, suffering from a stomach complaint. Her last words were:
Au paradis! Vite! Au grand galop!" ("To heaven! Quickly! At the gallop!)
Along with other royal tombs at Saint-Denis, her remains were desecrated during the French Revolution. Pope Pius IX declared her Venerable on 19 June 1873. Her life is celebrated on 23 December.