Louisa Maria Teresa Stuart (french: link=no, Louise Marie Thérèse; 28 June 1692 – 18 April 1712), known to

Jacobites Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to: Religion * Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include: ** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometimes ...

as The Princess Royal, was the last child of

James II and VII James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

, the deposed

king of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...

, Scotland and Ireland, by his second wife

Mary of Modena Mary of Modena ( it, Maria Beatrice Eleonora Anna Margherita Isabella d'Este; ) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland as the second wife of James II and VII. A devout Roman Catholic, Mary married the widower James, who was then the young ...

. Like her brother James Francis Edward Stuart (The Old Pretender), Louisa Maria was a Roman Catholic, which, under the

Act of Settlement 1701 The Act of Settlement is an Act of the Parliament of England that settled the succession to the English and Irish crowns to only Protestants, which passed in 1701. More specifically, anyone who became a Roman Catholic, or who married one, bec ...

, debarred them both from

succession to the British throne Succession to the British throne is determined by descent, gender, legitimacy and religion. Under common law, the Crown is inherited by a sovereign's children or by a childless sovereign's nearest collateral line. The Bill of Rights 1689 an ...

after the death of their Protestant half-sister Anne, Queen of Great Britain. A Royal Stuart Society paper calls Louisa Maria the Princess over the Water, an allusion to the informal title

King over the Water The Jacobite succession is the line through which Jacobites believed that the crowns of England, Scotland, and Ireland should have descended, applying primogeniture, since the deposition of James II and VII in 1688 and his death in 1701. It is in ...

of the Jacobite pretenders, none of whom had any other legitimate daughters.Publications of the Royal Stuart Society
at royalstuartsociety.com – web site of the Royal Stuart Society (accessed 11 February 2008)SCOTTISH ROYAL LINEAGE – THE HOUSE OF STUART Part 4 of 6
online at burkes-peerage.net (accessed 9 February 2008)

Birth

Louisa Maria was born in 1692, at Saint-Germain-en-Laye in France, four years after her father had fled England never to return.Princess Louisa Maria Theresa Stuart (1692–1712), Daughter of James II
at npg.org.uk (accessed 8 February 2008) Owing to the huge controversy which had surrounded the birth of her brother, James Francis Edward, with accusations of the substitution of another baby in a warming pan following a still-birth, James II had sent letters inviting not only his daughter,

Queen Mary II Mary II (30 April 166228 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, William III & II, from 1689 until her death in 1694. Mary was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, and his first wife A ...

, to attend the birth in person, but also a large number of other Protestant ladies.Beatty, Michael A., ''The English Royal Family of America, from Jamestown to the American Revolution'' (London, McFarland, 2003) pp. 83–85 The Whig historian Macaulay later commented on James's precaution: Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye01

After the birth, James II declared that Louisa Maria had been sent by God as a consolation for her parents at the time of their deepest distress, in exile and hopelessness. In later years, she was often referred to as ''La Consolatrice''. The new-born princess was given the name Louisa Maria in baptism, while Teresa (sometimes spelt Theresa) was added later, at the time of her

confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

. Her godparents were King Louis XIV of France (in whose honour she was named), and King Louis's sister-in-law,

Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine Princess Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate (german: Prinzessin Elisabeth Charlotte von der Pfalz), (french: Princesse Élisabeth-Charlotte du Palatinat); known as Liselotte von der Pfalz, 27 May 1652 – 8 December 1722) was a German m ...

, Duchess of Orléans. James II had fathered numerous children by his two wives, but only four of them survived infancy, and the two Protestant elder children, Queen

Mary II Mary II (30 April 166228 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, William III & II, from 1689 until her death in 1694. Mary was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, and his first wife ...

and the future Queen Anne, lived in England. Only her brother James Francis Edward was close to Louisa, although she did have some contact with her elder half-sisters, Mary, who died while Louisa Maria was still a small child, and Anne with whom she remained on friendly terms.

Life

Princess Louisa Maria Teresa Stuart by Alexis Simon Belle 1704

Louisa was the only full sibling of Prince James Francis Edward, the 'Old Pretender', to survive infancy, and was four years younger than her brother.Addington, A. C., ''The Royal House of Stuart'' (London, 1969, third edition 1976) The two were brought up together in France. Louisa's tutor was an English Roman Catholic priest, Father Constable, who taught her Latin, history, and religion. She also had a governess, the Countess of Middleton, wife of the

Jacobite Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to: Religion * Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include: ** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometimes ...

peer Charles, 2nd Earl of Middleton. James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth, another Jacobite peer living in France, praised the child's natural affability. An allegorical portrait by

Alexis Simon Belle Alexis Simon Belle (12 January 1674 – 21 November 1734) was a French portrait painter, known for his portraits of the French and Jacobite nobility. As a portrait artist, Belle's style followed that of his master François de Troy, Hyacinthe R ...

of James Francis Edward and his sister Louisa Maria, showing the prince as a guardian angel leading his sister under the gaze of cherubim, was painted in 1699 and is now in the

Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the ...

. By the summer of 1701, King James was seriously ill, and had been away from Saint Germain seeking medical treatment, accompanied by his wife. However, in June the two returned home for the birthdays of their two children, and two months later James suffered a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

, dying just two weeks later on 16 September. He was still able to talk when his children visited him for the last time, and to Louisa Maria he said: Antoine-caumont-de-lauzun

Soon after James's death, Louis XIV proclaimed James Francis Edward as king of England, Scotland and Ireland, and he was also formally recognised as king by Spain, the Papal States and

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...

. He and his sister Louisa Maria were transferred to

Passy Passy () is an area of Paris, France, located in the 16th arrondissement, on the Right Bank. It is home to many of the city's wealthiest residents. Passy was a commune on the outskirts of Paris. In 1658, hot springs were discovered around whic ...

, into the care of Antoine Nompar de Caumont and his wife, with Lady Middleton continuing as Louisa Maria's governess there. In 1705, at the age of thirteen, Louisa Maria was a guest of honour at a

ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...

at the

Château de Marly The Château de Marly was a French royal residence located in what is now Marly-le-Roi, the commune on the northern edge of the royal park. This was situated west of the palace and garden complex at Versailles. Marly-le-Roi is the town that develo ...

, ranking only after Louis XIV himself, her own mother Queen Mary, and her brother James Francis Edward, considered by Louis to be another King. On 23 March 1708, after a delay caused by the

measles Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...

, the young James attempted a landing on Scottish soil, at the

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meani ...

, supported by a fleet of French ships. However, the force was driven off by a Royal Navy fleet led by Admiral Byng. Louisa Maria enjoyed dancing and the opera, and became popular at the French court. Two possible matches for her were considered, with Louis XIV's grandson Charles, Duke of Berry (1686–1714), and with King

Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( sv, Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of t ...

(1682–1718). Neither took place, the first apparently due to Louisa Maria's equivocal position, and the second because the young King of Sweden was not a Roman Catholic. Louisa felt keenly that Jacobite supporters in exile had made huge sacrifices for her family, and she herself paid for the daughters of many of them to be educated, making no distinction between Roman Catholics and Protestants, supporting the daughters of both.

Death

In April 1712, both James Francis Edward and his sister fell sick with smallpox. While the Old Pretender recovered, Louisa Maria died on 28 April (18 April, Old Style), aged 19, and was buried with her father at the Church of the English Benedictines in Paris. A French nobleman wrote of the death of the Princess to a friend at Utrecht:Miller, Peggy "James" (George Allen and Unwin Ltd, 1971) p138. :''My Lord, I send to you by these the sad and deplorable news of the much lamented death of the Princess Royal of England who died of the smallpox the 18th of this month at St Germains who as she was one of the greatest ornaments of that afflicted court, so she was the admiration of all Europe; never Princess was so universally regretted. Her death has filled all France with sighs, groans and tears. She was a Princess of a majestical mien and port; every motion spoke grandeur, every action was easy and without any affectation or meanness, and proclaim'd her a heroine descended from the long race of so many paternal and maternal heroes...''

William Legge, 1st Earl of Dartmouth William Legge, 1st Earl of Dartmouth (14 October 1672 – 15 December 1750), was Lord Privy Seal from 1713 to 1714. He was a Hanoverian Tory, supporting the Hanoverian succession following the death of Queen Anne. Life The only son of George Le ...

, the British Secretary of State, wrote of the Princess's death:Stephen, Thomas, ''The History of the Church of Scotland: From the Reformation to the Present Time'' (London, John Lendrum, 1845
Vol. 4, pp. 83–84 (for the year 1712)
online at books.google.com (accessed 10 February 2008) Madame de Maintenon, the morganatic second wife of Louis XIV, wrote of

's reaction to Louisa Maria's death: In his ''The History of the Church of Scotland'' (1845), Thomas Stephen says of the death: Like many other churches in Paris, the Church of the English Benedictines was desecrated and vandalised during the French Revolution. According to Jules Janin, writing in 1844, the remains of Princess Louisa Maria and her father King James II were then resting in the military hospital of the

Val-de-Grâce The (' or ') was a military hospital located at in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was closed as a hospital in 2016. History The church of the was built by order of Queen Anne of Austria, wife of Louis XIII. After the birth of h ...

Portraits

James Francis Edward and Louisa Maria Stuart by Alexis Simon Belle

Several portraits of Louisa Maria survive. Among those of Louisa Maria alone, one is by François de Troy, ca. 1705, while another, painted about 1704, is attributed to

and is in the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: *National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra *National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London, with s ...

, London. Also in the National Portrait Gallery is a portrait painted in 1695 by

Nicolas de Largillière Nicolas de Largillière (; 10 October 1656 – 20 March 1746) was a French portrait painter, born in Paris. Biography Early life Largillière's father, a merchant, took him to Antwerp at the age of three. As a boy, he spent nearly two years in ...

of Louisa Maria with her brother James Francis Edward. This was engraved as a mezzotint by John Smith and published in 1699. Another portrait of Louisa Maria with her brother, depicting him as an angel, is in the

and is again attributed to Belle. A portrait with a cavalier King Charles spaniel was engraved as a mezzotint by Bernard Lens the Younger and published c. 1700.

In fiction

Princess Louisa appears at the age of twelve in Eliza Haywood's picaresque novel ''The Fortunate Foundlings'' (1744). Haywood says of Louisa:

Namesakes

The names Louisa Maria Teresa (in French, ''Louise-Marie-Thérèse'') were later used for Luisa Maria Teresa of Parma (1751–1819), Queen consort of Charles IV of Spain, for Louise Marie Thérèse of France, the eldest daughter of Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry, born 1819, and for Louise Marie Thérèse Charlotte Isabelle of Orléans, daughter of

King Louis-Philippe of France Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary War ...

and the Queen of

King Leopold I of Belgium Leopold I (french: Léopold; 16 December 1790 – 10 December 1865) was the first king of the Belgians, reigning from 21 July 1831 until his death in 1865. The youngest son of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Leopold took a commission in the ...

Family and ancestry

;Sources:
Ancestors of Louisa Maria Theresa, Princess of England, Scotland and Ireland
at worldroots.com *Addington, A. C., ''The Royal House of Stuart'' (London, 1969, third edition 1976)

Bibliography

*''A true and full account of the death and character of the Princess-Royal, Louisa-Maria-Teresa Stuart, daughter of the late King James. Who was born in the year 1692, at St Germains, and died of the small-pox the 18th of April 1712... In a letter from a noble-man of France, to his correspondent at Vtrecht'' broadside, 2 s., 1712Rodd, Thomas, ''Catalogue of Books: Part V: Historical Literature'' (London, Compton and Ritchie, 1843
page 471
online at books.google.com (accessed 9 February 2009) *Cole, Susan, ''Princess over the Water: A Memoir of Louise Marie Stuart (1692–1712)'' (The Royal Stuart Society papers, Paper XVIII)

References

De Largilliere Prince James Francis Edward Stuart; Princess Louisa Maria Theresa Stuart-1

External links

Portraits of Princess Louisa Maria Theresa Stuart
at the web site of the

Louisa Maria Theresa Stuart
at thepeerage.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart, Louisa Maria People from Saint-Germain-en-Laye 1692 births 1712 deaths 18th-century English people 17th-century Scottish people 18th-century Scottish people 17th-century English women 17th-century English people 18th-century English women 17th-century Scottish women 18th-century Scottish women Louisa Maria Louisa Maria Louisa Maria Jacobites Deaths from smallpox Infectious disease deaths in France Burials at Val-de-Grâce (church) Princesses Royal Children of James II of England Daughters of kings