Thérèse de France,For "baptismal name" followed by "de France" see Nicolas Louis Achaintre's ''Histoire généalogique et chronologique de la maison royale de Bourbon'', Vol. 2, pp. 153, 154, 155. (Marie Thérèse Félicité; 16 May 1736 – 28 September 1744) was a French princess, daughter of King

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

and

Marie Leszczyńska Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja Leszczyńska (; ; 23 June 1703 – 24 June 1768), also known as Marie Leczinska, was Queen of France as the wife of King Louis XV from their marriage on 4 September 1725 until her death in 1768. The daughter of Stanis ...

Biography

Princess Marie ''Thérèse'' Félicité of France was born at the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...

as the seventh daughter and ninth child of

Louis XV of France Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...

and his Polish-born consort

. Known as ''Madame Sixième'' from her birth, she was later baptised Marie-Thérèse-Félicité and was known as ''Madame Thérèse''. As the daughter of a king of France, she was a ''

fille de France ''Fils de France'' (, ''Son of France'') was the style and rank held by the sons of the kings and dauphins of France. A daughter was known as a fille de France (, ''Daughter of France''). The children of the dauphin (a title reserved for the ki ...

'', (daughter of France). This rank allowed her the style of ''

Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it takes ...

'' and she was the most important lady at court after her mother and her older sisters. However, daughters of the king were usually known as ''Madame'' followed by their baptismal name. In the case of Louis XV's daughters, when they were young, their baptismal name was replaced by an ordinal number as per their "arrival"; accordingly, ''Madame Thérèse'' was ''Madame Sixième'', as the sixth daughter. When she was barely two years old, ''Madame Sixième'' was taken to the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud in the

Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France * County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France **Duk ...

province of France. She left with her sisters

Princess Victoire of France Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

(1733–1799),

Princess Sophie of France Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

(1734–1782) and

Princess Louise of France Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

(1737–1787). The princesses left Versailles on 6 June 1738 accompanied by furniture and a military escort. During her childhood, ''Madame Sixième'' was often ill, and her governess noted that it was probably due to the warm climate of the region. In mid-September 1744, ''Madame Sixième'' fell ill with

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

. On 27 September, she was baptised. Her nurse and valet stood in as godparents. She died the following day. She was eight years old and had never seen her parents since her arrival at Fontevraud. ''Madame Thérèse'' was buried at the Abbey of Fontevraud, which, in earlier times, had been the traditional burial place of members of the

House of Plantagenet The House of Plantagenet () was a royal house which originated from the lands of Anjou in France. The family held the English throne from 1154 (with the accession of Henry II at the end of the Anarchy) to 1485, when Richard III died in b ...

Biography

Ancestry

References

Further reading