Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours (, 11 April 1644 – 15 March 1724) was born a Princess of Savoy and became the Duchess of Savoy by marriage. First married by proxy to Charles of Lorraine in 1662, Lorraine soon refused to recognise the union and it was annulled. She married

Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy Charles Emmanuel II ( it, Carlo Emanuele II di Savoia); 20 June 1634 – 12 June 1675) was Duke of Savoy from 1638 to 1675 and under regency of his mother Christine of France until 1648. He was also Marquis of Saluzzo, Count of Aosta, Geneva, M ...

in 1665 who was her kinsman. The mother of the future

Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia Victor Amadeus II (Vittorio Amedeo Francesco; 14 May 166631 October 1732) was Duke of Savoy from 1675 to 1730. He also held the titles of Prince of Piedmont, Duke of Montferrat, Marquis of Saluzzo and Count of Aosta, Moriana and Nice. Louis X ...

who saw the elevation of the House of Savoy to kings, she styled herself as Madama Reale or ''Madame Royale''. She acted as Regent of Savoy from 1675 in the name of her son Victor Amadeus II, who was her husband's successor. Her regency officially ended in 1680, but she maintained power until her son banished her from further influence in the state in 1684. She left a considerable architectural legacy in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...

, and was responsible for the remodelling of the Palazzo Madama, which was her private residence. At the time of her death she was the mother of the

King of Sardinia The following is a list of rulers of Sardinia, in particular, of the monarchs of the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica from 1323 and then of the Kingdom of Sardinia from 1479 to 1861. Early history Owing to the absence of written sources, little ...

as well as great grandmother of two other kings,

Louis I of Spain , predecessor = Philip V , successor = Philip V , reg-type1 = , regent1 = , spouse = , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Philip V of Spain , mother = Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy , birth_ ...

and

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 reache ...

Family and childhood

Marie Jeanne Baptiste de Savoie was born at the Hôtel de Nemours in Paris, and was the eldest of five children born to

Charles Amadeus, Duke of Nemours Charles Amadeus of Savoy (french: Charles-Amédée de Savoie, ), Duke of Nemours (12 April 162430 July 1652) was a French military leader and magnate. He was the father of the penultimate Duchess of Savoy and of a Queen of Portugal. Biography He ...

and his wife Princess Élisabeth de Bourbon-Vendôme. Through her mother, Marie Jeanne Baptiste was a great grand daughter of

Henry IV of France Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch ...

via her father César de Bourbon, ''Légitimé de France'', whose mother was

Gabrielle d'Estrées Gabrielle d'Estrées, Duchess of Beaufort and Verneuil, Marchioness of Monceaux (; 157310 April 1599) was a mistress, confidante and adviser of Henry IV of France. She persuaded Henry to renounce Protestantism in favour of Catholicism in 1593. La ...

. This made her a half-first-cousin once removed of

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ver ...

and a relation to most Catholic royalty at that time. She was a member of the

Nemours Nemours () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Geography Nemours is located on the Loing and its canal, c. south of Melun, on the Moret–Lyon railway. Nemours – Saint-Pierre ...

cadet branch In history and heraldry, a cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets— realm, tit ...

of the House of Savoy, which had settled in France in the sixteenth century. Marie Jeanne Baptiste grew up with her sister Marie Françoise, ''Mademoiselle d'Aumale'' who was born in 1646. She was styled as ''Mademoiselle de Nemours'' prior to marriage. As a young girl she frequented the ''salon'' of the famous

Madame de La Fayette Marie-Madeleine Pioche de La Vergne, Comtesse de La Fayette (baptized 18 March 1634 – 25 May 1693), better known as Madame de La Fayette, was a French writer; she authored ''La Princesse de Clèves'', France's first historical novel and one ...

who later introduced Marie Jeanne Baptiste into correspondence with ''

Madame de Sévigné Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * ''Madame'' ...

''. These relationships would give her insight to the French court during her years as regent. Her father died in 1652, killed in a duel with his brother-in-law François, Duke of Beaufort. For the next several years she and her family were under the guardianship of her paternal uncle Henri II the new

Duke of Nemours Duke of Nemours was a title in the Peerage of France. The name refers to Nemours in the Île-de-France region of north-central France. History In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Lordship of Nemours, in the Gatinais, France, was a possession of t ...

, though Marie Jeanne Baptiste had inherited many of her father's income sources. At Henri's death in 1659 the duchy of Nemours reverted to the crown but Marie Jeanne Baptiste continued to receive the income. With two young daughters, her mother Élisabeth looked to her maternal family for support in getting them properly settled. Élisabeth's

mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...

was a princess of Lorraine.

Marriage negotiations

Her family wanted a match with

, who was the son of

Christine Marie of France Christine of France (10 February 1606 – 27 December 1663) was the sister of Louis XIII and Duchess of Savoy by marriage. Upon the death of her husband Victor Amadeus I in 1637, she acted as regent of Savoy between 1637 and 1648. Daughter of ...

(half-aunt of Élisabeth). Christine Marie summoned Marie Jeanne Baptiste, her mother, and sister to Turin in 1659 for inspection. Charles Emmanuel showed a keen interest in Marie Jeanne as a potential wife. However, his mother had been warned by

Cardinal Mazarin Cardinal Jules Mazarin (, also , , ; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino () or Mazarini, was an Italian cardinal, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Louis XIII and Louis X ...

of Marie Jeanne Baptiste's ambitious nature, causing her to reject the marriage. Christine Marie arranged a marriage between her son and

Françoise Madeleine d'Orléans Françoise Madeleine d'Orléans (13 October 1648 – 14 January 1664) was born a Princess of France and was the Duchess of Savoy as the first wife of Charles Emmanuel II. She was a first cousin of Louis XIV as well of her husband. She was the sh ...

, who proved suitably docile for the controlling mother. This wedding took place in 1663. Having returned to France, ''Mademoiselle de Nemours'' caught the attention of the dashing Prince Charles of Lorraine, heir of the

Duke of Lorraine The rulers of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions, since its creation as the kingdom of Lotharingia by the Treaty of Prüm, in 855. The first rulers of the newly established region were kings of ...

. The court of Portugal had previously requested her hand in marriage, however she refused after some deliberation on the subject. Charles' rank was similar to that of the Duke of Savoy and the match was pursued by Marie Jeanne Baptiste's mother. She became engaged to Charles on 4 February 1662. The match was a popular one with the French court, and the union was supported by Queen Anne (mother of Louis XIV). However, when the

Treaty of Montmartre The Treaty of Montmartre was signed on 6 February 1662 between Louis XIV and Duke Charles of Lorraine. The treaty was negotiated by Hugues de Lionne. Based on the terms of the accord, Louis XIV was given control of the Duchy of Lorraine. See also ...

was signed two days later, the duchies of Lorraine and Bar were surrendered to Louis XIV. This left the duke of Lorraine landless, and drove him to join the imperial court. As a result, Charles backed out of the engagement. The marriage between Marie Jeanne Baptiste and Charles had not been consummated and was annulled. In Turin, Christine Marie died on 27 Dec 1663, and her daughter-in-law Françoise Madeleine died 14 Jan 1664. This left Charles Emmanuel II unmarried and without an heir. Proposals came from Françoise Madeleine's sisters but were rejected. It became clear that Charles Emmanuel II wanted to unite with Marie Jeanne Baptiste, who was a member of his own house. This union was supported by Louis XIV. He did not want Charles Emmanuel II to marry an

Archduchess of Austria The Archduchy of Austria (german: Erzherzogtum Österreich) was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire and the nucleus of the Habsburg monarchy. With its capital at Vienna, the archduchy was centered at the Empire's southeastern periph ...

, for fear of loss of influence in the duchy. Negotiations took over a year before Marie Jeanne Baptiste went to Annecy with her grandmother

Françoise of Lorraine Françoise () is a French feminine given name (equivalent to the Italian Francesca) and may refer to: * Anne Françoise Elizabeth Lange (1772–1816), French actress * Claudine Françoise Mignot (1624–1711), French adventuress * Françoise Adn ...

on 1 May 1665 to meet her future husband. Marie Jeanne Baptiste married Charles Emmanuel II on 20 May 1665 at the

Castello del Valentino The Valentino Castle ( it, Castello del Valentino) is a historic building in the northwestern Italian city of Turin. It is located in Parco del Valentino, and is the seat of the Architecture Faculty of the Polytechnic University of Turin. It is on ...

amid great celebration. Her large

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment ...

included border provinces of Genevois,

Faucigny Faucigny ( it, Fossigni) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. Historically, Faucigny was a region in Savoy which included the area of the modern ''département'' of Haute Sav ...

as well as Beaufort which would become the property of the mainline House of Savoy.

Duchess of Savoy

Domenico Guidobono - Triumph of virtue of Madama Reale

In Savoy her name was Italianised to ''Maria Giovanna Battista di Savoia'' and she was known as ''Madama Reale''. This name was a reference to the style ''

Madame Royale ''Madame Royale'' ({{IPA-fr, madam ʁwajal, ''Royal Lady'') was a style customarily used for the eldest living unmarried daughter of a reigning French monarch. It was similar to the style '' Monsieur'', which was typically used by the King's sec ...

'' from her native France, and had been used by the late Christine Marie. Marie Jeanne Baptiste was praised as being an attractive and intelligent woman. Almost a year after the marriage the 21-year-old duchess gave birth to a son on 14 May 1666 who was named Victor Amadeus in honour of

Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy Victor Amadeus I ( it, Vittorio Amedeo I di Savoia; 8 May 1587 – 7 October 1637) was the Duke of Savoy from 1630 to 1637. He was also known as the ''Lion of Susa''.Marie Françoise married

Afonso VI of Portugal Afonso VI (; 21 August 164312 September 1683), known as "the Victorious" (), was the second king of Portugal of the House of Braganza from 1656 until his death. He was initially under the regency of his mother, Luisa de Guzmán, until 1662, whe ...

. The two sisters remained close all their lives. Prior to her husband's death, Marie Jeanne Baptiste played little part in the politics of the time. In his reign, her husband carried out various improvements to the royal residences and left a great architectural legacy in Savoy. The couple also ordered the construction of various churches in Turin. Her husband also had various mistresses and illegitimate children, who Marie Jeanne Baptiste was obliged to ignore. In 1672

Hortense Mancini Hortense Mancini, Duchesse de Mazarin (6 June 1646 – 2 July 1699), was a niece of Cardinal Mazarin, chief minister of France, and a mistress of Charles II, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. She was the fourth of the five famous Mancini s ...

, on the run from her husband, sought and received the protection of Charles Emmanuel II. Much to Marie Jeanne Baptiste's annoyance, she became a regular mistress and was given the Château de Chambéry. Marie Jeanne Baptiste was unable to remove her from there until Charles Emmanuel died. On 12 June 1675 Charles Emmanuel suddenly died in Turin at the age of forty after a series of convulsive fevers. On his death bed he pronounced his wife as Regent of Savoy over his son and heir.

Regent of Savoy

Declared Regent of her eleven-year-old son's dominions, she took her new charge with great interest and ambition. She carried on her husband's work on the properties of Savoy, supporting construction projects, artistic organizations, and educational institutions. She supported the work of Alessandro Stradella, protecting him when he fled to Turin from Venice. She continued to fund and support the work of Guarino Guarini, who completed the chapel for the Shroud of Turin and a Jesuit college under her rule. She also worked to expand the city of Turin down to the Po river. She attempted to start a university in Chambéry, but was not successful. She did much to maintain links with her powerful neighbour France, which was both ally and family. She was criticised for wanting to maintain power too much, and for being a puppet of Louis XIV. However, she also worked to maintain and develop relationships with the royal courts of Spain, England, and the Empire. The people of Mondovì resisted her authority for many years, and it was only under her son that they finally relented. Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy with his son and wife Marie Jeanne of Savoy by an unknown artist

Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy with his son and wife Marie Jeanne of Savoy by an unknown artist

Her relationship with her only son was always strained. This tension has been blamed on her ambition to keep power to herself. Marie Jeanne Baptiste spent most of her time working on state business, which she enjoyed, and had little time for her only child. She kept him under close scrutiny in order to make sure he would not try to assume power from her. Despite the bad relationship with her son, she openly kept lovers at court. At the age of thirty three, she was in a relationship with the Count of Saint Maurice, some ten years her junior. Marie Jeanne Baptiste and Saint Maurice's relationship lasted some four years before his whole family left in disgrace due to his father failing on a string of diplomatic relations. By 1677 Marie Jeanne Baptiste was looking to organise a marriage for her son who would reach his majority in May 1680. Popular candidates were the Archduchess Maria Antonia, a cousin in Portugal,

Maria Sofia of the Palatinate-Neuburg Maria Sophia Elisabeth of Neuburg (6 August 1666 – 4 August 1699) was List of Portuguese queens, Queen of Portugal as the wife of Peter II of Portugal, King Peter II from 1687 until her death in 1699. A popular queen, she was noted for her e ...

, or the French born

Anne Marie d'Orléans Anne Marie d'Orléans (27 August 1669 – 26 August 1728) was Queen of Sardinia by marriage to Victor Amadeus II of Savoy. She served as regent of Savoy during the absence of her spouse in 1686 and during the War of the Spanish Succession. ...

. Marie Jeanne Baptiste first looked to her sister in Lisbon whose only daughter the Infanta Isabel Luísa was the heiress to her father's dominions. Portuguese law stated that an heiress to the throne must remain in the country and marry a kinsman. Marie Jeanne Baptiste opened negotiations with Portugal in order to get the Infanta to marry her son. This prestigious union would have left Marie Jeanne Baptiste permanently in control of Savoy, with Victor Amadeus II living in Portugal. Plans were made for Victor Amadeus' arrival in Lisbon, and a political party was established opposing the union. Openly disliking the union and approaching his majority, Victor Amadeus II decided to postpone the marriage for two years. Marie Jeanne Baptiste then looked to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany which offered

Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici (11 August 1667 – 18 February 1743) was an Italian noblewoman who was the last lineal descendant of the main branch of the House of Medici. A patron of the arts, she bequeathed the Medicis' large art collection, in ...

as a bride. Negotiations were kept secret from France. This match was popular as it would give a powerful ally in Italy and was even favoured by Victor Amadeus II. The secret correspondence between Savoy and Tuscany has since been lost and the match never materialised. Even though Marie Jeanne Baptiste's regency officially ended in 1680 she did not hand over power until 1684 when forced to do so by her son. Louis XIV was eager to maintain his already considerable influence in Savoy and thus offered his niece

. Anne Marie was the daughter of Philippe of France, Duke of Orléans and his first wife

Henrietta of England Henrietta Anne of England (16 June 1644 O.S. N.S.">New_Style.html" ;"title="6 June 1644 New Style">N.S.– 30 June 1670) was the youngest daughter of King Charles I of England and Queen Henrietta Maria. Fleeing England with her mother and go ...

. Victor Amadeus agreed to the match and he married Anne Marie in person on 6 May 1684.

Retirement and later life

Victor Amadeus took full control of the Duchy at the start of 1684. He decided to banish his mother from all direct influence at court. She retired to the Palazzo Madama in the city of Turin opposite the Ducal Palace of Turin where the court resided most of the year. This building had been the home of Christine Marie in her dowager years and under Marie Jeanne Baptiste was extended under the direction of

Filippo Juvarra Filippo is an Italian language, Italian male given name, which is the equivalent of the English language, English name Philip (name), Philip, from the Greek language, Greek ''Philippos'', meaning "amante dei cavalli".''Behind the Name''"Given Name ...

who was a favourite of her son. Dufour - Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy as a widow - Palazzo Madama

In 1686 she sold the Duchy of Aumale to Louis Auguste de Bourbon, an illegitimate son of Louis XIV and

Madame de Montespan Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * ''Madame'' ( ...

. Aumale had been her personal property since 1659 at her father's death. Marie Jeanne Baptiste was also the last Countess of Geneva. The county was united with Savoy after her death. Her son's marriage would produce some eight children four of whom would have further issue. Marie Jeanne Baptiste acted as godmother to her eldest grandchild Princess Maria Adelaide. She also maintained a good friendship with her daughter-in-law Anne Marie. Maria Adelaide and her sister Maria Luisa would have a close relationship with their grandmother, and both would make weekly visits to the Palazzo Madama. Her relationship with Maria Adelaide in particular is documented in letters the two sent to each other after 1696 when the young princess married Louis of France. Maria Luisa married Louis' brother

Philip V of Spain Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724, and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign of 45 years is the longest in the history of the Spanish mon ...

by proxy on 11 Sep 1701. Sadly Maria Adelaide would die in 1712 at

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

of Measles. These two prestigious marriages were designed by Louis XIV to entice Savoyard support during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

. During this war, Marie Jeanne Baptiste was obliged to sell her jewels in order to maintain her household during the

Battle of Turin The siege of Turin took place from June to September 1706, during the War of the Spanish Succession, when a French army led by Louis de la Feuillade besieged the Savoyard capital of Turin. The campaign by Prince Eugene of Savoy that led to i ...

of 1706. She and her grandchildren were obliged to flee to the safety of

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

during the conflict. Thanks to the

Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne ...

in 1713 her son was given the Kingdom of Sicily in recognition for his services to Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor in the

. Her son was crowned king of Sicily in Palermo Cathedral in December 1713. Victor Amadeus II asked his mother to maintain the government while he was gone, but she declined and her grandson

Victor Amadeus, Prince of Piedmont Victor Amadeus of Savoy (Vittorio Amedeo Filippo Giuseppe; 6 May 1699 – 22 March 1715) was the eldest son of Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy and his French wife Anne Marie d'Orléans. He was the heir apparent of Savoy from his birth and as su ...

was made regent instead. Months after, the Savoyard court the family found out the death of Maria Luisa who had died in February 1714 which was followed a year later by the Prince of Piedmont who died of

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 ...

. Three deaths in four years caused mother and son to become closer. With the death of the Prince of Piedmont her youngest grandson Charles Emmanuel, Duke of Aosta became

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

to his father's domains. Marie Jeanne Baptiste died at the Palazzo Madama in March 1724 a month before her 80th birthday.

Issue

# Vittorio Amedeo II (14 May 1666 – 31 October 1732) married

and had issue. Had illegitimate issue with

Jeanne Baptiste d'Albert de Luynes Jeanne Baptiste d'Albert de Luynes, ''comtesse de Verrue'' (18 January 1670 – 18 November 1736) was a French noblewoman and the mistress of Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia. Biography The daughter of Louis Charles d'Albert, Duke of Luynes (1620 ...

. Married

morganatic Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...

ally to

Anna Canalis di Cumania Anna Carlotta Teresa Canalis di Cumiana (23 April 1680 – 13 April 1769) was the morganatic wife of Victor Amadeus II, King of Sardinia. She was created Marchesa of Spigno. Early life Born at the Palazzo Canalis, Turin in 1680, she was a ...

Ancestry

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

, - {{Authority control 1644 births 1724 deaths Nobility from Paris 17th-century French nobility 17th-century Italian nobility 18th-century Italian nobility Burials at the Sacra di San Michele, Turin Counts of Geneva Cypriot queens consort Duchesses of Aumale Duchesses of Savoy 17th-century women rulers French people of Italian descent Aumale, Duchess of, Marie Jeanne of Savoy Italian people of French descent Princesses of Savoy Regents of Savoy