Ana Maria de Lorena, Duchess of Abrantes (''Ana Maria Catarina Henriqueta de Lorena''; 3 September 1691 – 1761) was a Portuguese noblewoman and courtier.

Life

The eldest daughter of Rodrigo Anes de Sá Almeida e Menezes, 1st

Marquis of Abrantes Marquess of Abrantes (in Portuguese ''Marquês de Abrantes'') was a Portuguese title of nobility, granted by a decree issued by King John V of Portugal on 24 June 1718, to Rodrigo Anes de Sá Almeida e Menezes, 3rd Marquess of Fontes and 7th ...

and 7th Count of Penaguião, she adopted the surname "de Lorena" after a maternal great-grandfather, François-Louis de Lorraine. By Royal Decree of King

Joseph I of Portugal '' Dom'' Joseph I (; 6 June 1714 – 24 February 1777), known as the Reformer (Portuguese: ''o Reformador''), was King of Portugal from 31 July 1750 until his death in 1777. Among other activities, Joseph was devoted to hunting and the opera. ...

of 9 December 1753, she was created Duchess of Abrantes ''vitalício'' upon her appointment as The Queen's

Mistress of the Robes The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, who would, by appointment, attend on the Queen (whether queen regnant or a queen consort). Queens dowager retained their own mistresses of the robes. In ...

(in Portuguese ''Camareira-Môr''), the highest court position for a lady. She inherited her family estates and honours three years later, upon her brother's death. Her younger brother, Joaquim Francisco de Sá Almeida e Menezes, had succeeded their father as 2nd Marquis of Abrantes and married Dona Ana Maria's only daughter, but died without issue; thus, in 1756, she became 3rd Marchioness of Abrantes and 9th Countess of Penaguião. Her surname of Lorena (the Portuguese translation for

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

) was inherited from her maternal grandmother, Marie-Angelique-Henriette de Lorraine, daughter of François-Louis, comte d'Harcourt. Duquesa Ana Maria married Dom Rodrigo de Mello (1688–1713), second child of Nuno Álvares Pereira de Mello, 1st Duke of Cadaval. They had an only daughter, Maria Margarida de Lorena (likewise created Duchess of Abrantes), who married her uncle (Ana Maria's brother), Dom Joaquim Francisco de Sá Almeida e Menezes, 2nd Marquis of Abrantes.

Bibliography

*”Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil" – Vol. II, page 205. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon 1989.

External links

Genealogical information on Ana Maria Catarina Henriqueta de Lorena, Duchess of Abrantes
1691 births 1761 deaths Portuguese maids of honour Portuguese nobility 201 18th-century Portuguese people 18th-century Portuguese women {{Portugal-noble-stub

Life

See also

Bibliography

External links