Louise Élisabeth D'Orléans
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Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans (9 December 1709 – 16 June 1742) was
Queen of Spain The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...
as the wife of King
Louis I Louis I may refer to: Cardinals * Louis I, Cardinal of Guise (1527–1578) Counts * Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158) * Louis I of Blois (1172–1205) * Louis I of Flanders (1304–1346) * Louis I of Châtillon (died 13 ...
. Their reign is regarded as one of the shortest in history, lasting for seven months. Louise Élisabeth was the fourth daughter to survive to adulthood born to
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (Philippe Charles; 2 August 1674 – 2 December 1723), who was known as the Regent, was a French prince, soldier, and statesman who served as Regent of the Kingdom of France from 1715 to 1723. He is referred to i ...
and
Françoise Marie de Bourbon Françoise Marie de Bourbon (''Légitimée de France''; 4 May 1677 1 February 1749) was the youngest illegitimate daughter of King Louis XIV, Louis XIV of France and his ''maîtresse-en-titre'', Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise ...
. Louise Élisabeth was often disliked at the Spanish royal court, due to the many incidents and scandals revolving around her—those include social faux pas, walking around the palace unclothed, and provoking others by displaying her intimate parts in public. However, modern-day diagnoses claim her behaviour to be caused by a severe
borderline personality disorder Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a pervasive, long-term pattern of significant interpersonal relationship instability, an acute fear of Abandonment (emotional), abandonment, and intense emotiona ...
. After being widowed, Louise Élisabeth returned to
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and died at the
Luxembourg Palace The Luxembourg Palace (, ) is at 15 Rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was originally built (1615–1645) to the designs of the French architect Salomon de Brosse to be the royal residence of the regent Marie de' Med ...
, located in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. Both she and her husband died without issue.


Early years (1709–1720)

Louise Élisabeth d’Orléans was the fifth child and fourth daughter born to
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (Philippe Charles; 2 August 1674 – 2 December 1723), who was known as the Regent, was a French prince, soldier, and statesman who served as Regent of the Kingdom of France from 1715 to 1723. He is referred to i ...
and his wife,
Françoise Marie de Bourbon Françoise Marie de Bourbon (''Légitimée de France''; 4 May 1677 1 February 1749) was the youngest illegitimate daughter of King Louis XIV, Louis XIV of France and his ''maîtresse-en-titre'', Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise ...
. Her mother Françoise was one of the legitimised daughters born to King
Louis XIV of France LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
and his royal mistress,
Madame de Montespan Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise of Montespan (5 October 1640 – 27 May 1707), commonly known as Madame de Montespan (), was a French noblewoman and the most celebrated maîtresse-en-titre, royal mistress of King Lou ...
. As a member of the reigning
House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...
, Louise Élisabeth was entitled to the title of '' princesse du sang.'' Within her family, Louise Élisabeth was simply known as Élisabeth. Élisabeth was born at the
Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...
, as her parents’ fourth surviving daughter—her counterpart, ''Mademoiselle de Valois'', died a year after birth. Prior to her marriage, she was known as ''Mademoiselle de Montpensier''. Élisabeth grew up with one brother and five sisters; she and her only brother,
Louis Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...
, were very close. Élisabeth's education, similar to that of her sisters Charlotte and Adélaïde, was quite poor as very few people were interested in her. Like her younger sister Louise Diane, she received a
convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
education. Future-wise, it appeared that she would be destined to wed with an obscure German or Italian prince. Since 1715, her father, Philippe, was the '' de facto'' ruler of France as the
regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
for
Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), 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 maturity (then defi ...
, but in 1718, the
War of the Quadruple Alliance The War of the Quadruple Alliance, 1718 to 1720, was a conflict between Spain and a coalition of Austria, Great Britain, France, and Savoy, joined in 1719 by the Dutch Republic. Most of the fighting took place in Sicily and Spain, with minor engag ...
broke out between France and Spain. As such, in 1720, King
Philip V of Spain Philip V (; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was List of Spanish monarchs, 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 (45 years and 16 days) is the longest in the ...
wanted to make a peace agreement and proposed double marriage negotiations: his three-year-old daughter, ''Infanta'' Mariana Victoria, would marry the eleven-year-old Louis XV. Philip's son and heir,
Louis Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...
, would then marry one of the regent's daughters.


Princess of Asturias (1721–1724)

In November 1721, at the age of eleven, Élisabeth was married by proxy, in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
.''Nouvelle biographie générale'' She and her sister Philippine Élisabeth soon left for
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
. Despite an impertinent reception from the Spanish royal family, primarily by Elisabeth Farnese, the stepmother of her future husband, she married Louis of Spain on 20 January 1722 in Lerma. Her dowry contained 4 million livres. The relationship between her and Philippine, already strained, became more embittered when Philippine began to receive attention at the Spanish royal court due to her beauty, allure and intelligence. Élisabeth never received such attention upon her arrival. Her sister was later engaged to ''Infante'' Charles of Spain, another heir to the throne of Spain; but the marriage came to nothing, and her sister was later sent back to France, where she died due to
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 (W ...
at the age of nineteen in Paris. As wife of an heir to the Spanish throne, Élisabeth assumed the title of
Princess of Asturias Prince or Princess of Asturias () is the main substantive title used by the heir apparent, or heir presumptive to the Spanish Crown. According to the Spanish Constitution of 1978: The title originated in 1388, when King John I of Castile gr ...
.


Queen of Spain

On 15 January 1724, the emotionally unstable Philip V abdicated the throne in favour of his eldest son, who then became King Louis of Spain. Élisabeth, upon her husband ascending the throne, became queen of Spain. After only seven months of reigning Louis succumbed due to
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 (W ...
. Because he died without an heir, his father ascended the throne once again. Élisabeth stayed in Madrid for some time after the death of her husband, but her behaviour prior to her husband's untimely death had made her extremely unpopular in the Spanish court. Since her arrival at the Spanish royal court, Louise Élisabeth became increasingly known for the numerous incidents she involved herself in. Some would be social faux pas, but her behaviour was usually erratic and extremely impulsive. She would walk around unclothed, belch and flatus in public, run around the palace corridors, or jump off her horse to climb on trees. Modern diagnoses deem many of her behavioural traits compatible with an out-of-hand
borderline personality disorder Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a pervasive, long-term pattern of significant interpersonal relationship instability, an acute fear of Abandonment (emotional), abandonment, and intense emotiona ...
. She would appear in public dirty and malodorous, she would refuse to use undergarments, and would try to provoke courtiers by showing her intimate parts in public. She would refuse to touch the food on her table but would then hide away and compulsively gobble down anything that she could put her hands on, whether it was edible or not. Her behaviour seemingly got worse over time. At some point, she developed the custom of cleaning the windows and tiles of the palace using her own clothes: she would leave her courtiers astonished by suddenly undressing in public to clean the windows in the room with her dress. Her husband, king Luis, eventually wrote to his father that: He did make good on his promise and had her confined to a convent. Louise cried and sent her husband letters asking for forgiveness. He later felt sorry for her and released her. When her husband got sick with his final illness, however, she went out of her way to care for him, putting herself at risk of contagion. Still, her unpopularity and odd behaviour meant that, upon Luis' death, her father-in-law king Felipe V sought to have her marriage to Luis annulled. As a result, she lost a valuable pension as a former queen of Spain and was forced to move back to the
Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...
, where her cousin
Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), 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 maturity (then defi ...
refused to allow her to reside in
Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...
.


Widow (1724–1742)

After the death of her husband, she returned to France at the request of her mother, the Dowager
Duchess of Orléans Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
. She was obliged to live peacefully in Paris, away from the Court of her young cousin
Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), 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 maturity (then defi ...
. As the widow of the King of Spain, she was to receive an annual pension of 600,000 livres from the state; however, Spain would not pay because her marriage had been annulled. When she moved back to France, Louise Élisabeth was formally known as the queen dowager of Spain. This led to a dispute with her (elder) sister, Charlotte Aglaé. The duchess's coach had to let that of the younger Louise Élisabeth pass first, a queen having a higher rank than a duchess. She discreetly travelled to Paris and resided in the
Château de Vincennes The Château de Vincennes () is a former fortress and royal residence next to the town of Vincennes, on the eastern edge of Paris, alongside the Bois de Vincennes. It was largely built between 1361 and 1369, and was a preferred residence, after ...
and the
Luxembourg Palace The Luxembourg Palace (, ) is at 15 Rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was originally built (1615–1645) to the designs of the French architect Salomon de Brosse to be the royal residence of the regent Marie de' Med ...
, which had been given to her
sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to ref ...
by her father. Élisabeth died there on 16 June 1742. She was buried at the Église Saint-Sulpice church in Paris, close to the Luxembourg Palace, where her half-brother Louis Charles was a bishop.


Ancestors


References

Bibliography * Pimodan (comte de), ''Louise-Élisabeth d'Orléans, reine d'Espagne 1709-1742'', 393 p., Plon, Paris, 1928. {{DEFAULTSORT:Orleans, Louise Elisabeth Of (1709-1742) 1709 births 1742 deaths 18th-century French people 18th-century French women 18th-century Spanish people 18th-century Spanish women Louise Elisabeth Princesses of Asturias Spanish royal consorts Royalty from Versailles Louise Elisabeth Spanish infantas People of the Regency of Philippe d'Orléans Louise Elisabeth Burials at Saint-Sulpice, Paris Louis I of Spain People with borderline personality disorder People of the War of the Quadruple Alliance