by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021
Marie Thérèse Louise of Savoy, Princess of Lamballe, was a favorite and confidante of Queen Marie Antoinette of France.
Marie Thérèse Louise of Savoy, Princesse de Lamballe, source: Wikipedia
Maria Teresa Luisa of Savoy was born on September 8, 1749 at the Palazzo Carignano in Turin. She was the sixth of nine children of Luigi Vittorio of Savoy, Prince of Carignano, and Landgravine Christine of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg. Her father was an illegitimate grandson of King Vittorio Amedeo II of Sardinia, and her mother was a niece by marriage of King Carlo Emanuele III of Sardinia. She had eight siblings:
- Carlotta (1742) – unmarried
- Vittorio Amedeo II, Prince of Carignano (1743) – married Joséphine of Lorraine, had issue
- Leopoldina (1744) – married Andrea IV Doria-Pamphili-Landi, Prince of Melfi, had issue
- Polissena (1746) – unmarried
- Gabriella (1748) – married Ferdinand, Prince of Lobkowicz, had issue
- Tomasso (1751) – died in childhood
- Eugenio, Count of Villafranca (1753) – married Elisabeth Boisgarin, had issue
- Caterina (1762) – married Don Filippo Colonna, Prince of Paliano, had issue
On January 31, 1767, Maria Teresa married Louis Alexandre of Bourbon-Penthièvre, Prince of Lamballe. Heir to one of the largest fortunes in France, Louis was the son of Louis Jean Marie of Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre, and Princess Maria Teresa d’Este – both of whom were descendants of King Louis XIV of France and his morganatic wife, Madame de Montespan.
Despite their initial happiness, Louis soon returned to his philandering ways, taking several mistresses within just several months after their marriage. These affairs would be the end of him. Only sixteen months after marrying, the Prince of Lamballe died of a venereal disease on May 6, 1768, at the Château de Louveciennes.
Widowed at just 19, Marie Thérèse became a very wealthy woman, having inherited her husband’s entire estate. She was comforted by her father-in-law who took her in as his own daughter, and the two had a very close relationship. Later that year, Princess Marie Adélaïde, the daughter of King Louis XV, suggested Marie Thérèse as a possible second wife for her father who had recently been widowed as well. However, Marie Thérèse rebuffed the idea.
The Château de Rambouillet. photo by Pline – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16338695
Marie Thérèse lived a very comfortable life, splitting her time between her father-in-law’s homes, the Hôtel de Toulouse in Paris and the Château de Rambouillet outside of the city. She served as her father-in-law’s hostess when he entertained, often hosting members of the French and foreign royal families.
Due to her position, Marie Thérèse often found herself involved with functions of the French Court, including being presented to the new Dauphine, the future Queen Marie Antoinette, upon her arrival in France in 1770. Marie Antoinette was charmed by the Princess of Lamballe, and soon the two became very close. Over the next few years, Marie Thérèse was rarely separated from Marie Antoinette, having become one of her closest friends and confidantes.
As an expression of that close friendship, Queen Marie Antoinette appointed Marie Thérèse as Superintendent of the Queen’s Household in 1775. This position, previously abolished over 30 years earlier, made Marie Thérèse the highest-ranking woman in the Royal Court and gave her immense power and influence. It also came with a large salary of 50,000 crowns per year, an astronomical amount considering the poor financial state of the economy at the time. Because of her personal wealth, Marie Thérèse was asked to refuse the salary, but she insisted on receiving it, and Marie Antoinette agreed.
Marie Thérèse soon began to fall from favor with Marie Antoinette upon the arrival of Gabrielle de Polastron, Duchess de Polignac in 1775. Marie Thérèse and Gabrielle did not get along, and Marie Antoinette found herself spending more time with Gabrielle. Although losing her position as “favorite”, Marie Thérèse remained in her position in Marie Antoinette’s household.
Suffering from weak health, Marie Thérèse traveled to England for several months in 1787 to rest. Upon her return, her relationship with Marie Antoinette became closer once again. Despite everything, her loyalty to Marie Antoinette never wavered. On a trip abroad when the Bastille was stormed in 1789, Marie Thérèse rejoined the royal family in October 1789, where she remained by the Queen’s side.
When the royal family attempted to flee to Brussels in June 1791, Marie Thérèse was unaware of the plans. Marie Antoinette simply bid her goodnight and suggested she take some time off in the country. The following day, Marie Thérèse received a note from the Queen informing her of the plans and instructing her to join them in Brussels. Of course, the royal family never made it out of the country. They were captured in Varennes and brought back to Paris and confined to the Tuileries Palace.
Marie Thérèse quickly made her way to Brussels, where she found out that the escape plan had failed. She continued a correspondence with Marie Antoinette who advised her not to return to France. However, in late 1791, under new provisions of the Constitution, the Queen was instructed to reestablish her household and dismiss anyone not in service. She wrote to Marie Thérèse asking her to return or resign. Despite Marie Antoinette’s private advice to stay away, Marie Thérèse decided to return, arriving in Paris in early November 1791. She continued in her role as Superintendent of the Queen’s Household, devoting herself to Marie Antoinette and ensuring the loyalty of those surrounding her.
Despite the efforts of King Louis XVI and his supporters, the call for an end to the monarchy grew louder and stronger. On August 10, 1792, the palace was stormed and the royal family and many of their court were taken into custody and imprisoned at the Temple, a small prison in Paris. Nine days later, Marie Thérèse was separated from them and moved to the La Force prison nearby.
A depiction of the death of the Princess of Lamballe. source: Wikipedia
On September 3, 1792, Marie Thérèse went before a tribunal that insisted she swear “hatred to the King and the Queen and to the monarchy”. After refusing to do so, Marie Thérèse was released to the streets and was quickly killed by an angry mob. Her head was placed on a pike and numerous reports claim it was paraded below the windows where Marie Antoinette was being held. Most historians agree that Marie Antoinette never saw this, but she was made aware of Marie Thérèse death. Her body was turned over to the authorities, but its whereabouts are unknown.
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