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Maria Luisa of Savoy (Maria Luisa Gabriella; 17 September 1688 – 14 February 1714) was a Savoyard princess and the first wife of Philip V of Spain.[1] She acted as Regent of Spain and had great influence over her husband. She is closely associated with Princesse des Ursins.
She was the third daughter and second surviving child of Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy and his French-born wife Anne Marie d'Orléans, the youngest daughter of Philippe of France and Henrietta of England. Throughout her life, Maria Luisa remained close to her older sister Maria Adelaide who later married Louis, Duke of Burgundy, the eldest grandson of Louis XIV. In her youth, Maria Luisa was described as playful and fun loving and had received a good education.[2]
Philip V of Spain, a French prince, was recently crowned King of Spain upon the death of childless Charles II. In order to enforce his shaky authority over Spain due to his French birth, Philip V decided to maintain ties with Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy. Philip V's brother, Louis, Duke of Burgundy, had married the elder sister of Maria Luisa several years earlier, and in mid-1701, Philip V asked for Maria Luisa's hand with the permission of his grandfather Louis XIV.[3]
Maria Luisa was wed by proxy to Philip V on 12 September 1701 at the age of barely thirteen and was escorted to Nice, arriving there on 18 September. While in Nice, she was greeted by Pope Clement XI who gave her the Golden Rose on 20 September as a ritualistic gift for the young princess.[4] Within a week, she sailed from Nice for Antibes and was taken to Barcelona. The official marriage took place on 2 November 1701.[4] The princesse des Ursins was a member of the household of the Queen. She would maintain great influence over Maria Luisa as her Camarera mayor de Palacio, chief of the household to the young queen, who was still a child. The Princess des Ursines maintained as strong dominance of Maria Luisa by using all the rights of proximity to the queen that her position entitled her to: she was almost non-stop in the presence of the queen, accompanied her were ever she went as soon as she left her private rooms, followed her to the council meetings, were she listened sitting by the side sewing; followed her back to her rooms, were she was present at the most intimate personal tasks, dressing and undressing her, controlling who ever who wished to come in the presence of her. As Philip V, unlike what custom dictated, actually shared bedroom with Maria Luisa, the Princess was also given a dominant influence over the king as well.[5]
Philip V was deeply in love with her from the start: as would be the case of his next consort, he was sexually dependent on her, as his religious scruples prevented him from exercising any sexual life outside of marriage. Unlike what was normal for a Spanish monarch, he usually slept in her bed the entire night, and insisted upon his conjugal rights.[6] Already shortly after their marriage, the French ambassador, the Duke of Gramont reported to Philips' grandfather, Louis XIV, that Philip would be completely governed by his spouse as long as he had one, a report which made Louis XIV to warn him from allowing his queen to dominant him.[7] Marie Luisa is described as remarkably mature for her age, politically savvy, articulate and hard working, and she has been credited with giving the normally passive Philip V the energy he needed to participate in warfare.[8]
In 1702, Philip V was obliged to leave Spain to fight in
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She was nicknamed La Savoyana by her adoring subjects and was well loved in Spain. After her death, two of her sons, her youngest and oldest, were to become Kings of Spain. Her niece, Princess Maria Luisa was named after her.
In December 1714, just months after Maria Luisa's death, her widower Philip V remarried, to Elisabeth Farnese, the only child and heiress of the Duke of Parma. All of Maria Luisa's children were to die without issue, thus there are no descendants of Maria Luisa of Savoy.
Maria Luisa gave birth to the couple's first child, Infante Luis Felipe in 1707. Maria Luisa gave birth to three more children, two of whom would survive infancy. Towards the end of her life, the Queen became ill with tuberculosis. She eventually died from the effects of tuberculosis on 14 February 1714. She was buried at San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Maria Luisa died in her 25th year.
After her husband's return in 1703, she resumed her role as queen consort. In 1704, the Princess of Ursins was exiled at the order of Louis XIV, devastating Maria Luisa. However, in 1705, the Princesse des Ursins returned to Madrid, much to the joy of the young queen.[11]
[10] Despite her young age, Maria Luisa's effective regency made her admired in Madrid and throughout Spain. During her tenure as regent, she presided daily at the committee of government, gave audiences to ambassadors, worked for hours with ministers, corresponded with Philip and worked with preventing Savoy from joining the enemy.[1]
House of Habsburg, House of Vasa, House of Bonaparte, House of Oldenburg, House of Romanov
House of Bourbon, Henry III of France, Louis XIII of France, Louis XV of France, Louis XVI of France
Parma, Spanish language, Charles III of Spain, Philip, Duke of Parma, House of Bourbon-Parma
Madrid, Andalusia, Portugal, European Union, Barcelona
Milan, House of Bourbon, House of Luxembourg, Louis I of Spain, Louis XV of France
Maria Luisa of Savoy, Princess Maria Luisa of Savoy (1729–1767)