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Henriette of France
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Henriette of France
Henriette of France (Anne Henriette; 14 August 1727 – 10 February 1752) was a French princess, a fille de France. She was the second child of King Louis XV and Queen Marie Leszczyńska, and the twin of Louise-Élisabeth of France. She was also considered the favorite daughter of the royal couple and was known for her sweet and gentle personality.
Anne Henriette and her older twin sister Princess Louise Élisabeth were born at the Palace of Versailles on 14 August 1727, to Louis XV and Queen Maria Leszczyńska. While the birth of the twins was considered a political disappointment as Salic law disqualified them as heirs to the throne, their father the King was delighted, and commented that after talk of him not being able to be a father, he was now the father of two. Barbier noted in his journals that during the pregnancy Louis XV was very kind and affectionate to Marie Leszczyńska this time and stopped hunting for a while so as to accompany her which gave the queen great joy.
Along with her twin, she was baptised at Versailles in 1727. Henriette was named after her paternal great-great grandmother Henrietta, Duchess of Orléans, with Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon, and Louise Anne de Bourbon as her godparents. As the legitimate daughter of the King, she was a fille de France, but as the younger of the twins, she was referred as Madame Seconde; as an adult, she became known as Madame Henriette, or only Madame, as the eldest daughter of the King present in Versailles after the marriage of her sister.
The eldest children of Louis XV, the twins Élisabeth and Henriette, Marie-Louise, Adélaïde and their brother the Dauphin of France, were raised in Versailles under the supervision of the Governess of the Children of France, Marie Isabelle de Rohan, duchesse de Tallard, while their younger siblings, Victoire, Sophie, Thérèse, and Louise, were sent to be raised at Fontevraud Abbey in June 1738.
In 1739, Élisabeth left France to marry the Infante Philip, a younger son of King Philip V of Spain. Henriette was reportedly despondent about being separated from her twin.
Royal French children were allowed to participate in court life as well as arrange their own festivities even in childhood; those kept at court participated in court life from the age of twelve. From 1744 onward, Henriette and Adélaïde accompanied their father to the Paris Opera, and from 1746, they hunted with him five days a week. In 1744, Henriette and Adelaide were officially transferred from the royal nursery and the King created their own household, the Household of the Mesdames aînées ('Elder Mesdames') and appointed two ladies-in-waiting (dame pour accompagner Mesdames); two years later, they were given their own dame d'honneur.
Henriette was considered to be prettier than her elder twin. She was described as gentle and melancholic, reserved but intensely loyal, and gifted in music. She was evidently the favorite child of her father, and it was said that she had no enemies at court. The Duke of Luynes commented several times in his memoirs that her mother Queen Marie Leszczyńska was also close to her, and that she frequently consoled her daughter whenever she was ill and when her visiting married twin sister Elisabeth had to depart again for Parma in 1749.
Despite her beauty, no serious marriage negotiations were ever made for Henriette. In 1740, Louis François, Prince of Conti, suggested a marriage between himself and Henriette to her father when he was alone with the King during a hunt. He explained that he believed he could make Henriette happy, and that such a marriage would mean she would never have to leave her father and France. The King, however, did not react favorably to the proposal.
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Henriette of France
Henriette of France (Anne Henriette; 14 August 1727 – 10 February 1752) was a French princess, a fille de France. She was the second child of King Louis XV and Queen Marie Leszczyńska, and the twin of Louise-Élisabeth of France. She was also considered the favorite daughter of the royal couple and was known for her sweet and gentle personality.
Anne Henriette and her older twin sister Princess Louise Élisabeth were born at the Palace of Versailles on 14 August 1727, to Louis XV and Queen Maria Leszczyńska. While the birth of the twins was considered a political disappointment as Salic law disqualified them as heirs to the throne, their father the King was delighted, and commented that after talk of him not being able to be a father, he was now the father of two. Barbier noted in his journals that during the pregnancy Louis XV was very kind and affectionate to Marie Leszczyńska this time and stopped hunting for a while so as to accompany her which gave the queen great joy.
Along with her twin, she was baptised at Versailles in 1727. Henriette was named after her paternal great-great grandmother Henrietta, Duchess of Orléans, with Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon, and Louise Anne de Bourbon as her godparents. As the legitimate daughter of the King, she was a fille de France, but as the younger of the twins, she was referred as Madame Seconde; as an adult, she became known as Madame Henriette, or only Madame, as the eldest daughter of the King present in Versailles after the marriage of her sister.
The eldest children of Louis XV, the twins Élisabeth and Henriette, Marie-Louise, Adélaïde and their brother the Dauphin of France, were raised in Versailles under the supervision of the Governess of the Children of France, Marie Isabelle de Rohan, duchesse de Tallard, while their younger siblings, Victoire, Sophie, Thérèse, and Louise, were sent to be raised at Fontevraud Abbey in June 1738.
In 1739, Élisabeth left France to marry the Infante Philip, a younger son of King Philip V of Spain. Henriette was reportedly despondent about being separated from her twin.
Royal French children were allowed to participate in court life as well as arrange their own festivities even in childhood; those kept at court participated in court life from the age of twelve. From 1744 onward, Henriette and Adélaïde accompanied their father to the Paris Opera, and from 1746, they hunted with him five days a week. In 1744, Henriette and Adelaide were officially transferred from the royal nursery and the King created their own household, the Household of the Mesdames aînées ('Elder Mesdames') and appointed two ladies-in-waiting (dame pour accompagner Mesdames); two years later, they were given their own dame d'honneur.
Henriette was considered to be prettier than her elder twin. She was described as gentle and melancholic, reserved but intensely loyal, and gifted in music. She was evidently the favorite child of her father, and it was said that she had no enemies at court. The Duke of Luynes commented several times in his memoirs that her mother Queen Marie Leszczyńska was also close to her, and that she frequently consoled her daughter whenever she was ill and when her visiting married twin sister Elisabeth had to depart again for Parma in 1749.
Despite her beauty, no serious marriage negotiations were ever made for Henriette. In 1740, Louis François, Prince of Conti, suggested a marriage between himself and Henriette to her father when he was alone with the King during a hunt. He explained that he believed he could make Henriette happy, and that such a marriage would mean she would never have to leave her father and France. The King, however, did not react favorably to the proposal.
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