Maria Luisa of Savoy

Maria Luisa of Savoy
Queen consort of Spain
Tenure	2 November 1701 – 14 February 1714
Spouse	Philip V
Detail Issue
Louis I of Spain Ferdinand VI of Spain
Full name
Maria Luisa Gabriella di Savoia
House	House of Bourbon House of Savoy
Father	Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy
Mother	Anne Marie d'Orléans
Born	17 August 1688(1688-08-17) Royal Palace of Turin, Savoy
Died	14 February 1714(1714-02-14) (aged 25) Royal Alcazar of Madrid, Spain
Burial	El Escorial
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Not to be confused with Princess Marie Louise of Savoy.

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.

Infancy and background

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]

Marriage

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.^[2] Within a week, she sailed from Nice for Antibes and was taken to Barcelona. The official marriage took place on 2 November 1701.^[2] 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 couple were deeply in love.^{[citation needed]} In 1702, Philip V was obliged to leave Spain to fight in Naples as part of the ongoing War of Spanish Succession.^[4] During her husband's absence, Maria Luisa acted as Regent from Madrid. She was praised as an effective ruler, having successfully implemented various changes in government and insisted upon all complaints being investigated and reports made direct to her. Her leadership encouraged the reorganization in the junta and, in doing this, inspiring people and their cities to make donations towards the war effort.^[1] Despite her young age, Maria Luisa's effective regency made her admired in Madrid and throughout Spain. After her husband's return in 1703, she resumed her role as queen consort. In 1704, the Princesse des 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.^[5]

Maria Luisa gave birth to the couple's first child, Infante Luis Felipe in 1707. After the birth of her eldest child, Maria Luisa went on giving 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.

In December 1714, just months after Maria Luisa's death, her widower Philip V remarried, to Elisabeth Farnese, the only child and heiress of Duke of Parma. All of Maria Luisa's children were to die without issue, leaving behind no descendants of Maria Luisa of Savoy.

Legacy

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.

Issue

1. Louis I of Spain (25 August 1707 – 31 August 1724) married Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans, no issue.
2. Infante Felipe of Spain (2 July 1709 – 18 July 1709)
3. Infant Felipe Pedro Gabriel of Spain (7 June 1712 – 29 December 1719) died in childhood.
4. Ferdinand VI of Spain (23 September 1713 – 10 August 1759) married Infanta Maria Barbara of Portugal, no issue.

Ancestry

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 17 September 1688 – 2 November 1701 Her Highness Princess Maria Luisa of Savoy
• 2 November 1701 – 14 February 1714 Her Majesty the Queen of Spain

Arms

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Sharp. Martin Andrew: Queens of old Spain, New York, McClure, Phillips & company, 1906, p 532
2. ^ ^{a b c} The Gentleman's magazine, Volumes 302-303, F. Jefferies, 1789, p 284
3. ^ The Gentleman's magazine, Volumes 302-303, F. Jefferies, 1789, p 286
4. ^ Sharp. Martin Andrew: Queens of old Spain, New York, McClure, Phillips & company, 1906, p 531
5. ^ Sharp. Martin Andrew: Queens of old Spain, New York, McClure, Phillips & company, 1906, p 535

External links

Media related to Maria Luisa of Savoy at Wikimedia Commons

See also

Maria Luisa of Savoy House of Savoy Born: 17 November 1688 Died: 14 February 1714
Spanish royalty
Preceded by Mariana of Neuburg	Queen consort of Spain 2 November 1701 – 14 February 1714	Succeeded by Elisabeth Farnese
	Queen consort of Naples and Sardinia Duchess consort of Brabant, Guelders, Limburg, Lothier, Luxembourg and Milan Countess consort of Flanders, Hainaut and Namur 1700–1713	Succeeded by Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
	Queen consort of Sicily 1700–1713	Succeeded by Anne Marie d'Orléans

Persondata
Name	Maria Luisa Of Savoy
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	17 August 1688
Place of birth	Royal Palace of Turin, Savoy
Date of death	14 February 1714
Place of death	Royal Alcazar of Madrid, Spain