Marie Thérèse Louise of Savoy, Princesse de Lamballe

Maria Teresa Luisa was born on 8 September 1749 at the Palazzo Carignano in Turin. She was the sixth child and fifth daughter of Louis Victor of Savoy, Prince of Carignano, a maternal grandson of King Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia and his mistress Jeanne d'Albert de Luynes. Her mother was Landgravine Christine Henriette of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg. At her birth, it is said that many civilians lined the streets, cheering and singing over the birth of Maria Teresa. Little is known about her childhood. == Marriage ==

On 31 January 1767, Maria Teresa was married by proxy to Louis Alexandre de Bourbon-Penthièvre. He was a son of Louis de Bourbon-Toulouse, Duke of Penthièvre and Princess Maria Teresa d'Este, thus making him a grandson of Louis XIV's legitimised son Louis Alexandre de Bourbon. The marriage was arranged after it had been suggested by Louis XV as a suitable match as both the bride and the groom were members of the collateral branch of both ruling families, and it was accepted by her family because the King of Sardinia had long wished for an alliance between the House of Savoy and the House of Bourbon. The wedding by proxy, followed by a bedding ceremony and a banquet, was held at the Savoyard royal court in Turin and attended by the King of Sardinia and his court. On 24 January, the bride crossed the bridge of Beauvoisin between Savoy and France, where she left her Italian entourage and was welcomed by her new French retinue, who escorted her to her groom and father-in-law at the Chateau de Nangis. She was introduced to the French royal court at the Palace of Versailles by Maria Fortunata, Countess de La Marche in February, where she made a favourable impression. In France, she adopted the French version of her name, Marie Thérèse Louise. The marriage was initially described as very happy, as both parties were attracted to each other's beauty; after only a few months, though, Louis Alexandre was unfaithful with two actresses, which reportedly devastated Marie Thérèse. She was comforted by her father-in-law, to whom she became close. In 1768, at the age of 19, having been married for just a year, Marie Thérèse became a widow when her husband died of a venereal disease at the Château de Louveciennes, nursed by his spouse and sister. Marie Thérèse inherited her husband's considerable fortune, making her wealthy in her own right. Her father-in-law successfully persuaded her to abandon her wish to become a nun and instead stay with him as his daughter. She comforted him in his grief, and joined him in his extensive charitable projects at Rambouillet, an activity which earned him the name "King of the Poor" and her the nickname "The Angel of Penthièvre". In 1768, after the death of Marie Leszczyńska, the Queen of France who was immediately fond of Marie Therese Louise, Madame Marie Adélaïde supported a match between her father, Louis XV and the dowager Princesse de Lamballe, Marie Thérèse. Madame Adélaïde, reportedly, preferred a queen who was young and beautiful but lacked ambition; who could attract and distract her father from state affairs, leaving them to Madame Adélaïde herself. The match was supported by the Noailles family. However, Marie Thérèse was not willing to encourage the match herself, and her former father-in-law, the Duke of Penthièvre, was not willing to consent. The marriage plan never materialised. Marie Thérèse lived at the Hôtel de Toulouse in Paris and the Château de Rambouillet. On 4 January 1769, there was an announcement of the marriage of Marie Thérèse's sister-in-law Mademoiselle de Penthièvre to the young Philippe d'Orléans. == Lady-in-waiting ==

Marie Thérèse had a role to play in royal ceremonies, and when the new dauphine, Marie Antoinette, arrived in France in 1770, she was presented to her along with the Dukes and Duchesses of Orléans, Chartres, Bourbon, and the other "Princes of the Blood" with her father-in-law in Compiégne. During 1771, the Duke de Penthiévre started to entertain more, among others the Crown Prince of Sweden and the King of Denmark; Marie Thérèse acted as his hostess and started to attend court more often, participating in the balls held by Madame de Noailles in the name of Marie Antoinette, who was reportedly charmed by Marie Thérèse and overwhelmed her with attention and affection that spectators did not fail to notice. In March 1771 the Austrian ambassador reported: For some time past the Dauphine has shown a great affection for the Princesse de Lamballe. ... This young princess is sweet and amiable, and enjoying the privileges of a Princess of the Blood Royal, is in a position to avail herself of her Royal Highness's favour. The Gazette de France mentions Marie Thérèse's presence in the chapel at high mass on Holy Thursday, at which the king was present, accompanied by the royal family, including the Duke de Bourbon and the Duke de Penthièvre. In May 1771, Marie Thérèse went to Fontainebleau, and was there presented by the king to her cousin, the future Comtesse de Provence, attending the supper after. In November 1773, another one of her cousins married the third prince, the Count of Artois, and she was present at the birth of Louis-Philippe in Paris in October 1773. After her cousins had married Marie Antoinette's brothers-in-law, Marie Thérèse came to be treated by Marie Antoinette as a relation, and during these first years, the Counts and Countesses of Provence and Artois formed a circle of friends with Marie Antoinette and Marie Thérèse, and were known to have spent a lot of their time together, Marie Thérèse being described as almost constantly by Marie Antoinette's side. Marie Antoinette's mother, Maria Theresa, somewhat disliked the attachment, because she disliked favourites and intimate friends of royalty in general, though Marie Thérèse was, because of her rank, regarded as an acceptable choice, if such an intimate friend was needed. On 18 September 1775, following the ascension of Marie Antoinette's husband to the throne in May 1774, Marie Antoinette appointed Marie Thérèse "Superintendent of the Queen's Household", the highest rank possible for a lady-in-waiting at Versailles. This appointment was controversial: the office had been vacant for over thirty years because the position was expensive, superfluous, and gave far too much power and influence to the bearer, giving her rank and power over all other ladies-in-waiting and requiring all orders given by any other female office holder to be confirmed by her before it could be carried out, and Marie Thérèse, though of sufficient rank to be appointed, was regarded as too young, which would offend those placed under her, but the queen regarded it as just a reward for her friend. After Marie Antoinette became queen, her intimate friendship with Marie Thérèse was given greater attention, and Ambassador Mercy reported: Her Majesty continually sees the Princesse de Lamballe in her rooms [...] This lady joins to much sweetness a very sincere character, far from intrigue and all such worries. The Queen has conceived for some time a real friendship for this young Princess, and the choice is excellent, for although a Piedmontese, Madame de Lamballe is not at all identified with the interests of Mesdames de Provence and d'Artois. All the same, I have taken the precaution to point out to the Queen that her favour and goodness to the Princesse de Lamballe are somewhat excessive, in order to prevent abuse of them from that quarter. Empress Maria Theresa tried to discourage the friendship out of fear that Maria Thérèse, as a former Princess of Savoy, would try to benefit Savoyard interest through the queen. During her first year as queen, Marie Antoinette reportedly said to her husband, who was very approving of her friendship with Marie Thérèse: "Ah, sire, the Princesse de Lamballe's friendship is the charm of my life." Marie Thérèse welcomed her brothers at court, and upon the queen's wish, Marie Thérèse's favourite brother Eugène was granted a lucrative post with his own regiment in the French Royal Army. Later, Marie Thérèse was also granted the governorship of Poitiou for her brother-in-law by the queen. Marie Thérèse was described as proud, sensitive, and with a delicate though irregular beauty. Not a wit and not one to participate in plots, she was able to amuse Marie Antoinette, but she was of a reclusive nature and preferred to spend time with the queen alone rather than to participate in high society: she suffered from what was described as "nerves, convulsions, fainting-fits", and reportedly could faint and remain unconscious for hours. The office of Superintendent required that she confirmed all orders regarding the queen before they could be performed, that all letters, petitions, or memoranda to the queen were to be channelled through her, and that she entertain in the name of the queen. The office aroused great envy and insulted a great number of people at court because of the precedence in rank it gave. It also gave an enormous salary of 50,000 crowns a year, and because of the condition of the state's economy and the great wealth of the princess, she was asked to renounce the salary. When she refused for the sake of rank and stated that she would either have all the privileges of the office or retire, she was granted the salary by the queen herself. This incident aroused much bad publicity, thus painting Marie Thérèse as a greedy royal favourite, and her famous fainting spells were widely mocked as manipulative simulations. She was openly talked about as the favourite of the queen and was greeted almost as visiting royalty when she travelled around the country during her free time, and had many poems dedicated to her. (c. 1775) In 1775, however, Marie Thérèse was gradually replaced in her position as favourite by Yolande de Polastron, the Duchesse de Polignac. The outgoing and social Yolande referred to the reserved Marie Thérèse as a boor, while Marie Thérèse herself disliked the bad influence she regarded Yolande to have over the queen. Marie Antoinette, who was unable to make them get along, started to prefer the company of Yolande, who could better satisfy her need for amusement and pleasure. In April 1776, Ambassador Mercy reported: "The Princesse de Lamballe loses much in favour. I believe she will always be well treated by the Queen, but she no longer possesses her entire confidence", and continued in May by reporting of "constant quarrels, in which the Princesse seemed always to be in the wrong". When Marie Antoinette started to participate in amateur theater at the Petit Trianon, Yolande convinced her to refuse Marie Thérèse'a admission to them, and in 1780, Ambassador Mercy reported: "the Princesse is very little seen at court. The Queen, it is true, visited her on her father's death, but it is the first mark of kindness she has received for long." Though Marie Thérèse was replaced by Yolande as favourite, the friendship with the queen nevertheless continued on an on-and-off-basis: Marie Antoinette occasionally visited her in her rooms, and reportedly appreciated her serenity and loyalty in between the entertainments offered to her by Yolande, once commenting, "She is the only woman I know who never bears a grudge; neither hatred nor jealousy is to be found in her." After the death of Marie Antoinette's mother, Marie Antoinette isolated herself with Marie Thérèse and Yolande during the winter to mourn. Marie Thérèse kept her office of Superintendent at the French royal court after she lost her position as favourite, and continued to perform her duties—she hosted balls in the name of the queen, introduced debutantes to her, assisted her in receiving foreign royal guests, and participated in the ceremonies around the birth of the queen's children and the queen's annual Easter Communion. Outside of her formal duties, however, she was often absent from court, attending to the bad health of both herself and her father-in-law. She engaged in her close friendship with her own favourite lady-in-waiting, Countess Étiennette d'Amblimont de Lâge de Volude, as well as her charity and her interest in the Freemasons. Marie Thérèse, as well as that of her sister-in-law, became inducted into the Freemasonic women's Adoption Lodge of St. Jean de la Candeur in 1777, and was made Grand Mistress of the Scottish Lodge in January 1781. Though Marie Antoinette did not become an official member, she was interested in Freemasonry and often asked Marie Thérèse of the Adoption Lodge. During the famous Affair of the Diamond Necklace, Marie Thérèse was seen in an unsuccessful attempt to visit the imprisoned Jeanne de la Motte at La Salpetriere; the purpose of this visit is unknown, but it created widespread rumours at the time. French Revolution During the Storming of the Bastille in July 1789 and the outbreak of the French Revolution, Marie Thérèse was on a leisurely visit to Switzerland with her favourite lady-in-waiting, the Countess de Lâge, and when she returned to France in September, she stayed with her father-in-law in the countryside to nurse him while he was ill, and thus was not present at court during the Women's March on Versailles, which took place on 5 October 1789, when she was with her father-in-law in Aumale. It was reportedly in the apartment of Marie Thérèse that the queen had her political meetings with Mirabeau. Great Britain, the princess wrote her will, because she was convinced that she risked mortal danger should she return to Paris. Other information, however, states that the will was made in the Austrian Netherlands, being dated "Aix la Chapelle, to-day the 15th October 1791. Marie Thérèse Louise de Savoie". "Madame de Lamballe displayed even greater courage. Standing during the whole of that long scene, leaning upon the Queen's chair, she seemed only occupied with the dangers of that unhappy princess without regarding her own." == Imprisonment ==

On 19 August 1792, Marie Thérèse, Louise-Élisabeth de Croÿ de Tourzel and Pauline de Tourzel were separated from the royal family and transferred to the La Force prison, where they were allowed to share a cell. They were removed from the Temple at the same time as two valets and three female servants, as it was decided that the royal family should not be allowed to keep their retainers. During the September Massacres, the prisons were seized by mobs, and the prisoners were placed before hastily assembled people's tribunals, which judged and executed them summarily. Each prisoner was asked a handful of questions, after which the prisoner was either freed with the words "Vive la nation", and permitted to leave, or sentenced to death with the words "Conduct him to the Abbaye" or "Let him go", after which the condemned was taken to a yard where they were immediately killed by a mob of men, women and children. The massacres were opposed by prison staff, who allowed many prisoners to escape, particularly women. Of about two hundred women, only two were ultimately killed in the prison. Pauline de Tourzel was smuggled out of the prison, but her mother and Marie Thérèse were too well known to be able to escape in this way. Their escape would have risked attracting too much notice. Almost all women prisoners tried before the tribunals in the La Force prison were freed of charges. Indeed, not only the former royal governesses Madame de Tourzel and Marie Angélique de Mackau, but also five other women of the royal household: the lady-in-waiting Louise-Emmanuelle de Châtillon, Princesse de Tarente, the queen's ladies-maids Marie-Élisabeth Thibault and Bazile, the dauphin's nurse St Brice, Marie Thérèse's own ladies-maid Navarre, as well as the wife of the king's valet Madame de Septeuil, were all put before the tribunals and freed of charges, as were even two male members of the royal household, the valets of the king and the dauphin, Chamilly and Hue. Marie Thérèse was therefore to be somewhat of an exception. == Death ==

in 1837|left|240x240px On 3 September 1792, Marie Thérèse and Madame de Tourzel were taken out to a courtyard with other prisoners, waiting to be taken to the tribunal. She was brought before a hastily assembled tribunal which demanded she "take an oath to love liberty and equality and to swear hatred to the King and the Queen and to the monarchy". She agreed to take the oath to liberty but refused to denounce the king, queen, and monarchy. Her trial was summarily ended with the words "emmenez madame" ("take madame away"). She was in the company of Madame de Tourzel until she was called into the tribunal, and the exact wording of the summary trial is stated to have consisted of the following swift interrogation: She was then quickly escorted by two guards to the door of the yard where the massacre was taking place; on her way there, the agents of her father-in-law followed and again encouraged her to swear the oath, but she appeared not to hear them. There is, however, nothing to indicate that she was exposed to any sexual mutilations or atrocities, which was widely alleged in the sensationalist stories surrounding her infamous death. Treatment of remains ) The treatment of her remains has also been the subject of many conflicting stories. After her death, her corpse was reportedly undressed, eviscerated and decapitated, with its head placed upon a pike. Some reports state that the head was taken to a barber in order to dress the hair to make it instantly recognizable, Following this, the head was put on the pike again and paraded beneath Marie Antoinette's window at the Temple. Marie Antoinette and her family were not present in the room outside which the head was displayed at the time and thus did not see it. According to Madame Tussaud, she was ordered to make a death mask. The Princesse de Lamballe was one of 37 women murdered during the September Massacres in Paris, and one of only two women outside of the La Salpêtrière to be killed, the other being Marie Gredeler of the Conciergerie. == In media ==

The Princesse de Lamballe has been portrayed in several films and miniseries. Two of the more notable portrayals were by Anita Louise in W. S. Van Dyke's 1938 film Marie Antoinette, and by Mary Nighy in the 2006 film Marie Antoinette, directed by Sofia Coppola. In the 1989 miniseries La Révolution française she was played by Gabrielle Lazure. In the television series Marie Antoinette, which began airing in 2022, she is played by Jasmine Blackborow. She is also mentioned in the 1905 children's book A Little Princess--the main character, Sara, is fascinated with the French Revolution and recounts the Princess's death to her friend. == Ancestry ==