History of Europe

Princess Palatine (Elisabeth-Charlotte of Bavaria)


Charlotte-Elizabeth of Bavaria (1652-1722), known as the Princess Palatine , is the second wife of Monsieur Philippe d'Orléans, brother of Louis XIV. A great recognized epistolary, she is also nicknamed Madame Europe or the "Gossip of the Grand Siècle". Thanks to some 60,000 letters written by Elisabeth-Charlotte across Europe (because she corresponded with England, Sweden, Denmark, the courts of Lorraine, Savoy and Modena, Spain, Sicily... ), we can retrace her life, made up of joys, sorrows, and especially learn about the mores of the Court of Versailles….She will not mince her words, but will be fair and honest in her writings. His abundant correspondence is a valuable testimony to his time.

Charlotte-Elizabeth of Bavaria, a coveted party

Born in May 1652, Elisabeth-Charlotte of Bavaria was nicknamed Princess Palatine because she was the daughter of Charles-Louis, Elector Palatine of the Rhine. She is also the grandmother of most Catholic princes and of Marie Louise (2nd wife of Napoleon I), great-grandmother of Marie Antoinette and the emperors Joseph II and Leopold II, great-granddaughter of a king of Bohemia as well than a king of England and Scotland. Skinny at birth, she became chubby at six, played with her brother's swords and guns, wandered around her native Palatinate picking grapes, spoke patois and listened to popular tales. Torn between disunited parents, her aunt Sophie from Hanover takes her under her wing for five years, teaches her languages, dance, music, writing (she will keep fond memories of Christmas, Carnival and Pentecost ).

When her parents spoke to her about marriage, she was eighteen (several suitors such as Guillaume d'Orange Nassau , the Prince of Denmark, the King of Sweden, the Electoral Prince of Brandenburg, the heir to the Polish Duchy of Courland), but wishes for a true marriage of love. Thanks to Princess Palatine Anne de Gonzague, Elisabeth Charlotte converted to the Roman religion, then was married by proxy in November 1671 to the Duke of Orléans (contract where Philippe received all of his wife's property!). She arrives in France completely abandoned by her family, constantly crying during the nine days of travel. Her trousseau consists of "a blue taffeta dress, a sable scarf, six nightgowns and as many daygowns".

Madame is surprised at the sight of Philippe of modest height, perched on high heels and adorned with rings, bracelets and precious stones:“without looking ignoble, The gentleman was short and chubby, with very black hair and eyebrows, large dark eyes, a long, thin face, a large nose and a too-small mouth full of ugly teeth. On the other hand, the clothes are magnificent. As for Monsieur, he can only say:"how could I sleep with her? ". She is not a beauty, but not ugly either. Blonde, fresh, massive, colored cheeks, blue eyes, fair complexion. She lacks the grace, seduction and charm of the Court. She forms, with Philippe, a couple whose roles are reversed:he effeminate, small, precious, coquettish; she masculine, robust, simple, natural. The ten-day honeymoon in Villers-Cotterêts lives up to Philippe's sumptuousness. The king is quickly conquered by Madame who speaks fluent French. He takes pity on her, knowing his brother and his attractions.

Princess Palatine, wife of Philip, brother of the king

The couple get along well at first. Elisabeth Charlotte discovers Saint Cloud "the most beautiful place in the world “, the Palais Royal and Paris (which she will hate for life, because of the noise and the smells), the ovations of the people who will always love her… and the cuties of whom she is wary. She does not meddle in the affairs of Philippe d'Orléans , but the most disturbing thing is that he uses Elisabeth Charlotte's property to give presents to the cuties!

Having not yet had a boy, Philippe did his duty:Alexandre-Louis was born in June 1673, but lived only three years, then Philippe, Duke of Chartres, future regent in August 1674, Mademoiselle de Chartres in September 1676. From that date, they lived in separate rooms. Elisabeth Charlotte will write later:“I was very comfortable, because I never liked the job of having children. When His Highness made me this proposal, I answered him yes, with a good heart, Sir, I will be very happy with it provided that you do not hate me and that you continue to have a little kindness for me... ". Especially since Philippe transmitted to him “a beautiful disease ! She quickly replaces her presence in her bed…with 6 spaniels!

The next ten years (the golden age of music, literature, theater) are the best for Elisabeth Charlotte:she discovers Versailles, enjoys walks in the gardens, is very appreciated by the king for her frankness, her uprightness, her spontaneity, especially her absence of hypocrisy. Having common tastes, he invites her to hunt, to the theater, to the opera, to apartment parties. Louis XIV, won over by his humor and common sense, offered him his friendship.

From 1680, "the tide is turning". Elisabeth Charlotte loses her father and Anne de Gonzague, faces a plot organized by the mignons to oust him destroying the good understanding between the two spouses, a double-third fever of Philippe, the king destroys the Palatinate, Philippe cuts posts of his wife's house, imposes Effiat as their son's tutor... Madame rebels, the king remonstrates with her and adds:"if you weren't my sister-in-law, I would have dismissed you from court ". He turns away from her...the king begins the second part of his life:more serious, more pious, Elisabeth Charlotte's outspokenness almost offends him. She loses all credibility and did not realize Madame de Maintenon's rising favor.

The worst is reached when the king marries the Duke of Chartres (in order to channel him because he is too good at war) to Mlle de Blois, his bastard daughter. Elisabeth Charlotte emerges from the salons of the Château de Versailles, surrounded by courtiers “like a lioness who has her young snatched away ". She feels more and more alone and lost. Philippe no longer takes care of her, she wishes to enter the convent. She complains about it to the king who replies:“As long as I live, I will not consent to it. You are Madame, and obliged to hold this position, you are my brother's wife, so I will not allow you to make such a fuss about her...I do not want to deceive you, in any dispute you may have with my brother. :if it is from him to you, I will be for him; but also if it's other people of yours I'll be for him ". Only her aunt Sophie from Hanover is there for her. Elisabeth Charlotte's only consolation is her mail, she writes freely, recounts her misfortunes, depicts the escapades of the Court, without forgetting anyone. His letters are opened, and shown to the king...

The "gossip of the Grand Siècle"

Elisabeth Charlotte and Philippe, abandoned by the king, approach each other. It takes on worrying proportions, he is worn out, tired by his abuses. In wanting to defend his son, Monsieur loses his temper and gets so angry in front of the king that he has a stroke. On June 9, 1701, Elisabeth Charlotte was alone, threatened with spending the rest of her life in the convent. Following the advice of those around her, she made peace with Madame de Maintenon on June 11...everyone kissed but the atmosphere remained tense.

With neither the Royal Palace nor the domain of Saint Cloud left to him, he still has the old castle of Montargis and the goodwill of the king! She settled permanently in Versailles, became a philosopher and only aspired "to spend her life quietly". Serene, no longer having the pressure and the sarcasm of the minions, in good friendship with the king and Madame de Maintenon, the rest of her life alternates between joy and pain:the happiness of having a new grandson on her daughter's side. neutralizes the grief caused by the death of his favorite dog, the birth of the new Duke of Chartres has no effect on him, the daughter of his aunt Sophie de Hanover dies of a tumor in her throat. Elisabeth Charlotte falls seriously, twisting her foot and knee, and deprived of “Marly”, hunting and walks, she writes:“we change nature as we age ". She went through the very harsh winter of 1709 with her many deaths, and noticed in July 1710 that her treasurer had taken 100,000 crowns from her...

She spends more and more time in her study, playing the guitar, expanding her collection of beautiful books (3000 volumes) and antique medals (964). She navigates between Virgil, Honoré d'Urfé, Saint Evremond and the Bible. Interested in medicine and science, she spends time studying insects and others through the three microscopes she owns. His twenty-page letters are not used for history, they are a testimony of his time, "those little nothings" of everyday life that we tell ourselves, a bit like today. In our time, we would say "she talks".

Princess Palatine, between melancholy and lucidity

Elisabeth Charlotte is infinitely saddened by the death of her aunt Sophie in 1714 and no longer has a taste for life. At the death of the king, she feels unwell as her pain is real and deep. Among her occupations, she laid the first stone of the church of the Abbaye-aux-Bois, rue de Sèvres, she supported her son during the Cellamare conspiracy. Finally, in 1719, Madame de Maintenon died in St Cyr! She exclaims:“Old Maintenon is exhausted. It would have been a great happiness if this could have happened some thirty years ago ". Another satisfaction:the death of the Marquis d'Effiat. She reconciles with the doctors and accepts certain prescriptions, but she wears out, gets tired very quickly. No longer able to walk around, but having all her head, she is perplexed by this new Parisian wealth produced by the Law system. She still has time to attend the coronation of Louis XV before she dies. Courageous to the end, she died on December 8, 1722, at the same time as an eclipse of the sun.

Mathieu Marais will say:"we lose a good princess, and that's a rare thing ". A princess of old, preserving and applying the principles of propriety, always ready to serve the people of her house, having had difficulty understanding the evolution of mores during the Regency.

Bibliography

- Madame Palatine, European Princess, by Dirk Van der Cruysse. Fayard, 1988.

- The Palatine Princess, by Christian Bouyer. Pygmalion, 2005.

- The Duke of Orléans:Brother of Louis XIV by Christian Bouyer. Pygmalion, 2003

To go further

- Letters from Madame, Duchess of Orléans born Princess Palatine. Mercury of France, 1999.