Fortunate Marie of Este-Modena - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

''' Maria Fortunata d' Este ''' (in French Marie-Fortunate of Este), princess of Modena, by its marriage countess of Walk (1759) then princess of Conti (1776), was born with Modena the November 24th 1731 and died in the convent of the Visitation with Venice the September 21st 1803.

Girl of François III, duke of Modena and the duchess born Charlotte-Aglaé of Orleans, it is the grand-daughter of fire regent, pious and good, but equipped with a disgracieux face.

A marriage of impropriety

His/her mother arranges her marriage with one of her French cousins, Louis François Joseph of Bourbon-Conti (1734 - 1816), count of Walk. The contract is signed with Milan the January 3rd 1759 by the ambassador of France at the court of Turin, and the marriage is celebrated by procuration in Milan the February 7th - his/her father was named by the empress governor of Lombardy - and in person with Nangis-in-Brie the February 27th. The duke of Modena ensures his/her daughter a dowry of a million books. The March 5th, the princess is presented to the king, the queen and the royal family by the princess dowager of Conti.

The two husbands are not long in scrambling themselves because the count of the Walk, which married only by subsidiary obedience and divided the bridal layer only time to consume its union, claims to impose on his wife the presence of a natural son whom it had in 1761 of Marie Anne Véronèse, said Miss Coraline, artist of the Theater-Italian. The count of Walk has a second natural child with his mistress in 1767. This carries a fatal blow to its household: the two husbands by amicable agreement separate with the end of the year 1775. Separation is final the June 12th 1777. Meanwhile prince de Conti, died and " Their Sérénissimes Highnesses the count and the countess of Marche" became " Their Sérénissimes Highnesses the prince and the princess of Conti" (1776).

A life of single person

The princess, cultivated woman discrete and austere, keeps up to date with the news with her time but saw withdrawn from the court rejected by the frivolity of the entourage of the young queen, presenting herself to Versailles only to achieve her family duties.

Notwithstanding, it maintains the affectionate relations with her brother-in-law, the very pious duke of Penthièvre like with the girl and the daughter-in-law of this one, Louise-Adelaide, the wealthy heiress of the kingdom, married in 1769 with the Duc of Orleans and Marie-Therese, princess of Lamballe, surintendante of the house of the queen.

In 1780, it acquires the castle of Triel which quickly becomes its vacation resort preferred.

A life of refugee

In May 1789, it attends with the royal family the opening of the General states but emigrates after the " large peur" August (following the count d' Artois and of his/her husband become unpopular) under the pseudonym of " countess of Triel " …

However, while her husband takes refuge in Brussels, Fortunée turns over towards its native soil, Italy and settles in Chambéry in the states of king de Sardaigne. In 1791, it is withdrawn at Freiburg, Swiss city which accommodates a great number of emigrants, in particular of the monks. It is there that she learns the fall from monarchy, the imprisonment of the royal family, the separation of the couple Orleans, the atrocious end of the princess of Lamballe and the death sentence (in particular the vote " pour" of the duke of Orleans) then execution of the king but also the peaceful death of his/her Penthièvre brother-in-law, remained popular in these times disturbed thanks to its deep generosity. She learns also soon the desertion from the duke from Chartres, oldest son of the duke of Orleans, the imprisonment of the Orleans family and her husband which had returned to France since 1790, the execution of the queen and the duke of Orleans.

A life of exiled

From 1794, it lodges his/her small-niece Adélaïde of Orleans which, at 17 years, wanders in Europe in war, rejected as well by revolutionary France as by the emigrants which refuse their solicitude with the girl of a regicide, was it of royal blood. Adelaide and her seventeen years will be the involuntary object of a bitter-sweet fight between the sexagenarian recluse princess and its lady's companion, the countess of the Rocks which, both, wished to collect the affection of the young girl. Little by little the countess will take ascending regrettable on the young princess weakened by the tests.

In 1797, summoned by the Directory to expel the emigrants, the prohibited Swiss government of stay these cumbersome hosts. The princess of Conti, Adelaide and their small continuation settle with Landshut in Bavaria. In spring 1800, the two princesses fleeing the French troops of Napoleon Bonaparte, settle in Hungary with Presbourg where they receive the visit of another relationship, the archduchess Marie-Beatrice, heiress of the Duché of Modena which, it also, has to flee in front of the revolutionary troops.

In 1801, Adélaïde joined her mother who, after her release took refuge with Barcelona and the act of amnesty of the first consul towards the emigrants (except the family members royal) little by little restricted the circle familiar of the princess who reaches the seventy years.

The last refuge

In 1802, Fortunée makes share with the archduke Ferdinand of Habsbourg-Lorraine-Este, husband of its niece Marie-Beatrice, her desire to withdraw itself with the convent of the Visitation to Venice. It settles there the October 19th with three chambermaids while its lady's companion, the countess of the Rocks, settles in his/her daughter in Offenburg (country of Bade). Reached of a Pleurisy in August 1803, the last princess of Conti dies the September 21st and is buried in the vault of the convent followed of little by his/her brother the duke of Modena Hercules III and his/her unmarried sister Mathilde.La countess of the Rocks, also, follows it in the tomb as of on October 18th.

Sources

Pierre Houdion: " The last princess of Conti, Fortunate-Marie d' Este 1731-1803" Harmattan, Paris, 2007 ----

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