Marie-Sophie de Courcillon, Princesse de Rohan

On 6 August 1713, Marie Sophie was born into the family of Courcillon. Her grand-father was the Marquis de Dangeau who wrote the well-known memoir on the court of Versailles. Her own father, Philippe-Egon, was severely wounded at the Battle of Malplaquet.

Like most children of the nobility, Marie-Sophie was likely brought up in her parents' houses rather than at court. At the age of 16, she was married off to Charles-François d'Albert d'Ailly, Prince de Picquigny. The match was nothing unusual for the times; the couple were only six years apart in age and of equal social standing. Not long after their marriage, the sixteen-year old Princesse was pregnant. She would give birth to a daughter, Marie Thérèse. It is not known how the relationship between husband and wife was behind closed doors. Either way, it did not last long. Just two years after their marriage, Charles-François died - Marie-Thérèse followed him five years later. 

Marie-Sophie was left a widow at 17 years old and since she had no sons by her late husband, there was no pretext for her to take over the lands of her late husband until her child came of age. Instead - in the eyes of society at the time - she was once again eligible for a new marriage. Her family did not hesitate long. Charles-François had died in 1731; on 2 September 1732, Marie-Sophie was remarried to Hercule Mériadec de Rohan. 

Marie-Sophie likely had no particular say in the matter. Her new husband was 43 years older than her - but very wealthy and loaded with titles. He was captain-lieutenant of the guards while also holding the title of lieutenant-general. His titles included Prince de Maubuisson, Prince de Soubise and Duc de Rohan-Rohan.  He was a prince étrangère which meant that she would be entitled to use the title of Princesse de Rohan.

  

Marie-Sophie

Her new husband did not present a problem for her independence - in practice, if not by law. Marie-Sophie was welcome to establish her own salon at their Parisian Hôtel de Soubise where she could entertain her friends and intellectuals of the day. For instance, she was well-known to have sincere friendship with many artists and authors of her age. It is likely that she had a good deal to say about the décor when Boffrand was commissioned to redo the interior of the Hôtel de Soubise.

There was another aspect to their marriage which left the two parties at almost complete liberty from one another. While Hercule's own son had died in 1724, he had managed to sire a son of his own. This new Prince de Soubise would be the heir of Hercule. Thus, there was no need to produce an heir to the dukedom and they could live apart if they so pleased.

Of her husband's first marriage, there were three surviving daughters, one of whom, Louise Gabrielle Julie, she became very good friends with. It must have been an awkward situation to begin with as Marie-Sophie was ten years younger than her step-daughter. 

Besides her time at her hotel in Paris, Marie-Sophie spent time at Versailles, where her rank as a duchess meant that she was in the highest rank of the nobility - outside the royal family itself. She would introduce  Anne Marie Louise de La Tour d'Auvergne, the new Princesse de Soubise to the court in 1737. She was the wife of Hercule's grandson and thereby his heir.

By 1746, her husband died and Marie-Sophie found herself widowed again. She had never had children by her second husband and had none either by her liaison with the Duc de Richelieu following this date. She spent a good deal of her time in Paris. On 4 April 1756, Marie-Sophie died at the age of just 42. It is unclear exactly what caused her death at this rather early age.