Chosing Another Madame: The Choice of Elizabeth-Charlotte

The untimely death of Henrietta of England, Duchesse d'Orléans, in 1670 meant that there was (in the words of Louis XIV) a vacant position at court: that of Madame, sister-in-law of the king. Such an elevated position warranted a princess from impeccable background. Henrietta herself had been a beautiful and well-educated woman who was beloved by her brother-in-law. Undoubtedly, it would be a difficult task to step into her shoes.

The choice fell on the nineteen-year old Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate. Unlike her predecessor, Elizabeth Charlotte was no beauty but had a strong intellect and even stronger opinions. The choice might seem a rather odd one. France had preferred to import their royal wives from the major powerhouses of Europe, particularly their southern neighbor of Spain. Furthermore, Elizabeth Charlotte's family were not rich nor did they rule a particularly large or strategically important territory. The Palatinate was located in the middle of modern Germany and was made up of many, some very small, territories. So why was Elizabeth Charlotte chosen?

As for Spain, there were no suitable princesses available. The reigning king, Charles II, was notoriously inbred and apparently infertile. Even if he had had a daughter by his first wife, the idea of a union between her and Philippe was unthinkable. The problem was that the girl in question would have been Philippe's own granddaughter, as Charles' first wife was Philippe's daughter, Marie Louise. Even the premature death of Marie Louise and her replacement by Maria Anna of Neuburg did not result in a princess; she would undoubted have been far too young as well. Thus, Spain was not a possibility.

Elizabeth-Charlotte at the time of her
marriage

The choice of a royal bride was always a matter of politics. In this case, it was the foreign politics of Louis XIV that placed the unlikely candidate of Elizabeth Charlotte at the court of Versailles. The Sun King's combination of diplomacy and military might had ensured that the neighboring states were neutralised as a threat to France - except for the Palatinate. Hitherto, the Palatinate had had no definitive pact with France which provided France's enemies with a potential route directly to the French border. It would also enable the king to expand his interests to other German states.

There was also the possibility of physically pushing France's own borders. In lieu of a dowry - the Elector being both unwilling and unable to pay a large enough sum - the succession rights of Elizabeth Charlotte remained intact. Should the male line fail, France might just claim the territory in her name - as it happens, that is exactly what happened. In 1685, Charles II of the Palatinate - or Karl as Liselotte would have known him - died. He had been the brother of Elizabeth Charlotte and had had no children by his wife, a Danish princess.

This prompted Louis XIV to raise the claim of his sister-in-law which famously resulted in the ravaging of Elizabeth Charlotte's homeland, including the palace she had grown up in. Elizabeth Charlotte would never forgive her brother-in-law for this assault on her native country but preferred to assign blame to Louvois.

By 1671, this was still in the future but remained a very strong argument for the choice of Elizabeth Charlotte. Furthermore, she might not have been a royal princess in her own right but she was connected to important families. For instance, she was the granddaughter of the King of Bohemia and the great-granddaughter of the King of England. Such distant ties might potentially prove desirable.

For the bride's father, Charles Louis (Karl Ludwig) the union was beneficial. There was the obvious attraction of a high-ranking match for his daughter, especially as he was unlikely to have thought of marrying her so advantageously. However, the Elector realistically had little choice. Imagine that he had refused the offer altogether. He would have made a powerful enemy who had a dominating presence in every state surrounding him. Viewed in that light, agreeing to a marriage was the preferable option even if it meant having his daughter convert to Catholicism.

Philippe, ca. 1670 

That was another thing that nagged the courtiers of Versailles. Elizabeth Charlotte was born a Protestant, had been raised a Protestant and had been educated in a remarkably religiously tolerant society. However, a member of the French royal family could not possibly be anything but a Catholic. Such matters were not typically a hindrance as a bride was easily converted. Yet, the Protestant family from which she came was far from pleased at the prospect. In the end, the Elector begrudgingly agreed that she could convert but stipulated that the conversion could only take place once she had left his own territories. Elizabeth-Charlotte herself was not too pleased about this forced conversion but accepted it for the good of her family.

The interference of Anne of Gonzaga should also not be overlooked. Anne was herself a member (by marriage) of the Palatinate-house; as such, she was the "original" Princess Palatine at the court of Louis XIV. Having been raised in France, Anne was a half Italian/half French lady who had been married to Edward of Simmerm, son of a former Elector of the Palatinate. She managed to get one of her daughters married to the Prince de Condé and maintained a close relationship with the French court. She was quite involved in many of the arranged marriages of her relatives and thus did not hesitate to suggest her niece-by-marriage, Elizabeth Charlotte. Interestingly, Anne was a close friend of Philippe which might have been a reason for him accepting the match without further ado.

As for Elizabeth Charlotte herself, she would later reveal to an old friend that she would much have preferred remaining unmarried. She had little inclination to marry anyone and had undoubtedly heard of the somewhat scandalous life of her future husband. Also, her predecessor had died suddenly with rumours of poisoning swirling which hardly added to any incentive she might have had. Nevertheless, Elizabeth Charlotte was a pragmatic to the core. As she stated in one of her numerous letters, marriages were made in heaven - they were one's destiny and one could not avoid them.

Elizabeth-Charlotte with her two
surviving children: Philippe and yet another
Elizabeth-Charlotte

The matter of fertility was also an issue. The entire reason for marrying off Philippe again was that the house of Orléans needed an heir. Elizabeth Charlotte was nineteen at the age of their marriage and by all accounts a healthy young woman. Her own mother had had two children and would likely have had more if her marriage to the Elector had not dissolved in a truly spectacular fashion. Meanwhile, the Elector had a staggering eighteen children!

Traditionally, German princesses had a reputation for being particularly fertile which certainly suited the purpose. Elizabeth Charlotte happened to be of a childbearing age - 19 years - and did indeed fall pregnant not long after her wedding which can only have seemed to confirm the theory.

It is hardly a wonder that the marriage between Elizabeth Charlotte and Philippe was a rocky one. Dynastically, it was a success as the couple produced both an heir and a daughter, but their personal relationship was quickly soured by their different dispositions. Elizabeth Charlotte viewed marriage as an inevitable duty which she had not sought herself. Meanwhile, Philippe was not too pleased at having a wife who was less than attractive; added to that was the life-long influence of his lover, the Chevalier de Lorraine. While the marriage served its political purpose (from the French point of view) the people involved would likely have been happier if they had been left alone.