Maria Teresa Felicitas (; 6 October 1726 – 30 April 1754) was a Princess of Modena by birth and

Duchess of Penthièvre Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

by marriage. She was the mother-in-law of Philippe Égalité and thus grandmother to the future

Louis-Philippe of France Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary War ...

Youth (1726–1744)

Maria Teresa Felicitas was born on 6 October 1726 at the

Ducal Palace of Modena The Ducal Palace of Modena is a Baroque palace in Modena, Italy. It was the residence of the Este Dukes of Modena between 1452 and 1859. It currently houses a portion of the Italian Military Academy. History The palace occupies the site of ...

in Modena, Italy.''Journal de la vie de S.A.S. madame la Dsse. d'Orléans, douairière''
/ref> She was the eldest daughter of Francesco III, Duke of Modena and

Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans (22 October 1700 – 19 January 1761) was Duchess of Modena and Reggio by marriage to Francesco III d'Este. She was the third daughter of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans and his wife, Françoise-Marie de Bourbon. She ...

. Before her birth, her parents had two sons, Alfonso and Francesco, both of whom died in 1725. Her parents' marriage was not happy and her mother eventually returned to her native France. The Duchess took up residence in the

Luxembourg Palace The Luxembourg Palace (french: Palais du Luxembourg, ) is at 15 Rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It was originally built (1615–1645) to the designs of the French architect Salomon de Brosse to be the royal residence of th ...

in Paris, with the permission of

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...

. It was while her mother was in France that she saw the opportunity to marry her daughters into the royal family; such alliances between '' princes du sang'' and princesses from a small Italian duchy was highly unexpected. Maria Teresa was engaged to her second cousin,

Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon (16 November 1725 – 4 March 1793) was the son of Louis Alexandre de Bourbon and his wife Marie Victoire de Noailles. He was therefore a grandson of Louis XIV of France and his mistress, Madame de Montespan. From ...

. Her younger sister, Maria Fortunata, would also become a member of the French royal family in 1759 through her marriage to another cousin,

Louis François Joseph, Prince of Conti Louis François Joseph de Bourbon or Louis François II, Prince of Conti (1 September 1734 – 13 March 1814), was the last Prince of Conti, scion of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, whose senior branches ruled France until 1848. His titl ...

Marriage and death (1744–1754)

The Duke of Penthièvre was Maria Teresa's mother's first cousin. Charlotte Aglaé's mother was the sister of the duke's father, Louis Alexandre, Count of Toulouse. The wedding took place on December 29, 1744 in Modena, followed by another ceremony at the Palace of Versailles. The Duke had inherited a great fortune when his father died in 1737. According to some contemporaries, their marriage was a very happy one. The couple's happiness would come to an abrupt end with the death of Maria Teresa on April 30, 1754, a day after giving birth to their seventh child, Louis Marie Félicité, who also died shortly after. After her death, her mother tried to arrange a marriage between her widower and her younger sister, Princess Matilde. However, the grieving duke declined the offer and never remarried.

Issue

Maria Teresa and her husband had seven children, but only two survived infancy: *

Louis Marie, Duke of Rambouillet Louis Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Rambouillet (2 January 1746 – 13 November 1749) was a French nobleman who died before his fourth birthday. He was never in the line of succession to the France's throne because he belonged to the illegitimate ...

( Palace of Versailles, 2 January 1746 – Palace of Versailles, 13 November 1749), died in infancy. *

Louis Alexandre, Prince of Lamballe Louis Alexandre de Bourbon (Louis Alexandre Joseph Stanislas; 6 September 1747 – 6 May 1768) was the son and heir of Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, great grandson of Louis XIV by the king's legitimised son, Louis Alexandre de Bourbon. He was ...

(

Hôtel de Toulouse The Hôtel de Toulouse, former Hôtel de La Vrillière is located at 1 rue de La Vrillière, in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. It was built between 1635 and 1640 by François Mansart, for Louis Phélypeaux, seigneur de La Vrillière. Originally, ...

, Paris, 6 September 1747 –

Château de Louveciennes The Château de Louveciennes in Louveciennes, in the Yvelines département of France, is composed of the château itself, constructed at the end of the 17th century. It was then expanded and redecorated by Ange-Jacques Gabriel for Madame du Barry ...

, 6 May 1768), married

Princess Marie Louise of Savoy Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

and had no issue. *

Jean Marie, Duke of Châteauvillain Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Châteauvillain (17 July 1748 – 19 May 1755) was a French Duke and nobleman. He died in Paris at the age of 6. He was the ''duc de Châteauvillain'' from birth. Biography Jean Marie was born in Paris at the H ...

(Hôtel de Toulouse, Paris, 17 July 1748 – Hôtel de Toulouse, Paris, 19 May 1755), died in infancy. * Vincent, Count of Guingamp (Hôtel de Toulouse, Paris, 22 June 1750 – Palace of Versailles, 14 March 1752), died in infancy. *Marie Louise, ''Mademoiselle de Penthièvre'' (Hôtel de Toulouse, Paris, 18 October 1751 – Palace of Versailles, 26 September 1753), died in infancy. * Louise Marie Adélaïde (Hôtel de Toulouse, Paris, 13 March 1753 – Château d'Ivry-sur-Seine, 23 June 1821), ''Mademoiselle d'Ivoy'' and later ''Mademoiselle de Penthièvre''. Married Philippe d'Orléans and had issue. * Louis Marie Félicité (Château de Rambouillet, 29 April 1754 – Château de Rambouillet, 30 April 1754), died a day after his birth.

Gallery

File:Modène, François-Marie III de.jpg,

Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena Francesco III d'Este (Francesco Maria; 2 July 1698 – 22 February 1780) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1737 until his death. Biography He was born in Modena, the son of Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena, and Duchess Charlotte of Brunswick ...

File:Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans depicted as the goddess Hébé attributed to Pierre Gobert.jpg, Charlotte Aglaé of Orléans File:The Family of the Duke of Penthièvre.jpg, Maria Teresa's family; The Duke of Penthièvre; Prince of Lamballe; Princess of Lamballe; '' Mademoiselle de Penthièvre'' next to the Countess of Toulouse File:Rambouillet château3 dessin.jpg, The

Château de Rambouillet The Château de Rambouillet (), known in English as the Castle of Rambouillet, is a château in the town of Rambouillet, Yvelines department, in the Île-de-France region in northern France, southwest of Paris. It was the summer residence of t ...

File:Arms of Maria Teresa Felicitas d'Este as Duchess of Penthièvre.png, Arms

Ancestry

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Teresa Felicitas dEste 1726 births 1754 deaths House of Bourbon-Penthièvre 18th-century Italian people Modenese princesses Deaths in childbirth House of Este Burials at the Chapelle royale de Dreux Royal reburials