Henriette Adelaide of Savoy (Enrichetta Adelaide Maria; 6 November 1636 – 13 June 1676), was Electress of Bavaria by marriage to Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria. She had much political influence in her adopted country and with her husband did much to improve the welfare of the Electorate of Bavaria.

Princess of Savoy

Born at the Castello del Valentino in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, she was the older of twin girls; her sister Princess Catherine Beatrice of Savoy died in Turin 26 August 1637. On 7 October 1637 she lost her father Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy, when she was just one year old. Her mother, Christine of France, was the daughter of

Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...

and Marie de' Medici. After the death of her father, her mother served as Regent of Savoy on behalf of two of Henriette Adelaide's brothers: Francis Hyacinth (1632–1638), then Charles Emmanuel II (1634–1675) after the older brother died. Her uncles Prince Maurice of Savoy and Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano, intrigued against their sister-in-law and her French entourage. When the first heir Francis Hyacinth died in 1638, the brothers Maurice and Thomas started the Piedmontese Civil War with Spanish support. The two parties in the war were known as the "''principisti''" (supporters of the princes) and "''madamisti''" (supporters of "Madama Reale," the regent Christine). With the support of her brother, King

Louis XIII of France Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...

, Marie Christine was able to defeat the challenge to her rule.

Electress of Bavaria

On 8 December 1650 Henriette married Ferdinand Maria, heir to the Electorate of Bavaria future. The next year he became Elector upon the death of his father Maximilian. Henriette Adelaide had a strong influence on Bavarian foreign affairs in favor of France, whose royal family counted her mother as a member. This led to an alliance between France and Bavaria against Austria. One of the results of the alliance was the marriage of Henriette's eldest daughter Maria Anna and her cousin Louis, Dauphin of France (''le Grand Dauphin''), in 1680. She had a leading role in the building of Nymphenburg Palace and the Theatine Church in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. Many Italian artists were invited to Munich, and she also introduced

Italian opera Italian opera is both the art of opera in Italy and opera in the Italian language. Opera was in Italy around the year 1600 and Italian opera has continued to play a dominant role in the history of the form until the present day. Many famous ope ...

to the court of Bavaria. Henriette died in Munich and was buried in the Theatine Church – the church she and her husband built as a gesture of thanks for the birth of the long-awaited heir to the Bavarian crown, Prince Maximilan II Emanuel, in 1662.

Issue

* Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria (28 November 1660 – 20 April 1690) married Louis, Dauphin of France, and had issue; the present

King of Spain The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

descends from her. * Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (11 July 1662 – 26 February 1726); married Maria Antonia of Austria and had issue; married

Theresa Kunegunda Sobieska Theresa Kunegunda (, , ) (4 March 1676 – 27 March 1730) was a Polish people, Polish princess, Electress of Bavaria and of the Electorate of the Palatinate. By birth, she was a member of the House of Sobieski and by marriage, she is also a membe ...

and had issue. * Luise Margarete Antonie of Bavaria (18 September 1663 – 10 November 1665). * Ludwig Amadeus Victor of Bavaria (6 April 1665 – 11 December 1665). * Stillborn son (4 August 1666). * Kajetan Maria Franz of Bavaria (2 May 1670 – 7 December 1670). * Joseph Clemens of Bavaria (5 December 1671 – 12 November 1723) Elector and Archbishop of Cologne. * Violante Beatrix of Bavaria (23 January 1673 – 30 May 1731) married Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany. In addition, the Electress suffered three miscarriages: in June 1661, March 1664 and 1674.

Ancestors

Notes

References

* Preuß: ''Henriette Adelheid, Kurfürstin von Baiern'' n:''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' ( ADB). vol. 50, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1905, pp. 198–200. * Roswitha von Bary: ''Henriette Adelaide. Kurfürstin von Bayern''. Pustet, Regensburg 2004, . * Cornelia Kemp: ''Das Herzkabinett der Kurfürstin Henriette Adelaide in der Münchner Residenz. Eine preziöse Liebeskonzeption und ihre Ikonographie'' n:''Münchner Jahrbuch der bildenden Kunst'' 33, 1982, , pp. 131–154. * Reinhold Baumstark: ''Abbild und Überhöhung in der höfischen Malerei unter Henriette Adelaide und dem jungen Max Emanuel'' n:Hubert Glaser: ''Kurfürst Max Emanuel. Bayern und Europa um 1700''. vol. I: ''Zur Geschichte und Kunstgeschichte der Max-Emanuel-Zeit''. Hirmer, Munich 1976, , pp. 171–205. *

External links

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Henriette Adelaide Of Savoy, Princess 1636 births 1676 deaths Nobility from Turin 17th-century Italian nobility House of Wittelsbach Italian twins Duchesses of Bavaria Electoral Princesses of Bavaria Electresses of Bavaria Princesses of Savoy Burials at the Theatine Church, Munich Daughters of dukes Mothers of Bavarian monarchs