Anna Carlotta Teresa Canalis di Cumiana (23 April 1680 – 13 April 1769) was a playwright and the morganatic wife of Victor Amadeus II, King of Sardinia. She was created

Marchesa A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or widow) ...

of Spigno.

Early life

Born at the Palazzo Canalis,

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 ...

in 1680, she was the daughter of Francesco Maurizio Canalis, Count of Cumiana (1654-1718) and his wife, Monica Francesca San Martino d'Agliè dei Marchesi di San Germano (1650-1710).

Lady in waiting

Receiving education as a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

at the Convent of the Visitation in Turin, she was introduced to the ducal court of Savoy in 1695. She was made a

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...

Marie Jeanne of Savoy Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours (, 11 April 1644 – 15 March 1724) was born a Princess of Savoy and became the Duchess of Savoy by marriage. First married by proxy to Charles of Lorraine in 1662, Lorraine soon refused to recognise the un ...

, mother of the ruler,

Victor Amadeus II Victor Amadeus II (; 14 May 166631 October 1732) was the head of the House of Savoy and ruler of the Savoyard states from 12 June 1675 until his abdication in 1730. He was the first of his house to acquire a royal crown, ruling first as King o ...

. She was styled as ''Mademoiselle de Cumiana''. She was married on 21 April 1703 to Ignazio Francesco Novarina, Count of San Sebastiano (1680-1724), by whom she had eight children. The marriage was arranged by Duchess Marie Jeanne, to whose household she belonged and who had noticed her son's wandering eye looking in the direction of the beautiful and unmarried Anna.Vitelleschi Vol II, p 499 The couple's first child is widely believed to have been fathered by Victor Amadeus but San Sebastiano accepted paternity. Victor Amadeus and Anna were in correspondence and she soon became a confidante in place of his wife, Anne Marie. Leaving the court in 1723 with her husband who had a good career, she soon became a widow at her husband's death on 25 September 1724. Left with limited means, Victor Amadeus called her back to court where she was made a lady-in-waiting to Polyxena, Princess of Piedmont, wife of Charles Emmanuel, Prince of Piedmont and

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

of Victor Amadeus II. She was later elevated to the position of Polyxena's lady-in-waiting, where she was given a position equivalent to

Lady of the Bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. A lady of the bedchamber would gi ...

Marriage to King Victor Amadeus

In August 1728 Victor Amadeus's consort

Anne Marie d'Orléans Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

died after a series of

heart attacks A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is retr ...

. Two years later he married Anna in a private ceremony on 12 August 1730 in the Royal Chapel in Turin, having obtained permission from

Pope Clement XII Pope Clement XII (; ; 7 April 16526 February 1740), born Lorenzo Corsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1730 to his death in February 1740. Clement presided over the growth of a surplus in the papal ...

. Victor Amadeus created her

of Spigno. The title was attached to a

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

, acquired as spoils of the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

and subsequently owned by an illegitimate brother of Victor Amadeus. The couple made their marriage public on 3 September 1730, much to the dismay of the

court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

. A month later, Victor Amadeus announced his wish to

abdicate Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other soci ...

the throne and did so in a ceremony at the

Castle of Rivoli The Rivoli Castle is a former Residence of the Royal House of Savoy in Rivoli (Metropolitan City of Turin, Italy). It is currently home to the Castello di Rivoli – Museo d'Arte Contemporanea, the museum of contemporary art of Turin. In 1997, ...

on the day of his marriage. His son succeeded him as

Charles Emmanuel III Charles Emmanuel III (27 April 1701 – 20 February 1773) was Duke of Savoy, List of monarchs of Sardinia, King of Sardinia and ruler of the Savoyard states from his Victor Amadeus II, father's abdication on 3 September 1730 until his death ...

. Taking the style of ''King Victor Amadeus'', he and Anna moved into the château de Chambéry outside the capital. The couple took a small retinue of servants and Victor Amadeus was kept informed of matters of state. Under the influence of Anna and despite having had a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

in 1731, Victor Amadeus decided he wanted to resume his tenure on the throne and informed his son of his decision. Arrested by his son, he was transported to the

Castle of Moncalieri The Castle of Moncalieri is a palace in Moncalieri (Metropolitan City of Turin), Piedmont, in northern Italy. It is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites in 1997. History The first structure wa ...

and Anna was taken to a house for reformed prostitutes at the Castle of

Ceva Ceva, the ancient Ceba, is a small Italy, Italian town in the province of Cuneo, region of Piedmont, east of Cuneo. It lies on the right bank of the Tanaro River, Tanaro on a wedge of land between that river and the Cevetta stream. History In th ...

but was later allowed to return to the Castle of Rivoli where her husband was moved. She was returned to him on 12 April. The stroke seemed to have affected Victor Amadeus in a way which caused him to later turn violent toward his wife, blaming her for his misfortunes.Symcox, p 232 King Victor Amadeus having died in September 1732, Anna was imprisoned in the Convent of San Giuseppe di Carignano. She was later moved to the Convent of the Visitation in

Pinerolo Pinerolo (; ; ; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, northwestern Italy, southwest of Turin on the river Chisone. The Lemina torrent has its source at the boundary between Pinerolo and San Pietro Val di Lemi ...

where she died aged 88. Her son later left the Savoy court in disgrace but succeeded to the marquisate of Spigno. She was buried at Pinerolo in a grave without a headstone.

Issue

*Paola Novarina dei conti di San Sebastiano (b.1708) *Paolo Federico Novarina dei conti di San Sebastiano (b.1710) *Carlo Novarina dei conti di San Sebastiano (b. 1711) *Giacinta Novarina dei conti di San Sebastiano (b.1712) *Chiara Novarina dei conti di San Sebastiano (b.1714) * Pietro Novarina, Marchese of Spigno (b.1715), married Adelaide Cisa di Grésy and three daughters: **Felicita Novarina dei marchesi di Spigno, married Girolamo Miglioretti di Bourcet **Angelica Novarina dei marchesi di Spigno, married Giuseppe Dattili della Torre **Luisa Onoratia Novarina dei marchesi di Spigno, died young *Luigi Novarina dei conti di San Sebastiano (b.1718) married Matilde Scarampi del Camino; *Biagio Novarina dei conti di San Sebastiano (b.1722) https://europacristiana.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Albero-genealogico-Novarina-scontornato--734x1024.jpg

References

Sources

*''The Gentleman's and London magazine: or monthly chronologer, 1741-1794'', J. Exshaw., 1741 *Symcox, Geoffrey: ''Victor Amadeus II: absolutism in the Savoyard State, 1675-1730'', University of California Press, 1983, *Vitelleschi, Marchese: ''The romance of Savoy, Victor Amadeus II. and his Stuart bride Volume II'', Harvard College Library, New York, 1905 {{DEFAULTSORT:Di Cumiana, Anna Canalis 1680 births 1769 deaths Nobility from Turin Italian ladies-in-waiting Morganatic spouses Anna Canalis Countesses in Italy Mistresses of Italian royalty 17th-century Italian nobility 17th-century Italian women 18th-century Italian nobility 18th-century Italian women writers 17th-century people from the Savoyard State 18th-century people from the Savoyard State