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Anna Maria "Marie" Mancini, Princess of Paliano (28 August 1639 – 8 May 1715) was the third of the five Mancini sisters, nieces to
Cardinal Mazarin Jules Mazarin (born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino or Mazarini; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), from 1641 known as Cardinal Mazarin, was an Italian Catholic prelate, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Lou ...
who were brought to France to marry advantageously. Along with two of their female Martinozzi cousins, the Mancini sisters were known at the court of King
Louis XIV of France LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
as the '' Mazarinettes''. Marie is an ancestor of Queen Paola of Belgium.


Early life and family

Mancini was born on 28 August 1639 and grew up in Rome. Her father was Baron Lorenzo Mancini, an Italian aristocrat who was also a
necromancer Necromancy () is the practice of magic involving communication with the dead by summoning their spirits as apparitions or visions for the purpose of divination; imparting the means to foretell future events and discover hidden knowledge. ...
and
astrologer Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...
. After his death in 1650, her mother, Geronima Mazzarini, brought her daughters from Rome to Paris in the hope of using the influence of her brother, Cardinal Mazarin, to gain them advantageous marriages. The other Mancini sisters were: * Laure (1636 - 1657), the eldest, who married Louis de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme, the grandson of King Henry IV and his mistress,
Gabrielle d'Estrées Gabrielle d'Estrées, Duchess of Beaufort and Verneuil, Marchioness of Monceaux (; 157310 April 1599) was a mistress, confidante and adviser of Henry IV of France. She is noted for her role in ending the religious civil wars that plagued France ...
, and became the mother of the famous French general Louis Joseph de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme, *
Olympe Olympe () () was an ancient city located in the territory of the Amantes (tribe), Amantes, between northern Epirus and southern Illyria in classical antiquity. It is located in modern day Mavrovë, Vlorë County, Albania. History ...
(1638 - 1708), who married Eugène-Maurice of Savoy-Carignano and became the mother of the famous Austrian general
Prince Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy-Carignano (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736), better known as Prince Eugene, was a distinguished Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the Army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty durin ...
, * Hortense (1646 - 1699), the beauty of the family, escaped her abusive husband, Armand-Charles de la Porte, duc de La Meilleraye, and went to London, where she became the mistress of King Charles II. * Marie Anne (1649 - 1714) married Maurice Godefroy de la Tour d'Auvergne, duc de Bouillon, a nephew of the famous field marshal Turenne. The Mancinis were not the only female family members that Cardinal Mazarin brought to the French court. The others were Marie's first cousins, daughters of Mazarin's eldest sister. The elder, Laura Martinozzi, married
Alfonso IV d'Este Alfonso IV d'Este (2 February 1634 – 16 July 1662) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1658 until his death. He was the father of Mary of Modena, consort of James II of England. Alfonso was born in Modena, the eldest son of Francesco I d'E ...
, duke of Modena and was the mother of
Mary of Modena Mary of Modena (; ) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland as the second wife of James VII and II. A devout Catholic, Roman Catholic, Mary married the widower James, who was t ...
, second wife of
James II of England James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...
. The younger, Anne Marie Martinozzi, married Armand, Prince de Conti. The Mancini also had three brothers:
Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...
, Philippe, and Alphonse.


Youth

In France, Anna Maria's name was gallicized to Marie. "Dark, vivacious and beautiful," Marie captured the biggest prize of the French court: the romantic love of
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
. According to
Antonia Fraser Lady Antonia Margaret Caroline Fraser, (; born 27 August 1932) is a British author of history, novels, biographies and detective fiction. She is the widow of the 2005 Nobel Laureate in Literature, Harold Pinter (1930–2008), and prior to h ...
's biography ''Love and Louis XIV'', Marie's mother, Geronima, was told by a
horoscope A horoscope (or other commonly used names for the horoscope in English include natal chart, astrological chart, astro-chart, celestial map, sky-map, star-chart, cosmogram, vitasphere, radical chart, radix, chart wheel or simply chart) is an ast ...
that Marie would cause trouble and demanded on her deathbed that Cardinal Mazarin should, "shut Marie up in a
convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
and keep her there." Marie did not consummate her relationship with the Sun King physically, and was never his mistress. He was genuinely in love with her, and wanted to marry her. Marie Mancini was willing to marry him, but the plans of marriage was in direct opposition to the plans of both the king's mother and Marie's uncle and guardian, the Cardinal. Eventually, Cardinal Mazarin and the young king's mother,
Anne of Austria Anne of Austria (; ; born Ana María Mauricia; 22 September 1601 – 20 January 1666) was Queen of France from 1615 to 1643 by marriage to King Louis XIII. She was also Queen of Navarre until the kingdom's annexation into the French crown ...
, separated the couple, banishing Marie into exile and arranging for Louis' marriage to his cousin, Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain. The break up was intense. When Louis XIV was made aware of the plans to exile Marie from court, he called the Cardinal Mazarin to him and openly asked him to marry his niece. The Cardinal replied that he had been appointed to his position by the king's parents to see to the welfare of the Kingdom and that he would rather see his niece dead than to be elevated merely because of the king's blind passion; the king went so far as to fall on his knees before the Cardinal, but without success. Next, the king had a conversation with his mother lasting for about an hour, during which she managed to convince him that he must give up love for politics, and the king was observed leaving the conversation with his eyes red with tears. When Marie Mancini left court Louis XIV escorted her to her carriage, during which she was famously to have said: :“Sire, you weep, you love me, and yet you allow me to go!”Williams, H. Noel (Hugh Noel): Madame de Montespan], 1903, Publisher New York : C. Scribner's Sons. Collection getty; americana. Contributor Getty Research Institute. s. 12


Exile and marriage

In 1661, much to her own despair, Marie was sent away to marry an Italian prince, Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna, 8th Prince of Paliano, Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna. He apparently remarked after their wedding night that he was surprised to find her still a virgin. The bridegroom had not expected to find "innocence among the loves of kings" (from
Antonia Fraser Lady Antonia Margaret Caroline Fraser, (; born 27 August 1932) is a British author of history, novels, biographies and detective fiction. She is the widow of the 2005 Nobel Laureate in Literature, Harold Pinter (1930–2008), and prior to h ...
's book ''Love and Louis XIV''). in the 1670's the king sent Marie to the convent of Sainte Marie de la Visitation 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 ...
, capital city of the Dukes of Savoy, on her request. However, she eventually left the convent and stayed with the Marquesses of Mortare. Two days later, unexpected visitors arrived: the Nuncio, the Almirante, and the
minister of justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
Don García de Medrano, representing the royal
council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
and the chamber of Castile, came to persuade her, on behalf of the king, to return to the convent.''Mancini Memoirs'' https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Mancini_Memoirs.pdf They asserted that she should not have left without His Majesty's permission, as she had initially entered it under his directive. The Almirante conveyed the king's will, the
Nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...
aimed to facilitate its execution, and the minister of justice García de Medrano warned her of potential consequences if she resisted; "he had orders to take me away, and that should I refuse to consent, he would not leave my person and would keep me under very tight guard". Although initially hesitant, the marquess persuaded her to comply, fearing violence if she refused. Reluctantly, she consented, and the marquess accompanied her back to the convent in a royal coach, where she would meet the
Duke of Aveiro Duke of Aveiro () was a Portuguese title of nobility, granted in 1535 by King John III of Portugal to his 4th cousin, John of Lencastre, son of Infante George of Lencastre, a natural son of King John II of Portugal. John of Lencastre was ...
.


Issue

By her husband, she had three son: * Filippo Colonna, 9th Prince of Paliano (7 April 1663 - 6 November 1714). He married firstly Lorenza de la Certa, without issue; and secondly Olimpia Pamphili, with issue, eight children; * Marcantonio Colonna (born in 1664); * Carlo Colonna (16 November 1665 - 8 July 1739), cardinal.


Escape and death

After the difficult birth of her third child, Marie refused intimacy with her husband and, as a result, relations between the two deteriorated. On 29 May 1672, fearing that her husband would kill her, Marie left Rome accompanied by her sister Hortense. In 1667 a false memoir began circulating France about Marie, after her sister Hortense had written her own. Marie retorted by penning her own memoir. The Mancini sisters were some of the earliest women in France to publish their own memoirs. She did not return to Italy until her husband's death in 1689 and then spent a further decade travelling Europe. She died in
Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...
in May 1715 aged 75, little over 3 months before the death of Louis XIV in September that year, and is buried in the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection, is a fourth-century church in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, Old City of Jerusalem. The church is the seat of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchat ...
there.


In fiction and literature

Marie plays an active role in
Letitia Elizabeth Landon Letitia Elizabeth Landon (14 August 1802 – 15 October 1838) was an English poet and novelist, better known by her initials L.E.L. Landon's writings are emblematic of the transition from Romanticism to Victorian literature. Her first major b ...
's novel, ''Francesca Carrara'', although her life following her encounters with
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
is mainly fictional. The character of Marie Mancini appears in the French musical '' Le Roi Soleil'', where she was played by Anne-Laure Girbal. Her character appears also in the 2008 Italian novel ''Secretum'' by Rita Monaldi and Francesco Sorti and is the main character of the 2015 novel ''The Enchantress of Paris'' by Marci Jefferson. Marie and her sister Hortense Mancini are the subjects of a dual biography, ''The King's Mistresses: The Liberated Lives of Marie Mancini, Princess Colonna, and Her Sister Hortense, Duchess Mazarin'', by Elizabeth C. Goldsmith (2012, PublicAffairs).


Notes


References

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External links


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mancini, Marie 1639 births 1715 deaths Noblewomen of the Papal States Nobility of the Papal States Nobility from Rome Emigrants from the Papal States Immigrants to France Mistresses of Louis XIV 17th-century French nobility Italian salon-holders French salon-holders Mancini family