Donna Anna Victoria Davia-Montecuculi (20 June 1655 – 13 April 1703), known as the Countess of Almond from 1689, was a Modenese noblewoman, courtier and companion 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 ...

during her time as Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland, and later during her exile in France.

Early life

Born Maria Vittoria Luigia Sigismonda Montecuccoli-Laderchi, she was the daughter of Giovanni Battista Montecuccoli-Laderchi, 2nd Marquis of Guiglia.Milena Ricci, “''Testimonianze su Maria Beatrice d’Este, regina d’Inghilterra, nella raccolta Molza Viti della Biblioteca Estense Universitaria''”, in “''Quaderni Estensi, V (2013)''”, p.292. As a child she was chosen by Duchess consort

Laura Martinozzi Laura Martinozzi, Duchess of Modena and Reggio (22 April 1639 – 19 July 1687), niece of the Chief minister of France Jules Cardinal Mazarin and one of the '' Mazarinettes'', by marriage became Duchess consort of Modena and Reggio, and followin ...

as her

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 ...

, and then as a lady in waiting to her daughter, Maria d'Este (Mary of Modena), the future wife of

James, Duke of York 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 ...

. In 1672 Victoria married Virgilio Giuseppe Davia, a Senator of

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, and moved with him to that city.

Courtier in England

In September 1673, Victoria and her husband travelled to Modena to "attest obsequious affection" to Mary prior to her departure to England. During the

Exclusion Crisis The Exclusion Crisis ran from 1679 until 1681 in the reign of King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland. Three Exclusion Bills sought to exclude the King's brother and heir presumptive, James, Duke of York, from the thrones of England, ...

, Victoria and Virgilio moved to

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

to attend on Mary during James' temporary exile from England. Victoria was also with the royal couple in Edinburgh in 1684 while James was serving as

Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland The Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland was the List of Scottish monarchs, monarch of Scotland's high commissioner, personal representative to the Parliament of Scotland. From the accession of James I of England, James VI of Sc ...

, but she had returned to Modena by the time of James' accession to the throne in February 1685. The new Queen recalled Victoria to her service and she travelled to the royal court in London later in 1685 with her brother, Raimondo, 3rd Marquis of Guiglia.Giovanni De Castro, “''Fulvio Testi e le corti italiane nella prima metà del XVII secolo con documenti inediti''” (Natale Battezzati editore, Milano, 1875) p.265.

Courtier in France

On 9 December 1688 she accompanied Queen Mary and the infant

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

in their escape from London during the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

. Under the arrangements of

Antoine Nompar de Caumont Antonin Nompar de Caumont, 1st Duke of Lauzun (, 163219 November 1723) was a French courtier and soldier. He was the only love interest of the "greatest heiress in Europe", Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier, cousin of Louis ...

, Victoria disguised herself to avoid recognition and escaped to France, joining the exiled

Stuart Stuart may refer to: People *Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) * Clan Stuart of Bute, a Scottish clan *House of Stuart, a royal house of Scotland and England Places Australia Generally *Stuart Highway, ...

court at

Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye The Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a former royal palace in the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the department of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris, France. Today, it houses the '' Musée d'Archéologie nationale'' (Nationa ...

. She was rewarded for her loyalty to the Queen when James II created her ''

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

'' Countess of Almond in the

Jacobite peerage The Jacobite peerage includes those peerages created by James II and VII, and the subsequent Jacobite pretenders, after James's deposition from the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland following the Glorious Revolution of 1688. These creati ...

on 13 January 1689. Simon Verelst - Mary of Modena - Google Art Project

Victoria's presence at the French court was disliked by many 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 ...

's courtiers, owing to her family's loyalty to France's rivals, the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

. Queen Mary, however, insisted that Victoria remain in her household. The French diplomat

François Pidou de Saint Olon François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter * François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire; 16 ...

was charged with keeping Victoria under observation whenever she was visited by Italians. In 1692, her son, Giovanni Battista Davia, had left to serve as adjutant-general to his uncle, the Austrian field marshal

Aeneas de Caprara Count Aeneas Sylvius de Caprara (1631 – February 1701), also known as Enea Silvio or Äneas Sylvius von Caprara, was an Austrian Field Marshal during the Nine Years' War. Biography Born at Bologna to count Niccolò Caprara, he was a descendan ...

. He was captured by the forces of

Mustafa II Mustafa II (; ''Muṣṭafā-yi sānī''; 6 February 1664 – 29 December 1703) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1695 to 1703. Early life He was born at Edirne Palace on 6 February 1664. He was the son of Sultan Mehmed IV (1648–87 ...

and imprisoned in Constantinople. Victoria attempted to secure French support for his release through

Madame de Maintenon Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * ''Madame'' ( ...

, but this did not come to fruition. Eventually, Victoria appealed directly to the Sultan, who released Giovanni after four years imprisonment.Carolina Bonafede, “''Cenni biografici e ritratti d’insigni donne bolognesi raccolti dagli storici più accreditati''” (Tipografia Salsi nelle Spaderie, Bologna, 1845). However, he died soon after his release in December 1696. On 12 April 1698, Victoria's husband was made Earl of Almond, Viscount of Moneydie and Lord Davia in the Jacobite peerage of Scotland, in recognition of Victoria's continued service. The preamble to the

letters patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...

state that the titles were awarded for Victoria's "extraordinary merits" and that she had "redoubled her endeavours to be still more and more useful in performing all the duties of a faithful servant passionately concerned in whatsoever regarded the Queen's service and person". Victoria was a witness to the death of James II on 16 September 1701 at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. On 30 October that year she was appointed Lady of the Bedchamber in Ordinary to the Queen, alongside the Duchess of Perth. She died after a brief illness in 1703, after which the Queen entered a period of prolonged mourning.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davia-Montecuculi, Victoria Anna 1655 births 1703 deaths 17th-century Italian nobility 17th-century Italian women Earls in the Jacobite peerage Duchy of Modena and Reggio Immigrants to the Kingdom of England Italian ladies-in-waiting Italian Roman Catholics Nobility from Modena Court of James II of England