Marie de Montjoye

Marie, Vicomtesse de Roullers (Marie de Montmorency-Croisilles-Neuville, née de Montjoye; 12th February 1577 - present) was a Grandelumièrian noblewoman and courtier, as well the wife of Guillaume de Montmorency, Seigneur de Neuville-Witasse (later Vicomte de Neuville-Witasse). By birth, Marie was a member of the Montjoye family, and was the eldest of two female children. In 1585, at the age of eight, she became the suo jure Vicomtesse de Roullers.
Following her presentation to court in 1593, Marie was a dutiful servant in the Maison Impériale under Isabelle d'Autriche, Impératrice de Grandelumière, and eventually her successor, Marguerite d'Autriche-Styrie, Impératrice-Douairière de Grandelumière. With her husband, to whom she was wed in 1602, she would go on to have an expansive family of ten children.
== Early Life ==
=== Birth and Childhood ===
On the morning of 12th February 1577, the snow fell heavily in the Grandelumièrian countryside. The Vicomte et Vicomtesse de Roullers, Adrien de Montjoye and Marguerite de Quaroube had been residing in the Vicomté at their estate, awaiting the birth of their first child. However, the birth of this child wasn't ceremonious at all to the family, due to the Vicomte's son through his previous marriage. The Vicomtesse gave birth to a healthy baby girl later in the afternoon of the 12th February 1577, who was promptly named and later baptized as Marie de Montjoye, Demoiselle de Roullers. 
Marie was preceded by two half-siblings. Her father, Adrien de Montjoye, had been married to Jeanne Bette, with whom he had two children: Jacques, the Seigneur de Doorent, and Isabelle, the Demoiselle de Doorent (who died shortly after birth). After his remarriage, Adrien and his wife had four children: Marie, Demoiselle de Roullers; Amelberge, Demoiselle de Longnies; Englebert, Seigneur de Longnies; and Ursule, Demoiselle de Doorent. 
The children were raised from birth at the Château de Roullers under the supervision of their grandmother, Catherine de Liedekerke. Their governess was listed as "Madame E. Guillerot". Madame Guillerot raised Marie until the age of seven. Life at the Château de Roullers was incredibly pleasant and modest—the children were noted to all share close bonds. Unfortunately, Englebert would pass away in 1580, leaving Jacques as the sole heir of the Montjoye estate.
=== Education ===
Shortly after her seventh birthday, Marie's grandmother ordered her formal education to begin. She selected the Abbaye de Sainte-Trinité, which was located in the Ville de Caen, Duché de Normandie. Marie traveled via carriage to the Norman city, where she was placed under the care of the nuns and abbesse there. Marie, being a child of both moderate intelligence and temperament, was quite popular amongst her contemporaries, and was doted on by the instructors as an enjoyable presence.
The education of the young Demoiselle was not much different than the traditional education of a woman of her social status. Relatively insignificant to the courts and societies of Paris, she was isolated from the proper life of a socialite and courtiers with the exception of being educated in the fields deemed necessary for a courtly woman. She was educated in religious studies and possessed an intensely pious spirit; furthermore, she was educated in the arts of dance, music (singing, clavichord and later harpsichord, violin, and the flute), drawing, painting, needlework (embroidery), and basic reading and writing. 
=== Inheritance ===
Following the death of her father in 1583, Marie's only surviving brother became Jacques, Vicomte de Roullers. Marie was technically heiress presumptive, though due to the general irrelevance of the title, she was hardly addressed as such by her family. Shortly after his father's death had married Élisabeth Madoets, a Belgian woman from a wealthy merchant-class family, as a way of ensuring a secure line of succession.
However, in 1586, Jacques died after spending several weeks ill with pneumonia. Marie, who was at the abbaye still, was not informed of her inheritance until one week later. Upon hearing of the death of her brother, she merely sank to her knees and began praying right beside her bed, and was despondent for two days. As of 29th September 1586, she was formally known as Sa Seigneurie, Madame la Vicomtesse de Roullers, Dame de Lognies, et Dame de Doorant.
Marie was faced with the challenge of being a suo jure at an extremely young age. Her mother, thus, served as the regent over the vicomté until Marie turned sixteen in 1593. Preparations were made for her to travel to the cour impériale and be presented to Charles IX in hopes of securing a marriage.
== Reigns of Charles IX and François III ==
=== Presentation ===
The Vicomtesse and Vicomtesse Douairière de Roullers arrived at the Château du Louvre on 26th October 1593 in a simple, unmarked carriage. The Vicomtesse was presented by her mother, who promptly presented proof of their noble heritage—this was not exactly customary for the time, but the Montjoye family was rather irrelevant. They had served as governors of the Château de Ghent in Belgium, and were Grandelumièrian landholders, and therefore their documentation was authentic, and without much pomp, the Vicomtesse Douairière presented her daughter before the Empereur de Grandelumière.
The Roullers family were faced with a difficult decision. It was decided not to present the remaining Montjoye sisters to court, but rather to marry them off in hopes of an elevation in status. Marie, however, was her mother's pride and joy. The Vicomtesse did not hold rooms at the Château de Louvre, but rather resided in Paris in a small hôtel in which she rented a room.
=== Courtly Endeavours ===
Despite not having the most glamorous lifestyle, the Vicomtesse Douairière was determined for her daughter to be a successful courtier. She presented her daughter to the Impératrice, Isabelle d'Autriche, the evening of her presentation. She later met with the Première Dame d'Honneur, the Duchesse de Mayenne, and arranged for Marie to begin serving as a Demoiselle d'Honneur in 1593. She would hold this post until her marriage, nine years later.
Marie's mild personality was, once again, used to her advantage. With her mother eventually returning to the Château de Roullers in the summer of 1593, Marie was left to her own devices and was, quite frankly, a lonesome figure at both the imperial court and the courts of Paris. Not one to gamble nor party, she often spent her days praying or visiting local charities at various churches. She did, however, begin to make acquaintances with branches of the courtly families that were equivalent to her rank. Her mother frequently visited court in the summers and checked upon her daughter's courtly affairs.
== Marriage and Family ==
=== Engagement ===
The Vicomtesse Douairière de Roullers visited court shortly after the rebellions in 1601, where court was driven out of Paris. Fearing for her daughter's life, she let her daughters in the care of Amelberge's fiancé, the Comte de Hozémont. The Vicomtesse Douairière and her daughter resided in Paris while attending the cour impériale at the Châteauneuf de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. She kept a close eye on Marie's acquaintances, noting her daughter's particular fondness for Guillaume de Montmorency, the Seigneur de Neuville-Witasse.
Guillaume de Montmorency-Croisilles-Neuville, more commonly known as Guillaume de Montmorency, was immediately taken with Marie upon her presentation to court, and the two shared a blissful friendship for many years. Using this to her advantage, the Vicomtesse Douairière approached Guillaume's father and the Duc de Montmorency, promptly arranging the engagement of Marie and Guillaume. The Duchesse Douairière de Ventadour, sister of the Duc de Montmorency, described Marie as "the finest Belgian provincial girl I have ever had the pleasure meeting, and the only one at that!" Marie's meek but polite disposition proved her to be the ideal wife, and the engagement was hastily set with a wedding in 1602.
=== Marriage ===
The marriage of the Vicomtesse de Roullers and the Seigneur de Neuville-Witasse took place on the morning of 17th February 1602, shortly after Marie's twenty-fifth birthday just five days prior. The wedding was not widely celebrated but was attended by many members of the Montmorency family and its seemingly endless branches, as well as the Montjoye sisters. Taking place at a chapel just on the outskirts of Paris, celebrations followed at the Château de Roullers, where the couple stayed for a week.
Marie and Guillaume's marriage was unconventional at first. They shared a deep romantic bond and Marie was technically higher than her husband, which usually posed an issue in marriages and quite often led to intense animosity. However, this was not the case for the Roullers couple, at least not at first. Guillaume requested that his wife, due to her being well into her twenties, remain at the Château de Roullers after the consummation of their union. She was to remain there until the birth of their last child, occasionally visiting court. This caused something of a distance between the couple.
Later, when Marie did eventually make a full return to court, the Vicomte was often off in the countryside overseeing the affairs of his estates. At first, Marie managed her own estates while residing at Roullers; however, when she returned to court, she began to delegate matters to her husband, who was ruling jure uxoris (through right of one's wife) over the vicomté. The two wrote to one another and shared something of a bland friendship after many years of unfortunate distance.
== Reign of Charles X ==
=== Life at Roullers ===
Marie lived a relatively quiet life at the Château de Roullers. Her middle-aged mother resided with her and oversaw the upbringing of the children. Guillaume was often at court or visiting his estates, though he paid frequent visits when his wife was with child (which was ten times). Marie developed a close bond to her children, doting upon them in every letter to her sisters. Her sister, Amelberge, was a frequent visitor, and often would accompany Marie on her journeys to court.
Marie had ten children while residing at the Château de Roullers: Marguerite Jeanne, Georges, Adrien, Claude Louis, Ursule Amalburge, Marie, Jean-Baptiste, Guillaume, Jacqueline Claire, and Anne Marie. Each child shared an upbringing similar to that of Marie and her siblings, though with the intention of the children residing at court. Marie was close to her eldest daughter in particular, much like Marie and her own mother, due to the Demoiselle de Roullers (Marguerite Jeanne) frequently residing at the cour impériale and in Paris with her mother and Montmorency relatives.
=== Rebellion and Compromise of Perpetual Union ===
During the rebellion of 1634, Marie had returned to court to represent her nearly estranged husband, whom she had not seen in over a year. She arrived at the Château du Louvre on the day that Monsieur and the Duc de Guise had departed court with an anti-Crown faction. Fearing that she would be forced to choose between her family that remained at court (the main Montmorency line) or the cadet branch that had fled (the Bois-Dauphin line), Marie sought out the Comtesse de Joigny, who served as Première Dame d'Honneur under Marguerite d'Autriche, Impératrice-Douairière de Grandelumière. Quickly, Marie purchased a position as Dame d'Honneur and claimed neutrality by employment as the Impératrice-Douairière herself was neutral.
The Vicomtesse followed the Impératrice-Douairière to the Hôtel de la Reine Marguerite, residing there throughout the duration of the rebellion (which was more of a walkout than anything else). She joined the Impératrice-Douairière on visits to charities and churches around Paris and contented herself with salons and coffee on most days. When the dowager's court returned to the Château du Louvre, the Vicomtesse followed suit.
=== Household Service ===
The Vicomtesse remained in the service of the Impératrice-Douairière under the supervision of the Comtesse de Joigny. She served alongside the Marquise des Îles d'Hyères and Baronne (later Comtesse) du Plessis-le-Chastel and began focusing on maintaining her Montmorency identity at court. Marie was a dutiful servant to the Impératrice-Douairière, who was quite pleased with her work ethic despite her advancing age (she was fifty-seven when she took up the position of Dame d'Honneur). Each day, the Vicomtesse took part in the lever and coucher of the Impératrice-Douairière and greeted her when she took private meals.
== Character Synopsis ==
=== Personality ===
Marie de Montjoye was, in a word: mild. She was of average intelligence and academic capabilities, especially for a woman during the early 17th century. Her education was focused around more feminine fields, and she was resigned to being an ideal wife of mild temperament. She was extremely devout to the Roman Catholic faith and prayed quite frequently. Always dutiful and loyal, she often humbled herself when complimented—on one occasion, the Marquise de Thury remarked upon a dress she wore, and Marie simply said, "'Tis not the dress that flatters one's appearance, but the ever gracious remarks it receives from a gracious woman such as yourself." 
=== Appearance ===
The Vicomtesse stood at just 5'2" in height. She was a naturally slender woman, often being described as frail and petite. Her hair, formerly an amber shade, was a pale grey colour as she aged, which complemented her deep brown eyes. Marie's pale red lips weren't quite full-bodied but were much more modest in size, and her nose was slender and came to a neat, rounded point. Her cheekbones were not very defined and her chin was quite small. As she aged, she possessed faint wrinkles around her eyes and mouth, though they were not quite extreme—the average beauty of her youth could still be seen as if she was a walking reminiscence of her former self.
== Ancestry ==
== Issue ==
* Marguerite Jeanne de Montmorency-Croisilles-Neuville, Marquise de Thury (1605 - present)
* Georges de Montmorency-Croisilles-Neuville, Vicomte de Neuville-Witasse (1607 - present)
* Adrien de Montmorency-Croisilles-Neuville, Seigneur de Mercatel (1610 - present)
* Claude Louis de Montmorency-Croisilles-Neuville, Seigneur de Ruffignies (1614 - present)
* Ursule Amalburge de Montmorency-Croissiles-Neuville, Sœur d’Avesnes (1615 - present) 
* Marie de Montmorency-Croisilles-Neuville, Comtesse de Hozémont (1617 - present)
* Jean Baptiste de Montmorency-Croisilles-Neuville, Seigneur d'Amongies (1619 - present)
* Guillaume François de Montmorency-Croissiles-Neuville, Seigneur de Blequin (1620 - present)
* Jacqueline Claire de Montmorency-Croisilles-Neuville, Demoiselle de Ruffignies (1622 - present)
* Anne Marie de Montmorency-Croisilles-Neuville, Demoiselle de Mercatel (1624 - present)
== Titles & Styles ==
12th February 1577 - 29th September 1585 Demoiselle de Roullers
29th September 1585 - 17th February 1602 Sa Seigneurie Madame la Vicomtesse de Roullers, Dame de Longnies, et Dame de Doorant
17th February 1602 - 28th August 1634 Sa Seigneurie Madame la Vicomtesse de Roullers et Dame de Neuville-Witasse
28th August 1634 - 27th May 1635 Sa Seigneurie Madame la Vicomtesse de Roullers et Vicomtesse de Neuville-Witasse
27th May 1635 - present Sa Seigneurie Madame la Vicomtesse de Roullers et Vicomtesse Douairière de Neuville-Witasse
Category:Maison de Montmorency-Croisilles-Neuville
Category:16th Century Births
Category:Imperial Courtiers
Category:Grandelumièrian Vicomtesse
Category:Grandelumièrian Nobility