Anne Genevieve de Vendome

Anne Genevieve de Montpensier (1739 - Present) is a Grandelumierian courtier and is the current Duchesse de Montpensier with her husband, Henri François.
== Reign of Louis XI ==
=== Childhood - Dame de Vendome ===
Anne Genevieve was born on the 22nd of January 1739 at the Chateau de Vendome to Seigneur Gaston and Dame Marie de Vendome. Her parents were most pleased with the birth, and had her baptized Anne Genevieve soon after her birth.
Anne had a particularly difficult childhood, as her parents both died when she was just four-years old from smallpox. Her father had firstly contracted the disease, but it soon spread to her mother. Her father died in October of 1743, her mother dying just around a month later. The now orphaned Anne was taken in by her aunt, Jacqueline, Dame de Blois.
Dame Jacqueline hired Dame Caroline-Bathilde de Foix to tutor the young Anne, who took the position due to the harsh financial problems that House Foix was struggling through at the time, as she was used as a pawn by her family to make more money through her service as a tutor. Anne's education was good, receiving lessons in such topics as literature, mathematics and music.
Anne grew into a kind and lovable child, and especially enjoyed spending time with her family. This was most particularly her cousins, Louise Amelie, Elisabeth Felicite, Marie Caroline, the children of the Comtesse de Blois, and her other cousins, the children of Dame Valerie de Vendome. She cared for most of her family and would often be found with them playing in the garden or together with them in her chamber.
Anne had many hobbies, including music, especially the harpsichord. She also enjoyed art, to view it, to sketch, to paint and generally to draw. She also enjoyed horseriding, though on one fateful day in her childhood she received her first traumatic experience from riding. Her cousin had fallen from her horse and after a few days of recuperation, she did recover, though this slightly put Anne off riding. 
=== Young Adulthood - Dame de Vendome/Duchesse de Bourbon ===
Soon, Anne discovered that she had become engaged to the Duc de Bourbon, Henri François. Henri François was the son of the Duc de Montpensier and subsequently the heir to the greater house. The engagement was seen as a beneficial arrangement for both houses, to establish more alliances and also for House Montpensier to gain favour with House Vendome, famously associated with religion and the current pope being of the house. 
Anne had generally mixed feelings toward the engagement, though she was excited to be married she was also reluctant to leave her family. Nonetheless, the engagement went ahead and in November of 1754, she married Henri François de Montpensier at Notre-Dame de Dijon. The wedding ceremony was a long and traditional affair, ending in a small dinner and celebration at the Chateau de Saint-François. The marriage was a relatively happy one, and Anne was soon pronounced pregnant by her doctors.
On the 12th of August, 1755, Anne gave birth to her first child, a son, Louis Charles. It was a joyous occasion for the house as his birth further cemented the succession. This would be followed by a number of children, who were; Philippe Alexandre, Marie Therese, Marie Sophie, Louis Philippe, Jacques Raphael, Henriette Marie, Marie Etiennette and Marie Catherine. Her favourite child became Marie Sophie, though she did love all of her children. It was devastating for the family when two of her children, Henriette Marie and Marie Etiennette would die in childhood and young infancy.
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Category:House Vendome
Category:Grandelumierian Nobility
Category:1700s births