Sophie Thérèse d'Orléans

## Sophie Thérèse de Rochechouart de Mortemart

### House

Maison de Blois et d'Orléans [via birth]Maison de Rochechouart de Mortemart [via marriage]

### Born

May 20th, 1716, Le château d'Argenteuil, Seine-et-Oise, Paris, Grandelumière

### Died

9th January, 1758, Le château de La Motte de Bauçay

### Spouse

Louis Paul Jules de Rochechouart de Mortemart

### Issue

Marie Pauline de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Mademoiselle de VivonneLouis Alexandre Hercules de Rochechouart de Mortemart. Marquis de Montpipeau

Louis-Paul Jules de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Comte de Limoges

Marie-Gabrielle Hortense de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Mademoiselle de Saint-Victurnien

Marie-Sophie Augustine de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Mademoiselle de Lussac

Miscarriage

Miscarriage

Isabelle Adélaïde Thérèse de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Mademoiselle de Montmorency

Henri Antoine [Illegitimate]

### Romantic Interests

Louis-Baptiste Philippe de Rochechouart de MortemartHenri-Francesco Carlos de Tonnelier

Alexandre Bontiff

Leon Boiteux

Louis Alexandre

[Unnamed Spanish Nobleman]

[Unnamed Imperial Guard]

### Mother

Isabelle=Adélaïde de Rochechouart de Mortemart

### Religion

Roman Catholic

**Sophie Thérèse de Rochechouart de Mortemart** (née **d'Orléans**; 20th May 1719 - 9th January 1758) was the only child of Louis Philippe, "Monsieur" le Duc d'Orléans and Isabelle Adélaïde, "Madame" Duchesse d'Orléans

Most renowned/infamous for a string of scandals, *Madame la Marquise de Vivonne* had a passion for the intimate company of men. This wayward existence was shunned and disapproved of by her contemporaries, but yet she continued nevertheless.

## Biography

### **Birth**

Sophie Thérèse de Grandelumière was born on the 20th of May, 1719, to Louis Philippe de Grandelumière, *Duc* *d'Orléans* and Isabelle Adélaïde de Rochechouart de Mortemart, *Duchesse* *d'Orléans* at the *Château d'Argenteuil*, west of Paris. From her birth, she was known as *Mademoiselle*.

The only successfully produced child out the marriage of the *Duc et Duchesse d'Orléans*, Sophie experienced an extremely overprotective childhood.

### **Early** **Childhood**

Thérèse was brought up in the various residences of her family, and her education would later be shared with the daughters of Marie IV: Marie Louise, *Madame Imperiale*, and Marie Victoire, *Madame Deuxième*. She was sent to *L'Abbaye Royale de Notre-Dame de Fontevraud* and remained there until the age of 14.

During her stay at *Fontevraud*, Thérèse learned of the utmost discipline she'd have to expect in court life, though she very seldom followed it. Although a despotic, neglected and cool feel took place in the *Abbaye*, Thérèse was determined to excel in all subjects she'd come by.

### **Childhood**

Upon her leaving *Fontevraud*, her life went more wayward than anyone would expect. Though thoughtfully interested in the Arts, Philosophy and an accomplished painter, she had a lust for life and had an amorous temperament. Aged 16, a plan of marriage between herself and *Monseigneur le Dauphin* was brought up, though this never came to anything. The matter of marriage then after was a troublesome one that couldn't be solidified.

From her beautifully appointed apartment at Argenteuil, Sophie contented herself with much recreational activity, such as gambling, attending balls in and out of d'Argenteuil, and developing friendships such with the *Prince de Carignan*, and *Mademoiselle de Penthievre.* Upon the arrival of the Spanish Infanta, Maria Teresa, Thérèse was openly hostile towards her and seemed rather jealous of her position.

### **Adulthood**

Thérèse's relationship with her father, *Monsieur*, strained when he began many adulterous affairs, most notably with *Les Mortemarettes*. Though this way of life couldn't help but influence her own. Her open outrage against her father's affairs could be seen as rather hypocritical in events to come. Thérèse however, was convinced that *Monsieur* was to be blamed for all the misdoings of House Blois, including her own gambling and buying debts she had begun to accumulate.

Thérèse became the subject of a scandal when she began an affair with the *Baron de Clermont* as well as numerous others. It was also discovered Thérèse had been using her *quasi*-influence on the Court to her own gain an advantage, such as bribing the Finance Minister to keep quiet about debts of 35,000 *Livre* on multiple occasions sleeping with members of Court to side with her on scandals and debates.

Thérèse was rather slumming it when she had an affair with an Imperial Guard, leading to the shame of her falling pregnant. This was met with outrage by Marie IV and the Emperor, and Therese was severely scolded by her father on the matter. The baby was "*disposed of"* in the word of the Cardinal Mortemart. As a punishment, she was sent to the *Abbaye Royale de Notre-Dame de Fontevraud* and took the veil as *Sœur Marie Magdalene de la piété*.

Thérèse made numerous attempts of returning to court, one such example being pleading with *Monsieur le Duc d'Orleans*, making fake promises to her mother, and above all, writing to the Empress. As a woman of the veil, Thérèse was occasionally taunted for her past scandals and actions. This had become one of the hardest points of her life. Thérèse's hair had allegedly gone from light blonde to a melancholic white. This was reportedly due to high stress and fear levels. After two months of religious practices, mild harassment and slight neglect, and pleading with the Empress and Monsieur had paid off.

Once returned to Argenteuil, Sophie quickly found it somewhat easy to once more adapt to Court life. She quickly re-reacquainted herself with Madame Imperiale, her cousin who she formally went to *Fontevraud* with during her childhood. She re-kindled with her lovers but took to great lengths to stay in-touch with Catholicism.

Her return to Argenteuil also saw the return of an issue which greatly affected her life, Marriage. Her squabbles and thoughts of it were all shut down after a soiree in Clamart, resulted in the announcement of her engagement to Louis Paul Jules de Rochechouart de Mortemart, *Marquis de Vivonne*, heir to *la Maison des Rochechouart de Mortemart*. She was not pleased with the news, she visibly almost never conversed with the Marquis, but on the 24th of September, 1735, she was married.

### ***Madame la Marquise de Vivonne***

After the elaborate wedding ceremony, held in Notre Dame de Paris, Sophie would now be referred to as Madame la Marquise de Vivonne. This added with a re-writing of her Father's will, stating that his estate at Sannois and over 2,000,000 Livre would be paid to her, made her the wealthiest heiress in the Empire, only second in hand to the Dauphine herself.

As customary to an Heiress of a vast house, one of her first expectations were to produce a healthy, producing Son and Heir. Sophie Herself, always considered herself a very fertile woman, one that a pregnancy can be easily induced. However, she would not expect the difficulties of mothering a child. In November 1735, Thérèse announced herself as pregnant, and in July 1736 her first child was born. Marie Pauline was not an instant failure, after all, it was only her first child, but it did leave an impressionable mark on the Courtiers who witnessed the birth.

In January 1737, Thérèse once again found herself pregnant. Almost certain for a beloved son to arrive, she made sure to take extra care on watching her diet, to the extent of minor eating skips. August 1737, her second Daughter arrives earlier than expected, born slightly premature. The young Mademoiselle herself, made it through the first week of her life, battling a minor Flu, induced by its limited time in the Womb. It took an extra 3 Months for Sophie, to once again be pregnant.

### **The Ten Year War**

The Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth was subject to an invasive occupation by Friedrich Wilhelm Hohenzollern II. The Royal Castle (Zamek Królewski w Warszawie) and the Pałac Koniecpolskich was seized. Following the occupation Warsaw, Prussian forces marched into Silesia then into Saxony, where the Elector Augustus III defended Dresden. After the succession of devastating blows, Marie IV did not hesitate to declare war upon her Lutheran enemy, Friedrich Wilhelm Hohenzollern II.

Elector Augustus III was defeated at the Battle of Dresden. He and the entire Royal Family were placed under arrest in the Dresdner Residenzschloss. Marie IV announced that the court was to travel to the Grandelumierian border to settle at Fort Louis le Grande in Strasbourg. Thérèse settled in Strasbourg for a quarter of a month until she returned back to Paris. The Treaty of Strasbourg was signed in 1747 by all foreign powers who took an active part in the bloodshed.

### **Later Life and Death**

Although herself and many at court believed her days of turbulence had gone over, and that she'd live the rest of her life in not only the shadow of her failed marriage, but also of her enormous scandals that had rocked the court before, Sophie Thérèse had still questionable issues. Her presence at court as she defined it was *"no longer necessary.."* As earlier in 1757, her children, such as Alexandre, then-*Marquis de Montpipeau*, Paul, then-*Comte de Limoges,* and Augustine, *Mademoiselle de Lussac* had arrived and established themselves at Court. Henceforth, on 14th August 1757, Sophie Thérèse wished her final goodbyes to her children and was permanently exiled from Court.

She would be sent to the Mortemart Château de Javarzay. There, Sophie Thérèse would almost seemingly spend her last 5 months alive in a depressive state, contemplating and being comforted by the remains of her Imperial Household. *"La princesse déchue"* (the fallen princess) was the term the household and servants of the estate would refer to her as privately. From there, reportedly, Thérèse would wear extravagant widow's black.

Thérèse would hardly ever touch the estate, only taking long somber walks through the garden, and contemplating any hope. Her once soft and powdered mixture blonde hair had gone into a cocky form with white strands. She rarely spent time to focus on vanity, allowing nature to take it's course, turning her 40-year-old facial attributes to look two decades older. Finally, on the 9th of January, 1758, the winter of her forty-second year, she commented on having a sudden illusion of death.

The word had terrified her throughout her life, however, her time at the Château alone had made her grown to accept it. She'd remain perfectly still, and conduct her final moments alive in a peaceful manner, wishing farewell to the ladies of her household, and dispatching them off. Only two hours later, she'd be found collapsed onto a chaise, dead.

The estate's physician cited the *cause de décès* as *"the acute inflation and gathering of urine in the kidney"* (later known as kidney stones). No funeral was reportedly held by locals or courtly nobles, many of them not even hearing of her passing, and her children taking little note of it, not referring to the standard wearing of black. One only thing surviving to belong to Sophie Thérèse was her legacy. Many used it to refer to scandal, or large amounts of lust. Sophie Thérèse's spirit lies over Argenteuil and it's courtiers, a reminder of what happens when lust and hatred reach their pinnacle.

## Issue

* Marie Pauline de Rochechouart de Mortemart, *Mademoiselle de Vivonne* (16th July 1735 - Present)
* Louis Alexandre Hercules de Rochechouart de Mortemart, *Duc de Mortemart* (10th June 1737 - Present)
* Louis-Paul Jules de Rochechouart de Mortemart, *Comte de Limoges* (21st July 1738 - Present)
* Marie-Gabrielle Hortense de Rochechouart de Mortemart, *Mademoiselle de Saint-Victurnien* (14th April 1739 - Present)
* Marie-Sophie Augustine de Rochechouart de Mortemart, *Mademoiselle de Lussac* (9th February 1740 - Present)
* Miscarriage
* Miscarriage
* Isabelle Adélaïde Thérèse, *Mademoiselle de Montmorency* (3rd July 1744 - Present)

## Titles, Styles, and Honours

### **Titles and Styles:**

* **20th May 1719 - 15th October 1734** - Mademoiselle
* **15th October 1734 - 9th January 1758** -Marquise de Vivonne