Marguerite Louise de Grandelumière

**Marguerite Louise de Grandelumière** (*German: Margarete Luisa von Tolleslicht,* 26th September - Present) was the only daughter of Charles X & II of Grandelumière and Nicole de Lorraine. During the year of 1655, she would be engaged and married to *Leopold I of Austria*, König in Germanien, Erzherzog von Oesterreich, and future Holy Roman Emperor.

Described as an extroverted and outgoing woman, she often was able to befriend anyone who even spent mere moments with her. She was also known to admire the finer things of her status, more than typical of someone of imperial blood.

## Early Life

The final child of the late-Emperor Charles X & II and his consort Nicole de Lorraine, Marguerite Louise was born in the mid-day hours of the 26th of September in the year of 1637 at the Château du Louvre. Being the daughter of a reigning Emperor, she would be immediately bestowed the prestigious status as a Fille de Grandelumière and consequently the style of Madame Impériale as the senior-most of the status. Her birth was said to be a rather difficult process, as her mother was said to be in labor for a total of eight hours.

Having a healthy childhood, young Marguerite Louise would be raised under the watchful care of the Imperial Governess and Duchesse de Guise, Marie de Joyeuse. In a grand ceremony shortly after her birth, the young princess would be baptized by the Cardinal-Protector Henri de Lorraine-Guise carrying the name "Marguerite Louise Geneviève Marie Douleurs" with the King and Queen of Spain being her respective godparents.

Like most princesses of the era, most of her time would be spent in the company of only her family as during her birth and upbringing the court was faced with the threat of the angry populace. She was also known to be fairly close with her only sibling, the future Henri III & I.

Following the death of her father shortly after her first birthday, the safety of the imperial children would come under great scrutiny; Marguerite Louise would reside within the imperial nursery of the Louvre throughout her childhood. As she grew, she would commonly be graced by visits of the two dowager Empresses alongside her cousins and elder brother in which she first was noticed for her gregarious behavior. Alongside her cousins, Marguerite would form varying friendships with the enfants of her brother, becoming closest to *Henri de Lorraine* the *Comte de Soissons.* Marguerite found him very agreeable, and supportive of her odd nature and patient to her emotional outbursts. She would also form a close relationship with her only Enfant d'Honneur Marie Henriette Louise Elisabeth de Rochechouart, the future *Comtesse de Moray.*

 File:Imperiale as a Child.jpg
### Education

Under the Madame de Guise, Marguerite Louise would receive a complex education intended to groom her to be a shining example of European princesses. Although she would have minimal training in the Romance languages, under the encouragement of her mother she would pursue further studies in German and Latin; she'd additionally, as per the typical education, study reading, writing, dancing, etiquette, religion and household stewardship. Despite not being a particularly studious individual, the young princess would push herself to complete and excel in an attempt to gain the favor of her beloved mother; she would grow to resent studying, and when in private scenarios would often refuse to engage in any activity of the like.

Straying the relationships which had been previously fostered between imperial siblings, Marguerite Louise would be incredibly close to her elder brother and would often be involved in activities alongside his enfants.  As per her expected duties  she would be publicly jovial and actively involved with social settings, however when posed to be alone she would resort to borderline hostile behavior stemming from a resentment from the lack of emotional freedom.

## Court of Henri III & I

### Courtly Relationships

Marguerite would have been introduced to court at an early age, attending court events starting at the age of twelve. In 1650, *Marie de Clermont*, the future *Comtesse de Soissons*, would join her retinue as her first female friend; this would create a relationship between the two of an amicable nature. Aside from her friendship with the Comte and Comtesse de Soissons, she would have plenty of acquaintances but very few close companions. One of her few close friends that was not related in blood was the *Marquise* *de Belle-Île, Claude Antoinette de Gondi-Retz.* The pair were known to be rather close, being only second closest to her after the Comte de Soissons. The young princess often cherished her friendships, as there were few and far between due to her own selective and stubborn nature. Though later in 1655, she would learn to broaden her circle with the addition of the *Comtesse de Saint-Sauveur*, who was described as being doting and kind to the overly blunt and harsh princess.

In 1655, her relationship with the Comte de Soissons, now *Duc de Mercoeur* would come to an abrupt end as her elder brother *Henri III & I* would demand him to never set foot near her again. This would be after the Duc had publicly disgraced His Majesty by flaunting himself around Marguerite, as well as personally disrespecting his wishes. Despite pleas from his sister, his decision would remain final and Marguerite was to never speak to him again.

### Engagement to Leopold I, König in Germanien, Erzherzog von Oesterreich

Speculation on where the young princess would be sent off to began to bubble to the surface, once she had reached the expected age. Marguerite herself also seemed to be excited by this prospect, as she saw it as a needed and permanent escape from the Grandelumièrian court. And so, in 1653 at the age of fifteen - her engagement to the future Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, King Leopold I of Austria would be finalized and announced. This match would be seen as incredibly advantageous, as the Holy Roman Empire was known for it's size and power. Henri III & I had arranged this match, knowing how upset and isolated his sister felt at the time. And with the destination being very far from Grandelumière, he was seemingly doing Marguerite and his own country a great service.

### Death of Nicole de Lorraine

On the evening of February 20, 1655, the Empress-Mother would have collapsed into a fit of seizures during an audience being held by the Emperor two days prior. She'd be quickly escorted into her rooms, where her mother continued to seize and thrash about. With assistance from Antoine de Vallot, the primary physician of the imperial family, she'd be quickly drained of her supposedly "infected" blood. In front of Marguerite's eyes, she was hearing her mother scream and wail in pain - even while having her head buried into her brother's shoulder in fear. She had tried to remain strong, but was now at her weakest point. From this moment onward after the loss of now both of her parents, her mental state would begin to decline steadily until her departure.

### The Handover of the Madame Impériale

Just a few weeks after the funeral of Nicole de Lorraine, the young princess would have traveled across Europe into the village of Saales, located in Bas-Rhin, Alsace for the official handover to the Holy Roman Empire. Marguerite was said to be completely enthralled by the land and cleaner air of Austria, despite being incredibly worn out from the long travel. The King of Bohemia was said to be only three years the princess' junior, which Marguerite took to very positively. Upon her introduction to the Austrian courtiers, the Holy Roman Emperor *Ferdinand III* was impressed by her attractive appearance and sense of piety. She was immediately welcomed warmly by her soon to be husband, and upon their departure together were seen talking endlessly with eachother.

## Personality & Appearance

### Personality

Known to be a jovial and bright woman in court, she often made the effort to be friendly with almost everyone she came across. She valued maintaining an almost perfect appearance towards the other courtiers above everything. In truth, she had been mastering this under a thick and well hidden façade. Though naturally calm, she was often prone to have private outbursts in the company of her closest friend the Comte de Soissons. She was also known to privately despise the pomp and ceremony of court later in life, and tried to drown out her grievances with her own circle of friends. She was also described as brash, and rather blunt in the presence of her closer companions.

After the death of her mother, Nicole de Lorraine her personality would begin to more outwardly express her friendly nature over her hidden harsh persona. Soon enough, her jovial personality would be what she was known for as she was introduced into the Austrian court.

### Appearance

Marguerite Louise was described as a rather impressive looking girl, even more so when she grew out of adolescence. She had a set of blackish brown locks that matched her mother's, also inheriting most of her Lorraine features including a set of gentle hazel colored eyes.