Marie-Henriette Jacqueline de Rochechouart de Mortemart de Rochebrune

Princesse Douairière de Conti, dated 1740.

## Biography

### Full Name

Marie-Henriette Jacqueline de Blois de Soissons (née de Rochechouart de Mortemart de Rochebrune)

### House

Maison de Rochechouart de Mortemart de Rochebrune (by birth)Maison de Blois de Soissons (by marriage)

### Born

6th February 1721, L'Hôtel de Mortemart, Paris, Grandelumiere

### Spouse

Louis François César de Blois de Soissons †

### Issue

Louis Étienne BarthélémyMarie Henriette Germaine

Louis Pierre Leopold

Louis Alphonse Clement

Marie Louise Sophie

Louis François Auguste

Marie Adélaïde Claudine

Marie Victoire Marguerite

Marie Elisabeth Charlotte

Marie Thérèse Jeanne

Marie Philippine Angélique

### Father

Joseph-Louis Clement de Rochechouart de Mortemart de Rochebrune †

### Religion

Roman Catholic

**Marie-Henriette Jacqueline de Rochechouart de Mortemart de Rochebrune** (6th February 1721 - Present) was born to her parents, Joseph-Louis Clement de Rochechoaurt de Mortemart, Baron de Rochebrune, and Anne-Marie Xavierre Le Tellier, Baronne de Rochebrune. Upon her marriage to Louis-François César de Blois de Soissons, she assumed the title **Princesse de Conti.**

Born in 1721 at L'Hotel de Mortemart in Paris, Grandelumiere, into a cadet branch of the illustrious de Rochechouart de Mortemart family, Jacqueline was the only one of the famous Mortemarettes from the Rochechouart de Mortemart de Rochebrune line. Although not celebrated as largely as her elder cousins for her beauty, her wit and piety are well known and characterize her as the most pious of the renowned Mortemarettes.

## Early Life

### **Birth**

Marie-Henriette Jacqueline de Rochechouart de Mortemart de Rochebrune was born the 21st of February, 1721, to her parents, Joseph-Louis Clement de Rochachouart de Mortemart de Rochebrune, Baron de Rochebrune, and his wife, Anne-Marie Xavierre Le Tellier, Baronne de Rochbrune, in L'Hôtel de Mortemart, Paris, Grandelumiere. At birth, she was given the title, Mademoiselle de Rochebrune, as was fitting to the eldest daughter of the Baron de Rochebrune.

### **Childhood**

Joseph-Louis Clement, Baron de Rochebrune, was the youngest brother of the acclaimed Cardinal de Mortemart, confidant and advisor to Queen-Empress Marie IV de Grandelumiere. The Cardinal had arranged for his youngest brother, Clement, to marry Anne-Marie Xavierre Le Tellier. Madame de Rochebrune had born him a son, Jean-Joseph Etienne, Seigneur de Javerdat in 1719, before Jacqueline's birth.

Shortly after Jacqueline's second birthday, Monsieur de Rochebrune passed of smallpox in 1723. By no means wealthy, Madame de Rochebrune would be able to raise her two children, although in considerable poverty. In 1719, the late Baron de Rochebrune's elder brother, Henri César de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquis de Montpipeau, had passed, leaving his widow, Madame de Montpipeau, with 10 young children. Montpipeau and Rochebrune's eldest brother, Cardinal de Mortemart, offered to take the ten young children under his wing, as well as pay for their education and dowries.

When Monsieur de Rochebrune died in 1723, the Cardinal offered the same to the widowed Madame de Rochebrune. Reportedly, the Cardinal de Motemart offered to be charitable to his young nephew and niece, although he also planned to use them to cement his legacy with advantageous marriages, as he was not able to have children due to his status as a cleric. Subsequently, Jacqueline and her brother were brought to Chateau de Rueil, where their cousins were residing. Madame de Rochebrune, would go into mourning, but remain in Paris, visiting various salons and theatres, and soon completely gave over custody of her children to the Cardinal. No longer a court noble, she'd live out the rest of her life Paris.

### **Education**

At Rueil, the children were treated as the Cardinal's own. As they were all brought up together, they regarded each other as siblings, rather than cousins, forming close relationships between them. At the age of eight, she was sent to L'Abbaye de Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris. A traditional, yet expensive choice, many of her elder female cousins had gone to the abbey beforehand. In fact, at the Chateau de Rueil, Jacqueline was among only her brother and male cousins. Therefore, being surrounded by other young girls of high noble families was a welcome change to her. In the abbey, Jacqueline learned what was deemed essential knowledge for a girl of a good house; how to run a large household, needlework, dancing, writing, reading, some geography, and history.

## Adolescence

### **Arrival at Court**

The last on the Cardinal de Mortemart's nieces to be presented at court, she was taken out of the convent at age 13 in 1734. By now, the collective nieces of the Cardinal were known as the *Mortemarettes,* and were renowned for their beauty and wit*.* She was presented at court by her eldest cousin, Marie-Augustine Laurènede Blois de Penthievre (née de Rochechouart de Mortemart), Princesse de Carigano. She was immediately placed in the household of the Duchesse de Anjou, daughter-in-law of Queen-Empress Marie IV. To Jacqueline's delight, the Duchesse was Marie-Angélique Olympe de Rochechouart de Mortemart, one of the Mortemarettes. The marriage was one of the Cardinal's greatest achievements. In Olympe's household, she was able to spend time with her various relatives, all notable figures at the Imperial Court.

 File:Caroline de Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg by an unknown artist.jpg
In 1736, the Cardinal de Mortemart arranged a union with House Blois de Soissons, a cadet branch of House Blois. Her husband-to-be was Louis François César de Blois de Soissons, Duc de Montmorency, third son of Louis-François Gabriel, Prince de Condé. Married in the chapel of Chateau d'Argenteuil, Jacqueline, at age 15, had a sizable dowry of 100,000 livres. It was assumed that the marriage was consummated on the couple's first night together. Jacqueline immediately fell in love with her new husband, and he with her. Reportedly, Monsieur de Montmorency was so enraptured with her that he stayed by Jacqueline's side during the long, difficult birth of Louis-Étienne Barthélémy, Comte d'Alais, in 1737.

## Adulthood

### **Madame la Comtesse**

After Jacqueline's father-in-law, Louis-François Gabriel, Prince de Condé, died in 1745 from a hunting accident, his first son, Louis-Armand, Prince de Conti, inherited the house. However, it did not take long for the weak prince to succumb poor health, dying only a year afterwards. The new Prince de Condé was Louis-Alphonse, Louis-Armand's younger brother. However, because Louis-Alphonse was a cleric and could not legally marry or have legitimate children, Jacqueline's husband, Louis-François César, was declared the heir to the house. Now the chosen heir, the Duc de Montmorency traded in his title for a more prestigious and traditional one, Prince de Conti with the style, Monsieur le Comte. With this, Jacqueline assumed the title Princesse de Conti, or Madame la Comtesse.

For a time, Jacqueline experienced one of the happiest periods of her life. Almost every year, she bore a new child. After the Comte d'Alais followed Marie-Henriette Germaine, Louis Pierre Leopold, Louis Alphonse Clement, Marie-Louise Sophie, Louis-François Auguste, Marie-Adélaïde Claudine, Mairie-Victoire Marguerite, Marie-Elisabeth Charlotte, and Marie-Thérèse Jeanne. Although her children were educated at the family estate, Chateau de Chantilly, she took an active part in their education, searching for tutors and governesses, as well as bringing children of lower nobility to be companions to her growing brood. However, one shouldn't mistaken this involvement in their education for an interest in the children themselves, as Jacqueline usually kept herself significantly distanced from them, taking a traditional approach to parenting. This buoyant period only ended in 1746, with the death of her only sibling and brother, Jean-Joseph Etienne de Rochechouart de Mortemart de Rochebrune, Baron de Rochebrune. Tragically, Monsieur de Rochebrune had died in the Ten Year's War, which ended only a year after his death.

### **Princesse Douairière de Conti**

In 1749, Louis-François César abruptly from typhus. Jacqueline was devastated and was plunged into a deep melancholy. As was the practice of certain widows, Jacqueline, or the now Princesse Douairière de Conti, declared that she would wear mourning attire for the rest of her life as a tribute to her late husband. Seven months pregnant with her ninth child at the time of his death, she soon gave birth to her seventh daughter, Marie-Philippine Angélique. Almost immediately after the birth of her youngest, Jacqueline departed Chateau d'Argenteuil for the Chateau de Chantilly. There, she spent the next ten years in solitude, shut away from the world and her family. Her only company was the service of her few ladies, and the occasional visits of her children.

On 5th of January, 1758, Jacqueline's brother-in-law, Cardinal Louis-Alphonse de Blois de Soissons, died, leaving his estates, many of his belongings, his house, and 24,000,000 livres to her son, Louis-Étienne Barthélémy, the now Prince de Condé. Her son had amassed major influence in the court of the new Emperor, Louis XIV, being appointed Grand Provost and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on the Emperor's Council. Furthermore, a marriage had been arranged with the emperor's own daughter, Marie-Thérèse de Grandelumiere and Louis-Étienne. These prestigious arrangements and appointments all culminated in his inheriting of the house of Blois de Soissons. Jacqueline, seeing her opportunity for influence, decided to come out of mourning and made arrangements for her return to court at Chateau d'Argenteuil.

After arriving at court, she found that Argenteuil was much changed from the decade earlier. The piety of the old court of Marie IV was replaced by a libertine attitude, along with courtiers who threw flamboyant and wild parties every night. With Jacqueline's arrival, she adapted the strategy to turning a blind eye to such actions that she heavily disapproved of, although she never versed these beliefs in public. Jacqueline stayed among the more pious members of the court, the circle headed by her son, known as "Les Croisés de Condé". Among it's members was her daughter in law, the now Princesse de Condé. They soon developed a close relationship, with Jacqueline pressuring her to produce as many children as possible. Reportedly, she did this out of fear, as her own husband had died young and was frightened that the same would happen to her son. This fear was put to rest with the birth of her grandchildren, Louis Raphael Dieudonne, Monsieur le Comte, Marie Isabelle Therese, Mademoiselle des Isles, Louis Valentin Christophe, Duc de Montmorency, Marie Jeanne Yolande, Mademoiselle de La Marche, and Louis Armand Philippe, Comte de Soissons.

## Personality and Appearance

### **Personality**

Throughout her life, Jacqueline was described as extremely timid and submissive. Her uncle, the Cardinal de Mortermart had a habit of giving his nieces and nephews nicknames. With Jacqueline, he settled on  Timiqueline, which was a combination of the words Timidité, meaning Timid, and Jacqueline. Although at times, her cheerful and chipper demeanor was looked up to as a *"breath of fresh air"*, in her elder years she was described as a lonely, aging widow, who's time had passed. Extremely pious, she enjoyed court masses immensely, although they were not as popular during her second tenure at court. At Louis XIV's court, she disapproved of the debauched and immoral lifestyle many of the courtiers led. However, she was silent about her beliefs, and kept company mainly with her relatives and a few close friends at court. Additionally, Jacqueline was known to be witty in her younger years. Nonetheless, this characteristic was said to have faded greatly with the death of her husband. Moreover, with the Prince de Conti's death, Jaqueline fell into a deep melancholy from which she never fully recovered.

### **Appearance**

Despite the Mortemarettes being famed for their beauty, Jacqueline was described as being the second most unattractive, only after Marie-Angélique Olympe de Grandelumiere (née de Rochechouart de Mortemart), Duchesse de Anjou. Although not described as ugly, she was remarked to be *"considerably plain and average."* Her figure was neither plump, nor drastically skinny. Her eyes were said to have been too far apart from each other and paired with a rather large mouth that was described as her most unattractive feature. Jacqueline's nose was long with a deep incline, causing it to stick out slightly. Her long, blonde hair which she was so proud of was often adorned with an assortment of jewels or flowers in her younger years. However, by her elder years it was said to have turned to a wispy wheat, and had lost much of it's volume and color. When powdered, it turned a pristine white, a most coveted feature. Jacqueline's complexion was weak, and she was often forced to use considerable amounts of makeup to make up for it. Jacqueline's best feature was said to be her eye color. A deep, pure azure, Jacqueline's eyes were compared to a *"large, blue sea, sprouting with life"*. When she flawlessly delivered a witty comment, her eyes were said to sparkle, a characteristic which stayed with her even until her elder years.

## Issue

With her husband, Louis-François César de Blois de Soissons, she would have several children:

* Louis-Étienne Barthélémy, Prince de Condé (4th September 1737 - 12th May 1763)
* Marie-Henriette Germaine, Mademoiselle de Conti (29th November 1738 - Present)
* Louis-Pierre Léopold, Prince de Condé (29th November 1738 - Present)
* Louis Alphonse Clement, Duc de Mercoeur (8th July 1739 - Present)
* Marie-Louise Sophie, Mademoiselle de Conti (3rd January 1741 - 4th January 1742)
* Louis-François Auguste, Archevêque d'Embrun (3rd January 1741 - Present)
* Miscarried Son (11th July 1742)
* Marie-Adélaïde Claudine, Mademoiselle de Conti (15th April 1743 - Present)
* Marie-Victoire Marguerite, Mademoiselle de Conti (22nd August 1744 - 19th December 1754)
* Marie-Elisabeth Charlotte, Marquise de Blain (2nd October 1746 - Present)
* Stillborn Girl (18th May 1747)
* Marie-Thérèse Jeanne, Mademoiselle de Conti (27th February 1748 - 29th February 1750)
* Marie-Philippine Angélique, Mademoiselle de Conti (8th November 1749 - Present)

## Titles and Styles

### **Titles and Styles**

* **6th February 1721 - 15th November 1736** *Mademoiselle de Rochebrune*
* **12th November 1736 - 3rd January 1746** *Son Altesse Sérénissime, Madame la Duchesse de Montmorency (Madame de Montmorency)*
* **3rd January 1746 - 23rd December 1748** *Son Altesse Sérénissime, Madame la Princesse de Conti (Madame de Conti)*
* **3rd January 1746 - 23rd December 1749** *Son Altesse Sérénissime, Madame la Comtesse* (customary courtly style)
* **23rd December 1749 - Present** *Son Altesse Sérénissime,**Madame la Princesse Douairière de Conti*
* "**La Mortemarette"**(Note: Not a style but a nickname given her by contemporaries)