Marie-Julianne de Bade-Bade

Julianne, c. 1656 par Henri et Charles Beaubrun

Marie Cassandre, Mademoiselle de Bléneau

Philipp Siegmund, Markgraf von Baden †

Wilhelm Christoph, Markgraf von Baden †

Hermann, Markgraf von Baden

Bernhard, Markgraf von Baden †

Isabella Eugenie Klara, Markgrafen von Baden †

Katharina Franziska Henriette, Markgrafen von Baden

Claudia, Markgrafen von Baden †

Henriette, Markgrafen von Baden †

Anna, Markgrafen von Baden

Maria, Markgrafen von Baden †

Franz, Markgraf von Baden †

**Julianne, Madame la Comtesse** (1st May 1638 - Present) is a Grandelumierian princess du sang and margravine of Baden. Through her marriage to the maison de Courtenay's heir, she is Duchesse de Bléneau and thus referred to by the style Madame la Duchesse in the court of Henri IV.

## Biography

### Birth

Maria Juliane von Baden-Baden was born on 1st May 1638 at the Neues Schloss (new castle, nouveau château) in Florentinerberg, Baden-Baden, the youngest child out of Wilhelm von Baden-Baden and Katharina Ursula von Hohenzollern-Hechingen. Through her father, she was related to a long line of German Margraves who have ruled over the Baden territory in Southern Germany since 1112, with a lineage that goes all the way back to the Alaholfings. Following her mother's childbirth-related death in 1640, her father would go on to remarry in 1650 to Maria Magdalena von Oettingen-Baldern, who he's fathered two further children with. From birth, she was styled as *Markgrafen von Baden.* A sickly infant, she would be baptized that same year with her aunt and uncle, Hermann Fortunat von Baden-Rodemachern and Maria Sidonia von Daun-Falkenstein, as her Catholic godparents. Additionally, Queen Kristina of Sweden, having always been accepting of the Roman Catholic faith, would stand as Juliane's secondary godmother.

### Marriage

As the youngest daughter of fourteen children, Juliane's marriage was given little thought by the Margrave and Margravine. Given her piety and virtue, her family assumed she would ultimately take the veil, much like her elder sisters had chosen to do. However, the long line of rich ancestry in her blood made her a desirable candidate for one particular family: the maison de Courtenay in the Empire of Grandelumiere. Up until 1619, the Courtenay had lived an impoverished lifestyle, mere rural lords struggling to make ends meet. Thus, with their now princely status, it became difficult to be rid the stain that was considered provincial blood, making the youngest Markgrafen a perfect candidate. The matriarch of the Courtenay family, Lucrèce Chrétienne de Harlay, had a marriage arranged between Maria Juliane and her only son, Louis Charles de Courtenay--the then Monsieur le Comte. At the time, Juliane was fifteen years old, and her husband-to-be merely thirteen.

Prior to her handover, a proxy wedding took place on 13th January 1654 in the chapel of Neues Schloss, with her cousin Karl Wilhelm Eugen von Baden-Rodemachern standing in for the groom. Juliane was described to have been incredibly nervous, and it's said she needed to be reminded of a large variety of words, phrases, and actions. Following the ceremony, she would be comforted by her proxy-groom and several ladies in her entourage. The markgrafen would thus be stylized as Madame la Comtesse, and her French lessons would quickly begin.

By the end of February, Juliane hadn't picked up on much French at all, but would nonetheless brave the journey to Strasbourg on the night of the 25th of February. Traveling with her was her stepmother Maria Magdalena von Oettingen-Baldern, brother Ferdinand Maximilian von Baden-Baden, the French ambassador, as well as a translator for the bride. Despite the trip being overall quite short, the roadways were quite bumpy which would make for an overall uncomfortable experience for an already petrified Madame la Comtesse. After a few long hours of travel, they would meet with the Grandelumierian party which consisted of Monsieur le Prince, Madame la Princesse, Monsieur le Comte, and the Baden ambassador. The couple exchanged broken pleasantries and the ceremony overall went surprisingly smoothly. Juliane, who was now known as Marie-Julianne de Bade-Bade gave tearful goodbyes to her family and began the trip to the court palace of Grandelumiere--Montrouge.

The young couple would be married the first day of the new month in an extravagant wedding, with most imperials and high-ranking courtiers in attendance. The reception would take place at the Palais Courtenay, where the couple would stay until Madame la Comtesse's arrival to court months later. Monsieur le Comte was reportedly smitten with his bride but repulsed by her shy personality. Also well attended, the reception would be boasted as a success by the parents of the groom, who became quite protective of their new daughter-in-law.

## Character Synopsis

### Personality

Disastrously meek and shy, Madame la Duchesse was far from the usual personality at the boisterous and extravagant Grandelumierian court. She was a stark contrast to her intense and domineering mother-in-law Madame la Princesse, and especially to her own Demoiselle d'Honneur, the rouge and playful Zéphyrine Dorothée de Talleyrand-Périgord. Despite the unusual nature of the princesse du sang, she made many allies at court and was often considered a key figure to its daily functions. Although certainly loved at court, she was plagued by homesickness and debilitating melancholy (clinical depression) which affected her daily life and made her appear weak in the eyes of those who opposed the "upstart" maison de Courtenay. When in the company of loved ones, she is described most typically as sweet but careful, kind yet quiet. Overall, her flaws set her apart from the usual Grandelumierian woman, but she was nonetheless appreciated and loved.

### Appearance

Marie-Julianne is often described by contemporaries as dainty and pretty, but by no means an attractive woman. She possesses elegant onyx black curls, which she often keeps relatively short and curled in the preferred style of Grandelumierian court. In a time where darker shades of hair are the preferred, Madame la Duchesse tends to keep her hair plain and decorates it with very little accessories. Much like her hair, the Baden woman has emotive dark blue eyes, which are said to show off her every emotion. Due to her sickly childhood, as the princesse du sang aged into adulthood, she remained quite frail, and despite of her short stature, every limb was said to be long and nimble. Her neck was quoted to be "giraffe like" and thus she often wore a single-strand pearl necklace to break up the space. Her face, on the other hand, was rotund with dimples that marked her youth, red and warm to the touch. Her lips are small, but angelically so and pampered with light rouge. Her most undesirable feature was said to be her nose, which was described as "obnoxiously German" by Monsieur le Duc.

## Issue

With her husband, Louis de Courtenay:

* Louis Guillaume de Courtenay, Comte de Montbrun (10th December 1654 - Present)
* Louise Cécile de Courtenay, Mademoiselle de Courtenay (20th March 1656 - Present)
* Marie Cassandre de Courtenay, Mademoiselle de Bléneau (28th February 1657 - Present)
* Stillborn son (10th April 1658)

## Titles and Styles

* **1st May 1638 - 1st March 1654:** *Ihre Durchlaucht,* Markgrafen von Baden
* **1st March 1654 - Present:** *Son Altesse Sérénissime,* Madame la Comtesse de Bléneau
* **18th June 1655 - Present:** *Son Altesse Sérénissime,* Madame la Duchesse de Bléneau