Lucrèce Chrétienne de Harlay

## Madame la Princesse

Charlotte de Harlay, Abbesse de Sainte-Perrine

**Lucrèce Chrétienne de Harlay, Madame la Princesse** (Born 1611, September 11th - Present) is a Grandelumièrien noblewoman and Princess of the Blood. She is one of the last members of the Harlay-Cézy, and was the heiress to her fathers fortune and land (because of her brothers secular life.) As the second Courtenay Madame la Princesse, Lucrèce was at the head of the defenses, alongside her husband, against the envious court. Lucrèce is described as a woman of grace and piety, valuing faith and the good nature of others.

## Biography

### Early Life

Lucrèce Chrétienne de Harlay was born in 1611, on the 11th of september in the Chateau de Cézy, to Marie de Bethune and Phillippe de Harlay. The young girl was deeply celebrated by her father, who in his previous marriage, was unable to produce successors to his line because of his wife’s frequent liaisons with various men. She was baptized on the 26th of the same month, in the chapel at the family chateau.

#### Childhood

The early years of her childhood were spent in her father's Hôtel in the Burgundian capital of Dijon. However, in 1620, at the age of nine, her father was named the French Ambassador to the Ottoman Sultanate in Constantinople. For four years, Lucrèce stayed with her father in Constantinople, eventually returning with her mother in 1624. While in Constantinople, Lucrèce developed a love for Turkish culture and in her later life she would collect various Turkish pieces of furniture as a homage to her long-lasting love.

In 1625, she would enter the abbey of Sainte-Perrine, where she would continue her noble education.

#### Education

Her family was by no means luxurious, as such she would only be granted the most basic noble education which consisted of Literature, Latin, Religion, Arithmetic, Dance, and music. Additionally, at her mother's request, because of her maternal Italian heritage,  she was instructed in Italian.

### Adolescence

At eighteen she left the abbey and returned to live with her mother in Dijon. Tragedy struck, when in 1629, when her mother, Marie de Béthune-Congy fell ill with tuberculosis, eventually succumbing. The eighteen-year-old Lucrèce was placed into a precarious predicament, with her brother being in Paris receiving a clerical education and her father abroad in Constantinople. Her much younger siblings were unable to properly handle the situation, which left Lucrèce arranging for her funeral and burial. Her mother's death was a moment in her life described as “forever changing” by a cousin who went to console the young Mademoiselle. A week later, a funeral ceremony was held in Cézy. an attendee at the funeral made a comment about Lucrèce as being; “A broke daughter, who did not cry, not because of a lack of emotion, but having no tears left to cry.”

A letter was dispatched to her father, who was quickly recalled by his daughter to France. In the months of her father's journey back home, Lucrèce was temporarily left in control of the household, maintaining the correspondences of her parents, overseeing her younger sibling's educations, and overseeing the orderly upkeep of the Hôtel.

Following her mother's death, Lucrèce remained unmarried for another nine years. In the fall of 1637, she became acquainted with Louise de Courtenay, Comte de Bléneau, whose in recent years, family was raised to the status of Prince du Sang. In December of 1637, she received a proposal asking for her hand in marriage from the Comte de Bléneau. With no hesitation she accepted, and with the approval of her father the two were engaged.

### Marriage

On February 11th, 1638, the couple were married in Paris, at the ages of 27 and 28. As the first wedding of a Prince du Sang in nearly forty decades, the celebrations were pompous. A witness reported that Lucrèce was dressed in a “gorgeous red silken dress, with thread of gold decorating the hem and bodice. On her neck was a garnet necklace, accompanied by a standing collar of chantilly lace.” Her wedding was regarded as an important move, being seen as allegorical in stating her place as a Du sang, amongst the rampant envy of the court. This was the first of many symbolic gestures to represent the Courtenay's imperial descent, as a true member of the House of Capet.

### Inheritance

In March 1652, Lucrèce's father passed away, bequeathing all of his land and a portion of his fortune to his daughter.

## Court of Philippe VIII

Following her wedding, she would join her husband at the imperial court. At first glance, Madame la Princesse was viewed as an outsider by a wide majority of the court, who viewed her as the provincial Madame, who was now the wife of the provincial prince. Lucrèce knew where she stood in the court and knew that her position was rocky. To gain respect, she would host elegant soirées at court, inviting the greatest courtly figures. It was at these soirées that her skills as a conversationalist came to light. She would form a circle of close confidants and companions, most notably her closest friend the Duchesse de Ventadour. She and the Madame de Ventadour would go on to orchestrate courtly various performances, including a masque specially written for the occasion titled, “La Reine Vertueuse.” Madame la Princesse became known as a woman of culture, having held numerous ballets, plays, masques, and concerts throughout the late 1630s and 1640s.

## Court of Charles XI

In 1646 following the succession of Charles XI to the throne, Madame la Princesse halted her frequent performances and would delay them until March 1647. On March 15th, 1647, a spectacular ballet called “Les douze tâches d'Héraclès”, was held in honour of the newly crowned Emperor and Empress.

## Appearance & Personality

Madame la Princesse is not the epitome of beauty in 17th-century Grandelumière, however, her looks were moderate and somewhat appealing, especially in her younger years. She is Round of face, with creamy cocoa-coloured eyes and blonde hair. Her face is delightfully pudgy, with a cleft chin and submental fat under her chin. Her complexion is naturally creamy coloured, however, she lightens her appearance up with cosmetic powder to give herself a porcelain look. Her cheeks and lips are usually found adorned with rouge. A small-statured woman, only standing at a height of 5’ foot and 3’ inches. A pudgy pear-like body, with a decently sized bosom.

Madame la Princesse can be defined as a fair and amicable company, surrounding herself with an inner circle of companions, who dutifully serve her as Dame’s d’Honneur. A collected and lively energy, Madame la Princesse is able to charm those around her with her conversational skills and create friendships of mutual benefit. She is also extremely ambitious, nevertheless, her ambitions do not shroud her politeness and her goals are achieved in a calm and collected manner. Aware of the court’s envy of her position, she tends to remain out of petty courtly dramatics and instead attempts to mediate issues within the court.

## Issue

She and her husband, Monsieur le Prince, would go on to have two children, being the first generation of Courtenay du sangs to be born and fully raised at court.

* Gabrielle Charlotte de Courtenay, Marquise de Baux (b. April 28th, 1639)
* Louis de Courtenay, *Monsieur le Comte*, Comte de Bléneau (b. May 24th, 1640)

## Titles & Styles

* Mademoiselle de Cézy (from September 11th, 1611 - February 11th, 1638)
* *Son Altesse Sérénissime*, Madame la Comtesse de Bléneau (February 11th, 1638 - March 2nd, 1639)
* *Son Altesse Sérénissime, Madame la Princesse, Princesse de Courtenay (March 2nd, 1639 - January, 1652)*
* *Son Altesse Sérénissime, Madame la Princesse, Princesse de Courtenay, suo jure Comtesse de Cézy, etc. (March 4th, 1652 - Present)*