Louise-Adélaïde de Bourbon-Condé

## Mademoiselle de Condé

Mademoiselle de Condé by Charles Zéphyr Pons de Sacleux, c. 1774.

**Louise-Adélaïde de Bourbon-Condé**, Mademoiselle de Condé (5 October 1757 - Present) is a French princesse du sang as her quality of being the daughter of Louis V de Bourbon-Condé and descendant of the Grand Condé.

As of 1775 two voices raises over the Bourbon-Condé lineage over the issue of her marriage, vigorously opposed these are; On one hand, Louis V, Adélaïde's father whose dedication to zealously protect her from any propositions of marriages coming from families of lower standing. On the other hand, Louis 'VI' Henri, Adélaïde's brother sets an enormous pressure over his sister, conjuring her to marry promptly with an advantageous party of her choice while admitting the same treatment to the potential grooms deemed unworthy of her royal blood.

## Early Life

### **Upbringing**

Louise-Adélaïde was born as the youngest child of Louis V, Prince de Condé and Charlotte de Rohan-Soubise, his deceased wife, member of the ancestral house of Rohan. Upon her birth, Adélaïde was styled as *Mademoiselle de Condé* as sole daughter of Louis V. Destined since her first days to be one of the most sought-after parties in France, she was educated alongside her brother, Louis Henri, to represent her dynasty through every ceremonies and passing-by. Bestowed with a corresponding culturally, literary and expanded moneyed education by her great-aunt -- Henriette Louise de Bourbon-Condé-- along with being educated at the royal abbey of Bernardine Panthémont.

Following the death of Charlotte de Rohan left her with moderately reinforced morals and beliefs of Christian nature. She remains unblinded by the conditions and expectations imposed by her relatives, ready for any sacrifices to her condition as princesse du sang to expectantly marry one of her numerous cousins or a foreign prince.

## Betrothal

    Louis Stanislas, then Dauphin of France, sought out the Mademoiselle de Condé, newborn daughter of his distant cousin, the Prince de Condé. The Dauphin then arranged for her to marry his second surviving son, Son Altesse Royale, the Comte d'Artois. Raised with marriage at the forefront of her upbringing, Adélaïde was taught the aptitude toward a prominent royal marriage, primarily to further her success in her own betrothal. The predispositions that she took were successful as the Comte d'Artois proved to be receptive of her attempts at courting him, the Comte returned her favorably the growing affection that Adélaïde built for him. Several conversations and letters were exchanged throughout their planified betrothal, contributing to the endearment the two began to mutually resent, growing fond of eachothers rather rapidly.

However, by the bitter end of the year of grace 1772, a foreign princess of Savoy --Marie-Thérèse de Savoie-- with a substantial dowry accompanying her purposal of engagement with the Comte d'Artois, shattered the prospects of the betrothal between Adélaïde and Charles. The mutual decisions between the crowns of France and Sardinia to reinforce their ties and purpose an harmonious connection was going to be materialized by a successions of betrothal and marriages between princesses of Savoy and French royal princes; Charles and Marie-Thérèse were no exception to the rule.

As this proposition was brought torwards Louis XV, who sought for the best of his foreign relations with other crowns along with his ministers, accepted the betrothal of his grandson with the Savoyard princess. The dowry and diplomatical endeavors brought together by this union was simply the pinnacle of what the ageing King wished for his heirs to achieve. Meanwhile, out of the public eye, Adélaïde suffered the sight of her betrothal being called off by her distant relative without anything to say as her ranking and reserve imposed her to tolerate silently with a content expression the end of her union with the Comte d'Artois.

Both had, as mentioned previously, grown fond of altogether over the period of their communal courtships. The brupt ending of their betrothal came as a surprise and shock for Adélaïde, a man that she truly loved for years being taken away from her sight to be married off for arrangements between two dynasties seemed to be much for her. One courier of the cabinet of Louis XV reported within the archives the following:

*"Following the seperation of Son Altesse Royale, le Comte d'Artois and Son Altesse Sérénissime, la Mademoiselle de Condé; The Mademoiselle showed advanced signs of resentment and grief against the ones whom turned her away from the Comte. I have to add that she has secluded herself away from court for a period of three weeks, leaving behind her appartements, expectations and the hopes of her relatives. She has been greatly affected for the Comte she deemed hers, only at the disapproval of Sa Majesté le Roi. It is a tragedy to witness such a young lady behave as this and we can only show compassion for her. I may fear that, in the foreseeable future, she will continue to bear sentiments for the Comte as they have been both exposed to eachother for an extended amount of time."*

Adélaïde found refuge on the avenues of virtue predisposed by her aunt, Henriette-Louise de Bourbon, and within a few weeks of recovery, she was finally able to overcome the gap left by the annulled betrothal, regaining her usual colors and personna. This evenement shown that Adélaïde was quite emotive akin to every other ladies of her age, marking her romantic experiences immensely. Though giving her the experience needed to demarcate certain things as beneficial for the greater good of her relatives and the realm than her own personal choices. Thankfully Adélaïde has since grown and accepted the divergences of paths between her and the Comte d'Artois, viewing him as competent and needed friends in these troubled times, going as far as publicly giving respective homages to the now Duc et Duchesse de Bourgogne.

## Adolescence

Adélaïde resumed her education well into her adolescent years, excelling in all her studies, even distinguishing herself as a chief pupil despite her naive, shy nature. As her time at Benderdine Panthémont came to a closing, her aunt and role model, Henriette Louise de Bourbon, the Benedictine Abbess of the Beaumont Abbey, wrote the following in her memoir:

“*She had neither a brilliant beauty nor a very extraordinary mind, but her whole person was very amiable. Her skin was neither very delicate nor very white, but her blue eyes and black hair, with the darkness of her eyebrows and the brown of their complexion, made a mixture of sweetness and vivacity so pleasant that it was difficult to defend oneself from her charms. A pleasure and a treat that she has been in the presence of myself and many other active members of the clergy. May her marriage allow her to excel in fields of all kinds, peace be with her.*"

Indeed, a beauty she was, it was common to assume that her beauty would set the stage for future nuptials Adélaïde's radiance having also presumably caused a feud between two sons of France.

## Titles and Styles

* **5 October 1757 - 4 December 1759:** *Son Altesse Sérénissime, Louise-Adélaïde de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Bourbon,* Princesse du Sang de France.
* **4 December 1759 - Present:** *Son Altesse Sérénissime,* Louise-Adélaïde de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Condé, Princesse du Sang de France.