Sophie of France

Sophie of France, Fille de France (full name: Sophie Philippine Élisabeth Justine ; * July 27, 1734 in Versailles , † March 2, 1782 ibid) was a French princess and princess of Navarre . She was the sixth daughter and the eighth child of Louis XV. of France and his wife Queen Maria Leszczyńska . First known as Madame Cinquième , she was later called Madame Sophie .

Madame Sophie, fille de france, by Jean-Marc Nattier (1748)

Life

Sophie is less known than her siblings Victoire , Louise Marie and the Dauphin Louis Ferdinand . Her birth in the Palace of Versailles went relatively unnoticed by the public. In contrast to the older children of Louis XV. She did not grow up in Versailles, but with her older sister Madame Victoire and the younger sisters Madame Thérèse (died young) and Madame Louise in the Abbey of Fontevrault . She had a shy, reserved nature and was considered ugly and uninteresting. It is said that she was afraid of the thunder. Her father called her "Graille". Sophie had no influence at court, but followed her older sister Madame Adelaide in her dislike of her father's mistresses, Madame de Pompadour and Madame du Barry .

She was one of the four royal sisters who survived childhood. When her mother died on June 24, 1768, her children were badly affected. Her father died six years later on May 10, 1774.

Sophie in a blue dress by the French painter Jean-Marc Nattier (1748)

Reign of her nephew

During the reign of her nephew Louis XVI. (1774–1792) she and her sisters were allowed to keep their apartments in Versailles , and they often stayed at the Château de Bellevue - made famous by her father's mistress. In 1776, Louis XVI. Sophie and her sister Adelaide become Duchesses of Louvois. Both had the title of duke for life.

She was buried in the royal tomb in the Royale Basilica of Saint Denis , which was looted and destroyed during the French Revolution .

relationship

Among Sophie's nephews are Ferdinand I, Duke of Parma , Louis XVI. of France, Louis XVIII. of France and Charles X of France, under their nieces Madame Elisabeth and Queen Maria Luise of Spain . Her niece, Madame Sophie , the youngest daughter of Ludwig and Marie Antoinette , was named after her.

Pedigree

Pedigree Madame Sophie
Great grandparents	Louis de Bourbon, dauphin de Viennois (1661–1711) Maria Anna of Bavaria (1660–1690)		Viktor Amadeus II. (1666-1732) Anne Marie d'Orléans (1669–1728)		Jan Karol Opaliński (1642–1695) Zofia Czarnkowska Opalińska (1660–1701)		Rafał Leszczyński (1650–1703) Anna Leszczyńska (1660-1727)
Grandparents	Louis of Burgundy Maria Adelaide of Savoy (1685-1712)				Stanislaus Leszczyński (1677–1766) Katharina Opalińska (1680–1747)
parents	Louis XV (1710–1774) Maria Leszczynska (1703–1768)
Madame Sophie of France (1734–1782)

reception

In the film Marie Antoinette , she was played by the Scottish actress Shirley Henderson .

Web links

Commons : Sophie of France  - collection of images