Élisabeth of France (1764–1794)
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Servant of God Élisabeth |
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Portrait by Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun
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| Born |
3 May 1764 Palace of Versailles, France |
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| Died | 10 May 1794 (aged 30) Paris, France |
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| Burial | Cimetière des Errancis, Paris (first) Catacombs of Paris (final) |
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| House | Bourbon | ||||
| Father | Louis, Dauphin of France | ||||
| Mother | Duchess Maria Josepha of Saxony | ||||
| Full name | |
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| Élisabeth Philippine Marie Hélène de France |
Élisabeth of France (Élisabeth Philippine Marie Hélène de France; 3 May 1764 – 10 May 1794), known as Madame Élisabeth, was a French princess and the youngest sibling of King Louis XVI. She remained beside the king and his family during the French Revolution and was executed at Place de la Révolution in Paris during the Terror. She is viewed by the Roman Catholic Church as a martyr and a Servant of God.
Élisabeth was born on 3 May 1764 in the Palace of Versailles, the youngest child of Louis, Dauphin of France and Marie-Josèphe of Saxony. Her paternal grandparents were King Louis XV of France and Queen Maria Leszczyńska. As the granddaughter of the king, she was a Petite-Fille de France.
At the sudden death of her father in 1765, Élisabeth's oldest surviving brother, Louis Auguste (later to be Louis XVI), became the new Dauphin (the heir-apparent to the French throne). Their mother Marie Josèphe died in March 1767 from tuberculosis. This left Élisabeth an orphan at the age of just two years old, along with her older siblings: Louis Auguste, Louis Stanislas, Count of Provence, Charles Philippe, Count of Artois and Clotilde, ("Madame Clotilde").
Élisabeth and her elder sister Clothilde were raised by Madame de Marsan, Governess to the Children of France. The sisters were considered much dissimilar in personality. While Elisabeth was described as "proud, inflexible, and passionate", Clothilde was in contrast estimated to be "endowed with the most happy disposition, which only needed guiding and developing". They were given the usual education of contemporary royal princesses, focusing upon accomplishments, religion and virtue, an education to which Clothilde reportedly willingly subjected herself. They were tutored botany by M. Lemonnier, history and geography lessons by M. Leblond, and religion by Abbe de Montigat, Canon of Chartres, and they followed the court between the royal palaces with their days divided between studies, walks in the Park, or drives in the forest. While Clothilde was described as a docile pupil, "who made herself loved by all who approached her", Élisabeth long refused to study, stating that "there were always people at hand whose duty it was to think for Princes", and treated her staff with impatience. Because of their difference, Madame de Marsan, who was not able to handle Elisabeth, preferred Clothilde, which made Elisabeth jealous and created a riff between the sisters. Their relationship improved when Elisabeth fell ill and Clothilde insisted upon nursing her, during which she also taught her the alphabet and gave her an interest in religion, which prompted a great change in the personality of Elisabeth, and she came to be both her friend, tutor and Councillor. After this, she was given Marie Angélique de Mackau as her tutor, who reportedly had "the firmness which bends resistance, and the affectionate kindness which inspires attachment", and under whose tuition she made progress in her education, as well as developed a softer personality, with her strong will directed toward religious principles.
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