Marie Louise Gonzaga
| Marie Louise Gonzaga | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Ferdinand Bol
|
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| Queen of Poland | |
| Tenure | 5 November 1645 – 20 May 1648 30 May 1649 – 10 May 1667 |
| Coronation | 15 July 1646 |
| Born | 18 August 1611 Nevers, France |
| Died | 10 May 1667 (aged 55) Warsaw, Poland |
| Burial | Wawel Cathedral, Kraków, Poland |
| Spouse |
Władysław IV Vasa John II Casimir Vasa |
| Issue |
John Sigismund Vasa Maria Anna Vasa |
| House | Gonzaga |
| Father | Charles I, Duke of Mantua |
| Mother | Catherine of Guise |
Marie Louise Gonzaga (Polish: Ludwika Maria; 18 August 1611 – 10 May 1667) was a French princess, noblewoman, the wife of two Polish kings, Władysław IV Vasa and John II Casimir, and as such queen of Poland. She was born in Nevers to Charles I, Duke of Mantua, and Catherine of Guise.
An active and energetic woman, she was a strong supporter of an for which she was disliked by the highly democratic Polish court and zealous Polish nobility, however, she managed to stay involved in the Commonwealth's politics which led to the foundation of the first Polish newspaper as well as other public institutions.
Together with Queen Bona Sforza of Milan she is regarded as one of the most influential and most powerful Queen consorts of the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Marie Louise Gonzaga was born on 18 August, 1611 in the city of Nevers, France to Charles I, Duke of Mantua, and Catherine of Guise. After having spent her childhood with her mother, she was supposed to marry Gaston, Duke of Orléans in 1627, but King Louis XIII of France strongly opposed the marriage and subsequently imprisoned her in the Vincennes fortress and later in a small convent.
The first proposal that she'd marry the newly elected King of Poland, Władysław IV Vasa, was made in 1634, but Władysław eventually married Cecilia Renata of Austria, the daughter of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Anna of Bavaria. This decision was very unfavorable for France and greatly angered Louis XIII because of the newly established alliance between the Austrian Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
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Wikipedia