Olympia Mancini
| Olympia Mancini | |||||
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| Countess of Soissons | |||||
Portrait by Mignard
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| Born | 11 July 1638 Rome, Papal States |
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| Died | 9 October 1708 (aged 70) Brussels, (modern Belgium) |
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| Spouse | Eugene Maurice of Savoy | ||||
| Issue |
Louis Thomas, Count of Soissons Philippe, "Abbot of Soissons" Louis Jules, Knight of Savoy Emmanuel Philibert, Count of Dreux Prince Eugene Marie Jeanne, Mademoiselle de Soissons Louise Philiberte, Mademoiselle de Dreux Françoise, Mademoiselle de Dreux |
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| Father | Michele Lorenzo Mancini | ||||
| Mother | Geronima Mazzarini | ||||
| Full name | |
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| Olympia Mancini |
Olympia Mancini, Countess of Soissons (French: Olympe Mancini; 11 July 1638 – 9 October 1708) was the second eldest of the five celebrated Mancini sisters, who along with two of their female Martinozzi cousins, were known at the court of King Louis XIV of France as the Mazarinettes because their uncle was Louis XIV's chief minister, Cardinal Mazarin. Olympia was later to become the mother of the famous Austrian general Prince Eugene of Savoy. She also involved herself in various court intrigues including the notorious Poison Affair, which led to her expulsion from France.
Olympia Mancini was born on 11 July 1638 and grew up in Rome. Her father was Baron Lorenzo Mancini, an Italian aristocrat who was also a necromancer and astrologer. After his death in 1650, her mother, Geronima Mazzarini, brought her daughters from Rome to Paris in the hope of using the influence of her brother, Cardinal Mazarin, to gain them advantageous marriages.
The other Mancini sisters were:
The Mancinis were not the only female family members that Cardinal Mazarin brought to the French court. The others were Olympia's first cousins, daughters of Mazarin's eldest sister. The elder, Laura Martinozzi, married Alfonso IV d'Este, Duke of Modena and was the mother of Mary of Modena, second wife of James II of England. The younger, Anne Marie Martinozzi, married Armand, Prince de Conti.
The Mancini also had three brothers: Paul, Philippe, and Alphonse.
Olympia was married on 24 February 1657 to Prince Eugène-Maurice of Savoy (1633–1673), by whom she had eight children, amongst whom was the famous soldier Prince Eugene of Savoy. At court, the Count of Soissons (comte Soissons) was addressed as Monsieur le Comte. As his wife, Olympia was referred to at court as Madame la comtesse.
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Wikipedia