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Madame-Elisabeth 1788 photo by Adélaïde Labille-Guiard

Top 10 Facts about Elisabeth of France

Elisabeth of France was born in 1764-1794 and was a french princess. She was the youngest child of Louis, Dauphin of France, and the Duchess Maria Josepha of Saxony. And she was also a sister of King Louis XVI.

She was a fervent Catholic and gave up her wish to enter a convent in order to help her brother during his rule. She is renowned for her strong piety and her penchant for shoes, a weakness that resulted in her purchasing hundreds of pairs.

Here are the Top 10 Facts about Elisabeth of France

1. Elisabeth of France was a french princess

Elisabeth of France photo by Gabrielle Poynot

 Also known as Marie Helene of France was born in the Palace of Â鶹APP. She was the youngest child of Marie-Josèphe of Saxony and Louis, Dauphin of France (King Louis XV of France’s older and final surviving son). Louis XV of France and Queen Maria Leszczyska were her paternal grandparents (who reigned as King of France from September 1, 1715 to 1774). Since she was the king’s granddaughter, she was a Petite-fille de France.

2. At the age of 3 Elisabeth became an orphan

Louis, Elisabeth’s father, died unexpectedly in 1765 just as he was about to ascend to the kingdom. Her mother, Marie Josephe, died of tuberculosis in March 1767. Elisabeth became an orphan at the age of two, along with her older siblings Louis Stanislas, Louis Auguste, Charles Philippe, Count of Artois, Marie Clotilde of France, and Count of Provence. Elisabeth’s eldest surviving brother Louis Auguste, later known as Louis XVI, assumed the position of the new apparent heir to the French throne. Elisabeth and her older sister Clothilde of France were raised by Madame de Marsan, Governess to the Children of France.

3. Her education journey was not that smooth

The same education that was being provided to contemporary royal princesses, emphasizing accomplishments, religion, and morality, was given to Élisabeth and Clothilde of France. They were taught religion by Abbé de Montigat, Canon of Chartres; history and geography by M. Leblond; and botany by M. Lemonnier. And they spent their days studying, going on walks in the park, and taking drives in the forest while residing in royal palaces, much like the court.

While Clothilde reportedly gladly devoted herself to learning, Élisabeth reportedly resisted attending school, quarreled, and allegedly treated her maids poorly. Marie Angélique de Mackau was subsequently appointed as Elizabeth’s tutor. Elisabeth improved academically and softened under her guidance, her strong will being bent toward Christian beliefs.

4. Elisabeth of France was never married

Élisabeth of France (1764-1794) photo by Adélaïde Labille-Guiard

There were numerous attempts to arrange her marriage. The initially proposed partner was Jose, Prince of Brazil. She didn’t object to the match, but it was claimed that she felt relieved when the negotiations were through.

The Duke of Aosta, the brother of the Savoy crown prince and the sister of her sister Clothilde, then made a proposal to her. The French court forbade the union on her behalf because it was thought unseemly for a French princess to wed a prince who was neither a monarch or heir to the throne.

Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, who had a positive opinion of her after visiting France, finally made the marriage proposal. However, the anti-Austrian faction at court felt that a union between France and Austria would be harmful to France’s interests, and by 1783 the plans had been finally abandoned and no longer included marriage proposals. Since she would have had to leave France if she had married a foreign prince, Elisabeth herself was content not to get married.

5. She had developed a passion for Gardening and participated in the charity 

In 1781, the King awarded her Montreuil, a secluded hideaway close to Â鶹APP. Lemonnier, a close friend and former tutor of hers, was chosen as her almoner to distribute her philanthropic contributions around the neighborhood. The Princess had access to both the expert Professor’s laboratory studies and his botanical studies in his garden.

She appointed Swiss Jacues Bosson as manager and imported cows from Switzerland. At his request, she also drove his parents and his cousin’s wife Marie to Montreuil, where she married the latter to Bosson. Elisabeth employed Marie as her milkmaid and the Bosson family to look after her Montreuil farm, which produced the milk and eggs she distributed to the village’s needy children.

6. Elisabeth of France was a fervent supporter of the Monarchy throughout its Entirety

Elisabeth, along with her brother Charles-Philippe, Comte d’Artois, was the most passionate conservative in the royal family. Despite the seriousness of the situation brought on by the French Revolution, Élisabeth resisted leaving France, unlike Artois, who left on the king’s instructions on July 17, 1789, three days after the Bastille was stormed.

When Louis’s power was taken away and the royal family was imprisoned in the Temple, Elisabeth was present in the Legislative Assembly. But once the monarch was killed and Marie Antoinette was sent to the Conciergerie, Elisabeth was left alone in the Temple prison.

7. She was executed in 1794

Portrait of Princess Élisabeth of France (1764-1794) photo by Marie-Louise-Adélaïde Boizot

Elisabeth was judged guilty of assisting the king’s emigration, giving emigrants money, and aiding the royal forces’ opposition on August 10, 1792. She received a death sentence. After her trial, Elisabeth went to the Hall of the Condemned with the other prisoners who had been found guilty to await their execution.  And she reportedly invoked theological explanations to comfort and lift the spirits of her fellow prisoners ahead of their impending execution.

The 25 others who died that day bowed to her as they ascent the scaffold one by one. Madame Elisabeth was brought to the guillotine on May 10, 1794, while reciting De Profundis. Her body was buried in a community grave in the Errancis Cemetery in Â鶹APP.

8. Elisabeth of France was beatified by the Roman Catholic Church 

She was a fervent Catholic and gave up her wish to enter a convent in order to help her brother during his rule. Elisabeth has been regarded as a Servant of God by Pope Pius XII and a Martyr by the Catholic Church. She has been buried in the Catacombs of Â鶹APP.

9. Elisabeth and Clothilde, her sister shared similar personality traits

Madame-Elisabeth 1788 photo by Adélaïde Labille-Guiard

Elisabeth was regarded as passionate, haughty, and unyielding whereas Clothilde was described as meek and having the happiest temperament. Because Madame de Marsan, who couldn’t manage her, favored Clothilde, Elisabeth grew envious of Clothilde, which strained their relationship.

10. At the Basilica of Saint-Denis church there has been a Medallion honoring her 

From the 10th century through Louis XVIII in the 19th century, the basilica transformed into a necropolis holding the tombs of all of France’s kings and a place of pilgrimage. 

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