author
Duchess of Burgundy of Savoy Marie Adelaide
1685–1712
A lively Savoy princess who became Duchess of Burgundy at the court of Louis XIV, she was admired for her charm and closeness to the aging king. Though she died young, she left a lasting mark as the mother of the future Louis XV.
1 Audiobook
The Correspondence of Madame, Princess Palatine, Mother of the Regent; of Marie-Adélaïde de Savoie, Duchesse de Bourgogne; and of Madame de Maintenon, in Relation to Saint-Cyr
by Madame de Maintenon, Duchess of Burgundy of Savoy Marie Adelaide, duchesse d' Charlotte-Elisabeth Orléans
About the author
Born in Turin on 6 December 1685, Marie Adélaïde of Savoy was the eldest daughter of Victor Amadeus II of Savoy and Anne Marie d'Orléans. Her marriage to Louis, Duke of Burgundy, was arranged as part of the settlement between France and Savoy, and she arrived in France as a child bride in 1697.
At Versailles, she became one of the brightest figures at court. Contemporary accounts often describe her as spirited, playful, and warm, and she won the affection of Louis XIV at a time when the royal family was marked by loss and ceremony. After her husband became Dauphin, she was also Dauphine of France.
Marie Adélaïde died at Versailles on 12 February 1712, probably during a measles outbreak, and her husband died soon after. Their surviving son went on to become King Louis XV, giving her an important place in the line of French royal history.