Chapter XVI: The Changing Seasons
Across the channel at Versailles, the last few years have been anything but peaceful. Yes France is technically at peace with her neighbors, but for the past five years the upper class has been in a state of siege, thanks to the L'affaire des poisons. The affair began in February 1677, near the end of the Four Years war, when fortune teller Magdelaine de La Grange was arrested on charges of forgery and murder. In an attempt to save herself, La Grange contacts Secretary for War Marquis de Louvois and claims to have information about about other crimes of high importance. Suspicious but at the same time intrigued, Louvois passed the information to the King, who in turn ordered Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie, Lieutenant General of Police, to investigate the accusations.The subsequent investigation of potential poisoners led to accusations of witchcraft, murder and more. Authorities rounded up a number of fortune tellers and alchemists who were suspected of selling not only divinations, séances and aphrodisiacs, but also "inheritance powders" (a euphemism for poison). Some of them confessed under torture and gave authorities lists of their clients, who had allegedly bought poison to get rid of their spouses or rivals in the royal court. However, the case really became sensational in March 1679, with the arrest of Catherine Monvoisin,known as La Voisin, on suspicion of witchcraft.
La Voisin was a supplier of many different types of potions to many of the Great ladies of the Court, and was described by many as a 'Duchess among witches'. Her talents were summed up by the poet Jean de La Fontaine:whether you wanted to keep your lover or lose your husband straightaway you went off to La Voisin.There was also the question of horoscopes, spells, black magic and even that blasphemous use of inverted ceremonial known as a black mass. While most of the accusations against her, including reading a client's future or casting a horoscope are minor crimes and generally considered harmless, the charges of using black magic and participating in a black mass are much, tantamount to Satan worship. Questioned while intoxicated, La Voisin implicated a number of important individuals in the French court. These included Olympia Mancini, the Comtesse de Soissons, her sister Marie Anne Mancini Duchesse de Bouillon, François Henri de Montmorency, Duke of Luxembourg and, most importantly, the king's mistress, Athénaïs de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan and his sister-in-law Madame. The accusation of two of the ranking females of of the Royal Court is completely shocking to all. Though Madame has been a practitioner and supporter of herbal medications sense the late 1660s the idea and Montespan has followed the Duchesse' lead in popularizing herbal teas, the idea that either of them are involved in Black masses, love potions or even poison is dubious but scandalous.
A new judicial court was set up to investigate the accusations, nicknamed le Chambre Ardente or the Burning Court, sitting until July 1682. In all, over 400 cases were heard, over 300 arrests were ordered, 34 people executed and 30 more were sent to the galleys or banished. Noticeably absent however, were any charges against either Madame or the Maîtresse-en-titre. That is because any hint of an accusation against such high profile women were ruthessly suppressed and sealed. However, other high-profile Courtiers aren't so lucky. Charges of murder by poison was brought against the Comtesse de Soissones, called Madame la Comtesse at Court, while charges of planning to murder by poison were leveled against her sister the Duchesees de Boillon (no charges were brought against the Duc de Luxembourg). The Duchesse, accused to planning to murder her husband to marry her lover, refutes there accusations in a very dramatic fashion. She shows up at the Court with her husband and the aforementioned lover, both ready to defend the Duchesse. This show of theatrics works and Maria Anne is found not guilty on all counts. Her sister, however, is not so lucky.
The Mistress of Intrigue:Olympia Mancini, Comtesse de Soissones
Olympia Mancini, though having shared a childhood with the King thanks to her being a niece of Cardinal Mazarin, has long fallen out of favor with the King thanks to her plotting. Just as it appears Madame la Comtesse will have to flee to save herself, her close friend and confidante Madame intervenes. Having been a close confident sense the early days of her marriage to Monsieur, Madame now moved to defend the friend that had been there for her in her times of need. Madame and Louis manage to reach a deal: the Comtesse will leave France for the time being to allow the scandal to die down, though she will not be banished, allowing her to return at a later date. In the meantime Madame uses her influence to have the Comtesse appointed Camarera mayor de Palacio, or First lady of the Bedchamber, to her daughter Princesse Marie-Louise d'Orleans, Queen of Spain sense her marriage to King Carlos II in November 1679. Thanks to this appointment the Comtesse is able to seamlessly insert herself into Spanish High society. However, the actions by Louis XIV concerning the Comtesse would eventually come back to haunt him. But that is in the future, and for now the King has his hands full trying to end the scandal surrounding the Poisons affair. Ultimately Louis abolished the Court in July 1682, as he couldn't afford the publicity of the scandal continuing. To this, Police Chief Reynie said, "the enormity of their crimes proved their safeguard."
But the French Court has more to talk about besides the end of the scandal. They also have a Royal wedding to look forward to. In August Princesse Marie-Therese, Madame Royal and only legitimate daughter of Louis XIV, will marry ( by proxy) her betrothed Archduke Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias and heir to the Spanish Empire. Madame Royale has outgrown the chubbiness of her childhood and blossomed into a young woman. Inheriting much of her fathers looks, Madame Royale is tall, with a thin body, long dark heir, thin lips, large eyes and a wonderful complexion. Though not considered a great beauty, the Princess is by no means plain like her mother and grandmother.The oldest son of Emperor Leopold and the late Infanta Margarita Teresa, Ferdinand would have been the heir to the Holy Roman Empire and the Austrian Monarchy if not for the childlessness of his uncle the last Spanish Habsburg, Carlos II. The decrepit boy of the 1660s has became a sad and depressing man of 21. Barely able to walk, practically illiterate, unable to chew his own food, born with a tongue so large that his speech could barely be understood, and frequently drooled, the King was obviously severely physically impaired. However, it appears that his mental impairments have been exaggerated by Ambassadors. For instance, when he came of age in November 1675 he refused to sign a document to prolong the regency of his mother; plainly he was capable of understanding and signing decrees, following arguments and making political decisions. The 'betwitched King', as many Spaniard's refer to their King as, also has many traits of his ancestors, being as stubborn as his namesake, Emperor Charles V, and as pious as his uncle Emperor Leopold. Sadly for Spain, for whatever his mental abilities really are, his physical ailments severely limit his ability to govern. Carlos has frequent collapses related to an unstable metabolism, leading to the Government being paralyzed by indecision and frequent infighting. At this point control of the Empire seesaws between the Queen Mother Marianna of Austria and the King's half-brother Don Juan Jose, with frequent Palace revolutions between their respective supporters. In an attempt to ensure dynastic succession, the Spanish State Council (the main Council of the Empire) persuades Carlos to make a will naming an heir in the (likely) event that he fails to father in heir, declaring his full nephew Archduke Ferdinand his successor, as Infante Fernando, Prince of Asturias (the title of the heir to the Spanish throne). Furthermore, the will also establishes a full line of succession, via the descendents of the King's late sister, Infanta Margaret Theresa, with her daughters Maria Antonia and Maria Anne being next in line after their brother (the will further acknowledges that Infanta Maria Theresa, Queen of France's renunciation was valid, meaning that in the eyes of Spain,the French have no claim to the Spanish Empire). All of this is done in the hope of keeping a succession war from breaking out between France and Austria after Carlos' death. With the marriage of the daughter of Louis XIV to the heir presumptive to the Spanish Throne, it is hoped that this will be enough to stop any succession war.
On August 8th the proxy wedding takes place at Chapel of Versailles, in the presence of the Royal Family, the Princes of the Blood, the Government Ministers and the entire Court, with the groom represented by the bride's cousin, Monsieur le Duc de Chartres.Despite being the wedding of Madame Royale much of the Court's attention is on the Montpensiers: Anne Marie Louise d'Orleans Duchesse de Montpensier, her husband Antoine Nompar de Caumont, Duc de Lauzun and Duc de Montensier by marriage, and their only child, Anne-Marie de Bourbon-Caumont, Mademoiselle de Montpensier. Both their marriage and the birth of their only child had been a huge surprise to the French Court. The fact that le Grand Mademoiselle (as the Duchesse de Montpensier was known at Court) was in love with a low ranking noble wasn't that surprising, but the fact that the King gave his permission for such a marriage was. Married at the Louvre on December 21 ,1670, it caused much anger from both Monsieur and Queen Maria Theresa. Most believed that the marriage was granted in exchange for le Grand Mademoiselle leaving her vast lands and holdings to one of the King's illegitimate sons or to Monsieur and that the marriage would be barren, as Mademoiselle was 43. Much to the Court's surprise and the King's chagrin, Anne soon found herself pregnant and on November 3rd 1671 gave birth to her only child, a girl. Named Anne-Marie and styled Mademoiselle de Monptensier, this child, now 10, is one of the wealthiest heiresses in all of Europe. Though Mademoiselle de Montpensier isn't a member of the Royal House (being related to the Bourbons in the female line), she is the heiress of a Peeress and will be a Peeress in her own right, leaving many to speculate on who she will marry.
Also in attendance is the Duc and Duchesse de Valois, proud new parents of the heir to the next generation of d'Orleans, their son Louis-Philippe, Comte de Montargis having been born on March 20th of the previous year. After the wedding the newly titled Princess of Asturias and Archduchess of Austria undergoes the ritual bedding of the bride with her proxy husband. The two are escorted to the bedchamber and, in the presence of the King, Queen, Dauphin & Dauphine, Princes of the Blood and ranking Church prelates, including the Archbishop of Paris, the couple gets into bed and touch feet: the Archbishop declares the marriage consummated. Preparations have already began to escort the bride to Vienna, the Imperial capital, but before the Bridal entourage leaves the heavily pregnant Dauphine, Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria, goes into labor on August 15th. Married to the Dauphin on March 7th 1680, Maria Anna is the first Dauphine in over a century, the last being Mary Queen of Scots and the first German to marry into the Royal family in centuries. On August 16th the Dauphine for fills her primary duty to the State and gives birth to a boy, immediately titled Monseignuer le Duc de Bourgogne and eventually named Louis. This birth delays the Princess's departure by a few days but on August 21st Marie Therese departs Versailles for her new life in Vienna.
The Duc de Bourgogne presented to the Court for the first time
Escorted by her father and other members of the Royal family as far at the Chateau de Fontainebleau, the Princess travels the rest of the way to the border "alone" (a relative term, sense her entourage is made up of 200 people, as benefiting the only legitimate daughter of the French King and the new wife of the Spanish Heir). On August 29th the Bridal party arrives at Metz, with the handover ceremony taking place the next day. Met by officials of the Imperial court, most of the French Household is dismissed, with only a few Ladies and the Princess's personal confessor allowed to stay. The reconstituted Bridal party departs Metz on September 2nd, beginning their journey threw the Holy Roman Empire. The first stop, arriving on September 8th, is the Electorate of Tier, where the Princess and her routine are entertained by Archbishop Johann Hugo von Orsbeck. Departing Tier on the 14th, the Princess's next destination is the city of Frankfurt, the site of the Imperial Elections. Arriving on the 18th, the Princess is greeted by the Mayor and city magistrates, with citizens waving the flags of France and Spain. Departing on the 22nd, the Princess then heads for Heidelberg, capital of the Electoral Palatinate. There, on the 30th, the Princess is in the presence of her distant cousins, the Elector and Electress Palatine. For Marie-Therese this is also a small family reunion as the new Electress, Anne of York, was a childhood playmate of hers when the Electress was in France getting treatment for her bad eyesight. Like her cousin, Anne is new bride, having only married Elector Karl on February 15th (the original date of November 1681 had been postponed for reasons related to the mourning period for the late Elector Karl Ludwig and the late Electress Wilhelmine Ernestine of Denmark). Marie Therese stays with her cousins for about two weeks, finally departing on October 10th. The next two destinations are Augsburg, where she stays in the Palace of the local Bishop and finally Munich, where the Princess is entertained by Elector Ferdinand Maria with grand fireworks and masked balls, a favorite of the young Princess. Finally, on October 25th, the Princess crosses the border to Austria.
At the town of Laxenburg, home to many Imperial estates, the seventeen year old Princess meets her new husband and his family for the first time. She is greeted by the full Imperial family, including Emperor Leopold, Empress Eleanor Magdalene, Dowager Empress Eleanora Gonzaga (widow of Leopold's father Ferdinand III), the Archduchesses Maria Antonia and Maria Anna and finally the groom himself, Archduke-Infante Fernando, Prince of Asturias (the children of Empress Eleanor Magdalene, Archdukes Joseph and Leopold and Archduchess Maria Elisabeth are deemed to young to take part in the ceremonies). The young groom, only fourteen, is a sickly-looking, almost delicate boy, very pale with the Habsburg chin, small eyes, a small nose, and a thin body. Thankfully, however, the Prince seems to be healthier then his decrepit uncle and has a quick mind, making up for his weak body. The Imperial party soon departs Laxenburg heading to Vienna ahead of the young Princess, who remains at Luxemburg for a few more days until Vienna is ready for her State entry. Taking place on November 5th, is a magnificent affair, worthy of the oldest daughter of the King of France. Triumphal arches are erected, noble families proudly display their family crests on their balconies, soldiers of the Guard Regiments parade with the carriage cortege, Ambassadors try to outdo each other by throwing vast outdoor celebrations in honor of the Princess, plays are preformed at each arch, glorifying the Princess and her new husband. Truly it is a celebration for the ages. Finally, the formal wedding is held at St. Stephen's cathedral on November 9th. When the wedding night is over and the marriage consummated, Marie Therese's new life in Vienna begins. It is hoped that with this marriage, the Spanish succession is secured and a new age of peace and prosperity will develop between the Empire, France and Spain. It remains to be seen, however, if this hope will blossom into a rose of peace or wilt and die under the boots of the French King and his vast army
Marie Therese, Princess of Asturias' State entry into Vienna
Second was Legends of Ancient Greece which my late grandfather actively tried to hide from me due to nude statues depicted and all this
