@histodons @historikerinnen @earlymodern

Whether this is true or not, the position of the princess was always that of a broker between her family of origin and the family of her husband. They were in a way #emdiplomats. That was not always an easy position, as both sides expected on the one hand that she acted as an intermediary between the two families and on the other that she had to be loyal to both sides which of course could lead to conflicts. How the women handled this situation was very different, depending also on the political constellation between the two dynasties. In the case of Marie Adélaïde de Savoie it is important to acknowledge this position, instead of creating the image of a woman who overstepped her competences. When reporting home to her father, she might have enraged Louis XIV, but she fulfilled the expectations of her family of origin. (4/7)

@histodons @historikerinnen @earlymodern

One of these stories was about Marie Adélaïde de Savoie (1685-1712) who was married to Louis de Bourbon, the grandson of Louis XIV. She was also the mother of the later Louis XV. She came to Versailles when she was only eleven and the audioguide tells you that the old Louis XIV really enjoyed her lively company. When she died quite young at the age of 26 of measels, her papers were sorted and it was discovered that she had regularly reported about court politics to her father the duke of Savoy. According to the story, Louis XIV had been enraged and called her a traitor. (3/7)