Olympia Mancini, Countess of Soissons
Olympia Mancini | |||||
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Countess of Soissons | |||||
Born | 11 July 1638 Rome, Papal States | ||||
Died | 9 October 1708 (aged 70) Brussels, Anglo-Batavian Condominium over the Southern Netherlands | ||||
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 |
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 Affair of the Poisons, which led to her expulsion from France.
Family and early years
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:
- Laura Mancini (1636–1657), the eldest, who married Louis de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme, the grandson of King Henry IV and his mistress, Gabrielle d'Estrées.
- Louis XIV. He was so besotted with her that he wanted to marry her but he was constrained to give her up for political reasons. She later married Prince Lorenzo Colonna who remarked that he was surprised to find her a virgin as one does not expect to find 'innocence among the loves of kings'. (from Antonia Fraser's book Love and Louis XIV)
- Armand Charles de la Porte, Duke of La Meilleraye, and went to London, where she became the mistress of King Charles II.
- Turenne.
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,
The Mancini also had three brothers:
Marriage
Olympia was married on 24 February 1657 to Prince
Court life
Soon after her sister Marie's marriage to Prince Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna, Olympia was appointed Superintendent of the Queen's Household which gave her authority over and above that of all of the other ladies at Court with the exception of the Princesses of The Blood.[1]
Olympia was, by nature, an intriguer.
After her marriage, she allied herself with Louis XIV's sister-in-law,
The Affaire des Poisons
Olympia was accused in 1679 in the
She was asked to leave the royal court in January 1680 and immediately left France for Brussels, thereby avoiding arrest and being put to trial for involvement in the Affaire des Poisons.[7]
She applied in 1682 for permission to return to France, but was not allowed.[7]
Exile
She continued from Brussels to Spain, where she was well received and lived from 1686 to 1689, being celebrated by Spanish high society and receiving French guests in her salon. In 1690 she was suspected of having poisoned
On 23 January 1690 she was ordered to leave the Spanish court; she moved back to
Issue
- Louis Thomas, Count of Soissons (1657–1702) married Uranie de La Cropte and had issue.
- Philippe, "Abbot of Soissons" (1659–1693) unmarried.
- Louis Jules, Cavaliere of Savoy (1660–1683) killed at the battle of Petronell against the Turks known as the Cavaliere di Savoia.
- Emanuel Philibert, Count of Dreux (1662–1676) unmarried.
- Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663–1736) famous general.
- Princess Marie Jeanne of Savoy (1665–1705) Mademoiselle de Soissons.
- Princess Louise Philiberte of Savoy (1667–1726) Mademoiselle de Dreux.
- Princess Françoise of Savoy (1668–1671).
In fiction
She is portrayed in a novel by Judith Merkle Riley: The Oracle Glass (1994).
References
- ^ Thérèse Louis Latour "Princesses, Ladies and Adventuresses of The Reign of Louis XIV", page 196
- ^ Latou, pages 196–97
- ^ Latour, page, 194
- ^ Duclos, Henri (1815–1900) Auteur du texte (1869). Madame de La Vallière et Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche, femme de Louis XIV : avec pièces et documents inédits / par M. l'abbé H. Duclos,... pp. 158–159.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Montpensier, Anne-Marie-Louise-Henriette d'Orléans (1627–1693; duchesse de) Auteur du texte (1858–1859). Mémoires de Mlle de Montpensier, petite-fille de Henri IV / collationnés sur le manuscrit autographe avec notes biographiques et historiques, par A. Chéruel,... p. 592.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ A. Fraser, Love and Louis XIV. See also L. Hilton, The Real Queen of France.
- ^ ISBN 0-312-33017-0)
- ^ Latour, pages 203–04
Sources
- Thérèse Louis Latour "Princesses, Ladies and Adventuresses of The Reign of Louis XIV", Published by Alfred A. Knopf, 1924