Louise Élisabeth de Bourbon

Louise Élisabeth de Bourbon (Louise Élisabeth; 22 November 1693–27 May 1775) was a daughter of Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, and his wife, Louise Françoise de Bourbon, herself an illegitimate daughter of Louis XIV of France and Madame de Montespan.

Louise Élisabeth
Princess of Conti
Louise Élisabeth by Pierre Gobert
Born	(1693-11-22)22 November 1693 Palace of Versailles, France
Died	27 May 1775(1775-05-27) (aged 81) Hôtel de Conti, Paris, France
Burial	Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris, France
Spouse	Louis Armand, Prince of Conti
Issue	Louis François, Prince of Conti Louise Henriette, Duchess of Orléans Louis, Count of La Marche Louis François, Prince of Conti Louis Armand, Duke of Mercœur Charles, Count of Alais
Full name Louise Élisabeth de Bourbon
House	House of Bourbon
Father	Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé
Mother	Louise Françoise de Bourbon
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Signature

She was the wife of Louis Armand de Bourbon. She was the Princess of Conti by marriage. It was Louise Élisabeth who presented Madame de Pompadour to the court of Louis XV; she also built the Hôtel de Brienne, present seat of the French Ministry of Defence. Louise Élisabeth was the Duchess of Étampes in her own right, having succeeded to the title at the death of her aunt Marie Anne de Bourbon.

Biography

Louise Élisabeth was born on 22 November 1693, at the Palace of Versailles. She was a princesse du sang. In youth, she was known at court as Mademoiselle de Charolais, a style later borne by her younger sister. Her parents' second daughter, and third child, she was one of nine children:

• Marie Éléonore Gabrielle (22 December 1690 – 30 August 1760)
• Louis Henri (18 August 1692 – 27 January 1740)
• Louise Anne (23 June 1695 – 8 April 1758)
• Marie Anne (16 October 1697 – 11 August 1741)
• Charles, Count of Charolais (19 June 1700 – 23 July 1760)
• Henriette Louise de Bourbon (15 January 1703 – 19 September 1772)
• Élisabeth Alexandrine (15 September 1705 – 15 April 1765)
• Louis, Count of Clermont (15 June 1709 – 16 June 1771)

She was baptised in the chapel of Versailles on 24 November 1698 with her brother Louis Henri and her sister Louise Anne.

Marriage

The first years of her marriage were full of court cases at the Parlement de Paris against her husband due to his violent temper and her desire to leave him.

Children

1. Louis de Bourbon, Count of La Marche (28 March 1715 - 1 August 1717) died young.
2. Louis François de Bourbon, Prince of Conti (13 August 1717 -
   2 August 1776) married Louise Diane d'Orléans and had issue.
3. Louis Armand de Bourbon, Duke of Mercœur (19 August 1720 - 13 May 1722) died young.
4. Charles de Bourbon, Count of Alais (5 February 1722- 7 August 1730) died young.
5. Louise Henriette de Bourbon (20 June 1726 –
   9 February 1759) married Louis Philippe d'Orléans of and had issue.

Titles and styles

• 22 November 1693 – 9 July 1713 Her Serene Highness Mademoiselle de Condé
• 9 July 1713 – 4 May 1727 Her Serene Highness the Princess of Conti
• 4 May 1727 – 27 May 1775 Her Serene Highness the Dowager Princess of Conti (Madame la princesse de Conti Douairière or Madame la Princesse de Conti troisième/dernière douairière)