Maria Teresa Felicitas d'Este

Maria Teresa Felicitas (French: Marie Thérèse Félicité; 6 October 1726 – 30 April 1754) was born a Princess of Modena. By marriage, she was the Duchess of Penthièvre. Maria Teresa was the mother-in-law of Philippe Égalité and a grandmother to the future Louis Philippe I.

Maria Teresa
Duchess of Penthièvre
Portrait of Maria Teresa attributed to Daniel Klein, c. 1745-47
Born	(1726-10-06)6 October 1726 Ducal Palace, Modena
Died	30 April 1754(1754-04-30) (aged 27) Château de Rambouillet, France
Burial	Chapelle royale de Dreux
Spouse	Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre ​ ​ (m. 1744)​
Issue Detail	Louis Marie, Duke of Rambouillet Louis Alexandre, Prince of Lamballe Jean Marie, Duke of Châteauvillain Vincent, Count of Guingamp Marie Adélaide, Duchess of Orléans
Full name Maria Teresa Felicitas d'Este
House	Este
Father	Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena
Mother	Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Early life

Maria Teresa was born on 6 October 1726 in Modena, Italy. She was the first child of Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans and Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena. Her parents’ marriage wasn’t happy, and her mother would later move back to France.

Marriage

In On 29 December 1744 at the Palace of Versailles, Maria Teresa married her second cousin, Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre. The couple had seven children in total but only two of them survived childhood. The marriage was seen as very happy.

Children

1. Louis Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Rambouillet (2 January 1746 – 13 November 1749); died young.
2. Louis Alexandre de Bourbon (6 September 1747 –6 May 1768); married Princess Marie Louise of Savoy, Mademoiselle de Carignan but had no children.
3. Jean Marie de Bourbon (17 July 1748 – 19 May 1755); died young.
4. Vincent de Bourbon, Count of Guingamp (22 June 1750 – 14 March 1752); died young.
5. Marie Louise de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Penthièvre (18 October 1751 – 26 September 1753); died young.
6. Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon, Mademoiselle d'Ivoy and later Mademoiselle de Penthièvre (13 March 1753 – 23 June 1821); married Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans and had children.
7. Louis Marie Félicité de Bourbon (29 April 1754 – 30 April 1754); died young.

Death

Marie Teresa died in childbirth in 1754 giving birth to a son who also died. Her husband refused to remarry and died in 1793. Her daughter, Marie Adélaïde, moved Marie Teresa’s body to the Royal Chapel, in Dreux.

Titles and styles

The duchess's arms.

• 6 October 1726 - 29 December 1744 Her Most Serene Highness Princess Maria Teresa Felicitas.
• 29 December 1744 - 30 April 1754 Her Most Serene Highness The Duchess of Penthièvre.

Other websites

Media related to Maria Teresa Felicitas d'Este at Wikimedia Commons