A letter conserved in the Vatican archives is from Marie-Antoinette to one of her brothers-in-law. It is appears to be a letter of shared condolences, perhaps on the occasion of the death of one of Marie-Antoinette's children, either the first Dauphin or Baby Madame Sophie. I am thinking it might be one of the Italian brothers-in-law, such as the
Prince of Piedmont, the future King Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia, who was married to Clothilde of France. They were a loving couple but they had ongoing sorrows, including childlessness. Charles Emmanuel was also the brother of the Comtesse de Provence and the Comtesse d'Artois, as well as being close friends with his cousin
Henry Benedict Stuart, Cardinal Duke of York. After his wife's death, the King abdicated and became a Jesuit lay-brother in Rome, which is probably how the letter came to the Vatican.
 |
| Charles Emmanuel IV of Savoy |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Courteous comments are welcome. If a comment is not published, it may be due to a technical error. At any rate, do not take offense; it is nothing personal. Slanderous comments will not be published. Anonymity may be tolerated, but politeness is required.
I would like to respond to every comment but my schedule renders it impossible to do so. Please know that I appreciate those who take the time to share their thoughts.