Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier
Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier, (French pronunciation: [an maʁi lwiz dɔʁleɑ̃], 29 May 1627 – 5 April 1693) known as La Grande Mademoiselle, was the only daughter of Gaston d'Orléans with his first wife, Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier. One of the greatest heiresses in history, she died unmarried and childless, leaving her vast fortune to her cousin Philippe I, Duke of Orléans. After a string of proposals from various members of European ruling families, including Charles II of England, Afonso VI of Portugal, and Charles Emmanuel II of Savoy, she eventually fell in love with the courtier Antoine Nompar de Caumont and scandalised the court of France when she asked Louis XIV for permission to marry him, as such a union was viewed as a mésalliance. She is best remembered for her role in the Fronde and her role in bringing the famous composer Jean-Baptiste Lully to the king's court, and her Mémoires.
| Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans | |
|---|---|
| La Grande Mademoiselle Duchess of Montpensier | |
Portrait by Henri and Charles Beaubrun, 1655 | |
| Born | 29 May 1627 Palais du Louvre, Paris, France |
| Died | 5 April 1693 (aged 65) Palais du Luxembourg, Paris, France |
| Burial | 19 April 1693 Royal Basilica, Saint Denis, France |
| House | Bourbon |
| Father | Gaston, Duke of Orléans |
| Mother | Marie, Duchess of Montpensier |
| Signature | |