Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier
The richest woman in 17th-century France, she defied kings for love and commanded an army during the Fronde, a rebel princess to the end.
1627–1693 (age 66)·La Grande Mademoiselle·Birthday: May 29
Biography
Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, known by the imposing nickname 'La Grande Mademoiselle,' was born into staggering privilege as the granddaughter of King Henry IV of France. Her life was a grand, often thwarted, pursuit of autonomy. As Europe's most desirable heiress, she rejected a parade of royal suitors, including the King of England, holding out for a match that suited her own formidable will. That will erupted during the civil wars of the Fronde, where she famously seized the city of Orléans and later ordered the cannons of the Bastille to fire upon the royal army to aid her cousin's rebels. Her ultimate scandal came not from war, but from love: in her forties, she fell passionately for a mere courtier, Antoine Nompar de Caumont, and fought for years to marry him, a battle she lost to the rigid protocols of the Sun King's court. She died unmarried, her vast fortune passing to her royal cousins, a figure of immense power who found every door open to her except the one to a life of her own choosing.
#1 When Anne Was Born
The biggest hits of 1627
Anne's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1627Born
1632Started school
1640Became a teenager
1643Could drive
1645Could vote
1648Turned 21
1657Turned 30
1667Turned 40
1677Turned 50
1687Turned 60
1693Died at 66
Key Achievements
- Commanded troops and secured the city of Orléans during the Fronde uprisings against the French crown.
- Authored a celebrated set of memoirs that provide a vivid, first-hand account of 17th-century French court life.
- Used her immense wealth to patronize artists and writers, including the famed letter-writer Madame de Sévigné.
Did You Know?
She was considered the greatest heiress of her time, inheriting the immense fortune of the Montpensier line.
She reportedly fired the cannons at the Bastille herself during the Battle of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine in 1652.
Her proposed marriage to Charles II of England fell apart partly due to political and religious complications.
“I would rather lead soldiers than marry a king.”
