Marie Clotilde of France – Angel of Peace (Part one)

Marie Clotilde of France was born on 23 September 1759 as the eldest surviving daughter of Louis, Dauphin of France and Maria Josepha of Saxony. Her three surviving elder brothers were King Louis XVI, the Count of Provence (later King Louis XVIII) and the Count of Artois (later King Charles X). Her only surviving sister was Princess Elisabeth. Her birth was reportedly so quick that only her father, the midwife and a lady-in-waiting were present. They were soon joined by the King, and the baby was promptly baptised by the Bishop of Autun.

Her parents took a great interest in the education of all the siblings and were assisted in this by Madame de Marsan, their governess. Upon their parents’ deaths in 1765 and 1767, Madame de Marsan became particularly close to the two sisters. In her youth, Marie Clotilde was described as being “one of those privileged beings in whom almost perfect mental and moral equilibrium exists and manifests itself simply and easily without effort or conflict.”¹ Madame de Marsan instilled in Marie Clotilde a piety that she would live by for the rest of her life. From her earliest years, she was known to be stout and was given the nickname “Gros Madame.”²

Marie Clotilde was just ten years old when her brother, the Dauphin, married Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria. She met her for the first time on the morning of her wedding with her sister Elisabeth, and it seemed that Marie Antoinette was more taken with the younger Elisabeth. Both girls were too young to participate in any official ceremonies. When her grandfather, King Louis XV, died on 10 May 1774, Marie Clotilde and Elisabeth were among the party to leave Versailles with the new King and Queen for fear of infection.

Marie Clotilde’s possible marriage to Charles-Emmanuel, Prince of Piedmont and heir to the Sardinian throne, was being discussed as early as 1773. By January 1775, talks were so advanced that Marie Clotilde was advised to start learning Italian, and she received the poet Carlo Goldoni as her tutor. He wrote about her, “She was extremely docile, had great facility for learning and a most retentive memory. She soon was able to speak Italian fluently and to read it quite easily.”³ On 13 March 1775, her brother King Louis XVI publicly announced the plans for the marriage of his sister to the Prince of Piedmont.

Marie Clotilde was present for her brother’s coronation at Rheims on 12 June 1775, after which she fell into the whirlwind of planning for the future. On 16 August, a formal betrothal was made, followed by the proxy marriage on 21 August as the Count of Provence stood in for the groom. As the new Princess of Piedmont, she wrote to her father-in-law, the King of Sardinia, that same day. She wrote, “I cannot express to Your Majesty how much I desire to be able to show my gratitude for all your goodness to me. My gratitude is most ardent and sincere, and the more I hear about Your Majesty, the more impatient I am to know you, to devote myself to you, and to deserve your kindness.”⁴

On 25 August, Marie Clotilde joined her family for a magnificent ball, but two days later, it was time to leave for her new home. King Louis, Queen Marie Antoinette, and Elisabeth went with her to Choisy for the final goodbye. Although they were not known to have been particularly close, Marie Antoinette wrote to her mother, “I am oppressed by the joy of Monsieur and Madame. Their joy is certainly very natural, and I have hidden my tears in order not to spoil it… But how dreadful for me not to be able to share their happiness!”⁵

The farewell between Elisabeth and Marie Clotilde was even more heartbreaking, as the two sisters had been kept apart. Marie Antoinette later wrote, “My sister Élisabeth is a charming child, who has intelligence, character, and much grace; she showed the greatest feeling, and much above her age, at the departure of her sister. The poor little girl was in despair, and as her health is very delicate, she was taken ill and had a very severe nervous attack. I own to my dear mamma that I fear I am getting too attached to her, feeling, from the example of my aunts, how essential it is for her happiness not to remain an old maid in this country.”⁶

On 5 September 1775, Marie Clotilde arrived at the Point de Beauvoison, where she was granted military honours for the last time as a French Princess. The following day, the official handover took place, and she was introduced to her husband. Well aware of her nickname, she blurted out, “You will find me very stout!” He responded with, “I find you adorable.”⁷ A delighted Marie Clotilde wrote, “I will be perfectly happy; heaven has endowed me with a husband who is charming, much loved and who will take care of me.”⁸ When being taunted in the streets with shouts of “How big she is!”, her new mother-in-law told her, “Oh, pay no attention to that, my dear child. When I arrived here at the time of my marriage, the people exclaimed wherever I went, ‘How ugly she looks!'”⁹

Nevertheless, her sweet disposition and charitable acts soon made her a much-beloved member of the family. After a few years of childless marriage, it became clear that there would be no successor to the throne. She had undergone several “treatments”, such as drinking various medicines which made her feel ill and taking the waters. She did not become pregnant, but the medicine did make her lose weight. Around 1779, she had “a moment of great hope”, but this too passed.¹⁰ Both Marie Clotilde and her husband accepted it as the will of God, but they went one step further. After around eight years of marriage, they began to live together “as brother and sister.”¹⁰

Read part two here.

1. A sister of Louis XVI, Marie-Clotilde de France, Queen of Sardinia by Louis Leopold d’Artemont p.7
2. A sister of Louis XVI, Marie-Clotilde de France, Queen of Sardinia by Louis Leopold d’Artemont p.10
3. A sister of Louis XVI, Marie-Clotilde de France, Queen of Sardinia by Louis Leopold d’Artemont p.18
4. A sister of Louis XVI, Marie-Clotilde de France, Queen of Sardinia by Louis Leopold d’Artemont p.19
5. A sister of Louis XVI, Marie-Clotilde de France, Queen of Sardinia by Louis Leopold d’Artemont p.21-22
6. The Ruin of a Princess by the Duchess of Angoulême p.
7. A sister of Louis XVI, Marie-Clotilde de France, Queen of Sardinia by Louis Leopold d’Artemont p.24
8. Lettres inédites de Marie-Antoinette et de Marie-Clotilde de France (soeur de Louis XVI), reine de Sardaigne p.218
9. A sister of Louis XVI, Marie-Clotilde de France, Queen of Sardinia by Louis Leopold d’Artemont p.30
10. A sister of Louis XVI, Marie-Clotilde de France, Queen of Sardinia by Louis Leopold d’Artemont p.44