Maria Luisa of Savoy

Princess Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy (17 September 1688 – 14 February 1714), nicknamed La Savoyana, was Queen of Spain by marriage to King Philip V. She acted as regent during her husband's absence from 1702 until 1703 and had great influence as a political adviser during the War of the Spanish Succession, during which she was often regent while Philip fought to protect his legitimacy and his place on the throne.

Despite her young age, Maria Luisa proved herself to be mature, intelligent, hard-working and resolute, and her regencies were effective, winning the respect of her subjects and becoming very popular and well-loved by her people.

At the end of the War of Spanish Succession, Philip V was recognised as King of Spain, establishing the Spanish branch of the House of Bourbon, which still rules over Spain to this day. Two of her four sons, Louis I and Ferdinand VI, took their turns as King of Spain. Maria Luisa died from tuberculosis when she was 25.

Early life Childhood María Luisa Gabriella was born on 17 September 1688, at the Royal Palace of Turin, Savoy. She was the third daughter and second surviving child of Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy and Anne Marie of Orléans, the youngest daughter of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans and Princess Henrietta of England.

Engagement French Prince Philippe, Duke of Anjou recently ascended to the Spanish crown upon the death of his great-uncle, the childless Charles II of Spain. In order to enforce his shaky authority over Spain due to his French birth, Philip V decided to maintain ties with the Duke of Savoy by marrying his daughter Maria Luisa Gabriella, his second cousin through King Louis XIII. In mid-1701, Philip V asked for her hand with the permission of his grandfather, King Louis XIV. They were wed by proxy on 12 September 1701, five days before Maria Luisa Gabriella's thirteenth birthday. She arrived to Nice on 18 September and was greeted by Pope Clement XI, who gave her the Golden Rose on 20 September as a ritualistic gift. Within a week, she sailed from Nice for Antibes and was taken to Barcelona. He was deeply in love with his wife from the start: as would be the case of his next consort, he was sexually dependent on her because his religious scruples prevented him from exercising any sexual life outside of marriage.

In 1704, Trémoille was exiled at the order of King Louis XIV, devastating the rulers. However, in 1705, the Princess returned to Madrid, much to the Queen's joy. boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc; boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9; boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc; boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc; boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe; 1= 1. Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy 2= 2. Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia 3= 3. Anne Marie d'Orléans 4= 4. Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy 5= 5. Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy 6= 6. Philippe I, Duke of Orléans 7= 7. Henrietta of England 8= 8. Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy 9= 9. Christine of France 10= 10. Charles Amadeus, Duke of Nemours 11= 11. Élisabeth de Bourbon 12= 12. Louis XIII of France 13= 13. Anne of Austria 14= 14. Charles I of England 15= 15. Henrietta Maria of France