Marie Anne de Bourbon

Marie Anne de Bourbon, Légitimée de France, born Marie Anne de La Blaume Le Blanc, by her marriage Princess of Conti then Princess Dowager of Conti, suo jure Duchess of La Vallière and of Vaujours (2 October 1666 – 3 May 1739) was a French noblewoman as the eldest legitimised daughter of Louis XIV, King of France, born from his mistress Louise de La Vallière, and the king's favourite daughter. She married Louis Armand I, Prince of Conti, in 1680 and was widowed in 1685. She never married again and had no issue. Upon her mother's death, she became the suo jure Duchess of La Vallière and of Vaujours. Early life (1666–1680) Marie-Anne de La Blaume Le Blanc de la Vallière was born 2 October 1666 in the Castle of Vincennes in secret to an unmarried mother, Louise de La Blaume Le Blanc de La Vallière, Mademoiselle de La Vallière (1644–1710), who had been the mistress of Louis XIV, King of France for about 5 years by then. She had had three full brothers, at least one of whom, Charles (1663–1665) had already died by the time she was born, while two of them, Philippe (1665–1666) and Louis (1665–1666) died sometime during the year of her birth. On 14 May 1667, she was legitimised, after which she could use the surname de Bourbon ("of Bourbon"), while her legitimate half-siblings were known as de France ("of France"), and she was created Mademoiselle de Blois. On the same day, her mother was given the titles of Duchess of La Vallière and of Vaujours, which she perceived as a kind of retirement gift and a sign of the end of her relationship with the king. On 2 October 1667, Blois' youngest full sibling, Louis (1667–1683) was born. The two children were placed in the care of Madame Colbert (born Marie Charron), the wife of Chief Minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619–1683). Married life (1680–1685) On 16 January 1680, at the age of 13, Blois was married to her distant relative, 18-year-old Louis-Armand I de Bourbon, Prince of Conti (1661–1885), in the chapel of the Castle of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. She was given a dowry of 1 million livres. As Conti was a prince du sang ("Prince of the Blood"), a male member of the House of Bourbon legitimately descended from a sovereign, while Blois was illegitimate, their marriage caused a scandal. This was the first but not the last such marriage, as Louis XIV married many of his illegitimate daughters into the royal family. Even though the prince fell in love with his bride at first sight, their wedding night was disastrous.