- Born:
- Aug. 28, 1619, Vincennes, France
- Died:
- April 15, 1679, Paris (aged 59)
- Notable Family Members:
- spouse Henri II d’Orléans, duc de Longueville, duc de Coulommiers
- Role In:
- the Fronde
Anne-Geneviève de Bourbon-Condé, duchess de Longueville
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Who was Anne-Geneviève de Bourbon-Condé?
Anne-Geneviève de Bourbon-Condé, Duchess of Longueville (1619–1679), was a French princess celebrated for her beauty, love affairs, and influence during the Fronde civil wars. Born in prison due to her parents' opposition to Marshal d’Ancre, she was educated strictly in a Carmelite convent.
In 1642, she married the Duke de Longueville, a union that proved unhappy. Involved in political affairs after Cardinal Richelieu's death, she became the guiding spirit of the first and second Fronde uprisings. Later, abandoned and disgraced, she turned to religion, embraced Jansenism, and became a protector of the Jansenists. Her letters to the Pope are part of Port Royal's history.
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What was Anne-Geneviève’s family background and title?
Anne-Geneviève de Bourbon-Condé, duchess de Longueville, was a French princess celebrated for her beauty and influence during the Fronde civil wars. She was the daughter of Henri II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé, and Charlotte de Montmorency. The Condé family was an important French branch of the house of Bourbon. Anne-Geneviève was born in the prison of Vincennes, where her parents were held for opposing Marshal d’Ancre. In 1642, she married the Duke de Longueville, governor of Normandy.
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Why was Anne-Geneviève famous in French history?
Anne-Geneviève de Bourbon-Condé, duchess de Longueville (1619-1679), a French princess, was renowned for her beauty, romantic relationships, and influence during the Fronde, a series of civil wars in France.
As the guiding spirit of the first Fronde, she involved her brothers and husband in the uprising, though she failed to attract Condé himself. In the second Fronde, she played a prominent role in drawing Condé and Turenne to the rebels. Her actions challenged the growing power of the royal government, and though the Fronde ultimately failed, it was the last serious challenge to the monarchy until the French Revolution in 1789. Later in life, she became a protectress of the Jansenists.
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What role did Anne-Geneviève play in the French civil war known as the Fronde?
Anne-Geneviève de Bourbon-Condé, duchess de Longueville, a French princess, played a significant role in the Fronde civil wars. She was the guiding spirit of the first Fronde, successfully drawing in her brother Armand, Prince de Conti, and her husband. Although she failed to win over her other brother, Condé, to the cause, she played a prominent part in the second Fronde, attracting Condé and later Turenne to the rebels. Her involvement was driven by her love for the Duke de la Rochefoucauld, who used her influence for his own gain.
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How did Anne-Geneviève’s actions affect her family and the French nobility?
Anne-Geneviève de Bourbon-Condé, duchess de Longueville, significantly impacted her family and the French nobility through her involvement in the Fronde civil wars. As a guiding spirit of the uprisings, she drew in her brothers and husband, causing political turmoil and shifting allegiances among the nobility. Although her actions challenged the monarchy, the Fronde ultimately failed to check royal power, revealing the selfish interests and inability of the nobility to provide effective leadership. Despite her initial political prominence, she later turned to Jansenism and became a protectress of the Jansenists.
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What was Anne-Geneviève's legacy in French history and society?
Anne-Geneviève de Bourbon-Condé, duchess de Longueville, a French princess, is remembered for her beauty, love affairs, and influence during the Fronde, a series of civil wars in France. As the guiding spirit of the first Fronde, she involved her brother Armand and her husband in the rebellion, though she failed to win over Condé. In the second Fronde, she played a prominent role, attracting Condé and Turenne to the rebels. Later in life, she became a protectress of the Jansenists, and her letters to the Pope are part of Port Royal's history.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Anne-Geneviève de Bourbon-Condé, duchess de Longueville (born Aug. 28, 1619, Vincennes, France—died April 15, 1679, Paris) was a French princess remembered for her beauty and amours, her influence during the civil wars of the Fronde, and her final conversion to Jansenism.
Anne-Geneviève de Bourbon-Condé was the only daughter of Henri II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé, and Charlotte de Montmorency. She was born in the prison of Vincennes, into which her father and mother had been thrown for opposition to Marshal d’Ancre, the favourite of Marie de Médicis, who was then regent in the minority of Louis XIII. She was educated with great strictness in the convent of the Carmelites in the Rue Saint-Jacques at Paris. Her early years were clouded by the execution of the Duke de Montmorency, her mother’s only brother, but later her parents made their peace with Cardinal de Richelieu; introduced into society in 1635, she soon became one of the stars of the Hôtel Rambouillet, at that time the centre of all that was learned, witty, and gay in France.
In 1642 she married the Duke de Longueville, governor of Normandy, a widower twice her age. The marriage was not happy.
After Richelieu’s death her father became chief of the council of regency during the minority of Louis XIV, her brother (the Great Condé) won the great victory of Rocroy in 1643, and the duchess became involved in political affairs. About 1646 she fell in love with the Duke de la Rochefoucauld, the author of the Maximes, who made use of her love to obtain influence over her brother and thus win honours for himself. The duchess was the guiding spirit of the uprising known as the first Fronde. She brought over Armand, Prince de Conti (her second brother), and her husband to the frondeurs, but she failed to attract Condé himself, whose loyalty to the court overthrew the first Fronde. The second Fronde was for the most part her work, and in it she played the most prominent part in attracting to the rebels first Condé and later Turenne.
In 1652, the last year of the war, the duchess was accompanied into Guyenne by the Duke de Nemours, and her intimacy with him gave La Rochefoucauld an excuse for abandoning her. Thus abandoned, and in disgrace at court, she betook herself to religion. She lived chiefly in Normandy until 1663, when her husband died and she came to Paris. There she became more and more Jansenist in opinion and became the great protectress of the Jansenists. Her famous letters to the pope are part of the history of Port Royal, and as long as she lived the nuns of Port Royal des Champs were left in safety. Her elder son resigned his title and estates and became a Jesuit under the name of the Abbé d’ Orléans, while the younger, after leading a debauched life, was killed leading the attack in the passage of the Rhine in 1673. As her health failed, the duchess hardly ever left the convent of the Carmelites in which she had been educated.