Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine, the Princess Who Became Queen of Sardinia, Is Born

On October 15, 1711, Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine was born at the Château de Lunéville. A daughter of Duke Leopold of Lorraine and Élisabeth Charlotte d’Orléans, she belonged to a family connected to several of Europe’s royal houses. Her marriage would take her from Lorraine to the court of the Kingdom of Sardinia.

A Princess of Lorraine

Elisabeth Therese grew up during a period of uncertainty for her family’s duchy. Lorraine stood between powerful neighbours, and its future became entangled in negotiations involving France and the Habsburg monarchy.

Her elder brother, Francis Stephen, married Maria Theresa of Austria in 1736. This connection helped shape Elisabeth Therese’s own marriage prospects, linking her future to the diplomatic ambitions of another European dynasty: the House of Savoy.

Marriage to Charles Emmanuel III

In 1737, Elisabeth Therese became the third wife of Charles Emmanuel III, King of Sardinia. Their marriage followed extensive negotiations and helped strengthen relations between the Savoyard court and Vienna.

A proxy wedding took place in Lunéville on March 5, with a representative standing in for the king. Elisabeth Therese subsequently travelled to meet her husband, and the couple made their ceremonial entry into Turin on April 21.

A Brief Life as Queen

Elisabeth Therese was a queen consort, holding her title through marriage rather than ruling in her own right. During four years of marriage, she gave birth to three children: Carlo Francesco, Maria Vittoria and Benedetto.

Only Benedetto, later Duke of Chablais, survived to adulthood. Shortly after his birth, Elisabeth Therese became seriously ill and died at the Palace of Venaria on July 3, 1741. She was twenty-nine years old.

Remembering a Lesser-Known Royal Life

Initially buried in Turin Cathedral, her remains were later transferred to the Basilica of Superga, a burial place of the House of Savoy.

Her short life offers a glimpse into eighteenth-century royalty, when marriages joined families across borders and royal women’s personal lives were closely bound to questions of succession and diplomacy.