Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy

The second daughter of Victor Amadeus II (1666-1732), Duke of Savoy, and Anne Marie d'Orléans (1669-1728), the princess Maria Luisa Gabriella was educated at the court of Turin. Her marriage to Philip V (1683-1746), ratified in Figueras on 3rd November 1701, was arranged by Louis XIV of France, the King's grandfather, in order to strengthen the alliance between the House of Savoy and the Bourbons, within the context of the War of the Spanish Succession. 

Although the King and Queen were wed when Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy was not yet thirteen, the Queen surprised the Spanish court with her maturity: “she has the spirit and penetration of a woman in her thirties", confessed a contemporary witness after meeting her. Endowed with considerable personal charm, she and her husband were well-matched. The royal couple had four children: the future Louis I (1707-1724), who reigned briefly in 1724; the Infante Felipe (born and died in 1709); the Infante Philip Peter (1712-1719); and Ferdinand VI (1713-1759), who succeeded his father in 1746. 

The Queen lived in Spain during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714). Under these circumstances, not only was Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy committed to the Bourbon cause, she also took charge of the Regency while Philip V was away at the front. During the periods when the Queen acted as Regent, she was counselled by her chief chamberlain and confidante, the Princesse des Ursins, and demonstrated a responsibility and decisiveness that won her the approval of all those who participate in dealing with affairs of state with her. 
Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy died in Madrid on 14th February 1714. Highly popular among the commoners, who affectionately called her “La Saboyana”, her remains are buried in the Pantheon of Kings and Queens in the Monastery of El Escorial. 

Source: Royal Academy of History (https://www.rah.es)