Henriette Adelaide of Savoy

Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, was Electress of Bavaria by marriage to Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria. She wielded considerable political influence in her adopted country and with her husband did much to improve the welfare of the Electorate of Bavaria.

Early life

Born at the Castello del Valentino in Turin, Henriette was the older of twin girls; her sister Catherine Beatrice of Savoy died in Turin 26 August 1637. On 7 October 1637 her father, Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy, died when she was just one year old. Her mother, Christine of France, was the daughter of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici. After the death of her father, her mother served as Regent of Savoy on behalf of two of Henriette Adelaide's brothers: Francis Hyacinth from 1637 to 1638 and then Charles Emmanuel II until 1648.

On 8 December 1650 Henriette married Ferdinand Maria, the heir to the Electorate of Bavaria. The following year, Ferdinand Maria became Elector following the death of his father, Maximilian I. Henriette Adelaide had a strong influence on Bavarian foreign affairs in favor of France, whose royal family counted her mother as a member. This led to an alliance between France and Bavaria against Austria. One of the results of the alliance was the marriage of Henriette's eldest daughter Maria Anna and her cousin Louis, Grand Dauphin, in 1680.
Henriette had a leading role in the building of Nymphenburg Palace and the Theatine Church in Munich. Many Italian artists were invited to Munich, and she also introduced Italian opera to the court of Bavaria.
Henriette died in Munich and was buried in the Theatine Church – the church she and her husband built as a gesture of thanks for the birth of the long-awaited heir to the Bavarian crown, Maximilian II Emanuel, in 1662.

In addition, the Electress suffered three miscarriages: in June 1661, March 1664 and 1674.