Home > Clémentine of Orléans
Clémentine of Orléans, Princess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, was the daughter of King Louis-Philippe of France, the last King of France, and mother of Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria. Born 6 March 1817 at Neuilly-sur-Seine, Clémentine became a princess following her father's ascension to the French throne in 1830. Never one to lack ambition, she sought a likely future king to marry and was directed towards Prince Augustus of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, whom she married in 1843. Her instincts proved to be incorrect in this case as Augustus would never become a king. They did however, have four children:
- Philip, who married his cousin, Louise, daughter of Leopold II of Belgium
- Augustus, who married Leopoldine, daughter of Pedro II of Brazil
- Amelie, who married Duke Maximillan, the brother of Empress Elizabeth of Austria
- Ferdinand, who would become Tsar of Bulgaria.
After fleeing France in 1848 following the end of her father's reign, she lived in Vienna, where her husband was an officer with the Austro-Hungarian army. Realising she would never be Queen, Clémentine turned her efforts to instilling in Ferdinand, her favorite child, that, as a direct descendent not only of Louis-Philippe but of the Sun King Louis XIV of France, he deserved to be a King. Of which country was not an important matter. As it turned out, that country was Bulgaria and Clémentine actively lobbied for Ferdinand's election as Prince of Bulgaria.
Known for her "shrewd mind and a remarkable understanding of European politics and diplomacy" Clémentine was often sent by Ferdinand as his representative on diplomatic missions around Europe. Additionally, as an extremely wealthy woman, Clémentine made herself popular in her adopted homeland by showered money on Bulgaria, including a donation of four million francs towards the completion of a railway line linking Bulgaria to Europe's rail network.
Increasingly deaf as she aged, Clémentine became dependent on an enormous ear trumpet and people shouting at her to hear and it became an occupational hazard of the Bulgarian court to be caught in long, shouted conversations with Clémentine that she was reluctant to end.
She died in Vienna in 1907Events January events January 6 Maria Montessori opens her first school and daycare center for working class children in Rome Casa dei Bambini in San Lorenzo). January 14 An earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica kills more than a 1,000 January 23 Charles Curtis, aged 90. Her influence on Ferdinand was so well known that people began to predict his downfall. She was buried in Coburg, with an inscription on her memorial reading "King's daughter, no Queen herself, yet King's mother."
