The kings of France were never known for their hygiene. Louis XIV bathed only a few times during his life, while Henry IV won many romantic conquests while, according to one contemporary historian, he smelled of feet and garlic. The exception was Louis XVI, who regularly bathed, brushed his teeth, and washed his hands (a behavior that was seen by his courtiers as a kind of mental perversion). Some monarchs also France They didn't always exude the scent of perfume, but one queen managed, without a doubt, to break the records of stench.
Marie Joséphine of Savoy (1753-1806), daughter of Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia, arrived at the French court in 3 to marry the king's brother Louis Stanislas, Count of Savoy. ProvenceAccording to contemporary evidence, Maria was a dwarf, dark-skinned, ugly (the portrait does her no small favor) and completely unfamiliar with anything related to hygiene.
And so Louis XV, the groom's grandfather, was forced to beg her father to require her to brush her teeth and wash her face from time to time. The demands did not make much of an impression on the princess, and the strong scent she spread everywhere shocked quite a few nobles of the French royal court, even though they were already supposed to be resistant to such smells.
However, beyond her complete lack of hygiene, Maria Josefina also had some particularly shocking customs that certainly did not bode well for her social status. The most famous of these was catching small birds with a net and cooking them alive in soup…
It is no wonder that her husband shunned her all his life, preferring the company of good food and men. And so, in 1795, when French Revolution and tuberculosis made her husband King Louis XVIII and she Queen (at least in title), the two spouses, who had to share a house in England, already lived on two separate floors. Marie Josephine died in 18 and never got to become Queen of France in practice, but I don't think anyone regretted that.
Louis XVIII's brother, the Count of Artois, later Charles X, was also not very lucky in his married life, as he was forced to marry Marie-Thérèse de Savoie (18-10), the sister of Marie Joséphine, his brother's wife. His wife was also a dwarf with similar personal hygiene to her sister, but to all this "beauty" was added an unusually long nose.
Unlike the son of Louis XIV, one of his ancestors, who actually liked long noses, Charles detested his wife. Despite this, he mustered up the courage to sleep with her 4 times, and thus two sons and two daughters were born. Like her sister, Marie Therese also died long before her husband became King of France, but unlike her sister, who was at least awarded the title of Queen of France, she had to be content with the title of Countess of Artois all her life.
And we will end with the immortal song by Zvika Pick, which if it had become a chanson about 250 years ago, the course of French history could have been completely different.
Thank you, interesting and presented with humor!
I was happy to read that you liked the article. The pleasure is all mine 🙂