Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy Nemours
Marie Jeanne of Savoy was born a Princess of Savoy and became the Duchess of Savoy by marriage. First married by proxy to Charles of Lorraine in 1662, Lorraine soon refused to recognise the union and it was annulled. She married Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy in 1665 who was her kinsman. The mother of the future Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia who saw the elevation of the House of Savoy to kings, she styled herself as Madama Reale or Madame Royale. She acted as Regent of Savoy from 1675 in the name of her son Victor Amadeus II, who was her husbands successor. Her regency officially ended in 1680, but she maintained power until her son banished her from further influence in the state in 1684. She left a considerable architectural legacy in Turin, and was responsible for the remodelling of the Palazzo Madama, which was her private residence. At the time of her death she was the mother of the King of Sardinia as well as great grandmother of two other kings, Louis I of Spain and Louis X
Marie Jeanne Baptiste de Savoie was born at the Htel de Nemours in Paris, and was the eldest of five children born to Charles Amadeus, Duke of Nemours and his wife lisabeth de Bourbon. Through her mother, Marie Jeanne was a great grand daughter of Henry IV of France via her father Csar de Bourbon, Lgitim de France, whose mother was Gabrielle dEstres. This made her a halffirstcousin once removed of Louis XIV and a relation to most Catholic royalty at that time. She was a member of the Nemours cadet branch of the House of Savoy, which had settled in France in the sixteenth century. Marie Jeanne grew up with her sister Marie Franoise, Mademoiselle dAumale who was born in 1646. She was styled as Mademoiselle de Nemours prior to marriage. As a young girl she frequented the salon of the famous Madame de La Fayette who later introduced Marie Jeanne into correspondence with Madame de Svign. These relationships would give her insight to the French court during her years as regent.
Source: Wikipedia