Olympia Mancini, Countess of Soissons: Difference between revisions

Olimpia Mancini, in France Olympe Mancini (1639 — 9 October 1708) was an Italian noblewoman.

Born in Rome, she was one of the five handsome daughters of Geronima, a sister of Cardinal Mazarin; she was also the mother of the famous general Prince Eugene of Savoy.

She grew up in Rome. Her father was baron Michele Lorenzo Mancini. After his death in 1650, her mother brought her children from Rome to Paris.

The young king Louis XIV was very in love with Olympia, but his mother Anne of Austria and Cardinal Mazarin were against a marriage. Olympia was married on February 21 1657 to Prince Eugène-Maurice of Savoy-Carignano (1633-1673), by whom she had eight children, amongst whom the famous soldier Prince Eugene of Savoy. Her first child Louis-Thomas was born only 6 months after the marriage and is said to be of king Louis XIV.

Olimpia was the twin sister of Maria, better known as Marie Mancini.

The older pair of twins were Laura — who was married to Louis II de Bourbon-Vendôme, the duc de Vendôme, heir to Henri IV's legitimized natural son — and her fraternal twin brother Paolo, who was mortally wounded in a battle of the Fronde in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, Paris, and died in July 1652.

The fourth sister, Hortense Mancini escaped her abusive husband and went to London, where Charles II was her lover.

The youngest sister Marie Anne Mancini (1649-1714) married a nephew of Turenne.

Olympia was an intriguer of the first order. First, she allied herself with Henrietta Anne Stuart, sister-in-law and lover of Louis XIV. She is also said to have introduced Louise de La Vallière to the King, but to turn against her after the King fell in love with Louise at the expense of Henrietta.

Olympia was accused in 1679 in the Poison affair to have plotted with La Voisin to poison Louise de La Vallière. She is even said to have threatened the King himself to "come back to me, or you will be sorry". Olympia is also suspected of poisoning her own husband, and Maria Luisa of Orléans, childless Queen of Spain and niece of Louis XIV.

On january 23 1680, she was asked to leave the Royal court and moved to Brussels, claiming her innocence. Now and then she traveled to Spain and England with her two sisters Marie and Hortense. In Brussels she supported musicians Pietro Antonio Fiocco and Henry Desmarest. She died in Brussels october 9 1708.

• Mazzarino, Martinozzi and Mancini: Genealogy (Hortense Mancini is omitted.)