Marie Helene, Madame la Dauphine

Marie Helene (1710 - Present) is the first child of Emperor Louis V and the Empress-Consort Marie Johanne.

Reign of Louis V - Son Altesse Imperiale, Madame la Dauphine
Marie Helene was born in the evening of the 24th of June, 1710, at the Chateau du Egmont in Brussels. Her birth was met with a huge crowd of courtiers, refusing to miss the opportunity of witnessing the birth of the heir to the throne. Such conditions in the birthing room were agonizing for the Empress Marie, with the lack of air causing Her Majesty to lose consciousness at least once and possibly twice. The Emperor was delighted with the birth of the infant and ensured that the entire nation go into celebration for this birth.

In accordance with traditions of Hochberg, Helene was baptized at age two and was given the name Marie Helene, being named after the Virgin Mary and the Empress Dowager Helene respectively. She was a strong and healthy child very early on, a cause of much relief for the Imperial Family.

Childhood
Helene was brought up in a most privileged environment of the court, being denied virtually nothing in her earliest years. In accordance with the catholic and Imperial traditions, the young Helene was sent away to the Couvent des Célestins to have her education under the venerable nuns of the convent. Simply the nuns would not satisfy her father, and thus a group of three appointed tutors were also sent along to the abbey to advance her education.

She would be indifferent to her time at the abbey, rather instead longing for her home at court and her family. Despite her feelings, she still focused on maintaining her studies to please the nuns of the abbey and to a greater extent, her father, who received reports on the progress of Helene's education each week. She studied and learnt topics such as languages, affairs of state, music, mathematics, writing, court ceremony and other topics. She took a particular interest in the court ceremony and etiquette side of things, becoming greatly knowledgeable in the topic, following etiquette protocols in most things.

Helene longed for home and court during most of her time at court, often writing letters home to her mother and father. In 1722, her three-year-old younger sister joined the twelve-year-old Helene at the convent, though it wouldn't be for long as preparations were already being made for Helene's return. Helene would use her remaining time to assist in Madame Josephe's education. Helene would be returned to court in early 1723, with large celebrations being put on for the return of the Dauphine to court. From there, she took on her ceremonial position as Madame la Dauphine, often appearing in the public eye alongside His and Her Majesty.

Court Life
At court, Helene would become a much adored public figure. She was renowned at court for her charm, beauty and elegant grace which remained uncontested by any of her younger sisters or contemporaries at court. It became apparent that she had grown into her mothers features, taking on a strong resemblance to the Empress, though it was always noted that she took on her fathers eyes. She was always a favoured child of the Emperor, who much cared for his eldest child and heir apparent. He would take any opportunity he could to give Helene the opportunity to participate in state events, even inviting her to attend the meetings of the Council of Ministers. She became involved in politics as a result of her attendance.

Despite this involvement in politics, it never particularly became one of her interests. Instead, she focused on fashion, decorum and the court. Upon the selection of her ladies-in-waiting, many of them would become close confidants to the Dauphine. It became noted that Helene was very approachable and sociable. This would be put into sharp contrast with the Emperor, who was less approachable in general than his daughter. Helene quickly became popular at court, with the courtiers scouring to gain favour with Helene to assure that they would remain favoured for her reign.

She would be strongly against the mistresses of her father, Louis V. She viewed them as pompous, greedy and believed that they simply made nuisances of themselves by being at court. She, along with the Empress and Madame Sophie, would often get into arguments with these mistresses. Madame Sophie in particular creating pamphlets and writing little rhymes against them.

Marriage and Children
In 1726, when she was sixteen, Helene was arranged to marry the Duc d'Hollande, Jean-Auguste. Jean-Auguste was the head of the cadet branch of Hochberg, the House of Hochberg-Brunswick. She became well acquainted with the Duc and had developed a friendly relationship with him. The wedding ceremony took place on the 8th of October, 1726. It was a very grand ceremony, arranged with not a corner cut by His Majesty. The wedding was performed by the Prince-Bishop of Brussels and also Imperial Chancellor, who presided over the ceremony. Days of festivities followed, with balls and pageants put on at the court for the new couple. The wedding was a time of great hope for the continuation of the Hochberg dynasty, a hope for the formation of the next generation of the Hochberg dynasty, which had spanned back since the 13th century.

Shortly after the ceremonies, she was declared pregnant. It was a time of great jubilation and joy for the pregnancy, and many debated on what the gender of her child would be. On the 24th of August, 1727, she gave birth to her first child and much to the joy of the Emperor, it was a boy. The Emperor suggested naming of the child and heavily hinted at the name of Jean-Ferdinand François. Helene agreed with the choice of name and was very happy to have become a mother. In February of 1728, she was once again reported pregnant and on the 2nd of November, 1728, she gave birth to a daughter, who they named Marie-Claudine Thèrése. In July of 1730, she was reported pregnant once more. Of course, on April 9th, 1731, she gave birth to another daughter, Isabelle-Etiennette Johanne. She would adore all her children and would never pick a favourite, as she could not bring it upon herself to favour one of her children over the others.

Issue
With her husband, Jean-Auguste, she currently has three children.
 * Jean-Ferdinand François, le Petit Dauphin, Duc d'Anjou (24th August 1727 - Present)
 * Marie-Claudine Thèrése, Mademoiselle Premiere (2nd November 1728 - Present)
 * Isabelle-Etiennette Johanne, Mademoiselle Deuxieme (9th April 1731 - Present)

Titles and Styles
-24th June 1710 - Present: Son Altesse Imperiale, Madame la Dauphine

Orders

 * Knight of the Order of St. Joan