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A Charitable Princess at the End of the 18th Century
| Marie-Fortunée d’Este (1731-1803), the daughter of Francis III Duke of Modena, comes to France in 1759 after her marriage to Louis-François-Joseph of Bourbon-Conti, Count of La Marche who inserts her in this younger branch of the Bourbon family. In 1776, this princess of blood separates from her husband and then leads an independent life sharing her existence between her Parisian hotel in Saint-Dominique street and her castle of Triel close to Paris. At the beginning of the French Revolution, she leaves France for Chambéry then Fribourg, Landshut, Presbourg and Venice where she dies on September 21st, 1803.
Her existence is unequally documented. Only the period 1776-1789 is well indicated thanks to the conservation of her 3000 pages household accounts and invoices of her suppliers which bring considerable indications and exceptional details on the everyday life of a princess in the last quarter of the 18th century.
The monthly statements of her personal expenses draw the portrait of devout and charitable princess. They highlight the importance of religion and charity in her everyday life. This case study of an aristocratic woman aims to understand the daily poor relief and charity in France at the end of the 18th century and the economy of the gifts. Indeed, the study of her accounts shows the part of her charitable expenses in her household finance. The records of her personal and daily expenses let us see the daily practice of charity. Thus, the values, the frequency and the recipients of the gifts can be studied from 1776 to 1789. Even thought the payments are hardly impressive, the gifts are daily made depending on the activities of the princess of Conti. The beneficiaries of her generosities are diverse but not always recognizable. The gifts are mainly aimed at broken people. Some of them are known by the princess and recommended by her circle of acquaintances. Even if the 18th century is characterized by a change in the meaning of the charity, her practice of the charity remains marked by a traditional conception. By giving, she tries to put her acts in accord with the divine principles. It is much more important for her to give charity than to be generous.
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