L’« étiquette royale » : Marguerite-Louise d’Orléans à l’épreuve de Florence

Le mariage de Marguerite-Louise d’Orléans, fille de Gaston de France, duc d’Orléans, et de Marguerite de Lorraine, avec le prince Côme III de Médicis, fils de Ferdinand II et de Vittoria della Rovere, s’inscrit dans la longue liste des unions malheureuses auxquelles l’historiographie a réservé une place marginale, sauf dans la perspective d’une histoire générale de la famille, comme celle sur laquelle l’historien anglais Lawrence Stone a longuement travaillé (Stone 1973, 1977 et 1990). La princesse faisait partie de ces femmes de la grande aristocratie ou de sang royal qui jouaient un rôle important dans les équilibres politiques entre dynasties et nations en servant de précieuse monnaie d’échange lors de négociations matrimoniales. Elles y étaient préparées par leur éducation, tout comme elles devaient assimiler les règles de l’étiquette, non comme de simples formalités mais comme éléments substantiels d’une vie de souveraine. Ce bagage, la fille aînée du duc d’Orléans (de son second mariage) l’avait donc acquis et intégré lorsqu’elle arriva à la cour des grands-ducs de Toscane, et qu’elle dut affronter la rigide étiquette florentine.The marriage between Marguerite-Louise d’Orléans, daughter of Gaston of France, Duke of Orléans and Marguerite de Lorraine, and Cosimo III de’ Medici, son of Ferdinand II and Vittoria della Rovere, falls within a long list of unhappy unions to which historiography has reserved a marginal position, except in terms of family history, on which the English historian Lawrence Stone worked extensively (Stone 1973, 1977 et 1990). Marguerite-Louise’s story is part of the history of women who were members of the high aristocracy and princesses of royal blood, the latter playing an even more important role in the balance of power between dynasties and nations, acting as valuable bargaining chips in matrimonial negotiations. Knowledge of such deliberations was part of the education acquired by a princess during her training at court. To it was added etiquette and protocol, not merely as a formal framework but as the substance of a female sovereign’s life. The eldest daughter of the Duke of Orléans (from his second marriage) had acquired and integrated this education when she arrived at the court of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, and in her own way overcame the test of rigid Florentine etiquette.Il caso di Margherita Luisa d’Orléans, figlia di Gian Gastone e Margherita di Lorena, e del suo matrimonio con il principe Cosimo III, figlio di Ferdinando II e Vittoria della Rovere, si inserisce in quella lunga schiera di matrimoni infelici ai quali la storiografia ha riservato un posto marginale derubricato nella letteratura al femminile della memorialistica, a volte nella pamphlettistica scandalosa o nel migliore dei casi in quella storia dei sentimenti sulla quale Stone ha lungamente riflettuto (Stone 1973, 1977 et 1990). Tutto questo faceva parte del bagaglio di informazioni che una principessa apprendeva nella sua educazione a corte. A ciò, l’etichetta e il cerimoniale, si aggiungevano non come semplice cornice ma come sostanze delle “cose”. La primogenita del duca d’Orléans (del secondo matrimonio), tutto questo lo aveva appreso e, pur con singolare maniera, lo aveva portato alla corte dei granduchi di Toscana superando la prova della rigida etichetta fiorentina