Servant of God Princess Maria Clotilde of Savoy

Maria Clotilde of Savoy (Ludovica Teresa Maria Clotilde; 2 March 1843 – 25 June 1911) was born in Turin to Vittorio Emanuele II, later King of Italy and his first wife, Adelaide of Austria. She was the wife of Prince Napoléon-Jérôme Bonaparte. She was a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic and has been declared a Servant of God by Pope Pius XII. Maria Clotilde was the eldest of eight children born to Victor Emmanuel II, King of Sardinia by his first wife and cousin, Archduchess Adelaide of Austria. Her father would later become the king of a united Italy as Victor Emmanuel II. Maria Clotilde's paternal grandparents were Charles Albert, King of Sardinia and Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria. Her maternal grandparents were Archduke Rainer Joseph of Austria and Princess Elisabeth of Savoy. Rainer was a younger son of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor. On 30 January 1859, she was married in Turin to Prince Napoléon-Jérôme Bonaparte (1822–1891). They had three children: Their marriage was unhappy, particularly as Maria Clotilde preferred the quieter, more duty-filled life that she felt they should maintain, while Napoléon-Jérôme preferred the faster, more entertainment-filled lifestyle of the French Court. Another factor in their unhappy marriage was the circumstances leading up to their espousal. Maria Clotilde had been only 15 years old when they were married, while he was over 37. In the events leading up to their marriage, she had been vehemently against it and had unhappily agreed to it. The marriage had also been negotiated out of political reasons during the conference of Plombières (July 1858). As Maria Clotilde was too young at the time for marriage, Napoléon-Jérôme had to wait until the following year; many had disapproved of the speed he undertook collecting his young bride in Turin.