A fiery reception
The grandfather of the bride, Prince-Elector Carl Philipp von der Pfalz, had a weakness for magnificence and spectacle. In 1741, a French ambassador criticized him by saying that, at 80 years of age, he had the taste of a ten-year-old. This was also on display at the wedding: When the Archbishop of Cologne and Prince-Elector Clemens August, who was to wed the couple, arrived in Mannheim, the streets were lit with torches. But due to the many cannon shots, the city was immersed in smoke.