At Saint-Mandé, the aging Marguerite Louise adopted a more moderate life and busied herself with reforming the convent, which she called a "spiritual brothel". The absentee mother superior, who wore men's clothing, was sent away, while nuns who departed from the rule were removed. In this way, Marguerite Louise's behaviour ceased to be a bone of contention with Florence. Marguerite Louise's health began to decline in 1712, with an attack of apoplexy, which left her with a paralysed left arm and foaming mouth.Acton, p 273. She soon recovered, only to have another attack the next year; the death of the only one of her three children with whom she had a good relationship, Grand Prince Ferdinando, contributed to the second attack of apoplexy, which briefly paralysed her eyes and made speech difficult. The Regent of France, Philippe d'Orléans, allowed Marguerite Louise to buy a house in Paris at 15 Place des Vosges, where she spent her final years. She corresponded with the Regent's mother, Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, and gave assiduously to charity. Marguerite Louise d'Orléans, Princess of France and Grand Duchess of Tuscany, died in September 1721, and was buried in the Picpus Cemetery, in Paris.Acton, p. 274.
