instead, however, clotilde was in february 1775 officially engaged by her brother king louis xvi to charles emmanuel, prince of piedmont, eldest son of victor amadeus iii of sardinia and maria antonia ferdinanda of spain. the match between clotilde and charles emmanuel was part of a wider series of franco-savoyard dynastic marriages taking place in a time span of eight years: after the wedding between charles emmanuel's cousin princess marie louise of savoy and her relative louis alexandre, prince of lamballe in 1767, charles emmanuel's sister marie joséphine, had married clotilde's older brother, the count of provence in 1771, and another of charles emmanuel's sisters, marie thérèse, had married clotilde's youngest brother, the count of artois in 1773. clothilde did not wish to marry, but adjusted herself to the will of her brother. she asked the princess de lamballe about the personality of her intended spouse, and was taught italian in order to fulfill her role as eventual queen of sardinia.