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Not to be confused with María Teresa Rafaela of Spain, Dauphine of France (1726–1746).
Aldebaran69/sandbox
Portrait by Henri and Charles Beaubrun
Queen consort of France
Tenure9 June 1660 – 30 July 1683
Born(1638-09-10)10 September 1638
El Escorial, Crown of Castile
Died30 July 1683(1683-07-30) (aged 44)
Palace of Versailles, Kingdom of France
Burial
Basilica of St Denis
Spouse
​
(m. 1660)​
Issue
more...
Names
Spanish: María Teresa de Austria y Borbón
HouseHabsburg
FatherPhilip IV of Spain
MotherElisabeth of France
SignatureAldebaran69/sandbox's signature

Maria Theresa of Spain (Spanish: María Teresa de Austria; French: Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche; 10 September 1638 – 30 July 1683) was Queen of France from 1660 to 1683 as the wife of King Louis XIV.[1][2] She was born an Infanta of Spain and Portugal as the daughter of King Philip IV and Elisabeth of France, and was also an Archduchess of Austria as a member of the Spanish branch of the House of Habsburg.[3]

Her marriage in 1660 to King Louis XIV, her double first cousin, was arranged with the purpose of ending the lengthy war between France and Spain.[4] Famed for her virtue and piety, she saw five of her six children die in early childhood, and is frequently viewed as an object of pity in historical accounts of her husband's reign, since she was often neglected by the court and overshadowed by the King's many mistresses.

Without any political influence in the French court or government (except briefly in 1672, when she was named regent during her husband's absence during the Franco-Dutch War, making her the last Queen of France to hold a regency),[5] she died aged 44 due to complications from an abscess on her arm. Her grandson Philip V inherited the Spanish throne in 1700 after the death of her younger half-brother, Charles II. The resulting War of the Spanish Succession established the House of Bourbon as the new ruling dynasty of Spain, where it has reigned with some interruption until the present time.

Biography

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At the Spanish court

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Birth and early life

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Portrait by Juan Bautista Martinez del Mazo c. 1645
The infanta Maria Theresa aged 14 by Diego Velázquez, c. 1653. Her hairstyle and dress with wide panniers were popular in Spain.

Born at the Royal Monastery of El Escorial on 10 September 1638,[5] Maria Theresa was the eighth child and seventh daughter of Philip IV & III and his first wife Elisabeth of France.[6] As a member of the House of Austria, Maria Theresa was entitled to use the title Archduchess of Austria. She was baptized on 7 October by Cardinal Gaspar de Borja y Velasco, with Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena and Marie de Bourbon, Princess of Carignan, as godparents.

Maria Theresa was named after Teresa of Ávila, who her mother Elisabeth chose to protect her youngest daughter:[7] all her six older sisters died in infancy, with the only son and heir, Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias survives.[7] The Queen, born a princess of France and suffering greatly from being far from her native country, described to her daughter the beauties of France. She promised her that she would marry her cousin the Dauphin, born only five days before her. But on 6 October 1644, Elisabeth died following complications after another miscarriage,[8] and left an immense void in the heart of six-years-old Maria Theresa.[9]

Education and youth

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After the death of her mother, the young Infanta became closer to her father and received a strict and religious education in the sense of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. However, her education was careful and she was not deprived of affection and entertainment: she was surrounded by a multitude of pets and dwarves. It was the royal governess Luisa Magdalena de Jesus who took care of her during her early years.[10]

From the age of five, Maria Theresa's religious education was first carried out by Juan de Palma,[11] commissioner of the Indies who had been the confessor of Elizabeth of France. He was charged by Philip IV with caring for his daughter, as he had cared for the Infanta's mother. Later, Father Vasquez, a man recognised in Spain for being highly educated and of great virtue, was entrusted with Maria Theresa's spiritual education.[12]

Heiress to the Spanish throne

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The death of her brother Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias on 9 March 1646, made Maria Theresa the heiress presumptive to the vast Spanish Empire. Although women were recognized as having the right to ascend the throne,[13][14] Philip IV feared that the absence of a male heir could cause profound unrest that could destabilize the Catholic Monarchy. He then remarried in 1649 to his niece, Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, the union being intended to continue the matrimonial and political alliance between the Austrian and Spanish branches of the House of Habsburg. The proximity in age between Maria Anna and Maria Theresa fostered a deep affection and friendship between them.[15][16]

Due to the fact that she was now his only heir, Philip IV taught the young Infanta notions of history and politics. She would once in France reveal her skills in this field, notably during her regency during the Dutch War.[17] Maria Theresa also accompanied her father on his official trips and played a crucial role of representation. The Infanta enjoyed great popularity in Spain, especially because she did not have the seriousness of character of her Habsburg ancestors, she knew how to be cheerful and charming like her mother, who was also very popular.[18]

On 12 July 1651, the new Queen gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Margaret Theresa. Maria Theresa became her godmother and the two half-sisters remained very close, particularly through correspondence, until Margaret Theresa's death in 1673.

The birth of his half-brother Philip Prospero, Prince of Asturias on 30 November 1657 marks a turning point for Maria Theresa, who is no longer the heiress presumptive to the Spanish throne and finds herself in second position.[19] The reaction of the young Infanta, who reportedly nearly chokes on an egg with rage when she is told of the birth of the heir to the throne, seems to prove her desire to seize the Spanish crown.[9] From this point, the relationship between Maria Theresa and her stepmother is becoming strained.

Maria Theresa was briefly heiress presumptive once more between 1 and 6 November 1661, following the death of Philip Prospero and until the birth of Charles, who would later inherit the thrones of Spain as Charles II.[20]

Treaty of the Pyrenees

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After the birth of her half-brother, it was possible to find a husband for the Infanta without risking upsetting the Spanish monarchy. For the same reasons that had led her father to remarry within the House of Habsburg, Maria Theresa was for a time promised to her cousin (and brother of her stepmother), Archduke Ferdinand, elected King of the Romans, and then, upon his death, to his brother Archduke Leopold, future Holy Roman Emperor. Although Maria Theresa had no real say in her own marriage, she hinted several times to her father that she was not interested in these matches and that she wanted to be Queen of France or retire to a convent.

Fortunately for her, the vagaries of politics prevented this union from coming to fruition. Indeed, the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of France had been at war since 1635. In 1658, as war with France began to wind down, a union between the royal families of Spain and France was proposed as a means to secure peace.[21]

Maria Theresa and the French King were double first cousins: Louis XIV's father was Louis XIII, who was the brother of Maria Theresa's mother, while her father was brother to Anne of Austria, Louis XIV's mother. Spanish procrastination led to a scheme in which France's chief minister, Cardinal Mazarin, pretended to seek a marriage for his master with Margaret Yolande of Savoy.[22] When Philip IV heard of a meeting at Lyon between the Houses of France and Savoy in November 1658, he reputedly exclaimed of the Franco-Savoyard union that "it cannot be, and will not be". The Spanish King then sent a special envoy to the French court to open negotiations for peace and a royal marriage,[23] who reportedly tell Cardinal Mazarin: "the Savoyard marriage is not worthy of the King of France, Philip IV King of Spain proposes his daughter, the Infanta Maria Theresa of Austria who has all the qualities to become the wife of Louis XIV".

The negotiations for the marriage contract were intense. Eager to prevent a union of the two countries or crowns, especially one in which Spain would be subservient to France, the diplomats sought to include a renunciation clause that would deprive Maria Theresa and her children of any rights to the Spanish succession. A marriage contract was eventually arranged in November 1659 as one of the provisions of the Treaty of the Pyrenees.[24] The contract specified that Maria Theresa was to renounce all claims to Spanish territory for herself and all her descendants.[25] Mazarin and Lionne, however, made the renunciation conditional on the full payment of a Spanish dowry of 500,000 écus.[26] As it turned out, Spain, impoverished and bankrupt after decades of war, was unable to pay such a dowry, and France (who never received the agreed upon sum),[25] therefore considered that Maria Theresa still had her rights of succession to the Spanish throne, which caused the War of Devolution (1667-1668).

Marriage

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Meeting on the Isle of Pheasants, June 1660; Maria Theresa is handed over to the French and her husband by proxy, Louis XIV.

On 2 June 1660, Maria Theresa was married by proxy to Louis XIV at Fuenterrabia.[27] Luis Méndez de Haro acted as bridegroom.[28] On 7 June her father and the entire Spanish court accompanied her to the Isle of Pheasants on the border in the Bidassoa river, that serves as the border between France and Spain. There she met her husband for the first time, as well as the French royal family and court, who greatly liked her.[29]

Maria Theresa then said goodbye to her father, both knowing that they would never see each other again; their farewells were heartbreaking. So much so that Louis XIV and his brother Philip of Orléans also shed a few tears. But Philip IV insisted to his daughter that she was now French, saying: "You must forget that you were an infanta and remember only that you are Queen of France".[30]

The marriage of Louis XIV and Maria Theresa of Austria took place on 9 June 1660 at the recently rebuilt church of Saint Jean the Baptist in Saint-Jean-de-Luz,[31] a town near the border between Spain and France where she stayed at the Joanoenia house, now called the "House of the Infanta"). While the French King wanted to consummate the marriage as quickly as possible,[32][33] Maria Theresa initially expressed her hesitations to her mother-in-law Anne of Austria about the idea of ​​sleeping with her husband immediately. But after the couple arrived at their intended house, the bride announced that the King was waiting for her and, already half undressed, she urged her ladies-in-waiting to finish undressing her. The next morning, both spouses seemed completely satisfied.

Later, after her marriage, Maria Theresa was asked one day if she had felt any girlish inclinations while she was still in Spain. "But no, of course not," she answered candidly, "there was only one King and he was my father!".

At the French court

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Arrival in Paris

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c. 1660–1661
Two queens of France: Anne of Austria with her niece and daughter-in-law, Maria Theresa, and the latter's son Louis
Queen Marie Thérèse and her son the Dauphin of France in Polish costumes, dated c. 1663 by Charles Beaubrun

On 26 August 1660, the newlyweds made the traditional Joyous Entry into Paris,[34][35] where the Queen was greeted by the nobility, ecclesiastical dignitaries and professors from the Sorbonne. The royal couple were acclaimed in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators who had come to attend the ceremony. Maria Theresa made a very good impression both by her appearance and by her character. Once installed at the court of France, at the time located at the Louvre, her mother-in-law (and paternal aunt), Anne of Austria took her under her wing. Maria Theresa learned with her the duties of the Queen, the customs of the country as well as the French language. She would attain a good command of French, but would retain a strong Spanish accent until the end of her life.

The Queen Mother, Anne of Austria, cared for the young Queen as if she were her own daughter and tried to protect her from court intrigues. A close and mutual friendship developed. Maria Theresa often retreated to her mother-in-law's circle, where she could speak Spanish and drink hot chocolate, away from the prying eyes of the court. Together, they prayed, did charitable works, made donations to the poor, and visited monasteries and churches. Some courtiers criticized Anne of being too protective of Maria Theresa and thus developing her natural inclination toward withdrawal.[36]

The first time the Queen saw the Palace of Versailles was on 25 October 1660. It was then only a modest royal residence that had once been Louis XIII's hunting lodge, not far from Paris. At this time, as during the first months of the marriage, Louis XIV was highly affectionate and attentive to his wife, reportedly commanding the Grand Maréchal du Logis that "the Queen and himself were never to be set apart, no matter how small the house in which they might be lodging".[37] However, his devotion was short-lived and he promptly began pursuing Louise de La Vallière.[38] In addition, Maria Theresa had difficulty getting used to the French court, whose etiquette was very different from that of Madrid —where courtiers were not even allowed to touch her dress—, and often found difficult to understand French pleasures and humor.[39] Embarrassed by this new proximity, the young Queen had difficulty finding her place there and willingly withdrew to her apartments with her circle of intimates.[40] She clung to her aunt, the Queen Mother Anne of Austria, whom she affectionately referred to as “tia”.[41] Religiously devout, Maria Theresa enjoyed long masses and the celebration of traditional Spanish fêtes.[42] Outside of praying, she spent much of her free time playing cards and gambling.[43][44] Maria Theresa played little part in political affairs, although she briefly acted as regent in 1667 while her husband was away on campaigns on the frontier.[45]


Birth of the Dauphin and first rivalries

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Maria Theresa became pregnant for the first time in early 1661.[46] She gave birth to the long-awaited Dauphin on 1 November 1661,[47] fulfilling her primary duty as Queen.[48] Louis stayed by her side during the difficult birth and exhibited immense care and support but returned to his mistress, La Valliere, shortly after.[49]

Louis initially attempted to keep his constant infidelity hidden,[50] but became more overt as time progressed.[51] Maria Theresa despised her husband's prolonged infidelity with Françoise-Athénaïs, Marquise de Montespan.[52] Louis reprimanded Madame de Montespan when her behaviour at court too flagrantly disrespected the queen's position,[53] yet often displayed a level of indulgence toward her that surpassed his treatment of the queen.[54]

Later, the governess of Montespan's illegitimate children by the king, Madame de Maintenon, came to supplant her mistress in the king's affections. At first she resisted the king's advances and encouraged him to bestow more attention on his long-neglected wife,[55] a thoughtfulness which Maria Theresa repaid with warmth toward the new favourite.[56] After the queen's death, Maintenon would become the king's second, although officially secret, wife.[57]

There were rumours that Maria Theresa had an illegitimate daughter, Louise Marie Thérèse (The Black Nun of Moret).[58][59]

Death

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Marie-Thérèse's burial site at the Basilica of St Denis, where most of France's monarchs are buried

In July 1683, Maria Theresa developed an abscess in her armpit that gave rise to a fever. Her physician, Guy-Crescent Fagon, insisted on bleeding her despite objections.[56] She died a painful death on 30 July 1683.[60] Upon her death, Louis XIV said: "This is the first chagrin she has ever given me."[61] For the grand funeral ceremony, Marc-Antoine Charpentier composed dramatic motets H.409, H.189, H.331 and Jean-Baptiste Lully his Dies irae. The funeral prayer was by Bossuet.[citation needed]

Issue

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Maria Theresa married her double first cousin Louis XIV in 1660. The couple had six children, only one of whom survived to adulthood:

  1. Louis, Grand Dauphin (1 November 1661 – 14 April 1711) married Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria, had issue.[62]
  2. Anne-Élisabeth (18 November 1662 – 30 December 1662); died in infancy.[62]
  3. Marie-Anne (16 November 1664 – 26 December 1664); died in infancy.[62]
  4. Marie Thérèse (2 January 1667 – 1 March 1672); styled as Madame Royale, died at the age of five.[62]
  5. Philippe Charles (5 August 1668 – 10 July 1671); styled as Duke of Anjou, died at the age of two.[62]
  6. Louis François (14 June 1672 – 4 November 1672); styled Duke of Anjou, died in infancy.[62]

Of her six children, only one survived her, Louis, le Grand Dauphin, the oldest one,[63] who died in 1711. One of her younger grandsons eventually inherited her claim to the Spanish throne to become King Philip V of Spain in 1700.[64]

Ancestry

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References

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  1. ^ Whitfield, J. H. (June 1969). "La Belle Charite II: Racine, Molière and the Pastor Fido". Italian Studies. 24 (1): 76–92. doi:10.1179/its.1969.24.1.76. ISSN 0075-1634.
  2. ^ Khan, Samra Sarfraz; Hussain, Irum Iqbal (2019). "Matrimony and Monarchy: The Failure of Bourbon-Habsburg Matrimonial Alliance". Journal of History and Social Sciences. 10 (2). doi:10.22555/jhss.v10i2.93. ISSN 2221-6804. S2CID 216542130.
  3. ^ Fichtner, Paula Sutter (2003), Fichtner, Paula Sutter (ed.), "Creating a State", The Habsburg Monarchy, 1490–1848: Attributes of Empire, European History in Perspective, London: Macmillan Education UK, pp. 59–88, doi:10.1007/978-1-137-10642-1_3, ISBN 978-1-137-10642-1, retrieved 2023-09-18
  4. ^ Nevile, Jennifer (2008-06-25). Dance, Spectacle, and the Body Politick, 1250–1750. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-21985-5.
  5. ^ a b "Marie-Therese D'autriche". Chateau de Versailles. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  6. ^ Anselme 1726, p. 174.
  7. ^ a b Duclos 1869, p. 6
  8. ^ Hume 1907, pp. 392–393.
  9. ^ a b Cortequisse 1992.
  10. ^ "Luisa Enríquez Manrique de Lara | Real Academia de la Historia".
  11. ^ "Juan de Palma | Real Academia de la Historia". dbe.rah.es. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  12. ^ Duclos 1869, p. 17
  13. ^ Mitchell 2013, pp. 48–50.
  14. ^ Dunlop 2000, p. 352.
  15. ^ Mitchell 2013, p. 381.
  16. ^ Hume 1907, p. 415.
  17. ^ Barbiche, Poussou & Tallon 2005, pp. 313–325.
  18. ^ Chevé 2008.
  19. ^ Orso 1989, pp. 77–78.
  20. ^ Orso 1989, p. 79.
  21. ^ Brown, Jonathan (1980). A Palace for a King: The Buen Retiro and the Court of Philip IV. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p. 197.
  22. ^ Wolf 1968, p. 99.
  23. ^ Dunlop 2000, p. 48.
  24. ^ Lynch, John (1969). Spain Under the Habsburgs. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-631-08030-5. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  25. ^ a b Wolf 1968, p. 117.
  26. ^ Dunlop 2000, p. 54.
  27. ^ Wolf 1968, p. 121.
  28. ^ Dunlop 2000, p. 55.
  29. ^ Dunlop 2000, p. 57.
  30. ^ "Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche, la reine effacée". Histoire et Secrets (in French). April 4, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  31. ^ Wolf 1968, p. 123.
  32. ^ Wolf 1968, p. 124.
  33. ^ Dunlop 2000, p. 58.
  34. ^ Anselme 1726, p. 157.
  35. ^ Dunlop 2000, p. 63.
  36. ^ Duclos 1869, p. 17.
  37. ^ Dunlop 2000, p. 59.
  38. ^ Dunlop 2000, pp. 79–80.
  39. ^ Wolf 1968, p. 286.
  40. ^ Bertière 1999, p. 323.
  41. ^ Wolf 1968, p. 287.
  42. ^ Wolf 1968, p. 288.
  43. ^ Wolf 1968, p. 289.
  44. ^ Prince of Greece 1983, p. 101.
  45. ^ Dunlop 2000, pp. 153–154.
  46. ^ Dunlop 2000, p. 69.
  47. ^ Cortequisse 1992, p. 67.
  48. ^ Dunlop 2000, p. 80.
  49. ^ Prince of Greece 1983, p. 113.
  50. ^ Prince of Greece 1983, p. 121.
  51. ^ Prince of Greece 1983, p. 136.
  52. ^ Prince of Greece 1983, pp. 166–167.
  53. ^ Prince of Greece 1983, p. 193.
  54. ^ Prince of Greece 1983, p. 186.
  55. ^ Prince of Greece 1983, p. 230.
  56. ^ a b Prince of Greece 1983, p. 231.
  57. ^ Dunlop 2000, pp. 261–262.
  58. ^ Prince of Greece 1983, p. 126.
  59. ^ Cortequisse 1992, p. 82.
  60. ^ Dunlop 2000, p. 261.
  61. ^ Wolf 1968, p. 328.
  62. ^ a b c d e f Anselme 1726, p. 175.
  63. ^ Wolf 1968, p. 314.
  64. ^ Prince of Greece 1983, p. 308-309.

Sources

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Aldebaran69/sandbox
Born: 10 September 1638 Died: 30 July 1683
French royalty
Vacant
Title last held by
Anne of Austria 		Queen consort of France
1660 – 1683 		Vacant
Title next held by
Maria Leszczyńska
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