Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (March 2021) |
Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria | |||||
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Father | Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria | ||||
Mother | Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy |
Maria Anna Christine Victoria of Bavaria (French: Marie Anne Victoire; 28 November 1660 – 20 April 1690) was Dauphine of France by marriage to Louis, Grand Dauphin, son and heir of Louis XIV. She was known as la Grande Dauphine. The Dauphine was regarded a "pathetic" figure at the court of France, isolated and unappreciated due to the perception that she was dull, unattractive and sickly. She is the ancestor of all Spanish monarchs following her son Philip V.
Life
Early life
Maria Anna was the eldest daughter of
Born in Munich, capital of the
Dauphine
Prior to her marriage to the dauphin, there was a proxy ceremony in Munich on 28 January 1680; the couple would meet for the first time on 7 March 1680 in Châlons-sur-Marne. She was the first dauphine of France since Mary, Queen of Scots, married Francis II of France in 1558.
Upon her marriage, Maria Anna took on the rank of her husband as a Fille de France (Daughter of France); this meant that she was entitled to the style "Royal Highness" and the form of address Madame la Dauphine.
When she first arrived in France, Maria Anna made a favorable impression with her good French. When she entered Strasbourg, she was addressed in German, but interrupted the greeting by saying, "Gentlemen, I speak French!" The impression of her appearance, however, was not as good, and she was called "terribly ugly". Others said that although she may not have been beautiful, she did have personal charm.
As soon as she married the dauphin, Maria Anna was the second most important woman at court after her mother-in-law, Queen
Her husband took mistresses, and she lived an isolated life in her apartments, where she spoke with her friend and confidant
Elizabeth Charlotte, Madame Palatine said in her letters that Madame de Maintenon did not wish for the Dauphine to gain influence at court, and that she bribed Barbara Bessola to keep her isolated from society, while in parallel her lady-in-waiting Marguerite de Montchevreuil arranged for the Dauphine's maids-of-honours (Marie-Armande de Rambures and Louise-Victoire de La Force) to keep the Dauphin entertained and become his lovers.[1]
Death
She died in 1690. An autopsy revealed a multitude of internal disorders that completely vindicated her complaints of chronic and severe illness.
Maria Anna was buried at the
Issue
- Louis XV of France;
- Princess Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy and had issue; married again Elisabeth Farneseand had issue. He was the first Bourbon king of Spain and the ancestor of every subsequent monarch of that country;
- Charles de France (31 July 1686 – 5 May 1714), Duke of Berry, Alençon, and Angoulême, Count of Ponthieu; married his first cousin Marie Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans and had issue, but none survived over a year.
Ancestors
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References
- Bertière, Simone. (1998). Les Femmes du Roi-Soleil. Fallois. ISBN 2-253-14712-5.