by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2016
,Maria Theresia of Austria, Queen of France – source: Wikipedia
Maria Theresia was the first wife of King Louis XIV of France. She was born on September 10, 1638, at the Royal Monastery of El Escorial in Madrid, Spain to King Felipe IV of Spain and his first wife Elisabeth of France, daughter of King Henri IV of France. As the Spanish monarchs at the time were part of the House of Habsburg, she was styled as Archduchess of Austria, as well as Infanta of Spain and Portugal.
The youngest of eight children, Maria Theresia was the only one of her siblings to reach adulthood:
- Maria Margaret of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1621)
- Margaret Maria Catherine of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1623)
- Maria Eugenia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (1625 – 1627)
- Isabella Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1627)
- Balthasar Charles of Austria, Infante of Spain, Prince of Asturias (1629 – 1646)
- Francis Ferdinand of Austria, Infante of Spain (born and died 1634)
- Infanta Maria Anna Antonia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1636)
She also had five younger half-siblings from her father’s second marriage to Mariana of Austria:
- Margarita Teresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain (1651 – 1673), married her uncle and first cousin Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, had four children, only one survived childhood
- Infanta Maria Ambrosia de la Concepción of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1655)
- Philip Prospero of Austria, Infante of Spain, Prince of Asturias (1657 – 1661)
- Ferdinand Thomas Charles of Austria, Infante of Spain (1658 – 1659)
- Carlos II, King of Spain (1661 – 1700), married (1) Marie Louise d’Orléans, no children (2) Maria Anna of Neuburg, no children
As Spain allowed for females to ascend the throne, Maria Theresia was heiress-presumptive to the Spanish throne from 1646 until 1657, between the death of her elder brother Balthasar Charles in 1646 and the birth of her younger half-brother Felipe Próspero in 1657. For five days in 1661, she was again heiress-presumptive following Felipe Próspero’s death and the birth of King Carlos II.
Maria Theresia of Austria, painted c1684 by Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo. source: Wikipedia
Maria Theresia was brought up in a very strict Catholic household. Her mother died when she was six, and two years later, her only surviving sibling Balthasar Charles also died. The following year, her father married Mariana of Austria who had been her brother’s fiancée, as well as his first cousin. Mariana was just four years older than Maria Theresia, and the two were very close.
As part of the Treaty of the Pyrenees of 1659, which ended the Franco-Spanish War, Maria Theresia was betrothed to King Louis XIV of France, son of King Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria. Maria Theresia and Louis were first cousins twice over – his father and her mother were siblings, and his mother and her father were siblings. She was forced to renounce any rights to the Spanish throne and was to receive a large financial settlement in exchange. This money was never paid, and became a major factor that led to the War of Devolution in 1668.
The marriage of Louis XIV of France and Maria Theresia of Austria. source: Wikipedia
The couple was married on June 9, 1660, at the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France. Taking the French version of her name, Marie-Thérèse, the new Queen and her husband made their Joyous Entry into Paris on August 26, 1660. They had six children, only one of whom lived to adulthood:
Louis and Marie-Thérèse had six children:
- Louis, Le Grand Dauphin (1661 – 1711) – married (1) Duchess Maria Anna of Bavaria, had issue; (2) Marie Émilie de Joly de Choin, had issue
- Anne-Élisabeth (born and died 1662) – died in infancy
- Marie-Anne (born and died 1664) – died in infancy
- Marie-Thérèse (1667 – 1672) – died in childhood
- Philippe Charles, Duke of Anjou (1668 – 1671) – died in childhood
- Louis François, Duke of Anjou (born and died 1672) – died in infancy
Queen Marie-Thérèse with her mother-in-law (and aunt) Queen Anne, painted by Simon Renard de Saint André. source: Wikipedia
As Queen, Marie-Thérèse was groomed by her mother-in-law, and aunt, Queen Anne. However, she had little interest in taking on the role, preferring to spend time with her court of Spanish ladies, playing cards, and gambling. She remained very devout, often inviting members of the King’s court to pray with her. Intensely private, she was humiliated by her husband’s numerous, and very public affairs and his countless illegitimate children. She took a great interest in caring for the sick and disadvantaged in France. She often visited hospitals and provided dowries for girls from the poorer noble families. She also served as Regent several times when the King was away.
By 1680, King Louis XIV had taken Madame de Maintenon as his mistress, and this brought about a change in the King’s relationship with Marie-Thérèse. He became more attentive and caring of his wife, much to her delight. She was also treated with great respect and reverence by Madame de Maintenon – something she had not seen with any of his prior mistresses and returned that respect. Sadly, those happier times would be relatively short-lived.
At the end of July 1683, Queen Marie-Thérèse fell ill, the result of an abscess in her left arm which was not treated correctly. Septicemia quickly set in, and the Queen died at the Palace of Versailles on July 30, 1683. She is buried at the Basilica of St. Denis near Paris.
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