Maria Theresa of Spain

Maria Theresa of Spain (; ; 10 September 1638 – 30 July 1683) was Queen of France from 1660 to 1683 as the wife of King Louis XIV. 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.

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. 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), 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.

At the Spanish court

Birth and early life

thumb|left|Portrait by [[Juan Bautista Martinez del Mazo ]]

Born at the Royal Monastery of El Escorial on 10 September 1638, all her six elder sisters died in infancy, with the only son and heir, Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias living.

From the age of five, Maria Theresa's religious education was first carried out by Juan de Palma, 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.

Heiress to the Spanish throne

The death of her brother Balthasar Charles in 1646 left Maria Theresa as heiress presumptive to the vast Spanish Empire. Although women were recognized as having the right to ascend the throne, Philip IV feared that the absence of a male heir could cause profound unrest that could destabilize the Catholic Monarchy. He thus 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 Theresa and her cousin (now her stepmother) fostered a deep affection and friendship between them.

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. 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.

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

thumb|Portrait by [[Diego Velázquez|Velázquez, ]]

Treaty of the Pyrenees

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 first 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 preferred to become Queen of France or retire to a convent.

Fortunately for Maria Theresa, 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.

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. 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, who reportedly told 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. The contract specified that Maria Theresa was to renounce all claims to Spanish territory for herself and all her descendants. Mazarin and Lionne, however, made the renunciation conditional on the full payment of a Spanish dowry of 500,000 écus. 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), therefore considered that Maria Theresa still had her rights of succession to the Spanish throne, which caused the War of Devolution (1667-1668).

Marriage

thumb|[[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. Luis Méndez de Haro acted as bridegroom. 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 became fond of her.

Maria Theresa then said goodbye to her father, both knowing that they would never see each other again; their farewells were deeply emotional, 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".

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, 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, 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

Arrival in Paris

thumb|Queen Maria Theresa, attributed to [[Charles Beaubrun, ]]

On 26 August 1660, the newlyweds made the traditional Joyous Entry into Paris, where the Queen was greeted by the nobility, ecclesiastical dignitaries and professors from the Sorbonne. The royal couple was 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 attempted 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 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.

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". However, his devotion was short-lived and he promptly began pursuing Louise de La Vallière. 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. 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. She clung to her mother-in-law, whom she affectionately referred to as “tia”. Very devout, Maria Theresa enjoyed long masses and the celebration of traditional Spanish fêtes. Aside from prayer, she spent much of her free time playing cards and gambling. 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.

Birth of the Dauphin and first rivalries

thumb|Two queens of France: [[Anne of Austria with her niece and daughter-in-law, Maria Theresa, and the latter's son Louis, attributed to Simon Renard de St. André, 1665]]

thumb|Queen Marie Thérèse and her son the Dauphin of France in [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Polish costume, dated by Charles Beaubrun]]

At the beginning of 1661, the Queen's first pregnancy was announced, to the great joy of the court and the city. The Queen then remained in bed most of the time and traveled exclusively in a sedan chair so as not to harm the royal child. The young Queen was afraid of dying like her mother, who had died following a miscarriage.

While the Queen was carrying her pregnancy to term, the King's brother, Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, married their cousin, Princess Henrietta of England. The young exile had grown into an attractive and witty young woman, and it was no secret that her husband was uninterested in women. From the summer of 1661, Louis XIV had a relationship that sparked gossip with his sister-in-law and cousin who, to cut short the rumors and avoid incurring the wrath of the queen mother, suggested to the King that he court one of her maids of honour: Louise de La Vallière. The King took to it and fell in love with the young girl whose shyness was matched only by her sincerity. At first, an attempt was made to hide Louis XIV's infidelities from Maria Theresa, in order to avoid an argument that could harm the unborn royal child. But suspecting that something was going on, the Queen managed to get one of her ladies-in-waiting to confess by asking a number of questions. She then complained to Anne of Austria, who intervened with the King, without success.

On 1 November 1661, Maria Theresa gave birth to the long-awaited Dauphin, Louis of France, fulfilling her primary duty as Queen. The birth was difficult and people even feared the worst for the Queen. Louis XIV assisted her throughout, as he would for her later births. He was very afraid for his wife's life. Madame de Motteville wrote: "While she was in great pain, the King seemed so afflicted and so deeply filled with pain that he left no room for doubt that the love he had for her was no more in his heart than in that of others".

Regain of favor

thumb|left|Queen Maria Theresa, . [[Musée Carnavalet]]

The Affair of the Poisons broke out in 1679 and Madame de Montespan and other women of the high nobility were worried. Rumours circulated that royal mistress had participated in black masses and that Montespan had attempted to take the life of the king. The Chambre Ardente was created and the affair was hushed up. To the great relief of Maria Theresa, Madame de Montespan gradually fell from grace after more than ten years of informal rule.

That same year, the Queen, given her correspondence, would play a diplomatic role in the context of the marriage of her niece by marriage, Marie Louise d'Orléans with her half-brother King Charles II of Spain.

On 7 March 1680, the King hastily married the Dauphin to Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria. Louis XIV did not tell his wife about this, as he busy with other women. Maria Theresa was upset because she wanted to marry her son to Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria, only surviving daughter of her half-sister, Empress Margaret Theresa. The Queen felt a certain jealousy towards her daughter-in-law, especially since she found that the festivities given for her wedding were less grandiose than those that had been done for the Dauphine.

The governess of Madame of Montespan's illegitimate children by Louis XIV, 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. From the summer of 1680, Louis XIV became closer to Maria Theresa, whom he had publicly neglected: "The Queen is very happy at court", Madame de Sévigné would remark mockingly. The Queen, filled with happiness and moved by the unexpected attentions of her fickle husband, would say: "God has raised up Madame de Maintenon to give me back the heart of the King! Never has he treated me with as much tenderness as since he has listened to her!". As a sign of gratitude, Maria Theresa then showed herself very benevolent towards Madame de Maintenon (who was secretly the King's mistress, and after the Queen's death, would become Louis XIV's second, although officially secret, wife).

Between 1680 and 1682, Louis XIV began to persecute Protestants, particularly the Huguenots. The Queen, although deeply Catholic, opposed these measures and said to her husband: "You don't have to kill them, just pray for them". But despite her opposition, the persecutions continued, particularly in Béarn, Guyenne, Gascony, Limousin and Languedoc.

On 6 May 1682, the court settled permanently in Versailles. Maria Theresa soon became grandmother for the first time, with the birth of Louis, Duke of Burgundy on 6 August 1682. She finally began to find her place as Queen and to be comfortable with it after the disgrace of Madame de Montespan.

Death

thumb|Engraving of Queen Maria Theresa in 1683, by Nicolas Larmessin

thumb|right|The Funeral of Marie Therese, Queen of France, 10 August 1683, by [[Adam Frans van der Meulen]]

Queen Maria Theresa didn't enjoy this renewed favour for long. On 20 July 1683, the royal couple returned from a royal tour of the fortresses built by Vauban in Burgundy. The Queen was reported to be in excellent health, although she had gained minimal weight; she was expected to be delighted by the progress of the work on the gardens of Versailles. Antoine d'Aquin, the Premier médecin du roi, and Guy-Crescent Fagon took charge of the matter in the face of this purplish and purulent abscess. The King's physician convinced the Queen's physician of the urgent need for bloodletting. A surgeon to the Queen, Pierre Gervais, opposed it, saying that it would be the death of his mistress. and Jean-Baptiste Lully performed his Dies irae and De profundis, while Bossuet delivered the funeral oration.

Upon her death, Louis XIV said: "This is the first chagrin she has ever given me". Barely two months after these grand ceremonies, the King secretly married his last mistress, whom he nicknamed in private "Saint Françoise": Madame de Maintenon. The latter affected to wear mourning and to show a crestfallen expression, while the King almost immediately resumed his entertainment.

When the royal tombs in the Basilica of Saint-Denis were ransacked during the French Revolution, they were opened and looted on 15 October 1793, and the remains buried in a common grave outside the church. During the Bourbon Restoration, after 1815, the bones and ashes buried in the two graves outside the basilica were recovered and, no longer able to be attributed by name, were interred together in an ossuary in the crypt.

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

Profile and characteristics

Personality

Maria Theresa was described as shy, charitable, greedy and superstitious. Of a self-effacing nature, she spent most of her free time with her ladies-in-waiting who had followed her from Spain, her dwarfs, her little dogs and her chocolate. She wore very high heels to compensate for her small height, but they often made her fall. However, she persisted in wearing them, which earned her the mockery of the courtiers.

Unlike her husband, she was not interested in politics but preferred acts of devotion and playing cards with her ladies-in-waiting. Her taste for gambling gradually became an addiction, and she began to lose considerable sums of money, sometimes forcing her husband to intervene.

Maria Theresa was deeply in love with Louis XIV and did everything to be a devoted wife. She complied with the fashion of the French court to please the King and she followed him on his travels. Louis XIV was grateful for her loyalty and even at the height of his love affairs, he showed her a lot of friendship and always ended his nights in her bed. Moreover, at each party the royal couple opened the ball with a few dance steps, although Maria Theresa quickly withdrew due to her clumsiness.

Physical

Maria Theresa was a small, plump woman who was well within the beauty standards of the time, namely fair skin and blonde hair. Thanks to her mother, a princess of the House of Bourbon, she had not inherited the typical facial features of the Spanish Habsburgs caused by generations of inbreeding (Habsburg Jaw). However, the Queen had bad teeth since she liked to eat sweets and drink hot chocolate.

In reality, Marie-Anne was born following a very difficult delivery for the Queen. Following an argument with Louis XIV, she gave birth at only 8 months of pregnancy on 16 November 1664. The little princess, very frail and premature, was purple due to breathing difficulties (which is at the origin of the rumors that she was black). Mother and daughter were both victims of violent convulsions. It was then feared that both would die, and it was finally little Marie-Anne who died of a convulsion attack.

Today, historians agree that the Black Nun of Moret was either an illegitimate daughter of Louis XIV or a child of black servants who was sponsored by the royal couple.

Cultural posterity

In posterity, Maria Theresa of Austria, having died prematurely, was eclipsed by the long reign of her husband Louis XIV. Moreover, after so many writings on the latter's mistresses, it was not until 1992 that the first biographical book dedicated to her appeared: "Madame Louis XIV: Maria Theresa of Austria", by Bruno Cortequisse. Subsequently, interest in this figure in French history continued to inspire historians on many occasions, her political imprint as Queen of France was a source of interest, notably in the work of 2005, "The Regency of Maria Theresa (April 23–July 31, 1672)", by Bernard Barbiche.

Issue

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

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

Of her six children, only one survived her, Louis, ', the oldest one, 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.