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| Louis | |||||
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| Dauphin of France Duke of Burgundy | |||||
_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) Portrait byHyacinthe Rigaud,c. 1700–12 | |||||
| Born | (1682-08-16)16 August 1682 Palace of Versailles,France | ||||
| Died | 18 February 1712(1712-02-18) (aged 29) Château de Marly,Marly,France | ||||
| Burial | 23 February 1712 | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | |||||
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| House | Bourbon | ||||
| Father | Louis, Grand Dauphin | ||||
| Mother | Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
Louis, Dauphin of France, Duke of Burgundy (16 August 1682 – 18 February 1712), was the eldest son ofLouis, Grand Dauphin, andMaria Anna Victoria of Bavaria and grandson of the reigningFrench king,Louis XIV. He is commonly known asle Petit Dauphin to distinguish him from his father. When his father died in April 1711, the Duke of Burgundy became the officialDauphin of France. Described by his contemporaries as a pious, intellectual, gentle and shy man who was faithful and loving to his wife, he never reigned, as he died in 1712 while his grandfather was still on the throne. Upon the death of Louis XIV in 1715, the Duke of Burgundy's third son becameLouis XV.
Louis was born in thePalace of Versailles in 1682, the eldest son of the French Dauphin, Louis, who would later be calledle Grand Dauphin, and his wife,Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria. His father was the eldest son of the reigning king,Louis XIV and his wife QueenMaria Theresa of Spain. At birth, he received the title ofDuke of Burgundy (duc de Bourgogne). In addition, as the son of the Dauphin and grandson to the king, he was afils de France and also second in the line of succession to his grandfather, Louis XIV, after his father.
Louis grew up with his younger brothers Philip, Duke of Anjou (who became KingPhilip V of Spain), andCharles, Duke of Berry, under the supervision of the royal governessLouise de Prie. He lost his mother when he was eight. His father, viewed as lazy and dull, never played a major role in politics.
At the age of 15, he was married to his double second cousin,Princess Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy, the daughter ofVictor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy andAnne Marie d'Orléans. This match had been decided as part of the Treaty of Turin, which ended Franco-Savoyard conflicts during theNine Years' War. The wedding took place on 7 December 1697 at the Palace of Versailles.
In 1702, at the age of 20, Louis was admitted by his grandfather King Louis XIV to theConseil d'en haut (High Council), which was in charge of state secrets regarding religion, diplomacy and war. His father had been admitted only at the age of 30.
In 1708, during theWar of the Spanish Succession, Louis was given command of the army inFlanders, with the experienced soldierLouis Joseph, Duke of Vendôme, serving under him. The uncertainty as to which of the two should truly command the army led to delays and the need to refer decisions to Louis XIV. Continued indecision led to French inactivity as messages travelled between the front and Versailles; the Allies were then able to take the initiative. The culmination of this was theBattle of Oudenarde, where Louis's mistaken choices and reluctance to support Vendôme led to a decisive defeat for the French. In the aftermath of the defeat, his hesitation to relieve theSiege of Lille led to the loss of the city and thereby allowed the Allies to make their first incursions onto French soil.
Louis was influenced by thedévots and was surrounded by a circle of people known as thefaction de Bourgogne, notably including his old tutorFrançois Fénelon, his old governorPaul de Beauvilliers, Duke of Saint-Aignan and his brother-in-lawCharles Honoré d'Albert, Duke of Chevreuse, as well as the renowned memorialist,Louis de Rouvroy, Duke of Saint-Simon.
These high-ranking aristocrats sought a return to a monarchy lessabsolute and lesscentralised, with more powers granted to the individual provinces. Their view was that government should work through councils and intermediary organs between the king and the people. These intermediary councils were to be made up not by commoners from thebourgeoisie (like the ministers appointed by Louis XIV) but by aristocrats who perceived themselves as the representatives of the people and would assist the king in governance and the exercise of power. Had Louis succeeded to the throne, he might have applied this concept of monarchy.
Louis became Dauphin of France upon the death of his father in 1711. In February 1712, his wife contractedmeasles and died on February 12. Louis himself, who dearly loved his wife and who had stayed by her side throughout the fatal illness, caught the disease and died six days after her at theChâteau de Marly on 18 February, aged 29. Both of his sons also became infected. The elder,Louis, Duke of Brittany, the latest in a series of Dauphins, succumbed on 8 March, leaving his brother, the two-year-old Duke of Anjou, who was later to succeed to the throne asLouis XV.
As it was thought that the chances of survival of this frail child, now heir apparent to his 73-year-old great-grandfather, were minimal, a potential succession crisis loomed.
Moreover, overnight the broad hopes of thefaction de Bourgogne were destroyed and its members would soon die of natural deaths. Nonetheless, some of their ideas were put into practice when theDuke of Orléans, asregent during Louis XV's minority, created a form of government known aspolysynody, in which each ministry was replaced by a council composed of aristocrats. However, the absenteeism, ineptitude and squabbling of the aristocrats caused this system to fail, and it was soon abandoned in 1718 in favour of a return toabsolute monarchy.
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Louis, Duke of Burgundy Cadet branch of theCapetian dynasty Born: 16 August 1682 Died: 18 February 1712 | ||
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| Preceded by | Dauphin of France 14 April 1711 – 18 February 1712 | Succeeded by |
The first generation are the children ofHenri IV; these males held the rank ofSon of France orGrandson of France; | ||
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