| Maria Teresa | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dauphine of France | |||||
.jpg) Portrait byLouis-Michel van Loo,c. 1745 | |||||
| Born | 11 June 1726 Royal Alcazar of Madrid,Spain | ||||
| Died | 22 July 1746(1746-07-22) (aged 20) Palace of Versailles,Kingdom of France | ||||
| Burial | 6 August 1746 Basilica of Saint-Denis, France | ||||
| Spouse | Louis, Dauphin of France (m. 1744) | ||||
| Issue | Marie Thérèse of France | ||||
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| House | Bourbon-Anjou | ||||
| Father | Philip V of Spain | ||||
| Mother | Elisabeth Farnese | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain, Dauphine of France (Maria Teresa Antonia Rafaela; 11 June 1726 – 22 July 1746), was the daughter of KingPhilip V of Spain andElisabeth Farnese and the wife ofLouis, Dauphin of France, son of KingLouis XV and Queen Marie Leczinska. The Dauphine died aged 20, three days after giving birth to a daughter who died in 1748.
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Born at theRoyal Alcazar of Madrid inSpain, she was the second daughter of KingPhilip V of Spain and QueenElisabeth Farnese. BaptisedMaría Teresa Antonia Rafaela she was anInfanta of Spain (infanta de España) by birth and was granted the style of address ofRoyal Highness. She was known as María Teresa Rafaela, though sometimes just referred to as Maria Teresa. Prior to her marriage, the Spanish and French royal courts had been on poor terms: the Spanish had been greatly insulted by the French in 1725 when the engagement betweenLouis XV andInfantaMariana Victoria of Spain, elder sister of Maria Teresa, was broken off. Louis XV had instead marriedMarie Leszczyńska and by her fathered the Dauphin, Louis. The marriage between the Infanta María Teresa Rafaela and the Dauphin was announced in August 1739 after the marriage ofLouise-Élisabeth of France (sister of the Dauphin) andInfante Felipe of Spain (brother of María Teresa Rafaela) the same month. Under the influence of her mother Elisabeth Farnese, María Teresa Rafaela was not to go to France until she reached a more mature age.[1]
The Infanta was married to the Dauphin byproxy inMadrid on 18 December 1744 and departed Spain in January 1745. She arrived atVersailles on 21 February 1745. The official marriage took place at the Palace of Versailles on 23 February 1745 and was performed by theCardinal de Rohan. In France she was known asMarie Thérèse Raphaëlle d'Espagne orde Bourbon. Addressed asMadame la Dauphine at Versailles, Maria Teresa Rafaela was the highest ranking female in the kingdom afterQueen Marie. She was the first Dauphine since the 1712 death ofMarie Adélaïde of Savoy. On 24 Februarythe Yew Tree Ball was held in honor of the newlyweds. The event also marked the arrival ofMadame de Pompadour at Versailles. The ball was attended by the King, the Queen,Madame Henriette,Madame Adélaïde; theDuchess of Chartres, theDowager Princess of Conti and theDuchess of Modena along with otherprincesses of the Blood.
The marriage did not get off on a good start as it was not consummated on the first night. This was a major embarrassment to the youngdauphine and as a result her position at court was undermined.[citation needed] Despite this, she had a good relationship with the King and Queen, and her husband fell quickly in love with her. Although the Dauphine was described as beautiful, dignified, pious and well educated, negative remarks were made because of her red hair.[2] Her shy nature further isolated her from the court and she was openly hostile to the King for his affair with Madame de Pompadour. The Dauphin and Dauphine disliked the royal mistress for the way she drew attention away fromQueen Marie Leszczyńska.[3] Finally, the marriage was consummated in September 1745, ending court gossip. The couple became very close and devoted to each other, spending most of their time together.
On 19 July 1746 at Versailles, Marie Thérèse Raphaëlle gave birth to a daughter. She died from complications just three days later, on 22 July. Her death caused intense sorrow to the Dauphin, which persisted into his second marriage. Louis XV had to physically drag his son away from the deathbed of his wife. To make matters worse, the Dauphine's father, KingPhilip V of Spain had died just 13 days before her on July 9.[4] The child was baptisedMarie Thérèse and was styled asMadame Royale but died at Versailles in 1748.[5]
Marie Thérèse Raphaëlle was buried at theBasilica of Saint-Denis, the French royal necropolis outsideParis on 6 August 1746. At her death, her half brother,Ferdinand VI, proposed that theDauphin marry her sister theInfanta Maria Antonia Fernanda but Louis XV refused.[6] The following year, Louis married again toPrincess Maria Josepha of Saxony a daughter ofAugustus III of Poland andMaria Josepha of Austria by whom he had seven children, including the futureLouis XVI. When the Dauphin died in 1765, he requested that his heart be placed beside the grave of Marie Thérèse Raphaëlle.[7]
Media related toMaria Teresa Rafaela of Spain at Wikimedia Commons
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