Louis, Dauphin of France (1661-1711)

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Louis, Dauphin of France (known as The Great Dauphin, le Grand Dauphin in French) (1 November , 1661 - 14 April, 1711) was the eldest son and heir of King Louis XIV of France and Queen Marie-Thérèse of France. Born heir apparent to the King of France, Louis was styled "Dauphin of France" from the day of his birth. It was foretold at his birth that he would be 'son of a king, father of a king, but never a king' before he died.

Biography

Louis' paternal grandparents were Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria, while he was descended from Philip IV of Spain and Elisabeth of Bourbon, also his grandparents, through his mother. Elisabeth was a younger sister of Louis XIII, while Philip IV was a brother of Anne of Austria; thus, Louis' parents were double-first-cousins.

Louis was called le Grand Dauphin not because of any "grandeur", but rather because of his large physical size. Born a year after the marriage of his parents, he received his education and was tutored by Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, the great French preacher and orator. Despite many indications and reports of intelligence, Louis unfortunately was perceived as very lazy and indolent—in fact, it was said that, when adult, Louis could pass a whole day simply tapping his cane against his foot in an armchair. Nonetheless, Louis was greatly popular in Paris and with the French people in general.

Although he was permitted to attend the Conseil d'en Haut, he did not play an important part in French politics but due to being Louis XIV's heir was constantly surrounded by cabals battling for future prominence. He was sent to the Rhineland front in the War of the Grand Alliance, where he succeeded, under the tutelage of Vauban, in taking Philippsburg, thus preventing the Imperials from invading Alsace. His involvement in international politics showed itself in the years leading up to the War of the Spanish Succession. He gave up his rights to the Spanish throne (as inherited from his mother) in favour of his second son, Philippe, duc d'Anjou, later to be Philip V of Spain, so that the two kingdoms could be separate, a pre-requisite for King Charles II of Spain's leaving his territories to the Bourbons. In the discussions in Council regarding the French response to Charles II's last will and testament, which did indeed give his domains in their entirety to Philippe d'Anjou, Louis persuasively argued for acceptance.

Apart from ensuring the continuance of the senior French Bourbon line (Louis XV was his grandson) and the establishment of the Spanish Bourbon dynasty (through Anjou), he engaged in more leisurely pursuits and was esteemed for his magnificent collection of art at Versailles and his private establishment at Meudon. It was said that he hunted all wolves to extinction in the Île-de-France. He died of natural causes in 1711 at the age of fifty, predeceasing his father. It could be said that the prophecy was partly fulfilled; but his son never became King of France, his second son however became King of Spain.

Family

Ancestors

Marriage and issue

Louis was wed to Maria Anna of Bavaria; their children included:

Louis, duc de Bourgogne, later Dauphin, father of Louis XV of France
Philip, duc d'Anjou, later King of Spain
Charles, duc de Berry, Alençon and Angoulême, also Count of Ponthieu (b.1686-d.1714).

Image gallery

External links

http://genealogy.euweb.cz

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Last updated on Thursday February 28, 2008 at 10:01:05 PST (GMT -0800)
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