Maria Anna Christine Victoria of Bavaria (french: Marie Anne Victoire; 28 November 1660 – 20 April 1690) was
Dauphine of France
The Dauphine of France (, also , ) was the wife of the Dauphin of France (the heir apparent to the French throne). The position was analogous to a Crown prince, crown princess (the wife of a crown prince and heir apparent to a throne).
List of Da ...
by marriage to
Louis, Grand Dauphin
Louis, Dauphin of France (1 November 1661 – 14 April 1711), commonly known as Grand Dauphin, was the eldest son and heir apparent of King Louis XIV and his spouse, Maria Theresa of Spain. He became known as the Grand Dauphin after the birth of ...
, son and heir of
Louis XIV
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Vers ...
. She was known as ''la Grande Dauphine''. The Dauphine was regarded a "pathetic" figure at the court of France, isolated and unappreciated due to the perception that she was dull, unattractive and sickly. She is the ancestor of all Spanish monarchs following her son
Philip V Philip V may refer to:
* Philip V of Macedon (221–179 BC)
* Philip V of France (1293–1322)
* Philip II of Spain, also Philip V, Duke of Burgundy (1526–1598)
* Philip V of Spain
Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was ...
.
Life
Early life
Maria Anna was the eldest daughter of
Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
Ferdinand Maria (31 October 1636 – 26 May 1679) was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and an elector ('' Kurfürst'') of the Holy Roman Empire from 1651 to 1679.
Electoral Prince of Bavaria
He was born in Munich. He was the eldest son of Maximi ...
and his wife
Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy
Henriette Adelaide of Savoy (Enrichetta Adelaide Maria; 6 November 1636 – 13 June 1676), was Electress of Bavaria by marriage to Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria. She had much political influence in her adopted country and with her husband d ...
. Her maternal grandparents were
Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy
Victor Amadeus I ( it, Vittorio Amedeo I di Savoia; 8 May 1587 – 7 October 1637) was the Duke of Savoy from 1630 to 1637. He was also known as the ''Lion of Susa''.Christine Marie of France
Christine of France (10 February 1606 – 27 December 1663) was the sister of Louis XIII and Duchess of Savoy by marriage. Upon the death of her husband Victor Amadeus I in 1637, she acted as regent of Savoy between 1637 and 1648.
Daughter of ...
, the second daughter of
Henry IV of France
Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...
and
Marie de' Medici
Marie de' Medici (french: link=no, Marie de Médicis, it, link=no, Maria de' Medici; 26 April 1575 – 3 July 1642) was Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henry IV of France of the House of Bourbon, and Regent of the Kingdom ...
, thus her husband the dauphin was her second cousin.
Born in Munich, capital of the
Electorate of Bavaria
The Electorate of Bavaria (german: Kurfürstentum Bayern) was an independent hereditary electorate of the Holy Roman Empire from 1623 to 1806, when it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Bavaria.
The Wittelsbach dynasty which ruled the Duchy of Ba ...
, Maria Anna was betrothed to the dauphin of France in 1668, at the age of eight, and was carefully educated to fulfill that role. Besides her native language of German, she was taught to speak French, Italian and Latin. She was said to have looked forward to the fate of becoming dauphine of France. Maria Anna was very close to her mother, who died in 1676. Her siblings included
Violante of Bavaria
Violante Beatrice of Bavaria (Violante Beatrix; 23 January 167330 May 1731) was Grand Princess of Tuscany as the wife of Grand Prince Ferdinando of Tuscany and Governor of Siena from 1717 until her death. Born a Duchess of Bavaria, the younges ...
, future wife of
Ferdinando de' Medici as well as the future Elector of Bavaria,
Maximilian II Emanuel
Maximilian, Maximillian or Maximiliaan (Maximilien in French) is a male given name.
The name " Max" is considered a shortening of "Maximilian" as well as of several other names.
List of people
Monarchs
*Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1459†...
.
Dauphine
Prior to her marriage to the dauphin, there was a proxy ceremony in Munich on 28 January 1680; the couple would meet for the first time on 7 March 1680 in
Châlons-sur-Marne. She was the first dauphine of France since
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...
married
Francis II of France
Francis II (french: François II; 19 January 1544 – 5 December 1560) was King of France from 1559 to 1560. He was also King consort of Scotland as a result of his marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, from 1558 until his death in 1560.
He ...
in 1558.
Upon her marriage, Maria Anna took on the rank of her husband as a ''
Fille de France
''Fils de France'' (, ''Son of France'') was the style and rank held by the sons of the kings and dauphins of France. A daughter was known as a fille de France (, ''Daughter of France'').
The children of the dauphin (a title reserved for the ki ...
'' (Daughter of France); this meant that she was entitled to the style "
Royal Highness
Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''.
When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it takes ...
" and the form of address ''Madame la Dauphine''.
When she first arrived in France, Maria Anna made a good impression with her good French. When she entered
Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
, she was addressed in German, but interrupted the greeting by saying, "Gentlemen, I speak French!" The impression of her appearance, however, was not as good, and she was called "terribly ugly". Others said that although she may not have been beautiful, she did have personal charm.
![Masson - Marie Anne Victoire de Bavière, dauphine de France](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Masson_-_Marie_Anne_Victoire_de_Bavi%C3%A8re%2C_dauphine_de_France.jpg)
As soon as she married the dauphin, Maria Anna was the second most important woman at court after her mother-in-law, Queen
Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...
, consort of
King Louis XIV
Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...
. When the queen died in July 1683, Maria Anna ranked as the most prominent female at court and was given the apartments of the late queen. The king expected her to perform the functions of the first lady at court, but her ill health made it very difficult for her to carry out her duties. The king was completely unsympathetic to her situation and accused her falsely of
hypochondria
Hypochondriasis or hypochondria is a condition in which a person is excessively and unduly worried about having a serious illness. An old concept, the meaning of hypochondria has repeatedly changed. It has been claimed that this debilitating cond ...
.
Her husband took mistresses, and she lived an isolated life in her apartments, where she spoke with her friend and confidant
Barbara Bessola
Barbara Bessola (d. after 1690), was a French courtier. She was a member of the German entourage of Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria when she arrived in France for her wedding with the Dauphin in 1680. In France, she had the office Première femme d ...
in German, a language her husband could not understand. She was close to a fellow German - and the second
Wittelsbach
The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate o ...
- at court,
Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, the wife of the king's younger brother
Philippe. She was said to be depressed having to live at a court where beauty was so much prized, not being beautiful herself.
Elizabeth Charlotte, Madame Palatine
Princess Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate (german: Prinzessin Elisabeth Charlotte von der Pfalz), (french: Princesse Élisabeth-Charlotte du Palatinat); known as Liselotte von der Pfalz, 27 May 1652 – 8 December 1722) was a German m ...
claimed in her letters that Madame de Maintenon did not wish for the Dauphine to gain influence at court, and that she bribed
Barbara Bessola
Barbara Bessola (d. after 1690), was a French courtier. She was a member of the German entourage of Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria when she arrived in France for her wedding with the Dauphin in 1680. In France, she had the office Première femme d ...
to keep her isolated from society, while in parallel her lady-in-waiting
Marguerite de Montchevreuil
Marguerite de Montchevreuil (1633–1699), was a French courtier.
She was born to Charles Boucher d'Orsay, seigneur d'Orsay and Marguerite Bourlon and married Henri de Mornay, markis de Montchevreuil (1623–1706) in 1653.
In 1679, she was a ...
arranged for the Dauphine's maids-of-honours (
Marie-Armande de Rambures
Marie-Armande de Rambures (1662-1689), was a French courtier. She was the first lover of Louis, Dauphin of France (son of Louis XIV).
She was born to René, Marquis de Rambures (d. 1671) and Marie Bautru des Matras (d. 1683).
She was made maid ...
and
Louise-Victoire de La Force
Louise-Victoire de La Force (1665-1722), was a French courtier. She was the first lover of Louis, Dauphin of France (son of Louis XIV).
She was born to Jacques-Nompar de Caumont, duke av La Force (1632-1699) and Marie de Saint-Simon-Courtomer (c ...
) to keep the Dauphin entertained and become his lovers.
Memoirs of the Court of Louis XIV and of the Regency
'
Death
She died in 1690. An autopsy revealed a multitude of internal disorders that completely vindicated her complaints of chronic and severe illness.
Maria Anna was buried at the
Royal Basilica of Saint Denis.
Issue
*
Louis de France (16 August 1682 – 18 February 1712), Duke of Burgundy and later Dauphin of France; married his second cousin
Princess Maria Adelaide of Savoy; they were the parents of
Louis XV of France
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...
;
*
Philippe de France (19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746), Duke of Anjou, later King of Spain; married his second cousin
Princess Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy and had issue; married again
Elisabeth Farnese
Elisabeth Farnese (Italian: ''Elisabetta Farnese'', Spanish: ''Isabel Farnesio''; 25 October 169211 July 1766) was Queen of Spain by marriage to King Philip V. She exerted great influence over Spain's foreign policy and was the ''de facto'' rule ...
and had issue. He was the first Bourbon king of Spain and the ancestor of every subsequent monarch of that country;
*
Charles de France (31 July 1686 – 5 May 1714), Duke of Berry, Alençon, and Angoulême, Count of Ponthieu; married his first cousin
Marie Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans
Louise Élisabeth, Duchess of Berry (born Marie Louise Élisabeth, Mademoiselle d'Orléans; 20 August 1695 – 21 July 1719) was Duchess of Berry by marriage to the French prince Charles, Duke of Berry. She is known affectionately by the mo ...
and had issue, but none survived over a year.
Ancestors
References
* Bertière, Simone. (1998). ''Les Femmes du Roi-Soleil''. Fallois. .
{{Authority control
1660 births
1690 deaths
17th-century German people
Burials at the Basilica of Saint-Denis
Dauphines of France
Dauphines of Viennois
Duchesses of Bavaria
House of Wittelsbach
Nobility from Munich
Princesses of France (Bourbon)