Maria Anna Victoria Of Bavaria - Wife Of The Grand Dauphin Of France
3 Video Views·Apr 27, 2022
Maria Anna Christina Victoria of Bavaria was born November 28, 1660 in Munich and died on April 20, 1690 in Versailles. She was the wife of Le Grand Dauphin, Louis of France and the daughter-in-law of King Louis XIV of France. ShAt court, she was known as La Grande Dauphine.
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Mozart - Concerto No.1 in F major - III. Rondo
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Maria Anna Christina Victoria of Bavaria was born in Munich on November 28, 1660 as the eldest daughter
of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria, and Henrietta Adelaide of Savoie. She was betrothed
to the heir of the French throne, Louis of France, at the age of eight in 1668. Her future father-in-law,
Louis XIV, chose her because, although he would have preferred a Spanish union, there was no
Spanish candidate available for marriage at the time, and Maria Anna was considered quite suitable
due to her being the granddaughter of Christine Marie of France. In view of her future as Dauphine
of France, Maria Anna received an extensive education. In addition to her mother tongue,
German, she was fluent in French and Italian, and she also spoke some Latin. At an early age,
she showed pride in becoming the Dauphine of France as it was a country to which she already
felt close due to family relations. Maria Anna married the Grand Dauphin, Louis, on March 7, 1680
in Chalons-sur-Marne. Maria Anna was initially well-received by the French court and the royal
family. Although she was not considered to be beautiful, she was described as educated,
dignified and with a certain charm, and her relationship with her husband initially was
very good. Their marriage resulted in three children being born. Louis le Petit Dauphin,
who married Maria Adelaide of Savoie. From their union, Louis XV of France was born.
Philippe of France, the future Spanish Bourbon King Philippe V of Spain. He would marry Maria
Louisa Gabriela of Savoie, and upon her early death, he'd marry Elisabeth Farnese. Charles,
who would marry his first cousin Marie Louise Elisabeth d'Orléans. After the death of Maria
Anna's mother-in-law, Queen Maria Theresa, Maria Anna became France's highest-ranking female at
court. From this moment on, Louis XIV expected her to play an extensive representative role at
court, but due to her deteriorating health and due to court gossip about her appearance,
Maria Anna was unable to fulfill the role the king wanted her to. Maria Anna suffered extensively
from being considered to be ugly at a court where beauty was considered very important,
and she isolated herself from court. After a few attempts to cheer her up by holding game
nights in her apartment, Louis XIV grew tired of her depression and inability to fulfill her role
while her husband started having affairs. Maria Anna herself tried to maintain a good
relationship with the king by giving his second wife, Madame de Maintenon, information about the
But Maria Anna's life would mostly be described as her being confined to her
dark rooms with a constant ill health that was further aggravated by her depression.
As Maria Anna's weak health was not taken seriously by Louis XIV, she herself eventually
said that she would have to die to prove she was unwell. Giving birth and several miscarriages
further weakened her health. Maria Anna Christina Victoria of Bavaria, Dauphine of France,
died on April 20, 1690, six months before her 30th birthday. During her autopsy, a multitude
of disorders were discovered which proved she was genuinely ill and not a hypochondriac,
as she was often called by Louis XIV. Most likely, she eventually died of tuberculosis.
Maria Anna was buried at the royal crypt of the Basilica of Saint-Denis.
Her husband, Louis le Grand Dauphin, died in 1711 and thus never became king of France.
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