Mariana Victoria Of Spain - REJECTED wife for Louis XV

Mariana Victoria, Infanta of Spain, was born in Madrid on March 31, 1718 to Philip V of Spain, who was a grandson of Louis XIV and of Elisabeth Farnese. Mariana Victoria was baptized on November 9, 1721 in Madrid. Her half-brother, the Prince of Asturias and future King Louis I, was her godfather. At the age of three, Mariana was betrothed to Louis XV of France as part of a peace treaty between Spain and France. The marriage was arranged by France's regent, Duc Philippe II d'Orléans. Mariana was exchanged for the regent's own daughter, Louise Elisabeth, Mademoiselle de Montpensier, on the Isle of Pheasants in the middle of the Bidasoa river on January 9, 1722. Mariana had to leave behind her Spanish household and found herself surrounded by French and French-speaking strangers. Her future husband, Louis XV, was waiting for her at Versailles, where she arrived on March 2, 1722, while Louise Elisabeth went on to marry the Prince of Asturias, the future Louis I of Spain. Mariana's education was entrusted to Marianne de Bourbon, Princess de Conti, who was a princess of the blood, as she was the legalized daughter of the late King Louis XIV and Louise de Lavallière. The Princess de Conti was well known for her knowledge of court rituals and her kindness. Furthermore, Mariana was brought up by Madame de Ventadour, the former governess to Louis XV. Very pretty and full of charm, Mariana, now known as the little Infante Reine, which means child queen, as all of France called her, was the delight of the Spanish court. Little Mariana did her utmost to please her fiancé Louis XV, who, despite her efforts, considered her far too young to be worthy of interest and often referred to her as a doll. Mariana's marriage to Louis XV never came to pass. The young king had always been considered to be of poor health. Many courtiers, among whom politicians and diplomats, considered the possibility that he would not reach adulthood. In this case, his cousin, the young Louis, Duc d'Orléans, would succeed him if the king had no male heir. Thus, Prime Minister Louis-Henri, Duc de Bourbon, did not hesitate to provoke the anger of the Spanish court by ending the betrothal of Louis XV and Mariana in order to find the teenage king a princess who would ensure him offspring as soon as possible. Soon, a princess without a dowry or kingdom, Maria Leszczyńska, was chosen. She was the daughter of a Polish king in exile and seven years older than Louis XV. The dismissal of Mariana coincided with the return of Louise Elisabeth, now Dowager Queen of Spain, following the death of Louis I. It was a heartbreaking experience for those surrounding Mariana seeing their much-beloved enfant Reine return to Spain at the age of seven. Mariana's return to Spain was taken as a great insult and caused a diplomatic rift between Spain and France. Soon after her return, negotiations started for a betrothal between Mariana and Peter II of Russia. But eventually, Mariana married the future Joseph I of Portugal on January 19, 1729, a little before her 11th birthday. From their union, in total eight children were born, among whom four stillborn. The four living children were Maria I of Portugal, Maria Anna-Francisca, who was considered as a bride for Louis Ferdinand, the Dauphin of France, who was the son of Louis XV and Maria Leszczyńska. Her mother Mariana refused to agree to the union and Maria Anna-Francisca remained unmarried. Maria Dorothea, who was considered to be a bride for Louis Philippe d'Orléans, also known as Philippe Egalité. She refused to marry him, however, and remained unmarried. Maria Benedicta, who married José, Prince of Brazil. In 1750, Joseph I ascended the throne of Portugal. When Joseph was declared incapable of ruling in 1776, Mariana became the regent of Portugal. On February 24, 1777, Joseph I of Portugal died. Mariana's daughter became Maria I of Portugal, after which Mariana resigned her position as regent. In 1777, she visited Spain, where she negotiated marriages for two of her grandchildren. While in Spain, Mariana suffered a rheumatism attack and was confined to a wheelchair for some time. She returned to Portugal in November 1778. Mariana Victoria of Spain, Dowager Queen of Portugal, died on January 15, 1781. Upon her death, she was buried in the Church of San Francisco de Paula in Lisbon, but her body was later transferred to the Pantheon of the House of Braganza in the Monastery of San Vicente de Fora in Lisbon. Thank you for watching.