The Death of the Sun King

Louis XIV (Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, 5th September 1638 - Versailles, France, 1st September 1715)

Louis XIV by Hyacinthe Rigaud, 1701

On this day, almost three hundred years ago, Louis XIV, the Sun King, died. His reign of seventy two years was the longest of any European monarch and he left behind a legacy of monarchical absolutism that was ended only by the French Revolution.

On 10th August, the king went hunting in Marly and on his return complained of a pain in his leg. His doctor, Guy-Crescent Fagon, was summoned and swiftly diagnoses sciatica, a diagnosis that he steadfastly refused to change even as black marks began to appear on the king's leg, a sure sign of encroaching gangrene. Louis attempted to carry on about his business but the pain worsened with each passing day and on 25th August, he was forced to retire to his bed at Versailles. He would not leave the room alive again.

With Fagon clinging to his initial diagnosis of sciatica, the king endured an agonising final week. He received and gave counsel to his successor, bade farewell to court and intimates and as his health failed, sank into near-unconsciousness. Louis XIV lingered on until 1st September 1715, passing away at just after eight o'clock in the morning.

After remaining on view for eight days, the remains of the king were transferred to the Saint-Denis Basilica, where they would remain until they were exhumed during the French Revolution.

Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.

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The Painful Death of Louis XV

Louis XV of France (Versailles, France, 15th February 1710 - Versailles, France, 10th May 1774)
 

Louis XV of France by Maurice Quentin de La Tour, 1748

We have met Louis XV on more than one occasion here at the salon, peeking in at his wedding and even hearing about his attempted assassination and the terrible fate that befell his attacker. Today marks the anniversary of the death of Louis though he did not fall victim to an assassin's blade.

On 10th May 1774 Louis XV died in his apartments at the Palace of Versailles. He had been taken ill on 26th April whilst visiting the Petit Trianon and within days his doctor confirmed that the king, in the fifty ninth year of his reign, was suffering from smallpox. Placed in isolation, the ailing monarch's health deteriorated swiftly despite the best efforts of physicians working under the watchful eye of his doctor, Pichault Germain de La Martinière.

Louis XV of France by Hyacinthe Rigaud, 1730

Although he initially seemed to rally, fate had other plans in mind for the monarch and Louis suffered an agonising death, his body blackened and rotting with the infection. After being placed in his coffin and covered with alcohol and linens, the king's remains were  interred in the Basilica of Saint Denis, his near six decade reign coming to a painful and unhappy end.

Read more about Louis XV and the Bourbon court in my book, Life in the Georgian Court! 

Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.

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A Triple Tragedy: The Death of Louis, Dauphin of France, Duke of Burgundy

Louis, Dauphin of France, Duke of Burgundy (Versailles, France, 16th August 1682 - Marly, France, 18th February 1712)

Louis, Dauphin of France, Duke of Burgundy by Hyacinthe Rigaud, 1704

We welcome a short-lived royal visitor today, on the anniversary of his death. Louis, Duke of Burgundy was known as the Petit Dauphin and fell victim to an all-too-common disease, as did his wife and son.

In February 1712 Louis's adored wife, Princess Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy, contracted measles. As her condition deteriorated she took to her bed in the Château de Marly,  her adoring husband at her side. As Marie-Adélaïde's conditioned grew quickly more serious, Louis resisted all efforts to convince him to leave and escape the possibility of contracting the dangerous illness himself. Instead he spent every day and night with his spouse as, unbeknownst to the couple, both of their sons also became infected during these weeks.

Marie-Adélaïde succumbed to her illness on 12th February 1712, leaving her heartbroken husband to linger in his own sickbed. In fact he lived for less than a week, following his wife to the grave on 18th February, six months before his thirtieth birthday. 

Of the unhappy family, only the infant Louis, Duke of Anjou survived and he would one day become King Louis XV. For Louis, Duke of Brittany, there was to be no such respite and he too fell victim to the measles, passing away on 8th March.

Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.

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The Marriage of Marie Leszczyńska and Louis XV

A fan depicting the marriage of Marie Leszczyńska and Louis XV on 5th September 1725 

I have always liked a good wedding, especially one that goes on for days and involves a palace! I remember that giddy day when the colonist and I were wed; the gin flowed very free, we rolled out through Covent Garden in the best coach and by the end of the night grandmother Gilflurt was somewhat worse for wear. Indeed, I'd say the house on Henrietta Street was even more tottering after those festivities, and that's quite a fear in itself.

My quill has danced across a fair few life stories of late; some happy, some tragic, all of them eventful. I thought it was time for a small matrimonial interlude, to examine up close just a little of the wheeling and dealing that went into the marriage of Marie Leszczyńska and Louis XV.

Infante Mariana Victoria of Spain by Alexis Simon Belle, 1725

With the end of the War of the Quadruple Alliance in 1710, relations between France and Spain were shaky to say the least. Regarding one another with suspicion, the rulers of the two nations decided that the only way to reconcile was to secure themselves a whole collection of dynastic marriages. Discussions went on for years until, by 1721 it was decided that the 11 year old Louis XV should be officially engaged to the Infanta Mariana Victoria of Spain, eight years his junior. 

The French ambassador, Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, officially made the proposal on 25th November 1721. With the deal done, Mariana was installed at the Palais du Louvre in the care of Marie Anne de Bourbon, the intention being to raise her as a member of the French court until she reached a suitable age to marry. Mariana was a popular figure amongst the courtiers; bright, charming and too young to be part of the intrigues of court life, the only person who didn't seem enthralled by the little girl was her intended husband.

 Louis XV of France by Maurice Quentin de La Tour, 1748

For all her popularity, four years after her arrival in France, the young Infanta was to find her position usurped in a fairly dazzling bit of political manoeuvring by the ambitious Prime Minister, Louis Henri, duc de Bourbon. Mindful that an heir was needed sooner rather than later, Bourbon presented Louis with a list of almost 100 possible alternatives. The list included Bourbon's own sisters among others and, crucially, all the prospective brides were already of child-bearing age. Given the enormous offence the broken engagement might cause, the court breathed a sigh of relief at the news of the death of Louis I of Spain, after which the Spanish were keen to send the newly-widowed Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans home to France after her short marriage to the late King. Once more the deal was done; the French widow gladly returned to Paris and the now-unbethrothed Infanta went home to Madrid, eventually becoming the wife of Joseph I of Portugal.

Marie Leszczyńska by Alexis Simon Belle, 1730

As the politicians and court considered and discounted the names on the Prime Minister's list one by one, it eventually became apparent that the safest and most uncontroversial bet might just be 21 year old Marie Leszczyńska, daughter of the deposed king of Poland. With all parties in agreement a marriage by proxy took place on 15th August 1725, with Maria travelling to the ceremony at Château de Fontainebleau immediately after.

Louis XV of France by Hyacinthe Rigaud, 1730

Marie and Louis met for the first time on 4th September and were married the following day, both of them apparently enthusiastic participants. Marie proved herself hugely popular with the people of France but the court took against her, laughing at her looks, the reduced circumstances of her father and her apparent inability to produce an heir. However, the couple were happy at first and eventually had 10 children, though this domestic accord was not to last. Following the traumatic birth of her final child, Marie withdrew from her husband; left to his own devices, Louis sought companionship with a series of mistresses.

Marie Leszczyńska by Jean-Marc Nattier, 1748

One of these mistresses, Madame de Pompadour, has achieved lasting fame through history and is today better remembered than the queen herself. However, Marie maintained her dignity and the affection of the people to the end of her life, dedicating herself to her family and acts of charity. She and Louis would never rekindle their initially affectionate marriage, a somewhat sad end to a promising start.

Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.

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