Louis “Le Grand Dauphin” de France (1661-1711)

French Royalty. Heir of King Louis XIV of France. Louis, eldest son of Louis and Maria Theresa of Spain, was born at the Château de Fontainebleau. He was baptized on March 24, 1662 at the chapel of the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. At the baptism, Cardinal de Vendôme served as proxy for Pope Clement IX and the Princess of Conti served as proxy for Queen Henrietta Maria of England, Louis' greataunt. As the heir to the French throne, he was given the title Dauphin. Of the six legitimate children of the King, he was the only one to survive to adulthood. The others had all died by the age of five. Louis was engaged to his second cousin, Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria, at the age of seven. A proxy marriage ceremony was performed in Munich in January of 1680. They met for the first time on the day of their wedding ceremony, March 7, 1680. The couple had three sons, the first of which received the title "Le Petit Dauphin." At that time, the elder Louis became "Le Grand Dauphin." Louis was widowed in 1690. His second marriage was a secret one, and without surviving legitimate heirs. He amassed a magnificent art collection at Versailles and Meudon. His primary military triumph was the capture of Philippsburg. Louis died of smallpox at the age of 49 at Château de Meudon, predeceasing his father, Louis XIV. Thus, Le Grand Dauphin never became king. Instead, his father Louis XIV was succeeded by his 5 year old great-grandson, Louis XV. All the intermediate heirs predeceased Louis XIV-the Dauphin, the Dauphin's eldest son Louis the Duke of Burgundy, and the Duke's two eldest sons. However, the Dauphin was not only grandfather to the future Louis XV, he was father to Philippe of France who became King Philip V of Spain.

Bio by: Anne Philbrick