French Nobility, Heir Presumptive of Spain. Charles de France, son of Louis, Dauphin of France, and his wife Duchess Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria, was born at the Palace of Versailles. He was given the title of Duke of Berry at his birth. He was the grandson of Louis XIV and, as the son of the Dauphin (heir apparent), was considered a son of France. For seven years from 1700 to 1707, Charles was also heir presumptive to the Spanish throne. As a condition of the Treaty of Utrecht, he renounced all rights to the Spanish succession in 1712. Given the prestige of his birth, branches of the royal family saw him as an excellent potential match for their daughters. He married his first cousin Marie Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans, daughter of the future Regent, Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, and his wife Françoise Marie de Bourbon, legitimized daughter of Louis XIV, on July 6, 1710. The marriage was not a happy one, and all three of their children died in infancy. Not long into his marriage, the Duke of Berry fell in love with one of the maids. At his death in 1714, both his wife and the maid were pregnant. In 1712, his eldest brother Louis, Duke of Burgundy and Dauphin of France, died, as did his brother's elder son Louis, Duke of Brittany. It was a distinct possibility that Charles would have served as Regent for his brother's younger son Louis, Duke of Anjou, the future Louis XV. However, Charles died in a hunting accident in 1714 and was interred at the Royal Basilica of Saint Denis.
French Nobility, Heir Presumptive of Spain. Charles de France, son of Louis, Dauphin of France, and his wife Duchess Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria, was born at the Palace of Versailles. He was given the title of Duke of Berry at his birth. He was the grandson of Louis XIV and, as the son of the Dauphin (heir apparent), was considered a son of France. For seven years from 1700 to 1707, Charles was also heir presumptive to the Spanish throne. As a condition of the Treaty of Utrecht, he renounced all rights to the Spanish succession in 1712. Given the prestige of his birth, branches of the royal family saw him as an excellent potential match for their daughters. He married his first cousin Marie Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans, daughter of the future Regent, Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, and his wife Françoise Marie de Bourbon, legitimized daughter of Louis XIV, on July 6, 1710. The marriage was not a happy one, and all three of their children died in infancy. Not long into his marriage, the Duke of Berry fell in love with one of the maids. At his death in 1714, both his wife and the maid were pregnant. In 1712, his eldest brother Louis, Duke of Burgundy and Dauphin of France, died, as did his brother's elder son Louis, Duke of Brittany. It was a distinct possibility that Charles would have served as Regent for his brother's younger son Louis, Duke of Anjou, the future Louis XV. However, Charles died in a hunting accident in 1714 and was interred at the Royal Basilica of Saint Denis.
Bio by: Anne Philbrick
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