María Teresa Rafaela of Spain facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Marie Thérèse Raphaëlle |
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| Dauphine of France | |||||
Marie Thérèse Raphaëlle, Infanta of Spain, Dauphine of France by Louis Tocqué c.1745
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| Born | 11 June 1726 Royal Alcazar of Madrid, Spain |
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| Died | 22 July 1746 (aged 20) Palace of Versailles, France |
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| Burial | 6 August 1746 Royal Basilica of Saint Denis, France |
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| Spouse | Louis, Dauphin of France (m. 1744) |
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| Issue | Marie Thérèse of France | ||||
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| House | Bourbon-Anjou | ||||
| Father | Philip V of Spain | ||||
| Mother | Elisabeth Farnese | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||
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Marie Thérèse Antoinette Raphaëlle (born June 11, 1726 – died July 22, 1746) was a Spanish princess who became the Dauphine of France. She was the daughter of King Philip V of Spain and Elisabeth Farnese. She married Louis, Dauphin of France, who was the son of King Louis XV.
Marie Thérèse Raphaëlle sadly passed away at the age of 20. This happened just three days after she gave birth to her daughter. Her daughter also died two years later in 1748.
A Spanish Princess
Marie Thérèse Raphaëlle was born in the Royal Alcazar of Madrid in Spain. She was the second daughter of King Philip V of Spain and Princess Elisabeth Farnese. Her full baptismal name was María Teresa Antonia Rafaela. As a princess of Spain, she was known as an Infanta of Spain. This title meant she was a royal princess. She was usually called María Teresa Rafaela.
Before her marriage, the royal families of Spain and France had some disagreements. In 1725, the French king, Louis XV, ended his engagement to Marie Thérèse's older sister, Mariana Victoria of Spain. This upset the Spanish royal family. Louis XV then married Marie Leszczyńska, and they had a son, Louis, who became the Dauphin.
The marriage between Infanta María Teresa Rafaela and the Dauphin was announced in August 1739. This happened after her brother, Infante Felipe of Spain, married the Dauphin's sister, Princess Louise Élisabeth of France, in the same month. Her mother, Elisabeth Farnese, decided that María Teresa Rafaela should not go to France until she was a bit older.
Dauphine of France
The Infanta married the Dauphin through a proxy marriage in Madrid on December 18, 1744. This means someone stood in for the Dauphin during the ceremony. She left Spain in January 1745 and arrived at the Palace of Versailles on February 21, 1745. The official wedding ceremony took place at the Palace of Versailles on February 23, 1745. It was performed by the Cardinal de Rohan. In France, she was known as Marie Thérèse Raphaëlle d'Espagne or de Bourbon.
This marriage was meant to make the relationship between the royal families of France and Spain better. The two countries had been distant since Louis XV broke off his engagement to Maria Anna Victoria of Spain years before. This new marriage was hoped to improve their friendship. At Versailles, Marie Thérèse Rafaela was called Madame la Dauphine. She was the highest-ranking woman in the kingdom after Queen Marie. She was the first Dauphine since the death of Marie Adélaïde of Savoy in 1712.
On February 24, a special event called the "Ball of the Clipped Yew" was held for the newlyweds. This ball was also important because it marked the first appearance of Madame de Pompadour at Versailles. Many important people attended the ball, including the king, the queen, and other royal princesses.
The Infanta had a good relationship with the king and queen. Her husband, the Dauphin, quickly fell in love with her. People described the Dauphine as beautiful, graceful, religious, and well-educated. However, some people made negative comments about her red hair. She was also quite shy, which made her feel a bit isolated from the royal court. She openly disliked the king's close relationship with Madame de Pompadour. The Dauphin and Dauphine both felt that Madame de Pompadour took too much attention away from Queen Marie Leszczyńska.
In 1745, the Dauphin and Dauphine became very close and dedicated to each other. They spent most of their time together. On July 19, 1746, at Versailles, Marie Thérèse Raphaëlle gave birth to a daughter. Her death on July 22 caused great sadness for the Dauphin. He was so heartbroken that King Louis XV had to physically pull his son away from his wife's deathbed. To add to the tragedy, the Dauphine's father, King Philip V of Spain, had died just 13 days before her, on July 9.
The baby girl was named Marie Thérèse and was known as Madame Royale. Sadly, she died at Versailles in 1748.
Marie Thérèse Raphaëlle was buried at the Royal Basilica of Saint Denis on August 6, 1746. This is a special burial place for French royalty near Paris. After her death, her half-brother, Ferdinand VI of Spain, suggested that the Dauphin marry her sister, the Infanta Maria Antonia Fernanda. However, Louis XV refused this idea.
The following year, her husband married again to Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony. She was the daughter of Augustus III of Poland. With Maria Josepha, the Dauphin had seven children, including the future Louis XVI. When the Dauphin died in 1765, he asked for his heart to be buried next to Marie Thérèse Raphaëlle's grave. This showed how much he still loved her.
Children
- Princess Marie Thérèse of France (born July 19, 1746 – died April 27, 1748).
See also
In Spanish: María Teresa Rafaela de España para niños
