France -- Court and courtiers; France -- History -- Louis XV, 1715-1774
In 1721 they affianced him to the Infanta Marie Anne Victoire,
daughter of Philip V., King of Spain. Louis XV. was not yet eleven
years old; the Infanta was only three. They had all the difficulty in
the world to induce the monarch to say the necessary yes. His little
betrothed arrived in Paris the following year (March 22, 1722). Louis
XV. went to meet her at Montrouge. All along the route the houses
were decked with hangings and adorned with flowers and foliage. The
next day the gazettes informed the public that the Queen--so they
called the Infanta--had received from the King a doll worth twenty
thousand livres. Three months later (June, 1722), Louis XV. and his
betrothed established themselves at Versailles, which again became
the political capital of France. The King took possession of the
bedchamber of Louis XIV.,[3] which he used until 1738. The Infanta
was lodged in the apartment of the Queen, and slept in the chamber[4]
that had been occupied by Marie Thérèse, the Bavarian dauphiness,
and the Duchess of Burgundy. She made the two youngest daughters of
the regent her inseparable companions, treating them as if they were
younger than herself, although they were twice her age. She kept them
in leading-strings under pretext of preventing them from falling,
and as she embraced them on their departure, she would say: “Little
princesses, go home now and come to see me every day.”
Louis XV. was crowned at Rheims, October 25, 1722. “People remember,”
says the Marquis d’Argenson, “how much he resembled Love that morning,
with his long coat and silver cap, in the costume of a neophyte or
candidate for kingship. I have never seen anything so affecting as
his figure at that time. All eyes grew moist with tenderness for
this poor little prince, sole scion of a numerous family, all other
members of which had perished, not without a suspicion of having been
poisoned.” France idolized this little King whose beauty, of a supreme
distinction, had somewhat ideal in it; the Emperor of Germany said he
was the child of Europe. Having completed his thirteenth year, he was,
as usual, proclaimed of age (February, 1723), and that same year, the
Duke of Orleans, who had most loyally fulfilled his duties toward his
pupil, assumed the functions of prime minister on the death of Cardinal
Dubois. He showed profound deference toward the young sovereign, and
carried his portfolio to him at five o’clock every afternoon. The King
enjoyed this occupation, and always looked forward impatiently to the
hour.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account