Louis XV of France - Background and Early Life

Background and Early Life

Louis XV was born in the Palace of Versailles on 15 February 1710 during the reign of his great-grandfather Louis XIV. His grandfather, Louis Le Grand Dauphin, had three sons with his wife Marie Anne Victoire of Bavaria: Louis, Duke of Burgundy; Philippe, Duke of Anjou (who became King of Spain); and Charles, Duke of Berry. Louis XV was the third son of Burgundy and his wife Marie Adélaïde of Savoy the eldest daughter of Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy, and Anne Marie d'Orléans. At birth, Louis XV received a customary title of younger sons: "Duke of Anjou".

In April 1711, Louis Le Grand Dauphin suddenly died, making Louis XV's father Burgundy the new dauphin. While unfortunate, this in itself was not great cause for concern, since Burgundy still had two living sons, Louis, Duke of Bretagne, and finally his youngest son, the future Louis XV.

This situation changed less than a year later when Marie Adélaïde contracted smallpox (or measles) and died, 12 February 1712. Her husband Burgundy, who had reputedly remained by her side all through her sickness, was heartbroken by her death and died the same week of the same disease. Within a week of his death, it was clear that the couple's two children had been infected. The elder son Bretagne was repeatedly treated by bloodletting in an unsuccessful effort to save him. Fearing that the Dauphin would die, a double baptism was performed, in which both the Dauphin and the Duke of Anjou were baptised.

The Dauphin died the same day, 8 March 1712 while his younger brother, the Duke of Anjou, was personally treated by his governess, Madame de Ventadour, who forbade any bloodletting. Then the Duke of Berry, second in line after his brother the late Dauphin, died in a 1714 hunting accident.

As a result of these deaths, the fate of Louis XIV's dynasty now lay in the survival of a four-year-old child, the future Louis XV.