MARIE LESZCZYŃSKA
Louis XV’s Marriage
It had been agreed that Louis XV would marry his Spanish cousin Mariana Victoria. She arrived in Paris at the age of 4 and initially went to live in the Louvre. Louis was 12 and mortified by his engagement to the charming little girl. He was the only person who was immune to the appeal of the lively intelligent child.
Three years after her arrival in France, Mariana was sent back to Spain. Louis XV was 15 and it was decided it was in the interests of the French crown for him to have a son and heir as soon as possible.
Louis married the 22 year old daughter of the deposed King of Poland 5 months later. The new Queen Marie Leszczynska was not a member of a prestigious royal family but Louis was very happy with the choice. She was not his first cousin, which was a good start and she gave birth to ten children in the next 12 years, including two sons.
For the first eight years, Louis was faithful to his wife. Initially Marie was disturbed by his rumours of his infidelity but after the birth of her tenth child which proved to be almost fatal to her, she ceased sharing a bed with her husband. He was to go on to have a famous love life, with his two best known mistresses being Madame de Pompadour and Madame du Barry.