Louis XIV legitimised his two surviving children by Louise de la Vallière and the six he had with Athenaïs de Montespan. Not content with legitimising them, he married them off to princes and princesses of the blood* much to the chagrin of the families concerned. Enormous dowries helped the deals. He went a step further with his youngest daughter and married her to his own brother’s son and heir.
Louise de la Vallière
Marie-Anne de Bourbon was Louis’ favourite child. At thirteen he organised a grand celebration for her marriage to the nineteen year old Prince de Conti. He died five years later. They had no children and she did not remarry
Louis, named after his father, was made a Count when he was two years old. When he was thirteen he was seduced by Philippe de Lorraine, the lover of the Duke of Orleans (Louis XIV’s brother and Henriette’s husband, who was notoriously homosexual). When the beautiful young Louis became involved in a relationship with his sister’s brother-in-law, it was too much for Louis XIV. Young Louis died in disgrace at sixteen.
Madame de Montespan
Louis-César had a twisted spine from birth which discounted a military career. Louis made him the abbot of Saint Denis. He died at the age of ten.
His sister Louise Marie Anne died at the age of six. The up-side of Mme de Montespan’s rejection by Louis was that she had time to personally care for her son who was often bed ridden at her residence.
Louis-Auguste was the eldest and favorite son. Louis made him the Duke of Maine. Louis wanted him to be able to inherit the throne if his legitimate heirs died, which suited his ambitious wife but was never going to happen.
At twelve Louise-Françoise had married the Duke of Bourbon, future Prince of Condé. Although it was not a happy marriage, they produced nine children. She was close to Louis XIV’s legitimate son and heir, the Grand Dauphin.
Like her siblings, Françoise-Marie’s marriage was not happy. Louis’ nephew called his wife “Madame Lucifer”. In spite of that they had eight children, most of whom were regarded as badly brought up and unpleasant.
Louis-Alexandre turned out to be a brave military man and, like his father, had an interest in fine residences. He bought the Chateau of Rambouillet and his magnificent Paris residence now houses the Bank of France. Louis did not arrange his youngest son’s marriage. He married for love, after his father had died. The only problem was his wife was the widow of his mother’s son from her marriage.
*Princes of the Blood—direct descendants of the Capetians through the male line not in the King’s immediate family. Louis XII, François I and Henri IV were Princes of the Blood before inheriting the throne when the previous king died without a direct male heir. In the time of Louis XIV, the Princes of Condé and Conti were the “Princes of the Blood” which placed them second in line to the King’s direct family, above the dukes. When Louis married his children into those families, it meant their descendants were “Princes of the blood”.
