Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain - Dauphine of France

Dauphine of France

The Infanta was married to the dauphin by proxy in Madrid on 18 December 1744 and departed Spain in January 1745. She arrived at Versailles on 21 February 1745. The official marriage took place at the Palace of Versailles on 23 February 1745 and was performed by the Cardinal de Rohan. In France she was known as Marie Thérèse Raphaëlle d'Espagne or de Bourbon. The marriage was intended to improve relations between the cousin courts of France and Spain; during the infancy of Louis XV, he had been engaged to Maria Anna Victoria of Spain, oldest daughter of Philip V of Spain. The marriage had been broken off and relations between the two countries had been cold. This latest union was meant to improve links between them both. As the Dauphine of France, she was the highest ranking female in the kingdom after Queen Marie. She was the first Dauphine since 1712 when Marie Adélaïde of Savoy died at Versailles in 1712. She was styled as Madame la Dauphine at Versailles.

On 24 February there was a ball in honour of the newly-weds. Named the "Ball of the Clipped Yew", it was the same time that Madame de Pompadour arrived at Versailles. The ball was attended by the king, the queen, Madame Henriette, Madame Adélaïde; the Duchess of Chartres the Dowager Princess of Conti and the Duchess of Modena along with other princesses of the Blood.

The marriage did not get off on a good start as it was not consummated on the first night. This was a major embarrassment to the young dauphine and as a result her position at court was undermined. Despite this, she had a good relationship with the king and queen and her husband fell quickly in love with her. Described as beautiful, dignified, pious and well educated, negative remarks were made because of her red hair. Her shy nature further isolated her from the court and she was openly hostile to the king for his affair with Madame de Pompadour. The Dauphin and Dauphine disliked the royal mistress for the way she drew attention away from Queen Marie Leszczyńska. Finally the marriage was consummated in September 1745 thus ending court gossip. The couple became very close and devoted to each other spending most of their time together. On 19 July 1746, Marie Thérèse Raphaëlle gave birth to a daughter before dying herself on 22 July at Versailles. Her death caused an intense sorrow to the Dauphin a sorrow which persisted into his second marriage. Louis XV had had to physically drag his son away from the death bed of his wife. The child was baptised Marie Thérèse and was styled as Madame Royale but died at Versailles in 1748.

Marie Thérèse Raphaëlle was buried at the Royal Basilica of Saint Denis, the French royal necropolis outside Paris on 6 August 1746. At her death, her half brother, Ferdinand VI of Spain, proposed that the Dauphin marry her sister the Infanta Maria Antonia Fernanda but Louis XV refused. The following year, her husband married again to Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony a daughter of Augustus III of Poland and Maria Josepha of Austria by whom he had some seven children including the future Louis XVI. When the Dauphin died in 1765, he requested that his heart be placed beside the grave of Marie Thérèse Raphaëlle.