Infanta Isabel Luísa: A Second Wife for Louis XIV?

Upon the untimely death of Marie Thérèse in 1683, the court's thoughts immediately went to filling the now vacant position of Queen of France. While not a young man anymore, Louis XIV was still only 45 years old which was certainly not too late for marriage.

As can be imagined, there were plenty of princesses being suggested - and they were all far younger than the king. Amongst those who were pushed forward was Sophia-Charlotte of Hanover who happened to be a  relative of Madame, the king's sister-in-law. While the 15-year old girl was suitably connected - and her mother even postponed her confirmation as a Protestant in case she needed to convert for the French throne - there were those who protested the presence of another German princess at court. Besides Elizabeth Charlotte, Duchesse d'Orléans, the Grande Dauphine herself was a Bavarian princess. So, Sophia-Charlotte was eventually discarded.

Whereas Spain had been the go-to for French royals for their brides for quite some time, the late queen had herself been a Spaniard - and the king's first cousin at that. By 1683, the throne of Spain was occupied by Charles II who was notoriously inbred (even for the times). He had no children by either of his two wives, the first one being none other than Louis XIV's own niece, Marie Louise.

Yet, Spain was not the only powerhouse on the Iberian peninsula. Portugal had both considerable attractions, including colonial wealth. There was the further advantage that the reigning king - Afonso VI - was mentally challenged which meant that an alliance with a Portuguese princess could ensure considerable French influence in the country. To be sure, Portugal did have a princess available: Isabel Luísa, Princess of Beira.

Louis XIV, ca. 1685

Isabel - or Isabelle Louise in French - was the daughter of Infante Peter of Portugal who would soon take over power from his brother. In 1683, Peter had no male heirs which meant that Isabel was heir presumptive to Portugal - quite a tempting dowry. Born in 1669, she had also been considered as a bride for Louis XIV's own son, the Grand Dauphin but had eventually been jilted in favour of Marie Anne Victoire of Bavaria.

If Isabel had married Louis XIV in 1683, she might have been spared the rather humiliating nick-name of Sempre-Novia or the Always-Engaged. She had been the proposed bride for the Grand Dauphin, Infante of Spain, Duke of Savoy, Duke of Parma and Count of Neuberg, but had never married. By 1683, she was 14 years old which made her 31 years younger than her potential husband. It also meant that she was entering her prime childbearing years.

Louis XIV was a dutiful man and he would have remarried, if it had been in the best interest of his kingdom. However, before the year 1683 came to a close, he had given discreet orders to his Portuguese ambassador to kindly reject the offer. Nor would he accept any other offer which might have softened the blow for the Portuguese crown. To some it was quite a surprise. The king was not old - not even by the standards of the time - nor was his health failing. On the contrary, he was remarkably robust and clearly enjoyed the company of ladies. Furthermore, the system he had established at Versailles needed a queen for equilibrium.

There are two weighty arguments to explain why Louis chose not to marry Isabel. One was that he might have already decided to marry Madame de Maintenon in secret. Those who label their union as an indisputable fact points to 1683 as the year of their marriage. Naturally, if he either had plans to or already had remarried, the king would not be available for another bride. It has been estimated that if the two did indeed marry, the ceremony likely took place in late October or early November 1683. Since Marie Thérèse had only died in July of that year, there would not have been many months for the king to make up his mind.

Isabel Luísa

It is not unlikely that Louis XIV wished to remarry but was wary of the pitfalls of a second royal marriage.  A royal bride - especially a young, seemingly fertile one - always presented the possibility of further children. Normally, this would be a positive, particularly as the king had only one legitimate son himself. However, by 1683 that legitimate sons had begun having true born sons himself. As it happens, the Grande Dauphine was pregnant and would give birth to her second son, Philippe, in December. Therefore, the succession was already secured with the legitimate males: the Grande Dauphin, the Duc de Bourgogne and the still-unborn Duc d'Anjou. Later, the Duc de Berry would join the trio of grandsons.

While the succession was clear, there was the risk that any sons born from the union between Louis and Isabel would lead to contention within the royal family. A son would know that he would never inherit the throne which might lead him to offer his military services to another monarch - especially, if his half-brother should prove himself unwilling to favour him. Within the court itself, such a division might lead to internal factions springing up around the various princes. This would be pure poison to a system which relied on the courtiers being entirely dedicated to the reigning king.

It should also not be disregarded that the middle-aged Louis might not have been eager to marry a girl of just 14 years. At this point in life, he had already taken a turn for the solemn and he had never shown an inclination for mistresses much younger than him. Typically, the women he chose for his company were either his same age of slightly younger but not nearly as young as Isabel. King or not, he might have wanted a more suitable partner.

Whatever may have been the true reasoning behind the king's choice will never be known. Louis himself has left no account of his perception of events; all we know is that he likely married his mistress, Madame de Maintenon whom he remained close with for the rest of his life.

And what of Isabel? Sadly, the Always-Engaged turned out to be the Never-Married. By 1689, she lost her position as heir presumptive with the birth of her brother, John. The following year she contracted smallpox and died at the age of just 21 years.