Marie Leszczyńska

Marie Leszczyńska (Trzebnica, 23 June 1703 – Versailles, 24 June 1768) was a queen consort of France. She was a daughter of King Stanisław Leszczyński of Poland (later Duke of Lorraine) and Catherine Opalińska. She married King Louis XV of France and was the grandmother of Louis XVI, Louis XVIII, and Charles X. In France, she was referred to as Marie Leczinska. She was the longest serving Queen Consort of France.Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja Leszczyńska h. Wieniawa[1] was the second daughter of Stanisław Leszczyński and his wife Katarzyna Opalińska. Her older sister Anna Leszczyńska (1699-1717) died at the age of 18 of pneumonia.

Maria's early life was troubled by her father's political misfortune. Ironically, King Stanisław's hopeless political career was eventually the reason why his daughter Maria was chosen as the bride of King Louis XV of France. Devoid of political connections, his daughter was viewed by the French as being free from the burden of international alliancesBorn in Trzebnica in Lower Silesia, she was born in the year before her father was made King of Poland by Charles XII of Sweden who invaded the country that year. She would be brought up as a fugitive princess living for a while in Stockholm in Sweden.




Very close to her father, Maria was tutored while in her father's exile in Wissembourg in Alsace, a region of France. This place was a suggestion by the French de facto ruler Philippe d'Orléans, a nephew of Louis XIV and regent of France for the infant king Louis XV.



The family was supported by a pension from the Duke of Orléans, and during their time in Wissembourg, the young Maria was asked for her hand in marriage by Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon, who was a grandson of Louis XIV and the prime minister of France beginning in 1723. That same year, the young king of France, Louis XV, fell ill. The prime minister became afraid of the consequences of the young, unmarried king dying without an heir. In order to ensure the succession of the Crown, the prime minister suggested a marriage between the young princess and the even younger kingMaria was on a list of 99 eligible ladies in Europe to marry the young king.




Cardinal Fleury, the replacement of the Duke of Bourbon as Louis XV's Prime Minister, wanted to find his king a royal bride who would not drag France into any complicated political alliances and supported the marriage. Upon her marriage, Maria's Polish name was modified into French as Marie Leczinska.



The young couple's marriage was initially happy and they had many children, most of whom were incredibly loyal to their mother. In August 1727, Maria gave birth to her first children, twin daughters named Louise Élisabeth and Henriette Anne, at the Palace of Versailles. The elder twin, Louise Élisabeth, later married the Infante Felipe of Spain and eventually became the Duchess Consort of Parma. Through Louise Élisabeth, Marie became an ancestor of Juan Carlos I of Spain. Louis XV was a notorious womaniser, and several of his mistresses, particularly the glamorous Madame de Pompadour, eventually eclipsed the Queen's social status at Versailles. Most of his affairs were with her knowledge, and she either simply accepted them, or was powerless to stop them.





Maria Leszczyńska, Queen of France.Marie was a devout Roman Catholic. Her major contribution to life at Versailles was the weekly event of Polish Choral Concerts. She also met the young Mozart, whom she found very charming and acted as a go between for her husband and family who did not understand German. She also started a correspondence with the famous Voltaire, for whom she secured a pension