Marie Louise d'Orléans
Portrait in the Palace of Versailles, c. 1679
Queen consort of Spain
Tenure	19 November 1679 – 12 February 1689
Born	(1662-03-26)26 March 1662 Palais Royal, Paris, France
Died	12 February 1689(1689-02-12) (aged 26) Royal Alcázar, Madrid, Spain
Burial	El Escorial
Spouse	Charles II of Spain ​ (m. 1679)​
Names French: Marie Louise d'Orléans Spanish: María Luisa de Borbón-Orleans y Estuardo
House	Orléans
Father	Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
Mother	Henrietta of England

Marie Louise d'Orléans (Spanish: María Luisa de Borbón-Orleans y Estuardo;^[1] 26 March 1662 – 12 February 1689) was Queen of Spain from 1679 to 1689 as the first wife of King Charles II. She was born petite-fille de France as the daughter of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans and Princess Henrietta of England. Marie became the Queen of Spain on 19 November 1679, and remained in her post until her death in 1689 from the presumed cause of appendicitis.

Marie Louise d'Orléans was born at the Palais Royal in Paris. She was the eldest daughter of Philippe of France, Duke of Orléans and of his first wife, Princess Henrietta of England.^[2] As a petite-fille de France she was entitled to the attribute of Royal Highness, although, as was customary at court at the palace of Versailles, her style, Mademoiselle d'Orléans,^[3] was more often used.^[4] Both parents were initially disappointed about her sex, with her mother reportedly exclaiming "Then throw her into the river!",^[5] although she was quickly consoled by her mother-in-law (Marie Louise's grandmother) that despite not giving birth to a prince, her infant daughter, just months younger than her cousin the dauphin, she might one day become queen.^[5]

Marie Louise was her father's favourite child, and had a happy childhood, residing most of the time in the Palais Royal, and at the château de Saint-Cloud,^[1] situated a few kilometres west of Paris. Marie Louise spent a lot of time with both her paternal and maternal grandmothers—Anne, who doted on her and left the bulk of her fortune to her when she died in 1666; and Henrietta Maria, who lived in Colombes.

Marie Louise's mother died in 1670. The following year, her father married Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate. All her life, Marie Louise would maintain an affectionate correspondence with her stepmother.^[1] Marie Louise received a careful education, picking up skills including horse riding, playing musical instruments such as the harpsichord, singing and dancing, and holding formal conversations^[6] – all under the watchful eye of her governess, Louise Françoise de Chavigny. It is, however, recorded that the biggest influence on Marie Louise's later character was Louise Élisabeth de Rouxel, who not only shaped her character but also helped to curb her frequent fits of anger. Contemporary descriptions viewed her in a positive way:

[Of an] elegant presence, of well-proportioned stature, with a serene and flattering countenance; her hair was thick and dark brown; her eyebrows were arched and her eyes were black, lively, large, and majestic; her forehead was broad and white; her lips were full and slightly rounded; her nose was sharp and well-formed; her manner was graceful and perfect.^[1]

In July 1679,^[8] Marie was informed by her father, Philippe, and uncle, King Louis XIV of her betrothal to Charles II of Spain.^[9] Distressed by the arranged marriage, Marie Louise spent most of her time weeping, since she had fallen in love with her cousin the dauphin.^[8][10] The contract was signing and the proxy marriage took place at the Palace of Fontainebleau on 30 August 1679;^[11] standing for the groom was Mademoiselle d'Orléans' distant cousin Louis Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti.^[12] Until mid-September, there were a series of formal events held in honour of the new Queen of Spain. Marie Louise went to the convent of Val-de-Grâce, before her departure, where the heart of her mother was kept. She would never return to France.

On 19 November 1679, Marie Louise married Charles in person in Quintanapalla, near Burgos, Spain,^[6][13] coinciding with the signing of the treaties of Treaties of Nijmegen between France and the Habsburg monarchy. The Queen made her official entrance into Madrid on the 13th of January, 1680.^[14][6] Her new husband had fallen in love with her and remained so until the end of his life.^[15] However, the confining etiquette of the Spanish Court (e.g., touching the Queen was forbidden) and unsuccessful attempts to bear a child caused her distress. Her most frequent companion was the French ambassadress, Marie Gigault de Bellefonds, the Marquise de Villars.^[16]

After ten years of marriage, the couple had no children.^[17][18] Marie Louise confided to the French ambassador, that

she was really not a virgin any longer, but that as far as she could figure things, she believed she would never have children.

During the last years of her life she became overweight.^[19] She was reportedly fond of sweetened lemon and cinnamon drinks, the making of which required 32 pounds of sugar.^[20] After horseback riding on 11 February 1689, she experienced abdominal pain followed by convulsions and vomiting. After doctors found that her condition had become mortal, confessors were called in to administer last rites.

On her deathbed, she spoke to her husband the following words:^[21]

Many women may be with His Majesty, but none will love him more than I do

She died the following night. There were rumors she was poisoned, coming especially from her native France;^[22][23] however, an autopsy proved otherwise.^[6] The official funeral rites were held with the usual pomp and ceremony of a queen consort at monastery of the Incarnation. Marie Louise was buried in the royal pantheon of El Escorial.^[1][11]

• Barker, Nancy Nichols (1989). Brother to the Sun King, Philippe, Duke of Orléans. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 9780801837913.
• Cartwright, Julia (1894). Madame: A life of Henrietta, daughter of Charles L and duchess of Orleans. London: Seeley and Co.Ltd. ISBN 9781313600644. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
• Campbell, Jodi (2017). At the First Table: Food and Social Identity in Early Modern Spain. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 9780803290815.
• Hume, Martin Andrew Sharp (1905). Spain: Its Greatness and Decay (1479–1788). Cambridge at the University Press. ISBN 9781107639805. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
• Hume, Martin Andrew Sharp (1906). Queens of Old Spain. McClure, Philips & Company. ISBN 9781107639805. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
• Lurgo, Elisabetta (2021). Marie-Louise d'Orléans. La Princesse oubliée, nièce de Louis XIV (in French). Paris, Perrin. ISBN 9782262082116.
• Sternberg, Giora (2014). Status Interaction During the Reign of Louis XIV. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199640348.
• Savoie-Carignan, Guy Jean Raoul Eugène Charles Emmanuel de (1911). The seven richest heiresses of France. London: J. Long. ISBN 9785871464915. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)