Princess Marie-Thérèse of France (2 January 1667 – 1 March 1672) was the fourth child and third daughter of Louis XIV of France

Louis XIV of France

Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...

 and his Spanish wife Infanta Maria Teresa of Spain

Maria Theresa of Spain

Maria Theresa of Austria was the daughter of Philip IV, King of Spain and Elizabeth of France. Maria Theresa was Queen of France as wife of King Louis XIV and mother of the Grand Dauphin, an ancestor of the last four Bourbon kings of France.-Early life:Born as Infanta María Teresa of Spain at the...

. As the king's daughter, she was a Fille de France

Fils de France

Fils de France was the style and rank held by the sons of the kings and dauphins of France. A daughter was known as a fille de France .The children of the dauphin, who was the king's heir apparent, were accorded the same style and status as if they were the king's children instead of his...

 and was known at court by the traditional honorific of Madame Royale

Madame Royale

Madame Royale was a style customarily used for the eldest living unmarried daughter of a reigning French monarch.It was similar to the style Monsieur, which was typically used by the King's second son...

 because she was the king's eldest surviving daughter. She did not survive childhood.

Life

Marie-Thérèse de France was born 2 January 1667 at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye

The Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a royal palace in the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the département of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris, France. Today, it houses the Musée d'Archéologie Nationale ....

. Her parents had her baptised in the Palais du Louvre

Palais du Louvre

The Louvre Palace , on the Right Bank of the Seine in Paris, is a former royal palace situated between the Tuileries Gardens and the church of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois...

 in 1668. Her parents reputedly adored the young girl, and her mother wanted her to become the queen of her native Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. As a Fille de France, Marie-Thérèse was referred to as Her Royal Highness

Royal Highness

Royal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...

 and had de France as her surname.

She was also known as La Petite Madame to distinguish her from her aunts, the wives of her uncle Monsieur

Philippe I, Duke of Orléans

Philippe of France was the youngest son of Louis XIII of France and his queen consort Anne of Austria. His older brother was the famous Louis XIV, le roi soleil. Styled Duke of Anjou from birth, Philippe became Duke of Orléans upon the death of his uncle Gaston, Duke of Orléans...

, who were known as the first Madame (died 1670) and the second Madame (died 1722). The young princess died on 1 March 1672 at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

Ancestry

Titles and Styles

• 2 January 1667 – 1 March 1672: Her Royal Highness
  Royal Highness
  Royal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...
  
   Madame Royale

Titles