Marie Louise of Orléans

José García Hidalgo
Spanish 1646–1719
Maria Louisa of Orleans, Queen of Spain 1679
oil on canvas
96.0 x 68.0 cm
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid (P00652)

Lived: 26 March 1662 – 12 February 1689

First wife of Charles II and granddaughter of Louis XIII of France.

Marie Louise had an unhappy marriage to Charles II. She felt isolated at the Spanish court and was homesick for the Palais-Royal and the Château de Saint-Cloud where she grew up. The populace also made public demonstrations against her because of the antipathy between France and Spain at the time. After ten years of marriage, during which no heirs were produced, Marie Louise died suddenly. Charles II, who genuinely loved his wife, was heartbroken.