Queen Marie Therese from “Versailles” vs the real Marie-Therese of Spain
Queen Marie Therese is a prominent character in TV series “Versailles”. Like her historical counterpart, Marie Therese was in an unloved marriage with the Sun King Louis. However, in terms of looks and personality, Marie Therese was very different from her historical counterpart. In the series, she is attractive, thin, and tall (in some scenes she’s even taller than the Sun King).
In real life, Marie Therese was dwarfish, blonde and blue-eyed. Standing next to her husband Louis, she looked like a child. She was also plumb and became fat due to her pregnancies and her love of eating chocolates. As of her personalities, Marie-Therese had a mind of a child. She had no interest in literature or music. The King could hardly have a conversation with her and certainly almost nothing in common with her.
The relationship between the royal couple improved thanks to the intervention of Madame de Maintenon (as hinted in Season 2). Marie Therese died at age of 45. She had five children with Louis XIV but only one lived to adulthood. Unlike what Louis XIV feared, it wasn’t because of his ‘sinful life’ that killed off his legitimate offspring. Instead, it was because of his close blood relation with Marie Therese, who was also his double-first cousin. Genetically, it’s equivalent to half-siblings. The medical treatment back then didn’t help either.
Marie Therese is actually intelligent than most people think. Louis made her regent 4 times during his reign. She written corresponding letters to her relatives back in Spain. Plus, she went to charities and give alms to the poor. She was beloved queen at her time.
You are correct.
The view on Marie Therese has not been accurate even in historical biographies of Louis XIV. Marie Therese was trained to be a reigning queen back in Spain due to the deaths of her brothers(s). When learning that a younger brother was born and she wasn't the future queen of Spain anymore, she choked on an egg because she was very upset, which shown her ambition. She knew what Louis XIV was doing with women and she had her ways of finding out; her ladies were willing to be on team Marie Therese as well. The views of her being not smart or attractive came from 1) the condition of her infamous Hapsburg brother Philip and 2) the different cultures between Spanish and French courts. Her mother-in-law Anne of Austria adored her and allowed her to remain Spanish during her early years in France didn't help either. But she was a dutiful queen nevertheless and had the courage to stand up for herself.
