| Marie Thérèse | |
| Madame Royale | |
| Birth Date: | 2 January 1667 |
| Birth Place: | Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France |
| Death Place: | Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France |
| Full Name: | Marie Thérèse de France |
| House: | Bourbon |
| Father: | Louis XIV of France |
| Mother: | Maria Theresa of Spain |
| Burial Place: | Royal Basilica, Saint Denis, France |
Marie Thérèse (2 January 1667 - 1 March 1672) was the fourth child and third daughter of King Louis XIV of France and his wife, Maria Theresa of Spain. As the king's daughter, she was a Fille de France and was known at court by the traditional honorific of Madame Royale because she was the king's eldest surviving daughter. She did not survive childhood, dying at the age of five due to tuberculosis.
Marie Thérèse was born 2 January 1667 at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Her parents had her baptised in the Palais du Louvre in 1668. Her parents reputedly adored the young girl. Her mother wanted her to become the queen of her native Spain and it was proposed that she wed Charles II.[1] As a fille de France, Marie Thérèse was entitled by law to the style of Her Royal Highness, but was referred to simply as '"Madame Royale".
She was also known as La Petite Madame to distinguish her from her aunts, the wives of her uncle Monsieur, who were known as the first Madame (Henrietta of England) (died 1670) and the second Madame (Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate) (died 1722). The young Marie Thérèse died of consumption on 1 March 1672 at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye and was buried at the Royal Basilica of Saint Denis, outside Paris, France. The music for the funeral ceremony was composed by Marc-Antoine Charpentier (H.409, H.189, H.331).
Patrilineal descent is the principle behind membership in royal houses, as it can be traced back through the generations - which means that if Princess Marie Thérèse were to choose an historically accurate house name it would be Robertian, as all her male-line ancestors have been of that house.
Marie Thérèse is a member of the House of Bourbon, a branch of the Capetian dynasty and of the Robertians.
Marie Thérèse's patriline is the line from which she is descended father to son. It follows the Dukes of Parma as well as the Kings of Spain, France, and Navarre. The line can be traced back more than 1,200 years to the present day and is one of the oldest in Europe.