Royalty of the Week - Prince Louis Stanislas Xavier, comte de Provence

Louis Stanislas was born as a petit-fils de France ( since he was a son of the Dauphin ) on 17 November 1755 in the Palace of Versailles. His mother was Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony and his father was Louis-Ferdinand, Dauphin of France.


At the time of his birth, Louis Stanislas was fourth in line to the throne of France, behind his father the Dauphin and his two elder brothers, Louis Joseph Xavier, duc de Bourgogne, and Louis Auguste, duc de Berry. After the death of the duc de Bourgogne in 1761 and the death of his father in 1765, Louis Stanislas was second in line to the throne after his brother Louis Auguste, Dauphine of France.



On 14 May 1771, Louis Stanislas married Princess Marie Josephine Louise of Savoy, the daughter of the Duke of Sardinia, future king Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia. The new comtesse de Provence was considered to be ugly. She never brushed her teeth, plucked her eyebrows, or used any perfumes. The comtesse was pregnant two times; one time in 1774, and one time in 1781. but both pregnancies ended in miscarriages. The marrige was childless.



Louis Stanislas longed for political influence. He attempted to gain admittance to the King’s council in 1774, ultimately failing.



Louis Stanislas left France in 1791 and he didn't return until the fall of Napoleon. In 1814 he became the king of France. He wore the title from 1814-1815 and from 1815-1824. He died 16 september 1824.