Louis, Duke of Burgundy

Louis was born on 16 August 1682, the eldest son of Louis, Grand Dauphin, and Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria, which made him grandson to Louis XIV and second in line to the French crown. Contemporaries described him as pious, intellectual, gentle, and shy — a man faithful and loving to his wife, more inclined to books than to court intrigue. When his father died in April 1711, he became the official Dauphin of France, the designated heir. But he held the title for less than a year: he died on 18 February 1712, with his grandfather still reigning. Three years later, when Louis XIV finally died…