Louis, Grand Dauphin

Born 1 November 1661 to Louis XIV and Maria Theresa of Spain, he carried the title Dauphin from birth, the waiting room for absolute power. After his own son arrived — Louis, Duke of Burgundy, the "Petit Dauphin" — he became the "Grand" to mark the difference. He spent half a century in his father's shadow. On 14 April 1711, he died, still heir, never king. His son followed him to the grave before the Sun King did. When Louis XIV finally fell in 1715, it was the Grand Dauphin's grandson who took the throne as Louis XV, and his second son who had already claimed Spain as Philip V, starting the…