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The royal exchange
Transcript
00:00The four-year-old Spanish princess was about to embark on a journey to France for an arranged
00:04marriage. Despite her tender age, she displayed remarkable composure as she signed her name on
00:08the marriage contract, showing a maturity far beyond her years for this political union.
00:22The princess's grace and poise made her father proud, especially compared to his son who fell
00:26short in comparison. The prince wanted to ask more about his fiancée but was silenced by his
00:38father's stern gaze. Just like that, the marriage between the prince and princess was settled,
00:43officially launching the alliance between Spain and France. As her daughter prepared to leave for
00:47a foreign land, the mother pulled her aside for some final advice. Mariana wanted to say goodbye to her
00:56two absent brothers but faced her father's firm refusal, they were suffering from whooping cough
01:00with uncertain fates. The princess's most important task was to maintain her health and fulfill her
01:05mission as the embodiment of the Spanish-French alliance. Taking her father's instructions to
01:09heart, Mariana bid her farewells and departed with her lady-in-waiting, boarding the carriage bound
01:14for France. Despite the bumpy journey, the young princess showed no fear, until a raven blocked their
01:19path. Mariana's only fear was bringing bad luck to her husband's household, but her lady-in-waiting's
01:33reassurance eased her mind. After two days and nights of travel, Mariana reached the Spanish-French border.
01:39There, an exchange ceremony took place where the French princess Louise, who was to marry Mariana's
01:44brother, the Spanish crown prince, was also present. The entire ceremony proceeded in silence, with only
01:50formal greetings exchanged. It was their first meeting, and possibly their last. After completing
01:55the ceremony, each princess stepped onto the soil of their new country. They exchanged final goodbyes
02:00before turning away from each other, each heading to fulfill their diplomatic duties. After a long journey,
02:06the carriage finally approached its destination. The exhausted little princess was awakened by her
02:10attendant and told they were nearing Versailles. Mariana quickly tidied her dress and appearance,
02:14hoping to make a good impression on her future husband. At last, under the watchful eyes of the
02:19entire court, Mariana arrived at Versailles. Due to her young age, she had to be carried from the carriage,
02:25an action that disturbed the 11-year-old Louis. Not yet in power, Louis feared being treated as a child,
02:30especially by the regent. His even younger fiancé would only compound these concerns. After all,
02:35this polite but childish Spanish princess offered no help to his current predicament. Nevertheless,
02:40he pretended to welcome her. Once inside Versailles, away from the Spanish envoys,
02:45the young king expressed his displeasure. Louis not only arranged for her to stay in his deceased
02:50mother's bedroom but also made her sleep in the very bed where his mother had died.
02:54The innocent Mariana could only look to her attendant for help, but the king warned her that because of
03:00her arrival, the attendant who had cared for him since childhood would now be assigned to his younger
03:04wife instead. This explained Louis' hostility toward Mariana. At just 11 years old, he only
03:09understood that the woman who had always been by his side would now be taken away by this so-called
03:14wife. Too young to understand love, Louis didn't know how to treat Mariana properly, maintaining only
03:19superficial courtesy. Before she could recover from this shock, a courtier warned her.
03:23Having just arrived in a foreign country, Mariana faced this inexplicable hostility. It seemed her
03:34husband, whom she had hoped would be like a brother, didn't like her at all. Sitting dejectedly in her
03:39chair, she began to miss her homeland. Her lady-in-waiting could only comfort her with a doll. Just
03:44then, the first person in Versailles to show kindness to Mariana appeared.
04:00This person was Louis' grandmother. Her warmth and care brought comfort to the young Mariana in this
04:05strange place. Despite still being unwelcome in Louis' eyes, the optimistic Mariana quickly adapted
04:10to her new environment. Although saddened by Louis' repeated cancellations, Mariana never expressed
04:22any dissatisfaction. Meanwhile, Louis, busy hunting, still avoided spending time with his young wife but
04:28discussed marriage issues with his married companions. Perhaps realizing he had been too cold
04:32toward his wife, Louis decided to make a gesture. One afternoon at Versailles, the young king brought a
04:37doll to his even younger wife as a gift. However, he coldly rejected Mariana's grateful embrace,
04:43still angry about losing the attendant who had raised him. Nevertheless, this doll became
04:48Mariana's most treasured possession. Although too young to understand the meaning of marriage,
04:54Mariana had already accepted Louis as her husband. One day, Louis invited Mariana to go boating and tried
05:00to make conversation. Mariana's innocence caught Louis off guard. Though he found her endearing,
05:10he didn't want to spend much time with her because she was just a child. If seen together frequently,
05:15he feared others would view him as a child too, exactly what the power-hungry Louis wanted to avoid.
05:20With that, Louis signaled to end the outing. Though young, Mariana took these words to heart,
05:33vowing to grow up quickly so Louis would like her. But would her devotion remain unrequited?
05:38The princess, sent to France at just four years old, could only find comfort in her nurse's arms
05:43when homesick. Seeing this, the 11-year-old Louis asked. Mariana smiled and hugged Louis. She
05:55wasn't consoling herself but rather comforting Louis, who had lost his parents. Though he pushed
05:59her away, he was touched by her heartfelt gesture. Royal marriages, however, always prioritized
06:05political interests. The ministers couldn't tolerate a queen who couldn't bear children.
06:09The minister advised Louis to abandon Mariana and marry an adult woman to continue the royal
06:20lineage. Before he could finish, Louis interrupted. Though Louis still didn't understand love,
06:27he had genuinely started to care for Mariana. Unfortunately, just as Mariana had finally won
06:33Louis's affection, she contracted smallpox. This made the already disapproving ministers even more
06:38dissatisfied. To avoid the threat of disease, the minister took Louis away from Versailles to enjoy
06:43some entertainment. During these outings, Louis remained melancholy, constantly worried about
06:48Mariana. Rather than alleviating his concerns, the minister sabotaged Mariana by entering her chamber
06:53while she was critically ill and taking away her doctor under the king's name. The powerless nurse could
06:58only silently pray for Mariana. Mariana fortunately survived, and the minister immediately informed King
07:03Louis. Louis was finally relieved, but the minister seized this opportunity to continue his persuasion.
07:19Despite the minister's suggestion to annul the marriage, Louis firmly refused. Shortly after,
07:25Spain's situation changed dramatically when Mariana's brother, the Spanish crown prince,
07:29died. The exchange marriage plan between the two countries collapsed, and a princess who couldn't
07:34bear children lost all value. Under pressure from his courtiers, Louis reluctantly dissolved the
07:39marriage. Before being sent back, the little Mariana defiantly said,
07:43Louis watched sadly as she departed. She boarded the same carriage that had brought her to France,
07:55but this time with very different feelings about returning home, perhaps for a princess.
08:00Destiny was never truly in her own hands.