ABSTRACT
The intricate case of marriage diplomacy brings attention to one of the most important ways in which royal women shaped European geopolitics during the early modern age. The indispensable function royal marriages played in forging alliances and devising strategies was axiomatic to early modern rulers and diplomats. Although royal marriages often, if not always, crowned major peace treaties, they have yet to be fully incorporated in the diplomatic history of Europe. The marriage of Carlos II and Marie Louise of Orleans concluded a phase in Franco-Spanish relations that began when Philip IV of Spain died in 1665. This left the monarchy on the shoulders of the three-year old Carlos II and his mother, Mariana of Austria. Her decision to negotiate the marriage of her son, Carlos II, to the little archduchess, Maria Antonia, formed an integral part of her diplomatic policies; it was neither a dynastic nor a personal decision, although she certainly possessed close ties to the child.
