Queen Marie Leczinska

She was well educated, philanthropic and pious, but also dowdy, extremely dull company and rather greedy.  At least one recent biography has tried to make out that she was less dreary than her contemporaries found her, but even the members of her little inner circle such as President Henault found it hard to demonstrate that there was much of interest in her daily life.   She was able to play several musical instruments rather badly (one at a time, not all at once), and had the dreadful habit, when she made a mistake when performing - which was often - of giving a merry laugh.  It must have been excruciating.  She also painted, very amateurishly, but at least her little court only had to look at them and show some interest, not suffer through a performance.

Oh dear. Didn't really fit in around the chic French court then?

Portrait of her mother Queen Katherina Opalinska!Btw,what kind of a family was Opalinski family?Were they Princes,Counts or just untitled family?Also,were they considered an ald Polish family?

Thanks for posting the painting of her mother.  I have not seen this at all.  I'm still reading, so I'll update you all as I go along.  

Marie's father had a long life didn't he - he lived to be 88! As far as I know, Marie's ancestry - I traced to the 1550s - is exclusively Polish.

According to this book I'm reading, it goes back to the 10th century.  It is a series of books called "Les Reines de France", the specific one being about ML, I think the author is Guy de Rochefaucould (sic).

what kind of a family was Opalinski family?Were they Princes,Counts or just untitled family?Also,were they considered an ald Polish family?

The Opalinski were called Counts, and have been generally described as Polish magnates.  Katarzyna Opalinska's father was Count Jan Karol Opalinski and her mother Countess Zofia Anna Czarnkowska.  I believe they were a distinguished family, but not a royal one and the marriage generally was considered to be a mésalliance for the royal house of France.

Mesalliance for union between Bourbons and Poland family...I see!But how was described the union between Marie's mother and father?Was it also a mesalliance for the Polish standards or no?Also,how did her parents look to her marriage to Louis XV?

They were extremely happy I read that Stanislas told her to get on her knee and thanks heaven because she was to be the queen of France!!!!!

Didn't Louis XV bestow honours on her father, like making him a French duke of something?

Stanislas Leczinski became Duc de Lorraine as part of a deal between Louis XV and the Austrians.  Franz Stephan of Lorraine had to give up his dukedom to France as the price for becoming the husband of Maria Theresa and thus eventually Holy Roman Emperor - he was extremely upset by this, but gave in and that is when the family became that of Habsburg-Lorraine. The duchy of Lorraine was absorbed at the death of Stanislas into the kingdom of France.  

Stanislas established his own little court at Nancy and enjoyed himself very much, with his mistresses to keep things jolly and distinguished visitors such as Voltaire to add a bit of class.  He wasn't very pious and although he had a comforting correspondence with his daughter, he maintained she was the only person he knew who was duller than his wife.  He was over the moon when it was proposed that his daughter would be Queen of France and rushed in to her with such a look of joy that she cried "What has happened?  Are you going, as King, to Poland?" to which he replied, "No, no, you are going, as Queen, to France!"

Thanks CountessKate - off topic I know, but wasn't Francis Stephen made Grand Duke of Tuscany as compensation?

The Father

Her mother Katherine Opalinski