Born at Palacio del Buen Retiro, in Madrid as the eldest son of the reigning King Philip V of Spain and his wife Maria Luisa of Savoy.  At birth he was the heir apparent but was not given the traditional title of “Prince of Asturias” until April 1709. In 1714, when Louis was seven, his mother died, leaving him and his brothers, Infant Ferdinand and Infant Felipe Pedro. As a result, on 24 December 1714, the King of Spain, Louis’ father, married the young heiress to the Duchy of Parma, Elisabeth Farnese.  As heir not only to the vast Spanish empire, but also to a new dynasty, it was decided that Louis would take a wife as soon as possible. On 20 January 1722, at Lerma, he met and married Louise Élisabeth d’Orléans, a daughter of Philippe d’Orléans, Duke of Orléans, cousin of Louis’ father and then the Regent of France. The dowry of this marriage was an enormous 4 million livers.  Louis ruled for a short period between the time his father Philip V abdicated in his favour (14 January 1724) and his death from smallpox, just over seven months later. His reign is one of the shortest in history, lasting for just over seven monthsOn his death, his father returned to the throne, and reigned until his own death in 1746. Louis was buried in the Cripta Real del Monasterio de El Escorial part of the El Escorial complex.