following a series of dynastic alliances, maria theresa was betrothed to the count of artois, the youngest grandson of the reigning louis xv of france. artois had previously been intended to marry louise adélaïde de bourbon, the daughter of the prince of condé. however, the union never took place as her rank was much lower than artois who, as a male-line descendant of a french monarch, was a "grandson of france".