Editing Louis XV (section)

===Deaths of mistress, son and wife===
[[File:François-Hubert Drouais - Madame de Pompadour - WGA6694.jpg|Madame de Pompadour by François-Hubert Drouais (1763–64)|thumb]]
The winter of 1763–64 was particularly harsh; Madame de Pompadour contracted pneumonia, and died on 15 April. The King was deeply affected, but, strictly observing court protocol, he did not attend her funeral, because she was too far below his rank, and, though mourning, carried on court business as usual. Maneuvering immediately began within the court to replace Madame de Pompadour; a leading candidate was [[Béatrix de Choiseul-Stainville|the Duchess of Gramont]], the sister of Choiseul, but the King showed no interest in a new mistress, and in February 1765 he closed down the Parc-aux-Cerfs, where he had previously met his ''petites maitresses''.<ref name="Antoine 1989, p. 824">Antoine (1989), p. 824.</ref>

The resistance of the Parlements to the King's authority continued. The Parlements of the provinces began to quarrel with the Parlement of Paris over which more truly represented the nation. In March 1764, the Parlement of [[Kingdom of Navarre#Independent Navarre north of the Pyrenees|Navarre]] in [[Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques|Pau]], the smallest province, refused to accept the taxation authority of the Grand Council of the King. This time the King took action, arresting and replacing the President and leading officers of the Parlement, and replacing them with officers loyal to the King. The Parlements of Toulouse, Besançon and Rouen protested, but the King persisted. In 1765 the Parlement of Rennes in Rennes denied the authority of the King's officers to impose taxes without its permission, and went on strike. The King summoned the Parlement to Versailles, where he had his lecture read to them. This had little effect; when the King had his decree to the Parlement posted on the walls of Rennes, the Parlement ordered that the posters with the King's proclamation be taken down. The King issued letters of cachet that forbade the Parlement members to leave Rennes, but the judicial system remained on strike.<ref name="Antoine 1989, p. 824"/>

The end of 1765 brought another personal tragedy; his son and heir Louis contracted [[tuberculosis]]. He travelled with the King to the Palace of Fontainebleau. The King distracted himself by secluding himself with the astronomer [[César-François Cassini de Thury]] and making astronomic calculations, while the doctors tried, without success, to treat his son. The Dauphin died on 20 December 1765. The succession was assured, since the Dauphin had a son, the future Louis XVI, who was of age to rule, but the death put him into a deep depression. He drafted his own will, writing: "If I made errors, it was not from a lack of will, but from a lack of talents, and for not having been supported as I wished to have been, particularly in matters of religion."<ref>Antoine (1989), p. 842.</ref>

The Queen, who was deeply affected by the death of the Dauphin in 1765, followed by the death of her father in 1766 and, finally, that of her daughter-in-law, died on 24 June 1768.<ref name="Guéganic 2008, p. 62">Guéganic (2008), p. 62.</ref>