Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan
Encyclopedia
Françoise Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, marquise of Montespan (5 October 1641 – 27 May 1707), better known as Madame de Montespan, was the most celebrated maîtresse en titre
of King Louis XIV of France
, by whom she had seven children.
Born into one of the oldest noble families of France, the House of Rochechouart
, Madame de Montespan was called by some the true Queen of France during her romantic relationship with Louis XIV due to the pervasiveness of her influence at court during that time.
Her so-called "reign" lasted from around 1667, when she first danced with Louis XIV at a ball hosted by the king's younger brother, Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
, at the Louvre
, until her alleged involvement in the notorious Affaire des Poisons
in the late 1670s to 1680s. Her immediate contemporary was Barbara Villiers
, mistress of King Charles II of England
.
She is an ancestress of several royal houses in Europe, including those of Spain, Italy, Bulgaria
and Portugal.
of Lussac-les-Châteaux
in today's Vienne
department, in the Poitou-Charentes
region in France, Françoise (as a précieuse
, she later adopted the name "Athénaïs"), Mlle de Tonnay-Charente, possessed the blood of two of the oldest noble families of France through her parents, Gabriel de Rochechouart, Duke of Mortemart, Prince of Tonnay-Charente, and Diane de Grandseigne.
From her father, she inherited the famous Mortemart esprit
("wit"). As a young girl, she often travelled with her mother between the family estates and the court at the Louvre
in Paris. At the age of twelve, she began her formal education at the Convent
of St Mary at Saintes
, where her sister Gabrielle had started hers almost a decade earlier. Her siblings were:
At the age of twenty, Françoise-Athénaïs became a maid-of-honour to the king's sister-in-law, Princess Henrietta Anne of England, who was known at court by the traditional honorific
of Madame
. Later, because of the relationship between her mother and the queen dowager, Anne d'Autriche
, Françoise-Athénaïs was appointed to be a lady-in-waiting to the king's wife, Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche
.
(1640–1701), who was a year her senior. Françoise had previously been engaged to his brother, but the brother had been killed in a duel after a ball at the Louvre
. Following his death, it was decided that Françoise should marry his younger sibling. The wedding ceremony took place in a chapel at the Église Saint-Eustache
in Paris. The couple had two children:
The couple lived in a small house close to the Louvre, which allowed Madame de Montespan to attend court and carry out her duties there as a lady-in-waiting to the Duchess of Orléans. Beauty was only one of Madame de Montespan's many charms. She was a cultured and amusing conversationalist, who won the admiration of such literary figures as letter-writer Madame de Sévigné
and diarist Saint-Simon
. In addition, she kept abreast of political events. This had the effect of making her even more appealing to men of intellect and power.
It was said that she once had an affair with the renowned chef François Vatel
during festivities at the Château de Chantilly
.
and Elisabeth de France. A scandal arose when the Duchess of Montausier, governess of the royal children and lady-in-waiting to the Queen, was accused of acting as a go-between in order to secure the governorship of the Dauphin for her husband, the Duke of Montausier
.
By 1666, Madame de Montespan was trying to take the place of Louis XIV's current mistress, Louise de La Vallière
. Using her wit and charm, she sought to ingratiate herself with the king. She also became close to the Dauphin, whose affection for her never wavered.
She also became friends at court with another lady-in-waiting to the queen, Louise Boyer
, the wife of Anne, Duke of Noailles
. Montespan's youngest son, the Count of Toulouse, would later marry one of Boyer's grand-daughters.
) to raise. To house the child and Madame Scarron, the King bought a small house in the village of Vaugirard on the outskirts of Paris.
In 1673, the couple's three living illegitimate children were legitimatised by Louis XIV and given the royal surname of de Bourbon. Their mother's name, however, was not mentioned in the legitimisation documents. This was because Madame de Montespan was still married to the marquis de Montespan at the time. If their maternal parentage had been revealed, the marquis could have claimed Madame de Montespan's illegitimate children with the king as legally his own. The eldest, a son, Louis-Auguste de Bourbon
, became the duc du Maine; the second child, a son, Louis-César de Bourbon
, became the comte de Vexin; and the third, a daughter, Louise-Françoise de Bourbon
, became Mademoiselle de Nantes. As Madame de Montespan spent the majority of her time immersed in the social whirl of the court, the three had little contact with their busy mother and spent most of their childhood with their governess, Madame Scarron.
In 1674, an official separation with her husband was declared by the Procureur général
Achille de Harlay, assisted by six judges at the Châtelet
. When Louis's affections showed signs of cooling, Madame de Montespan became nervous. She allegedly resorted to black magic
in order to get him back. She may have started to consider using poison against potential rivals for the king's affections as early as 1676.
Due to her role in royal adultery, the Roman Catholic Church
soon became her adversary. In 1675, the priest Lécuyer refused to give her absolution
, which was necessary for her to take Easter communion, a requisite for all Catholics. Father Lécuyer raged,
The King appealed to the priest's superiors, but the Church refused to yield to the king's demands. After a short separation, the King and Madame de Montespan resumed their relationship, resulting in the birth of two more children, Françoise Marie de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Blois, in 1677, and Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon
, comte de Toulouse, in 1678. Both were to be legitimised in 1681.
The Affaire des Poisons
, which erupted in September 1677, was to be the beginning of the end of the reign of La Montespan. Suspicion that Madame de Montespan might be capable of murder or worse began when the King's eye strayed to another beauty, the Duchess of Fontanges
. Madame de Montespan's relegation to the position of superintendent of the Queen's household as a result brought matters to a head. Before any more developments in her romance with the King could occur, Mlle de Fontanges died in 1681. Many at the time suspected that she had been poisoned by her rival, although none could prove it. It is now believed that Mlle de Fontanges died from natural causes.
, Madame de Montespan has never been conclusively implicated. Gabriel Nicolas de La Reynie
, Paris' first Lieutenant General of Police and the chief judge of the court, before whom the famous poison
ing cases were brought, heard testimony that placed Madame de Montespan's first visits to the so-called witch Catherine Monvoisin, known as La Voisin, in 1665. Initially, La Voisin reportedly just gave Madame de Montespan love potions concocted of repulsive ingredients for Louis XIV to take, in the hope that such magic would gain Madame de Montespan the king's love and help her replace Louise de La Vallière
in her role as maîtresse-en-titre.
In 1666, Madame de Montespan supposedly went so far as to allow a priest, Etienne Guibourg
, to perform a black mass
over her nude body in a blood-soaked ceremony, which was also said to have included infant sacrifice. Whatever the truth in these allegations, in July 1667, Madame de Montespan became the king's new mistress even though Louise was carrying his child, Louis de Bourbon, comte de Vermandois
.
In addition to seeking Louis' love, some charged Madame de Montespan with also conspiring to kill him. However, certain inconsistencies in this testimony suggest that the royal mistress was innocent of these charges. However, suspicion was thrown onto Madame de Montespan because the name of her maid, Mlle Desœillets, was frequently mentioned in connection with La Voisin in the evidence brought before the Chambre Ardente
.
Indeed, if anyone was attempting to kill the king, it was more likely Claude de Vin des Œillets
, who had an illegitimate child fathered but not publicly acknowledged by Louis. Presumably, the maid resented the loss of Louis' attention.
Olympia Mancini, Countess of Soissons, herself a former mistress of the king and well-known intrigante, was also implicated in the conspiracy .
From the end of 1680 onwards, Louvois, Jean-Baptiste Colbert
and Madame de Maintenon all helped to hush up the affair in order to prevent further scandal about the mother of the king's legitimised children. Concerning the king's need to avoid shocking scandal, Police Chief La Reynie said:
In 1691, no longer in royal favour, Madame de Montespan retired to the Filles de Saint-Joseph convent, in the rue Saint-Dominique in Paris, with a pension of half a million francs. In gratitude for her departure, the king made her father the governor of Paris, her brother, the duc de Vivonne, a marshal of France
, and one of her sisters, Gabrielle, the abbess of the wealthy Fontevraud Abbey
.
In her long retirement, Madame de Montespan donated vast sums to hospitals and charities. She was also a generous patron of letters, and befriended Corneille
, Racine
and La Fontaine.
After hearing of the death of Françoise-Athénaïs, Madame de Maintenon
is said to have run to her privy and wept bitterly. Françoise-Athénaïs had after all helped her get into court and put her in charge of her children, the position that originally allowed Madame de Maintenon to gain the king's attention.
She had an extravagant and demanding nature and possessed enough charm to usually get what she wanted. She was expensive and glorious, like the Palace of Versailles
itself. Her apartments were filled with pet animals and thousands of flowers; she had a private gallery, and costly jewels were showered upon her. She was highly discriminating as regards to the quality of the gems; returning them if they did not meet her exacting standards. She was given the nickname Quanto ("How much", in Italian). Her love for food and her numerous pregnancies caused her to gain weight in her late thirties until her pleasingly plump figure became undesirably fat.
Louis Auguste de Bourbon
Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon
Louis Alexandre de Bourbon
), Madame de Montespan became an ancestor of the modern House of Orléans
and its present head, Henri d'Orléans, Count of Paris and Duke of France.
She is related to the present Portuguese and Brazilian Royal House of Braganza
, the House of Este, the House of Austria-Este and the House of Savoy
, mainly through her granddaughter by Françoise Marie de Bourbon, Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans.
Françoise Marie's great-great-grandson was Louis-Philippe I, King of the French
. Through Louis-Philippe's eldest daughter, Louise-Marie d'Orléans, the wife of King Leopold I of Belgium
, Madame de Montespan is an ancestor of the present king of Belgium, Albert II
, and his nephew, the present grand duke of Luxembourg, Henri
.
Through Louis Philippe's son Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans she is also an ancestor of the Spanish Royal Family
and its head, King Juan Carlos I of Spain
. Through Louis-Philippe's fourth daughter, Princess Clémentine d'Orléans, the wife of Leopold's nephew, Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, she is also the ancestor of the current pretender to the throne of Bulgaria
, King Simeon II.
in Versailles was built between 1674 and 1680 from the drawings of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Premier architecte du Roi, (First architect of the King), on land bought by Louis XIV in 1665. Madame de Sévigné wrote that its construction employed 1 200 workers and the cost was no less than two millions "livres". The royal gardener André Le Nôtre
created the gardens, which looked west toward the much larger palace of Versailles, of which Clagny was a smaller version. The château de Clagny was also famed for its gallery. In 1685, Louis XIV gave the magnificent palace to Madame de Montespan. At her death, Clagny was inherited by her oldest son, the duc du Maine, who, in turn, passed it on to his son, Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, prince de Dombes
. The château reverted to the French crown in 1766 and was demolished in 1769.
. It was meant as a hideaway for the couple. Because of the fragility of the earthenware tiles used in its construction, the Trianon de porcelaine was demolished in 1687 and replaced by the Grand Trianon
of pink marble (marbre rose des Pyrénées).
unsuccessfully copied her coiffure in order to get the king to notice her more. Later, even after her departure from court, Madame de Montespan's favourite fashions were still being copied.
and Austrians
. Below is a picture of one of the court processions. It shows Louis XIV and his wife, Queen Marie-Thérèse, in Arras
in 1667 during the War of Devolution
.
Madame de Montespan, is said to be the blonde woman at the center of the coach which would have also held the king's sister-in-law Madame, his first cousin La Grande Mademoiselle, the Queen
and Madame de Montespan's older sister, the marquise de Thianges. Louis XIV stands behind the coach with his red hat while his younger brother, Monsieur
, stands further to the right in blue.
Maîtresse-en-titre
The maîtresse-en-titre was the chief mistress of the king of France. It was a semi-official position which came with its own apartments. The title really came into use during the reign of Henry IV and continued until the reign of Louis XV....
of King Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, by whom she had seven children.
Born into one of the oldest noble families of France, the House of Rochechouart
House of Rochechouart
The House of Limoges-Rochechouart is the most ancient noble family in France after the royal family. This powerful dynasty of the Carolingian era dates back to Foucher, supporter of Charles the Bald, who became viscount of Limoges in 876...
, Madame de Montespan was called by some the true Queen of France during her romantic relationship with Louis XIV due to the pervasiveness of her influence at court during that time.
Her so-called "reign" lasted from around 1667, when she first danced with Louis XIV at a ball hosted by the king's younger brother, Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
Philippe of France was the youngest son of Louis XIII of France and his queen consort Anne of Austria. His older brother was the famous Louis XIV, le roi soleil. Styled Duke of Anjou from birth, Philippe became Duke of Orléans upon the death of his uncle Gaston, Duke of Orléans...
, at the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
, until her alleged involvement in the notorious Affaire des Poisons
Poison affair
The Affair of the Poisons was a major murder scandal in France which took place in 1677–1682, during the reign of King Louis XIV. During it, a number of prominent members of the aristocracy were implicated and sentenced on charges of poisoning and witchcraft...
in the late 1670s to 1680s. Her immediate contemporary was Barbara Villiers
Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland
Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland was an English courtesan and perhaps the most notorious of the many mistresses of King Charles II of England, by whom she had five children, all of which were acknowledged and subsequently ennobled...
, mistress of King Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
.
She is an ancestress of several royal houses in Europe, including those of Spain, Italy, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and Portugal.
Early life
Françoise de Rochechouart de Mortemart was born on 5 October 1641 and baptised the same day at the ChâteauChâteau
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
of Lussac-les-Châteaux
Lussac-les-Châteaux
Lussac-les-Châteaux is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in western France.- Prehistory :The importance of the prehistoric art at Lussac is evidenced by the presence of numerous archaeological artefacts in the Museum of National Antiquities at...
in today's Vienne
Vienne
Vienne is the northernmost département of the Poitou-Charentes region of France, named after the river Vienne.- Viennese history :Vienne is one of the original 83 departments, established on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Poitou,...
department, in the Poitou-Charentes
Poitou-Charentes
Poitou-Charentes is an administrative region in central western France comprising four departments: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres and Vienne. The regional capital is Poitiers.-Politics:The regional council is composed of 56 members...
region in France, Françoise (as a précieuse
Précieuses
The French literary style called préciosité arose in the 17th century from the lively conversations and playful word games of les précieuses , the witty and educated intellectual ladies who frequented the salon of Catherine de Vivonne, marquise de Rambouillet; her Chambre bleue offered a...
, she later adopted the name "Athénaïs"), Mlle de Tonnay-Charente, possessed the blood of two of the oldest noble families of France through her parents, Gabriel de Rochechouart, Duke of Mortemart, Prince of Tonnay-Charente, and Diane de Grandseigne.
From her father, she inherited the famous Mortemart esprit
Morale
Morale, also known as esprit de corps when discussing the morale of a group, is an intangible term used to describe the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others...
("wit"). As a young girl, she often travelled with her mother between the family estates and the court at the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
in Paris. At the age of twelve, she began her formal education at the Convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
of St Mary at Saintes
Saintes
Saintes is a French commune located in Poitou-Charentes, in the southwestern Charente-Maritime department of which it is a sub-prefecture. Its inhabitants are called Saintaises and Saintais....
, where her sister Gabrielle had started hers almost a decade earlier. Her siblings were:
- GabrielleGabrielle de Rochechouart de MortemartGabrielle de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marchioness of Thianges was a French noblewoman. A great beauty and wit, she was the older sister of Françoise de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Madame de Montespan.-Biography:...
(1633–1693), who married Claude Léonor Damas de Thianges, Marquess of ThiangesThiangesThianges is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.-See also:*Communes of the Nièvre department*Gabrièlle de Rochechouart de Mortemart, marquise de Thianges-References:*...
and had issue. - Louis VictorLouis Victor de Rochechouart de MortemartLouis Victor de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Duke of Mortemart was a French nobleman and member of the ancient House of Rochechouart. His father Gabriel de Rochechouart de Mortemart was a childhood friend of Louis XIII...
(25 August 1636-1688), known as the Marquess of Vivonne, who was an enfant d'honneur and a friend of Louis XIV of FranceLouis XIV of FranceLouis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
in his youth. - Marie Madeleine Gabrielle Adélaïde (1645–1704), who due to her relationship with Françoise-Athénaïs, was known as the Queen of Abbesses.
At the age of twenty, Françoise-Athénaïs became a maid-of-honour to the king's sister-in-law, Princess Henrietta Anne of England, who was known at court by the traditional honorific
Honorific
An honorific is a word or expression with connotations conveying esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term is used not quite correctly to refer to an honorary title...
of Madame
Fils de France
Fils de France was the style and rank held by the sons of the kings and dauphins of France. A daughter was known as a fille de France .The children of the dauphin, who was the king's heir apparent, were accorded the same style and status as if they were the king's children instead of his...
. Later, because of the relationship between her mother and the queen dowager, Anne d'Autriche
Anne of Austria
Anne of Austria was Queen consort of France and Navarre, regent for her son, Louis XIV of France, and a Spanish Infanta by birth...
, Françoise-Athénaïs was appointed to be a lady-in-waiting to the king's wife, Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche
Maria Theresa of Spain
Maria Theresa of Austria was the daughter of Philip IV, King of Spain and Elizabeth of France. Maria Theresa was Queen of France as wife of King Louis XIV and mother of the Grand Dauphin, an ancestor of the last four Bourbon kings of France.-Early life:Born as Infanta María Teresa of Spain at the...
.
Marriage
On 28 January 1663, Françoise married Louis Henri de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Marquess of MontespanLouis Henri de Pardaillan de Gondrin
Louis Henri de Pardaillan de Gondrin , marquis of Montespan, was a French nobleman. He is most notable as the husband of Louis XIV's mistress Madame de Montespan.-Life:...
(1640–1701), who was a year her senior. Françoise had previously been engaged to his brother, but the brother had been killed in a duel after a ball at the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
. Following his death, it was decided that Françoise should marry his younger sibling. The wedding ceremony took place in a chapel at the Église Saint-Eustache
Église Saint-Eustache, Paris
L’église Saint-Eustache is a church in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, built between 1532 and 1632.Situated at the entrance to Paris’s ancient markets and the beginning of rue Montorgueil, the Église de Saint-Eustache is considered a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture...
in Paris. The couple had two children:
- Marie Christine de Pardaillan de GondrinMarie Christine de Pardaillan de GondrinMarie Christine de Pardaillan de Gondrin was the eldest legitimate child of Françoise de Rochechouart de Mortemart and her husband, the Marquis of Montespan. She died in her teens and never married.-Biography:...
(1663–1675), who died at the Château de Bonnefont, one of her father's castles in Gascony. - Louis Antoine de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Marquess of AntinLouis Antoine de Pardaillan de GondrinLouis Antoine de Pardaillan de Gondrin , marquis of Antin, Gondrin and Montespan , then 1st Duke of Antin was a French nobleman...
(1665–1736); later Duke of Antin. Louis Antoine had a cordial relationship with his younger half-brothers, the Duke of MaineLouis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du MaineLouis Auguste de Bourbon, Legitimé de France was the eldest legitimised son of the Louis XIV of France and his maîtresse-en-titre, Madame de Montespan...
and the Count of ToulouseLouis-Alexandre de Bourbon, Comte de ToulouseLouis Alexandre de Bourbon, comte de Toulouse , duc de Penthièvre , d'Arc, de Châteauvillain and de Rambouillet , , was the son of Louis XIV and of his mistress Madame de Montespan...
.
The couple lived in a small house close to the Louvre, which allowed Madame de Montespan to attend court and carry out her duties there as a lady-in-waiting to the Duchess of Orléans. Beauty was only one of Madame de Montespan's many charms. She was a cultured and amusing conversationalist, who won the admiration of such literary figures as letter-writer Madame de Sévigné
Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné
Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné was a French aristocrat, remembered for her letter-writing. Most of her letters, celebrated for their wit and vividness, were addressed to her daughter.-Life:...
and diarist Saint-Simon
Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon
Louis de Rouvroy commonly known as Saint-Simon was a French soldier, diplomatist and writer of memoirs, was born in Paris...
. In addition, she kept abreast of political events. This had the effect of making her even more appealing to men of intellect and power.
It was said that she once had an affair with the renowned chef François Vatel
François Vatel
François Vatel was the maître d'hôtel of Nicolas Fouquet and prince Louis II de Bourbon-Condé.He is widely, but incorrectly, credited with creating crème Chantilly , a sweet, vanilla-flavoured whipped cream, for an extravagant banquet for 2,000 people hosted in honour of Louis XIV by Louis, the...
during festivities at the Château de Chantilly
Château de Chantilly
The Château de Chantilly is a historic château located in the town of Chantilly, France. It comprises two attached buildings; the Grand Château, destroyed during the French Revolution and rebuilt in the 1870s, and the Petit Château which was built around 1560 for Anne de Montmorency...
.
Rise as Maîtresse-en-titre
Madame de Montespan astounded the court by openly resenting the position of Queen Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche, the daughter of the King and Queen of Spain, Philip IVPhilip IV of Spain
Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...
and Elisabeth de France. A scandal arose when the Duchess of Montausier, governess of the royal children and lady-in-waiting to the Queen, was accused of acting as a go-between in order to secure the governorship of the Dauphin for her husband, the Duke of Montausier
Charles de Sainte-Maure, duc de Montausier
Charles de Sainte-Maure, duc de Montausier was a French soldier and the governor of the dauphin, Louis le Grand Dauphin, the eldest son and heir of Louis XIV, King of France....
.
By 1666, Madame de Montespan was trying to take the place of Louis XIV's current mistress, Louise de La Vallière
Louise de La Vallière
Louise de La Vallière was a mistress of Louis XIV of France from 1661 to 1667. She later became the Duchess of La Vallière and Duchess of Vaujours in her own right...
. Using her wit and charm, she sought to ingratiate herself with the king. She also became close to the Dauphin, whose affection for her never wavered.
She also became friends at court with another lady-in-waiting to the queen, Louise Boyer
Louise Boyer
Anne Louise Boyer, Duchess of Noailles , was the first Duchess of Noailles, her husband being created Duke of Noailles by Louis XIV in 1663.-Biography:...
, the wife of Anne, Duke of Noailles
Anne de Noailles
Anna, Comtesse Mathieu de Noailles , was a Romanian-French writer.-Biography:Born Princess Anna Elisabeth Bibesco-Bassaraba de Brancovan in Paris, she was a descendant of the Bibescu and Craioveşti families of Romanian boyars...
. Montespan's youngest son, the Count of Toulouse, would later marry one of Boyer's grand-daughters.
Illegitimate children
The first of the seven children that Madame de Montespan bore to the king was born in March 1669. The new-born child, a girl, Louise Françoise de Bourbon (1669–1672), was entrusted to one of Madame de Montespan's friends, Madame Scarron (the future marquise de MaintenonFrançoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon
Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon was the second wife of King Louis XIV of France. She was known during her first marriage as Madame Scarron, and subsequently as Madame de Maintenon...
) to raise. To house the child and Madame Scarron, the King bought a small house in the village of Vaugirard on the outskirts of Paris.
In 1673, the couple's three living illegitimate children were legitimatised by Louis XIV and given the royal surname of de Bourbon. Their mother's name, however, was not mentioned in the legitimisation documents. This was because Madame de Montespan was still married to the marquis de Montespan at the time. If their maternal parentage had been revealed, the marquis could have claimed Madame de Montespan's illegitimate children with the king as legally his own. The eldest, a son, Louis-Auguste de Bourbon
Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine
Louis Auguste de Bourbon, Legitimé de France was the eldest legitimised son of the Louis XIV of France and his maîtresse-en-titre, Madame de Montespan...
, became the duc du Maine; the second child, a son, Louis-César de Bourbon
Louis-César de Bourbon
Louis César de Bourbon, Légitimé de France, Count of Vexin was a son of Louis XIV of France and his mistress Madame de Montespan. He was the Abbot of Saint-Denis and of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.-Biography:...
, became the comte de Vexin; and the third, a daughter, Louise-Françoise de Bourbon
Louise-Françoise de Bourbon
Louise Françoise de Bourbon, Légitimée de France was the eldest surviving legitimised daughter of Louis XIV of France and his maîtresse-en-titre, Madame de Montespan. She was said to have been named after her godmother, Louise de La Vallière, the woman that her mother had replaced as the king's...
, became Mademoiselle de Nantes. As Madame de Montespan spent the majority of her time immersed in the social whirl of the court, the three had little contact with their busy mother and spent most of their childhood with their governess, Madame Scarron.
In 1674, an official separation with her husband was declared by the Procureur général
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
Achille de Harlay, assisted by six judges at the Châtelet
Grand Châtelet
The Grand Châtelet was a stronghold in Ancien Régime Paris, on the right bank of the Seine, on the site of what is now the Place du Châtelet; it contained a court and police headquarters and a number of prisons....
. When Louis's affections showed signs of cooling, Madame de Montespan became nervous. She allegedly resorted to black magic
Black magic
Black magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...
in order to get him back. She may have started to consider using poison against potential rivals for the king's affections as early as 1676.
Due to her role in royal adultery, the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
soon became her adversary. In 1675, the priest Lécuyer refused to give her absolution
Absolution
Absolution is a traditional theological term for the forgiveness experienced in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This concept is found in the Roman Catholic Church, as well as the Eastern Orthodox churches, the Anglican churches, and most Lutheran churches....
, which was necessary for her to take Easter communion, a requisite for all Catholics. Father Lécuyer raged,
The King appealed to the priest's superiors, but the Church refused to yield to the king's demands. After a short separation, the King and Madame de Montespan resumed their relationship, resulting in the birth of two more children, Françoise Marie de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Blois, in 1677, and Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon
Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, Comte de Toulouse
Louis Alexandre de Bourbon, comte de Toulouse , duc de Penthièvre , d'Arc, de Châteauvillain and de Rambouillet , , was the son of Louis XIV and of his mistress Madame de Montespan...
, comte de Toulouse, in 1678. Both were to be legitimised in 1681.
The Affaire des Poisons
Poison affair
The Affair of the Poisons was a major murder scandal in France which took place in 1677–1682, during the reign of King Louis XIV. During it, a number of prominent members of the aristocracy were implicated and sentenced on charges of poisoning and witchcraft...
, which erupted in September 1677, was to be the beginning of the end of the reign of La Montespan. Suspicion that Madame de Montespan might be capable of murder or worse began when the King's eye strayed to another beauty, the Duchess of Fontanges
Angélique de Fontanges
Marie Angélique de Scorailles was a French noblewoman and one of the many mistresses of Louis XIV. A lady-in-waiting to his sister-in-law the Duchess of Orléans, she caught the attention of the Sun King and became his lover in 1679...
. Madame de Montespan's relegation to the position of superintendent of the Queen's household as a result brought matters to a head. Before any more developments in her romance with the King could occur, Mlle de Fontanges died in 1681. Many at the time suspected that she had been poisoned by her rival, although none could prove it. It is now believed that Mlle de Fontanges died from natural causes.
Affaire des Poisons
Long assumed to have been involved in the infamous Affaire des PoisonsPoison affair
The Affair of the Poisons was a major murder scandal in France which took place in 1677–1682, during the reign of King Louis XIV. During it, a number of prominent members of the aristocracy were implicated and sentenced on charges of poisoning and witchcraft...
, Madame de Montespan has never been conclusively implicated. Gabriel Nicolas de La Reynie
Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie
Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie is considered to be the founder of the first modern police force.-Early career:Born in 1625 in Limoges, France to a poor family, Gabriel Nicolas made a wealthy marriage in 1645 and took the name of Reynie, a minor lordship with an annual income of 200 pounds. He was a...
, Paris' first Lieutenant General of Police and the chief judge of the court, before whom the famous poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
ing cases were brought, heard testimony that placed Madame de Montespan's first visits to the so-called witch Catherine Monvoisin, known as La Voisin, in 1665. Initially, La Voisin reportedly just gave Madame de Montespan love potions concocted of repulsive ingredients for Louis XIV to take, in the hope that such magic would gain Madame de Montespan the king's love and help her replace Louise de La Vallière
Louise de La Vallière
Louise de La Vallière was a mistress of Louis XIV of France from 1661 to 1667. She later became the Duchess of La Vallière and Duchess of Vaujours in her own right...
in her role as maîtresse-en-titre.
In 1666, Madame de Montespan supposedly went so far as to allow a priest, Etienne Guibourg
Étienne Guibourg
The Abbé Étienne Guibourg was a French Roman Catholic abbé who was involved in the Affair of the Poisons.He was the sacristan of the Saint-Marcel church at Saint-Denis, and formerly the chaplain to the Comte de Montgomery. He claimed to be the illegitimate son of Henri de Montmorency...
, to perform a black mass
Black Mass
A Black Mass is a ceremony supposedly celebrated during the Witches' Sabbath, which was a sacrilegious parody of the Catholic Mass. Its main objective was the profanation of the host, although there is no agreement among authors on how hosts were obtained or profaned; the most common idea is that...
over her nude body in a blood-soaked ceremony, which was also said to have included infant sacrifice. Whatever the truth in these allegations, in July 1667, Madame de Montespan became the king's new mistress even though Louise was carrying his child, Louis de Bourbon, comte de Vermandois
Louis de Bourbon, comte de Vermandois
Louis de Bourbon, Légitimé de France, Count of Vermandois was the eldest surviving son of Louis XIV of France and his mistress Louise de La Vallière....
.
In addition to seeking Louis' love, some charged Madame de Montespan with also conspiring to kill him. However, certain inconsistencies in this testimony suggest that the royal mistress was innocent of these charges. However, suspicion was thrown onto Madame de Montespan because the name of her maid, Mlle Desœillets, was frequently mentioned in connection with La Voisin in the evidence brought before the Chambre Ardente
Chambre Ardente
A Chambre ardente was an extraordinary court of justice in Ancien Régime France, mainly held for the trials of heretics.The name is perhaps an allusion to the fact that the proceedings took place in a room from which all daylight was excluded, the only illumination being from torches, or there may...
.
Indeed, if anyone was attempting to kill the king, it was more likely Claude de Vin des Œillets
Claude de Vin des Œillets
Claude de Vin des Œillets, known as Mademoiselle des Œillets, , was a mistress of Louis XIV of France and a the companion of the official royal mistress and favorite Madame de Montespan...
, who had an illegitimate child fathered but not publicly acknowledged by Louis. Presumably, the maid resented the loss of Louis' attention.
Olympia Mancini, Countess of Soissons, herself a former mistress of the king and well-known intrigante, was also implicated in the conspiracy .
From the end of 1680 onwards, Louvois, Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert was a French politician who served as the Minister of Finances of France from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His relentless hard work and thrift made him an esteemed minister. He achieved a reputation for his work of improving the state of French manufacturing...
and Madame de Maintenon all helped to hush up the affair in order to prevent further scandal about the mother of the king's legitimised children. Concerning the king's need to avoid shocking scandal, Police Chief La Reynie said:
Exile
Even after the scandal had forced Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan apart, the king continued to visit her daily in her rooms at the palace. Apparently her brilliance, charm, and spirited conversation mitigated to some extent her reduced status as a discarded mistress.In 1691, no longer in royal favour, Madame de Montespan retired to the Filles de Saint-Joseph convent, in the rue Saint-Dominique in Paris, with a pension of half a million francs. In gratitude for her departure, the king made her father the governor of Paris, her brother, the duc de Vivonne, a marshal of France
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
, and one of her sisters, Gabrielle, the abbess of the wealthy Fontevraud Abbey
Fontevraud Abbey
Fontevraud Abbey or Fontevrault Abbey is a religious building hosting a cultural centre since 1975, the Centre Culturel de l'Ouest, in the village of Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, near Chinon, in Anjou, France. It was founded by the itinerant reforming preacher Robert of Arbrissel, who had just created a...
.
In her long retirement, Madame de Montespan donated vast sums to hospitals and charities. She was also a generous patron of letters, and befriended Corneille
Pierre Corneille
Pierre Corneille was a French tragedian who was one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine...
, Racine
Jean Racine
Jean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition...
and La Fontaine.
Death
The last years of her life were given up to a very severe penance. Real sorrow over her death was felt by her three youngest children. She died on 27 May 1707 at the age of sixty-five while taking the waters at Bourbon-l'Archambault in order to try to heal an illness. The king forbade her children to wear mourning for her.Effects
As a mark of respect for the death of their beloved mother, the duchesse de Bourbon, duchesse d'Orléans and the comte de Toulouse, who were very close to her, refused to go to any court gatherings. Her eldest (and most disloyal) child with the king, the duc du Maine, though, was hardly able to conceal his joy on the death of his mother. He had always considered Madame de Maintenon to be more of a mother to him.After hearing of the death of Françoise-Athénaïs, Madame de Maintenon
Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon
Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon was the second wife of King Louis XIV of France. She was known during her first marriage as Madame Scarron, and subsequently as Madame de Maintenon...
is said to have run to her privy and wept bitterly. Françoise-Athénaïs had after all helped her get into court and put her in charge of her children, the position that originally allowed Madame de Maintenon to gain the king's attention.
Nature and appearance
Athénaïs was considered breathtakingly beautiful by the standards of her time. She had thick, curly wheat-colored hair that fell in ringlets around her face so beautifully that even the Queen copied her hairstyle. Her eyes were huge and blue, her lips full and her figure sensuously curvaceous. All of these qualities appealed to the sensibilities of beauty at the time. Her love of mockery, infectious laughter and quick wit were engaging, as were her intelligence and flirtatious interplay. Steeped in sensualism, she is often described as a hedonist with a fondness for music, dancing, the arts, food and love-making.She had an extravagant and demanding nature and possessed enough charm to usually get what she wanted. She was expensive and glorious, like the Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
itself. Her apartments were filled with pet animals and thousands of flowers; she had a private gallery, and costly jewels were showered upon her. She was highly discriminating as regards to the quality of the gems; returning them if they did not meet her exacting standards. She was given the nickname Quanto ("How much", in Italian). Her love for food and her numerous pregnancies caused her to gain weight in her late thirties until her pleasingly plump figure became undesirably fat.
Children by Louis XIV
Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan had seven children, only four of whom survived childhood:Louise Françoise de Bourbon (1669-1672)
-
- She was the first child to be placed in the care of the future Madame de Maintenon.
Louis Auguste de BourbonLouis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du MaineLouis Auguste de Bourbon, Legitimé de France was the eldest legitimised son of the Louis XIV of France and his maîtresse-en-titre, Madame de Montespan...
(1670-1736)
-
- Legitimised in December 1673, and given the title of Duke of Maine;
- Married Anne Louise Bénédicte de Bourbon;
- Had issue but no surviving descendants;
- Was also the founder of the House of Bourbon-Maine;
- Inherited the Château de ClagnyChâteau de ClagnyThe Château de Clagny was a French country house that stood northeast of the Château de Versailles; it was designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart for Madame de Montespan between 1674 and 1680...
.
Louis César de Bourbon (1672-1683)
-
- Made Count of Vexin;
- Abbot of Saint-Germain-des-Prés (Abbé de Saint-Germain-des-Prés).
Louise Françoise de Bourbon (1673-1743)
-
- Named after Louise de La VallièreLouise de La VallièreLouise de La Vallière was a mistress of Louis XIV of France from 1661 to 1667. She later became the Duchess of La Vallière and Duchess of Vaujours in her own right...
, her mother's predecessor as Louis XIV's official mistress; La Vallière was also her godmother; - Legitimised in 1673;
- Given the title of Mademoiselle de Nantes after her legitimisation;
- Married Louis III, Prince of CondéLouis III, Prince of CondéLouis de Bourbon, , was Prince of Condé for less than a year, following the death of his father Henry III, Prince of Condé in 1709...
; - Upon her marriage, she assumed the title of duchesse de Bourbon and later princesse de Condé;
- The present members of the House of OrléansHouse of OrleansOrléans is the name used by several branches of the Royal House of France, all descended in the legitimate male line from the dynasty's founder, Hugh Capet. It became a tradition during France's ancien régime for the duchy of Orléans to be granted as an appanage to a younger son of the king...
are descended from Louise-Françoise through her daughter Louise Élisabeth de Bourbon; - The Palais BourbonPalais BourbonThe Palais Bourbon, , a palace located on the left bank of the Seine, across from the Place de la Concorde, Paris , is the seat of the French National Assembly, the lower legislative chamber of the French government.-History:...
in Paris was built for her.
- Named after Louise de La Vallière
Louise Marie Anne de BourbonLouise Marie Anne de BourbonLouise Marie Anne de Bourbon, Légitimée de France, Mademoiselle de Tours was the illegitimate daughter of Louis XIV of France and his most famous Maîtresse-en-titre, Madame de Montespan...
(1674-1681)
-
- Legitimised in January 1676;
- Given the title of Mademoiselle de Tours.
Françoise Marie de Bourbon (1677-1749)
-
- Legitimised in 1681;
- Given the title of Mademoiselle de Blois, holding it until her marriage;
- Married the future regent Philippe II, Duke of OrléansPhilippe II, Duke of OrléansPhilippe d'Orléans was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723. Born at his father's palace at Saint-Cloud, he was known from birth under the title of Duke of Chartres...
in 1692; - Through her son, Françoise Marie became a direct ancestor of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French and the modern House of OrléansHouse of OrleansOrléans is the name used by several branches of the Royal House of France, all descended in the legitimate male line from the dynasty's founder, Hugh Capet. It became a tradition during France's ancien régime for the duchy of Orléans to be granted as an appanage to a younger son of the king...
.
Louis Alexandre de BourbonLouis-Alexandre de Bourbon, Comte de ToulouseLouis Alexandre de Bourbon, comte de Toulouse , duc de Penthièvre , d'Arc, de Châteauvillain and de Rambouillet , , was the son of Louis XIV and of his mistress Madame de Montespan...
(1678-1737)
-
- Legitimised in 1681;
- Given the title of Count of ToulouseCounts of ToulouseThe first Counts of Toulouse were the administrators of the city and its environs under the Merovingians. No succession of such royal appointees is known, though a few names survive to the present...
; - Married Marie Victoire de NoaillesMarie Victoire de NoaillesMarie Victoire Sophie de Noailles, Countess of Toulouse , was the daughter of Anne Jules de Noailles, the 2nd Duke of Noailles, and his wife, Marie-Françoise de Bournonville...
; - The modern house of Orléans is also related to him through his granddaughter Louise Marie Adélaïde de BourbonLouise Marie Adélaïde de BourbonLouise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon, Duchess of Orléans, , was the daughter of Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre and of Princess Maria Theresa Felicitas of Modena. At the death of her brother, Louis Alexandre de Bourbon, prince de Lamballe, she became the wealthiest heiress in France...
who married Philippe ÉgalitéLouis Philippe II, Duke of OrléansLouis Philippe Joseph d'Orléans commonly known as Philippe, was a member of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, the ruling dynasty of France. He actively supported the French Revolution and adopted the name Philippe Égalité, but was nonetheless guillotined during the Reign of Terror...
; - He founded the house of Bourbon-Toulouse which with his son became the House of Bourbon-Penthièvre.
- Owned the Hôtel de ToulouseHôtel de ToulouseThe Hôtel de Toulouse, former Hôtel de La Vrillière, situated 1 rue de La Vrillière, in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, was built between 1635 and 1640 by François Mansart, for Louis Phélypeaux, seigneur de La Vrillière....
in Paris - today the seat of the Banque de FranceBanque de FranceThe Banque de France is the central bank of France; it is linked to the European Central Bank . Its main charge is to implement the interest rate policy of the European System of Central Banks...
.
House of Orléans
Through three of her children (Louise Françoise de Bourbon, Françoise Marie de Bourbon and the comte de ToulouseLouis-Alexandre de Bourbon, Comte de Toulouse
Louis Alexandre de Bourbon, comte de Toulouse , duc de Penthièvre , d'Arc, de Châteauvillain and de Rambouillet , , was the son of Louis XIV and of his mistress Madame de Montespan...
), Madame de Montespan became an ancestor of the modern House of Orléans
House of Orleans
Orléans is the name used by several branches of the Royal House of France, all descended in the legitimate male line from the dynasty's founder, Hugh Capet. It became a tradition during France's ancien régime for the duchy of Orléans to be granted as an appanage to a younger son of the king...
and its present head, Henri d'Orléans, Count of Paris and Duke of France.
She is related to the present Portuguese and Brazilian Royal House of Braganza
House of Braganza
The Most Serene House of Braganza , an important Portuguese noble family, ruled the Kingdom of Portugal and its colonial Empire, from 1640 to 1910...
, the House of Este, the House of Austria-Este and the House of Savoy
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
, mainly through her granddaughter by Françoise Marie de Bourbon, Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans.
Françoise Marie's great-great-grandson was Louis-Philippe I, King of the French
Louis-Philippe of France
Louis Philippe I was King of the French from 1830 to 1848 in what was known as the July Monarchy. His father was a duke who supported the French Revolution but was nevertheless guillotined. Louis Philippe fled France as a young man and spent 21 years in exile, including considerable time in the...
. Through Louis-Philippe's eldest daughter, Louise-Marie d'Orléans, the wife of King Leopold I of Belgium
Leopold I of Belgium
Leopold I was from 21 July 1831 the first King of the Belgians, following Belgium's independence from the Netherlands. He was the founder of the Belgian line of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
, Madame de Montespan is an ancestor of the present king of Belgium, Albert II
Albert II of Belgium
Albert II is the current reigning King of the Belgians, a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
, and his nephew, the present grand duke of Luxembourg, Henri
Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg OIH is the head of state of Luxembourg. He is the eldest son of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. His maternal grandparents were King Leopold III of Belgium and Astrid of Sweden...
.
Through Louis Philippe's son Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans she is also an ancestor of the Spanish Royal Family
Spanish Royal Family
The Royal Family of the Kingdom of Spain consists of the current king, Juan Carlos, his spouse, Queen Sofia of Spain and their direct descendants. The Spanish royal family belongs to the House of Borbón...
and its head, King Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...
. Through Louis-Philippe's fourth daughter, Princess Clémentine d'Orléans, the wife of Leopold's nephew, Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, she is also the ancestor of the current pretender to the throne of Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, King Simeon II.
Château de Clagny
The Château de ClagnyChâteau de Clagny
The Château de Clagny was a French country house that stood northeast of the Château de Versailles; it was designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart for Madame de Montespan between 1674 and 1680...
in Versailles was built between 1674 and 1680 from the drawings of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Premier architecte du Roi, (First architect of the King), on land bought by Louis XIV in 1665. Madame de Sévigné wrote that its construction employed 1 200 workers and the cost was no less than two millions "livres". The royal gardener André Le Nôtre
André Le Nôtre
André Le Nôtre was a French landscape architect and the principal gardener of King Louis XIV of France...
created the gardens, which looked west toward the much larger palace of Versailles, of which Clagny was a smaller version. The château de Clagny was also famed for its gallery. In 1685, Louis XIV gave the magnificent palace to Madame de Montespan. At her death, Clagny was inherited by her oldest son, the duc du Maine, who, in turn, passed it on to his son, Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, prince de Dombes
Louis-Auguste, Prince of Dombes
Louis Auguste de Bourbon, Prince of Dombes was a grandson of Louis XIV of France and of his maîtresse-en-titre Françoise-Athénaïs de Montespan...
. The château reverted to the French crown in 1766 and was demolished in 1769.
Trianon de porcelaine
Louis XIV also had a pleasure pavilion, called the Trianon de porcelaine built for Madame de Montespan, and surrounded by gardens, on the site of the former hamlet of Trianon which he had purchased near the Palace of VersaillesPalace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
. It was meant as a hideaway for the couple. Because of the fragility of the earthenware tiles used in its construction, the Trianon de porcelaine was demolished in 1687 and replaced by the Grand Trianon
Grand Trianon
The Grand Trianon was built in the northwestern part of the Domain of Versailles at the request of Louis XIV, as a retreat for the King and his maîtresse en titre of the time, the marquise de Montespan, and as a place where the King and invited guests could take light meals away from the strict...
of pink marble (marbre rose des Pyrénées).
Fashion
At court, women copied Madame de Montespan's lavish style of dress which was often very loose and unfettered. The looseness allowed her to move more easily during her frequent pregnancies. Queen Marie-Thérèse d'AutricheMaria Theresa of Spain
Maria Theresa of Austria was the daughter of Philip IV, King of Spain and Elizabeth of France. Maria Theresa was Queen of France as wife of King Louis XIV and mother of the Grand Dauphin, an ancestor of the last four Bourbon kings of France.-Early life:Born as Infanta María Teresa of Spain at the...
unsuccessfully copied her coiffure in order to get the king to notice her more. Later, even after her departure from court, Madame de Montespan's favourite fashions were still being copied.
Court
As the king's official mistress, Madame de Montespan frequently joined the rest of the court as it escorted the king as he waged his many wars against the DutchNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Austrians
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
. Below is a picture of one of the court processions. It shows Louis XIV and his wife, Queen Marie-Thérèse, in Arras
Arras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
in 1667 during the War of Devolution
War of Devolution
The War of Devolution saw Louis XIV's French armies overrun the Habsburg-controlled Spanish Netherlands and the Franche-Comté, but forced to give most of it back by a Triple Alliance of England, Sweden, and the Dutch Republic in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.-Background:Louis's claims to the...
.
Madame de Montespan, is said to be the blonde woman at the center of the coach which would have also held the king's sister-in-law Madame, his first cousin La Grande Mademoiselle, the Queen
Maria Theresa of Spain
Maria Theresa of Austria was the daughter of Philip IV, King of Spain and Elizabeth of France. Maria Theresa was Queen of France as wife of King Louis XIV and mother of the Grand Dauphin, an ancestor of the last four Bourbon kings of France.-Early life:Born as Infanta María Teresa of Spain at the...
and Madame de Montespan's older sister, the marquise de Thianges. Louis XIV stands behind the coach with his red hat while his younger brother, Monsieur
Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
Philippe of France was the youngest son of Louis XIII of France and his queen consort Anne of Austria. His older brother was the famous Louis XIV, le roi soleil. Styled Duke of Anjou from birth, Philippe became Duke of Orléans upon the death of his uncle Gaston, Duke of Orléans...
, stands further to the right in blue.
Further reading
- Caylus (Madame de), Les Souvenirs de Madame de Caylus, Collection le Temps retrouvé VI, Mercure de France, Paris, 1965.
- Erlanger, Philippe, Louis XIV, Librairie Arthème Fayard, Paris, 1965.
- Erlanger, Philippe, Louis XIV, (translated from the French by Stephen Cox), Praeger Publishers, Inc., New York, 1970.
- Fraser, Antonia (Lady), Love and Louis XIV
- Freeman-Mitford, Nancy (Hon.)Nancy MitfordNancy Freeman-Mitford, CBE , styled The Hon. Nancy Mitford before her marriage and The Hon. Mrs Peter Rodd thereafter, was an English novelist and biographer, one of the Bright Young People on the London social scene in the inter-war years...
, The Sun King - Hilton, Lisa, Athénaïs:The Real Queen of France
- Lenotre, G. Le Château de Rambouillet, six siècles d'Histoire, Calman-Lévy, Paris, 1930.
- Petitfils, Jean-Christian, Madame de Montespan, Librairie Arthème Fayard, Paris, 1988 (ISBN 2213022429).
- Petitfils, Jean-Christian, Louis XIV, Perrin, Paris, 1999 (ISBN 2262012938).
- Verlet, Pierre, Le Château de Versailles, Librairie Arthème Fayard, Paris, 1961 & 1985.
In fiction
- She figured in Victorien SardouVictorien SardouVictorien Sardou was a French dramatist. He is best remembered today for his development, along with Eugène Scribe, of the well-made play...
's play L'Affaire des poisons (1907). - She played a major role as the rival to the main character in "Angelique and the King" by Sergeanne Golon (1960).
- She also was a driving force in Judith Merkle-Riley's novel The Oracle Glass (1995).
- Madame de Montespan was also fictionally referenced as a Satanist in Chelsea Quinn Yarbo's vampire novel Hotel Transylvania (1978).
- She had a minor role in Chiho SaitoChiho Saitois a Japanese manga artist, most noted for the manga Revolutionary Girl Utena. In 1997, she received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo for Kanon. She is part of the Be-Papas manga artist collective....
and Kunihiko IkuharaKunihiko Ikuharais a Japanese creative artist who has collaborated on several famous anime and manga series. He is best known for creating and directing Revolutionary Girl Utena. Recently he has created a popular series called Mawaru Penguindrum.-Life:...
's mangaMangaManga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series S to M no Sekai (2001), which was published in English as The World Exists For Me (2005). - She was one of the many courtiers of Louis XIV in Alexandre Dumas, pèreAlexandre Dumas, pèreAlexandre Dumas, , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world...
's novel, The Vicomte de BragelonneThe Vicomte de BragelonneThe Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later is a novel by Alexandre Dumas. It is the third and last of the d'Artagnan Romances, following The Three Musketeers and Twenty Years After. It appeared first in serial form between 1847 and 1850...
. She was seen more in her younger years as one of the maids of honor to Queen Marie-Thérèse and a close friend to Louise de La Vallière, Louis XIV's mistress at the period of the novel's action. - She has a significant role in 'The Refugees' (1893) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle where her fall from favour with Louis XIV is dramatically depicted
- She has a major role in 'The Orange Trees of Versailles' by Annie Pietri. It is set during the Affair of the Poisons and is written from the viewpoint of Marion, one of Madame de Montespan's maids. Marion disrupts Madame de Montespan's attempt to murder Queen Marie-Thérèse and is taken to work as a perfumer for the king and queen.
- She was played by the actress Marine DeltermeMarine DeltermeMarine Delterme is a French actress, painter, sculptor and former model.-Early life and private life:Marine Delterme was born in Toulouse, France. She grew up in Paris. Her parents worked in the art restoration business...
in the film VatelVatelVatel may refer to:*the 17th century French chef François Vatel,*Vatel , the 2000 film starring Gérard Depardieu as the chef above or*the 18th century Swiss philosopher, diplomat, and legal expert Emerich de Vattel....
. - She is a central character in Clare Colvin's novel The Mirror Makers (2003).
- She is a central figure in the collection of poetry, "Some Other Garden", by Jane Urquhart, first published as: "I am Walking in the Garden of His Imaginary Place". (2000; 1982)
- She makes an appearance in Le Roi SoleilLe Roi Soleil (musical)Le Roi Soleil is a successful French musical about the life of Louis XIV . It premiered on 22 September 2005 at the Palais des Sports in Paris.-Plot:...
, a French musical which opened in Paris in 2005 where she was portrayed by Lysa Ansaldi.
Other references
- See contemporary memoirs of Madame de Sévigné, of Saint-Simon, of Bussy-RabutinRoger de Rabutin, Comte de BussyRoger de Rabutin, Comte de Bussy , commonly known as Bussy-Rabutin, was a French memoirist. He was the cousin and frequent correspondent of Madame de Sévigné....
and others; also the proceedings of the Chambre Ardente preserved in the Archives de la Bastille (Arsenal Library) and the notes of La Reynie preserved in the Bibliothèque NationaleBibliothèque nationale de FranceThe is the National Library of France, located in Paris. It is intended to be the repository of all that is published in France. The current president of the library is Bruno Racine.-History:...
.
Titles and styles
- 5 October 1641 - 28 January 1663 Mademoiselle de Mortemart or Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente
- 28 January 1663 - November 1702 the Marchioness of Montespan (Madame la marquise de Montespan)
- November 1702 - 27 May 1707 the Dowager Marchioness of Montespan (Madame la marquise de Montespan Douairière)
External links
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- Full text of Memoirs of Madame de Montespan from Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
- Full text of Memoirs of Madame de Montespan from Project Gutenberg