Search results
Louis XIV’s first official mistress, Louise de La Vallière, lived at Court from 1661 to 1674. She bore the king four children, two of whom survived and were legitimised: Marie-Anne de Bourbon, known as Mademoiselle de Blois, and Louis, Count of Vermandois.
Louis XIV Official mistresses (maîtresse-en-titre. 1661–1667: Louise de La Vallière (1644–1710), duchess of Vaujours; 1667–1681: Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart (1640–1707), marquise of Montespan; 1678–1681: Marie Angélique de Scoraille de Roussille (1661–1681), duchess of Fontanges
Titre. Marquise de Montespan. Vie à la cour. De 1667 à 1707. Règne de Louis XIV. Her traces at Versailles. In the eternal chess game played by the king’s mistresses, becoming royal favourite meant deposing the current occupant of that role.
- She Was Born Into Privilege
- Her Sister Did It First
- Her Father Betrayed Them
- She Walked Into A Disaster
- She Got in The Middle
- She Had Her First Love
- She Lost Both Prospects
- She Found Comfort Elsewhere
- They Rushed Into It
- The Honeymoon Period Was Brief
We’ll call her Madame de Montespan, but she was born Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart. The descendant of one of France’s most powerful families, her father was a prince and her mother was a lady-in-waiting to the Queen. It’s no wonder that she would later think of herself as the true Queen of France. After all, she had the pedigree f...
While the young Françoise was away at the Convent of Saint Mary getting an education in all things holy, her older sister Gabrielle was getting a different kind of education altogether. Gabrielle, by then a fixture in the French court, had married well—but her directness had enchanted King Louis XIV, and the two began an affair. That’s right, Madam...
When Françoise and her siblings were growing up, her father had a number of affairs with notorious courtesans. His wife begrudgingly accepted his infidelity—until one day, when he finally went too far. He all but left his wife for his very-much married mistress, and the two lived together openly for the next two decades. This heartbreak left Franço...
Françoise officially entered the French court at the age of 20, where she was maid-of-honor to the king’s sister-in-law, Princess Henrietta Anne, who everyone called Madame. Well, when she walked into that role, she got way more than she bargained for. The king’s brother Philippe, who people referred to as Monsieur, was known for his gay affairs. I...
She may have worked for Madame, but Françoise enchanted Monsieur with her charm and wit. When the couple quarreled, Françoise stepped outside of her role and actually took his side—but that’s not all she did.Many believe that she also had a brief affair with the king’s brother. See what I meant when I said two can play at that game? Even though Mad...
Françoise’s father was in dire straits financially after living it up with his mistress and paying for his oldest daughter Gabrielle’s dowry. As a result, Françoise’s prospects for marriage weren’t exactly as golden as her prestigious last name should’ve guaranteed. Regardless, one suitor caught her eye—the Marquis de Noirmoutier. Françoise fell ha...
Françoise’s father much preferred the Marquis d’Antin for his daughter’s hand. Sadly, this family conflict would be settled in one bloody and brutal instant.Both Marquis became involved in a duel gone wrong, even though the king had outlawed the practice. When the dust settled, the Marquis d’Antin was dead, but that’s not all. Louis XIV had decreed...
Françoise mourned the loss of her prospective fiancé—well, both prospective fiancés, really. When the Marquis de Montespan, the younger brother of the Marquis d’Antin, came to visit her, they bonded over the tragedy. In fact, they bonded a little too hard, and the Marquis de Montespan fell head over heels for Françoise. Considering how much writing...
The families of Françoise and the Marquis de Montespan drew up a marriage contract and signed it on the same day. Exactly one week after the death of Françoise’s last fiancé. Yup, she and everyone else moved on very quickly. Perhaps a little too quickly—and there might have been a desperately scandalous reason behind it. Nine months after they’d al...
After her quickie marriage, Françoise became the Marquise de Montespan. At first, it seemed like the union was built on love as much as financial considerations—but quickly, the cracks began to show. The Marquis loved spending, even though the couple didn’t have a lot of money. On top of that, his family had a black sheep uncle. The disgrace was so...
Françoise Louise de La Baume Le Blanc, Duchess of La Vallière and Vaujours (6 August 1644 – 7 June 1710) was a French noblewoman and the first mistress of Louis XIV of France from 1661 to 1667. The daughter of a military governor, La Vallière joined the royal court in 1661 as maid of honour to Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans.
People also ask
Did Louis XIV have two mistresses?
How did the Marquise de Montespan become a mistress of Louis XIV?
How many children did Louis XIV have?
Did Louis XIV love women?
Oct 15, 2006 · Louis made Athénaïs his primary mistress for most of a decade, providing her with fabulous apartments at Versailles on the same floor as the queen and a chateau of her own at Clagny, where she...
Sep 20, 2017 · Published: Wednesday, 20 September 2017 at 11:47 am. Save. "The start of season two really is all about Montespan," Louis XIV actor George Blagden told RadioTimes.com. We have already met the...
