King of France
1715-1774
Son of: Louis, Dauphin de France & Marie-Adelaide de Savoie
Husband of: Maria Leszczynska of Poland mar 1725.
Louis XV's physical appearance & personal qualities.
"In 1745 Louis XV is thirty-five years old. From the physical point of view he is a model sovereign. His handsome face is characterized by an expression of benevolent grandeur and gentle majesty. A fine and sympathetic physiognomy, large blue eyes with an expressive and profound regard, an aquiline nose, a truly royal way of carrying his head, the most dignified attitude without the least appearance of stiffness, manners both elegant and simple, an agreeable and penetrating tone of voice, all contribute to give an exceptional charm to this king whom all France surnames the Well-Beloved. He shows extreme politeness to all who approach him, and one might say that he seems to solicit the affection of those to whom he speaks. An accomplished gentleman, he is always calm, always well-bred. He is never irritated, never raises his voice. His domestics find him the easiest of masters. . . In general he is reserved, taciturn; he does not give himself away, but when he concludes to talk, his conversation is full of ingenious views and judicious remarks; he has wit and good sense." (Saint-Amand. The Court of Louis XV: 97)
"In 1745 Louis XV is thirty-five years old. From the physical point of view he is a model sovereign. His handsome face is characterized by an expression of benevolent grandeur and gentle majesty. A fine and sympathetic physiognomy, large blue eyes with an expressive and profound regard, an aquiline nose, a truly royal way of carrying his head, the most dignified attitude without the least appearance of stiffness, manners both elegant and simple, an agreeable and penetrating tone of voice, all contribute to give an exceptional charm to this king whom all France surnames the Well-Beloved. He shows extreme politeness to all who approach him, and one might say that he seems to solicit the affection of those to whom he speaks. An accomplished gentleman, he is always calm, always well-bred. He is never irritated, never raises his voice. His domestics find him the easiest of masters. . . In general he is reserved, taciturn; he does not give himself away, but when he concludes to talk, his conversation is full of ingenious views and judicious remarks; he has wit and good sense." (Saint-Amand. The Court of Louis XV: 97)
". . . Strikingly beautiful, Louis had a sensuous face and a well-developed body. At 15 his sexual maturity was apparent. . . ."
Parc aux Cerfs: the royal trysting place.
"The dazzling promotion [of Madame de Pompadour] did, however leave Louis XV with a problem. While Mme de Pompadour was quite content to remain celibate, he, like all the Bourbons, had a voracious sexual appetite. There could be no question of sleeping with the queen, who was elderly by the standards of the time and unattractive into the bargain; another maitresse declaree was an obvious impossibility. Perfectly sensible solution. There was a little house - it had some five or six rooms - just outside the park of Versailles at a place called the Parc aux Cerfs. Louis XV bought it, staffed it with a few discreet servants, and used it to keep a succession of pretty young lower-middle-class women who were told that their visitor was a foreign dignitary. Every so often, a new lodger came in, while the old one was pensioned off and often a husband was found as well. Just how attractive these young women could be we know from their portraits: There was Mlle Murphy, for instance, whose fresh complexion and callipygous charms Boucher lovingly painted, thus hinting heavily at the king's preferences. All in all, it was a perfectly sensible solution; given the standards of the time, it hardly seemed excessive for a man to take a new mistress every few months; indeed Louis XV was behaving with more restraint than most of his courtiers." (Bernier. Louis XV)
Parc aux Cerfs: the royal trysting place.
"The dazzling promotion [of Madame de Pompadour] did, however leave Louis XV with a problem. While Mme de Pompadour was quite content to remain celibate, he, like all the Bourbons, had a voracious sexual appetite. There could be no question of sleeping with the queen, who was elderly by the standards of the time and unattractive into the bargain; another maitresse declaree was an obvious impossibility. Perfectly sensible solution. There was a little house - it had some five or six rooms - just outside the park of Versailles at a place called the Parc aux Cerfs. Louis XV bought it, staffed it with a few discreet servants, and used it to keep a succession of pretty young lower-middle-class women who were told that their visitor was a foreign dignitary. Every so often, a new lodger came in, while the old one was pensioned off and often a husband was found as well. Just how attractive these young women could be we know from their portraits: There was Mlle Murphy, for instance, whose fresh complexion and callipygous charms Boucher lovingly painted, thus hinting heavily at the king's preferences. All in all, it was a perfectly sensible solution; given the standards of the time, it hardly seemed excessive for a man to take a new mistress every few months; indeed Louis XV was behaving with more restraint than most of his courtiers." (Bernier. Louis XV)
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Louis XV de France at aged 38 |
Louis XV's lovers were:
Madame de Falari.
Lover in 1725.
Lover in 1725.
" . . . While preparations were under way for the scheduled wedding, Louis's tutors worried about how he could be taught the art of lovemaking... Louis turned to a certain Madame de Falari, and lost his virginity in her bed. . . ." (Wallace. The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People: 342)
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| Julie de Mailly-Nesle |
Julie de Mailly (1710-1751)
Comtesse de Mailly
Lover in 1732-1739, 1741-1742.Also
French aristocrat & royal mistress.
Lady-in-waiting to the Queen
French aristocrat & royal mistress.
Lady-in-waiting to the Queen
Daughter of: Louis de Mailly, Marquis de Nesle.
Wife of: Louis-Alexandre, Comte de Mailly, mar her cousin 1726.
Comtesse de Mailly's brief profile.
"French courtier and mistress to Louis XV. Louise de Mailly-Nesle was born in Paris, the daughter of Louis de Mailly, Marquis de Nesle, being the eldest of the three Mailly sisters who would ultimately succeed each other as mistress and favourite to the king. She married (1726) her cousin, Louis Alexandre, Comte de Mailly. the comtesse was famous for her kindly disposition. Though she refrained from using her position and influence to enrich herself or her family, the comtesse did have some influence in politics, being the patron of Charles Fouquet, Duc de Belle-Isle. Eventually she was supplanted by her sister, the duchesse de Chateauroux, and was forced to reside away from the court at Versailles. The comtesse retired to a house in Paris, where she lived quietly for the remainder of her life. She was beloved by the poor of the city because of her charitable contributions, especially as she was known to be only modestly provided for. Two pastel portraits of the comtesse have survived, one by Maurice Quentin de La Tour (1704–1788) and Jean Marc Nattier (1685–1766). Madame de Mailly was mentioned in the correspondence of the British antiquarian Horace Walpole." (Women of History)
" . . . The favourite, Julie de Mailly, was the eldest daughter of the Marquis and Marquise de Nesle, whose title dated back to the eleventh century and the poor neglected wife of a dissipated husband her first cousin, the Comte de Mailly to whom she had been married by force at the age of sixteen. She asked nothing better than to be allowed to show Louis how much she loved him. When the King first noticed her, it was she who made all the advances at their early meetings and although years had passed since they had exchanged their first kisses Julie de Mailly remained the bolder and more enticing of the two. She was a thin beauty with a provocative and sensuous charm. It is perhaps difficult to say that she was really beautiful but her dark eyes were magnificent although a little hard, her face a perfect oval and her rouged cheeks and strongly marked black eyebrows were striking and arrested attention. She had the fearless bearing, the bold and mesmeric grace of a Bacchante. She was the true type of a woman of the Regency. She knew too how to dress, possessing more than anyone else the gift of adapting the fashions to suit herself and of designing the most piquant and suggestive negligees. Every evening she re-dressed her hair for bed and decked herself out in all her diamonds. In the morning, too, she was especially fascinating with her beautiful black hair uncurled, but enhanced by the fire of the diamonds encircling her broad, high forehead. Unfortunately, her arms and bosom were ugly; her legs, too thin and too long, gave her a somewhat masculine walk." (Latour. Princesses, Ladies and Salonieres: the Reign of Louis XV: 38)
Personal & family background.
" . . . [L]ate in 1732, the king began to look toward the bottom of the supper table. There he noticed a lady who was neither rich, nor famous, nor even very pretty. She was young - the king's age, in fact - well born - her family, the Mailly-Nesles, could trace their nobility all the way back to the eleventh century - but poor. She had married a distant cousin, the comte de Mailly, who was a lieutenant in the Scottish Guards, a troop belonging to the king's Household; and as a new bride, thanks to her family's influence, she had received an appointment to be lady-in-waiting to the queen. . . ." (Bernier. Louis XV)
Physical appearance & personal qualities.
" . . . When, in 1732, the king first noticed her, he discovered that she attracted him in several ways. First, her lack of conspicuous beauty was reassuring to the shy young monarch: A plain woman seemed somehow less frightening, less daunting. She had 'a long face, a long nose, a large and high forehead with slightly fat cheeks, a large mouth, a white complexion, rather beautiful large eyes with a lively expression, a very rough voice, ugly breasts and arms, but fine legs. [She was] tall, without grace or presence, but very elegant; amusing, cheerful, good-tempered, a good friend, generous and kind.' Altogether, not a bad ensemble, and, most important, she was lively and entertaining, the very reverse of the dutiful Pole." (Bernier. Louis XV)
" . . . The huntsman Le Roy, that master of the hunt who was so sagacious an observer, and whom Sainte-Bauve has qualified as La Bruyere on horseback, thus delineates the portrait of the countess: 'This lady was very far from being pretty; but her figure and her manners were very graceful; her sensibility was already recognized, and she had a complaisant character adapted to the abridgment of formalities. This was essential to vanquish the timidity of a prince who was still a novice, whom the least reserve would have abashed. They were sure, moreover, of the disinterestedness of her who was destined to become the favorite, and of her aversion from all ambitious schemes. Some difficulty was experienced in establishing a complete familiarity between a prince excessively timid and a woman whose birth, at least, obliged her to have some regard for appearances.'. . ." (Saint-Amand. Famous Women of the French Court: 47)
" . . . Madame de Mailly was 'well-made, young, but ugly, with a large mouth with big teeth, but amusing nonetheless. She has little intelligence and no opinions. . . ." (Algrant. Madame de Pompadour: Mistress of France: 26)
The king's first mistress and her good qualities.
" . . . The first mistress of Louis XV was the Comtesse de Mailly, who had many good qualities: she was extremely amiable, good-tempered,and neither greedy of gain nor given to intrigue; she never demanded any favours for herself or for her family, lived at Court with becoming modesty, and never interfered in State affairs. . . ." (Bingham. The Marriages of the Bourbons, Vol 2: 220)
"But it was not Madame de Gontaut, but Mdlles. de Nesle---soon after Comtesse de Mailly, who was destined to fill the honourable post of maitresse-en-titre, so long tantalizingly vacant. She has been compared to the Duchesse de la Valliere; but except that the countess, like the duchess, was a king's mistress, the resemblance between them is not striking. Previous to a full assumption of the new dignity, the etiquette seems to have been, presentation to the queen, and her acceptance of her rival, whether willing or not, as one of the ladies of the palace. Madame de Mailly, one learns with surprise, was of the Rambouillet circle (surely a stray black sheep that had slipped unawares). She was the eldest of the five daughters of the Marquis de Nesle. Richelieu had remarked her, as possessing the audacity and effrontery necessary 'pour se jeter la tete du roi,' which she did with all the fervour of a bacchante: for she loved the juice of the grape, and especially foaming champagne, which she challenged the king to drink with her, bumper for bumper. In their earlier revels and petits-soupers she far surpassed him in quantity she could take with impunity. The cardinal is said to have approved the choice of this woman as a mistress for the king. Perceiving that a mistress was inevitable, he looked upon her selection as an affair of State. Madame de Mailly was considered disinterested---attached to the king, in fact. She would therefore be an inexpensive superfluity, and as she possessed neither ability nor ambition, it was not likely she would attempt to interfere in the concerns of government: consequently he regarded her as the most eligible of the many noble ladies then contending for the vacant post. The king had scarcely a voice in the matter. He neither loved nor admired Madame de Mailly. He did not seek her, but accepted her as a mistress provided for him, with the same apathy and indifference he had shown when provided with a wife. Perhaps no young man was ever more entirely thrust into vice than Louis XV. . . ." (Jackson. The Old Regime: Courts, Salons and Theatres, Volume 1: 329)
Physical appearance & personal qualities.
" . . . When, in 1732, the king first noticed her, he discovered that she attracted him in several ways. First, her lack of conspicuous beauty was reassuring to the shy young monarch: A plain woman seemed somehow less frightening, less daunting. She had 'a long face, a long nose, a large and high forehead with slightly fat cheeks, a large mouth, a white complexion, rather beautiful large eyes with a lively expression, a very rough voice, ugly breasts and arms, but fine legs. [She was] tall, without grace or presence, but very elegant; amusing, cheerful, good-tempered, a good friend, generous and kind.' Altogether, not a bad ensemble, and, most important, she was lively and entertaining, the very reverse of the dutiful Pole." (Bernier. Louis XV)
" . . . The huntsman Le Roy, that master of the hunt who was so sagacious an observer, and whom Sainte-Bauve has qualified as La Bruyere on horseback, thus delineates the portrait of the countess: 'This lady was very far from being pretty; but her figure and her manners were very graceful; her sensibility was already recognized, and she had a complaisant character adapted to the abridgment of formalities. This was essential to vanquish the timidity of a prince who was still a novice, whom the least reserve would have abashed. They were sure, moreover, of the disinterestedness of her who was destined to become the favorite, and of her aversion from all ambitious schemes. Some difficulty was experienced in establishing a complete familiarity between a prince excessively timid and a woman whose birth, at least, obliged her to have some regard for appearances.'. . ." (Saint-Amand. Famous Women of the French Court: 47)
" . . . Madame de Mailly was 'well-made, young, but ugly, with a large mouth with big teeth, but amusing nonetheless. She has little intelligence and no opinions. . . ." (Algrant. Madame de Pompadour: Mistress of France: 26)
The king's first mistress and her good qualities.
" . . . The first mistress of Louis XV was the Comtesse de Mailly, who had many good qualities: she was extremely amiable, good-tempered,and neither greedy of gain nor given to intrigue; she never demanded any favours for herself or for her family, lived at Court with becoming modesty, and never interfered in State affairs. . . ." (Bingham. The Marriages of the Bourbons, Vol 2: 220)
"But it was not Madame de Gontaut, but Mdlles. de Nesle---soon after Comtesse de Mailly, who was destined to fill the honourable post of maitresse-en-titre, so long tantalizingly vacant. She has been compared to the Duchesse de la Valliere; but except that the countess, like the duchess, was a king's mistress, the resemblance between them is not striking. Previous to a full assumption of the new dignity, the etiquette seems to have been, presentation to the queen, and her acceptance of her rival, whether willing or not, as one of the ladies of the palace. Madame de Mailly, one learns with surprise, was of the Rambouillet circle (surely a stray black sheep that had slipped unawares). She was the eldest of the five daughters of the Marquis de Nesle. Richelieu had remarked her, as possessing the audacity and effrontery necessary 'pour se jeter la tete du roi,' which she did with all the fervour of a bacchante: for she loved the juice of the grape, and especially foaming champagne, which she challenged the king to drink with her, bumper for bumper. In their earlier revels and petits-soupers she far surpassed him in quantity she could take with impunity. The cardinal is said to have approved the choice of this woman as a mistress for the king. Perceiving that a mistress was inevitable, he looked upon her selection as an affair of State. Madame de Mailly was considered disinterested---attached to the king, in fact. She would therefore be an inexpensive superfluity, and as she possessed neither ability nor ambition, it was not likely she would attempt to interfere in the concerns of government: consequently he regarded her as the most eligible of the many noble ladies then contending for the vacant post. The king had scarcely a voice in the matter. He neither loved nor admired Madame de Mailly. He did not seek her, but accepted her as a mistress provided for him, with the same apathy and indifference he had shown when provided with a wife. Perhaps no young man was ever more entirely thrust into vice than Louis XV. . . ." (Jackson. The Old Regime: Courts, Salons and Theatres, Volume 1: 329)
Affair's end & aftermath.
"Madame de Mailly was still the acknowledged favorite, but the King had not loved her for a long time. She spent another year at court after the death of Madame de Vintimille. This was a year of sorrow, humiliations, and afflictions. Louise XV caused the poor deserted woman to during the chalice of bitterness to the dregs, and made her so unhappy that even the Queen took pity on her." (Saint-Amand. The Court of Louis XV: 59)
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Therese-Eulalie
Marquise de Beuvron |
Therese-Eulalie de Beaupoil de Saint-Aulaire (1705-1739)
Marquise de Beuvron
Lover in 1738.
a.k.a. Madame de Beuvron
Daughter of Louis de Beaupoil, Marquis de Saint-Aulaire & Marie-Therese de Lambert
Wife of Anne-Pierre, duc d’Harcourt (1701-1783) mar 1725
"Thanks to her husband's rank, the new Marquise de Beuvron entered the court. Thus she befriended one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting, Louise-Julie de Nesle, Countess of Mailly, who was at that time the mistress of Louis XV. Although five years older than the king, this did not prevent him from becoming his mistress in 1738, betraying Madame de Mailly and thus becoming" ungrateful to the favorite like Lucifer." But this liaison was only short-lived, since the Marquise de Beuvron was abandoned for the beautiful Madame Amelot, wife of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. She should die the following year, November 3, 1739, in Paris, in her 34th year. Her husband will not remarry." (Favorites Royales)
Marie-Anne de Vougny (1716-1783)
Lover in 1738.
a.k.a. Anne de Vougny; Madame Amelot.
Daughter of Jean Marie de Vougny, Secretary of the Council of State & Director of Finance & Anne Moufle de Champigny.
Wife of:
1. Jean Jacques Amelot (1689-1749), mar 1726
2. Balthazard Ignace d'Amozega, mar 1756.
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Pauline-Felicite de Mailly
Comtesse de Vintimille |
Pauline-Felicite de Mailly-Nesle (1712-1741)
Comtesse de Vintimille.
Lover in 1739-1741.
a.k.a. Pauline de Vintimille; Mademoiselle de Nesle.
Daughter of: Louis III de Mailly, Marquis de Nesle, Prince d'Orange & Armande de La Porte-Mazarin
Wife of: Jean-Baptiste-Felix-Hubert, Marquis de Vintimille (1720-1775), Comte de Luc, Marquis de Castelnau, French master of camp, Lieutenant-general, mar 1739..
Natural offspring: Charles-Emanuel de Vintimille, Marquis de Luc (1741-?)
"Vintimille, Pauline Felicite de Mailly-Nesle, Marquise de – (1712 – 1741), French courtier, mistress of Louis XV (1715 – 1774). Pauline de Mailly-Nesle was born (Aug, 1712), the second daughter of Louis de Mailly, Marquis de Nesle. With her mother’s death (1729) her step grandmother, the Duchesse de Mazarin placed Pauline in the Abbey of Port Royal to be raised and educated, being known as Mademoiselle de Nesle. Pauline was later brought to the court of Versailles (1739) by her elder sister, the Comtesse de Mailly, the first mistress of Louis XV, whose position she usurped. The king arranged for her marriage (1739) with Jean Baptiste Felix de Luc, Marquis de Vintimille (1720 – 1777) which was performed by the Archbishop of Paris. However during the ensuing wedding night celebrations, the marquis discreetly withdrew and the King replaced her in the bedchamber.
"Madame de Vintimille’s arrogance and unspokenness endeared her to the king, who admired her alert mind, but she made her presence obnoxious to the queen, Marie Leszczynska by requesting favour from her. She was possessed of little beauty, one of her own sisters describing her as having, ‘… the figure of a grenadier, the neck of a crane and the smell of a monkey.’ Her portrait was painted by Jacques Andre Aved. The marquise became pregnant with the king’s child and prepared for her confinement at Choisy. When she became ill Louis sent a litter to convey her to the palace of Versailles. Madame de Vintimille died there (Sept 10, 1741) aged twenty-nine, from the effects of childbirth. She appears in the historical novel Louis the Well-beloved (1959) by Jean Plaidy. Her son Louis de Bourbon (1741 – 1814) was recognized by the king and popularly known as ‘le demi-Louis’ because of his close resemblance to the king. He was later created Comte de Luc, was married (1764) to Marie Marguerite de Castellane-Esparre (died 1770), and left descendants. His daughter-in-law, Marie Gabrielle Artois de Levis, the wife of his son, Charles Felix de Bourbon (1765 – 1806), Comte de Vintimille de Luc, perished with great courage under the guillotine during the Terror of Robespierre (1794)." (Women of History - V)
"Pauline-Felicite was the second-eldest daughter of Louis de Mailly and Armande Felice de la Porte Mazarin. . . When her plea to attend the court was accepted she swiftly took her chance and seduced the King - even though her sister was his official mistress! The King fell very much in love with Pauline-Felicite but decided to keep Louise Julie as his official maitresse-en-titre. Pauline-Felicite became a 'second' mistress. Louis XV adored Pauline-Felicite and showered her in expensive presents; he even gave her the chateau Choisy-le-Rois. The King wanted to keep Pauline-Felicite at court so that he could enjoy her company whenever he wished to. Consequently, Pauline-Felicite was married to an aristocrat by the name of Jean Baptiste Felix Hubert de Vintimille and she then became the Marquise de Vintimille (conveniently, her newly-wedded husband left France shortly after their wedding). . . ." (This is Versailles)
"Louis seemed insensible to his daughters' departure; he had little understanding of family life. He and Madame de Mailly continued their liaison, often in company with her sister Pauline, the marquise de Vintimille. Pauline was cleverer that Louise-Julie; she talked of more serious things, even showing an interest in affairs of state. In turn, Louis began to show an interest in her; he soon began an affair with the second Mailly sister. But in September 1741 Pauline died, giving birth to the king's child. Louis was devastated, leaving the court for almost a month. He returned to Madame de Mailly, but then, to general disbelief and consternation, he turned yet to another sister. . . ." (Algrant. Madame de Pompadour: Mistress of France: 27)
" . . . This [not interfering with policy] appears to have been less true, however, of Mailly's sister, Mademoiselle de Nesle, whom the king secretly took as his supplementary mistress in 1738, before she married the marquis de Vintimille the following year. The marquise de Vintimille was more interfering than her sister, but she died in 1741 after giving birth to a baby whom her husband renounced and who was widely believed to be the king'. This drove the king temporarily back into the consoling arms of Mailly -- 'highly lovable' it was later recalled, when she had 'a glass in her hand' . But it was not long before Louis's roving eye had included in its compass Mailly's two younger sisters, the prematurely widowed marquise de La Tournelle (soon to be made duchesse de Chateauroux) and Mademoiselle de Lauraguais. In satires which Louis is known to have seen, Parisian wags disingenuously wondered whether this studied devotion to a single family was the king's ingenious attempt to avoid promiscuity." (Jones. The Great Nation: France from Louis XV to Napoleon)
Marquise de Vintimille's "husband".
The effect of La Catalane on d'Argens' studies was not beneficial. His taste for law evaporated and his family on hearing of his relapse, put pressure on him to renounce the liaison. They could have sought a suitable bride, but his mother was reluctant to share her household with a daughter-in-law. She had been the sole mistress of the Hotel de Boyer d'Eguilles for many years and disliked the idea of change. So d'Argens' parents continued to counsel celibacy, and he continued on the downward path by getting into the company of the Comte de Vintimille, a notorious rake. Born into one of the oldest and most prestigious families of Provence, and nephew of the Archbishop of Paris, Vintimille preferred to spend his time with gamblers and prostitutes. He eventually got his debts paid by marrying one of the King's mistresses, Mlle de Nestle, in 1739. D'Argens later portrayed him as the Comte d'Outreville in his novel le Comte de Mommejan.' (Gasper. The Marquis d'Argens: A Philosophical Life: 52)
Introduction to court & seduction of the king.
Introduction to court & seduction of the king.
Scheming in the solitude of the convent.
" . . . Her [Comtesse the Mailly] undivided reign lasted for six years, when she was supplanted in the King's affections by her next sister, Felicite de Nesle, whose wild and ambitious spirit had formed in the solitude of a convent the heartless and deliberate scheme which she carried into effect. In the austere recesses of that abode she had, in the letters of her sister, studied and divined the King's character, his weakness, his ennui, and his pliability to female domination. Day by day with infantine cajolery she besought Madame de Mailly to remove her from the gloom of seclusion to the brilliant life of Versailles. She appeared at court. Though she had less beauty even than Madame de Mailly, she surpassed her in intelligence, and her wild imagination and her versatile humours rapidly subjugated the royal fancy; while Madame de Mailly was sufficiently humble to accept her sister as an associate in the royal amours to preserve the title of reigning mistress. The scandal of this incestuous arrangement was made patent on the 5th of April, 1739, when the King who had ever the fear of eternal punishment before his eyes, and shuddered at the notion of receiving the sacred wafer in a state of mortal sin, lest divine judgment and sudden death should fall upon him, declared he would not take the sacrament at Easter, 'qui'il ne feruit pas ses Paques;' and consequently would not touch for the king's evil. The amazement of Paris was great; and Barbier naively asks how it was the eldest son of the Church could not get a dispense from the Pope to take the sacrament in any case. Shortly after, on the 29th of September, an accommodating husband, the Comte de Vintimille, nephew to the Archbishop of Paris, was found for Mademoiselle de Nesle. His uncle the Archbishop officiated at this mock ceremony; the lady was married with a dowry from the King; and on the night of the marriage the King did M. de Vintimille the honor of handing him the 'chemise.' M. de Vintimille was, as might be expected, a reckless, shameless, cynical profligate. On one occasion he called out so that the King could overhear him, 'Apres tout, it n'a que deux laides.' and D'Argenson reports a shameful speech of his on the occasion of his wife's accouchement. (Agnew. Eclectic Magazine: Foreign Literature, Vol 6: 137)
"In 1738, Pauline wrote to her elder sister, Madame de Mailly, the king's official mistress, asking to be invited to court. She received the invitation, and during her stay proceeded to seduce the king, who fell passionately in love with her. Mademoiselle de Nesle then became the second official mistress of Louis XV, although her sister kept the position of maîtresse en titre. . . ." (Wikipedia)
Physical appearance & personal qualities: Madame de Vintimille was described as taller, louder, wittier than her older sister. She was much more ambitious than her older sister and predecessor, Madame de Mailly, and possessed a great desire for money and political influence; her arrogance quickly made her hated within the court and by the people." (Wikipedia)
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| Choisy-le-Roi Castle |
Benefits to Mademoiselle de Nesle: " . . . The king lavished her with gifts, the greatest being the castle of Choisy-le-Roi, newly decorated in blue and silver. To provide her an appropriate status at court, the king arranged for her to marry a nobleman only too pleased to leave the couple alone. On 28 September 1739, Mademoiselle de Nesle married Jean Baptiste Félix Hubert de Vintimille, marquis de Vintimille, comte du Luc (born 1720), who departed to the country after their wedding. The new marquise de Ventimille (sic) soon became pregnant by the king." (Wikipedia)
Charles Emanuel de Vintimille, Marquis de Luc (1741-1814) a.k.a. Demi-Louis.
Fate of natural offspring: The son of the king and Madame de Ventimille was named Louis after his father and given the title of duc de Luc. He so resembled his father[5] that he was called Demi-Louis, "small Louis". He was raised by his aunt, Madame de Mailly. The king took care of his needs but never paid him much attention. Later, Madame de Pompadour wanted to marry her daughter to him, but the king would not allow it.
Charles Emanuel de Vintimille, Marquis de Luc (1741-1814) a.k.a. Demi-Louis.
Fate of natural offspring: The son of the king and Madame de Ventimille was named Louis after his father and given the title of duc de Luc. He so resembled his father[5] that he was called Demi-Louis, "small Louis". He was raised by his aunt, Madame de Mailly. The king took care of his needs but never paid him much attention. Later, Madame de Pompadour wanted to marry her daughter to him, but the king would not allow it.
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| Marie-Anne de Nesle Duchesse de Chateauroux |
Lover in 1742-1744.
French aristocrat & royal mistress
Duchesse de Chateauroux 1743
Marquise de La Tournelle 1734
Lady-in-waiting 1742
Dame du Palais to the Queen, 1743.
a.k.a. Marie-Anne de Mailly, Mademoiselle de Monchy, la Grande Princesse.
Daughter of: Louis III de Mailly-Nesle, Marquis de Nesle et de Mailly, Prince d'Orange & Armande-Felice de La Porte Mazarin
Wife of: Jean-Baptiste-Louis, Marquis de La Tournelle (1708-1740) mar 1734
Duchesse de Chateauroux 1743
Marquise de La Tournelle 1734
Lady-in-waiting 1742
Dame du Palais to the Queen, 1743.
a.k.a. Marie-Anne de Mailly, Mademoiselle de Monchy, la Grande Princesse.
Daughter of: Louis III de Mailly-Nesle, Marquis de Nesle et de Mailly, Prince d'Orange & Armande-Felice de La Porte Mazarin
Wife of: Jean-Baptiste-Louis, Marquis de La Tournelle (1708-1740) mar 1734
"Marie-Anne de Mailly-Nesle, so notorious afterwards under the name of Duchesse de Chateauroux, was the fifth and youngest daughter of the Marquis de Nesle. Born in 1717, she married in 1734 the Marquis de la Tournelle, an extremely devout young man, who spent the greater part of his moderate income in charity. Widowed in 1740, at the age of twenty-two, she took up her abode with her relative the Duchesse de Mazarin, who was the lady of the bedchamber to the queen. Two years later the duchess died and Madame de La Tournelle was left without a roof to cover her head. But the king had already taken favorable note of her beauty, and she was appointed one of the queen's ladies-in-waiting (September, 1742). M. de Maurepas and Cardinal Fleury, who detested her, and thus early foresaw in her a powerful foe, waged bitter war against her. But she had for a friend and adviser the boldest and craftiest of the courtiers of Louis XV --- the Duc de Richelieu. . . The Duc de Richelieu counted upon holding the reins of power under cover of Madame de la Tournelle, whose inspiration and guide he was. This affair aroused his enthusiastic interest. Allowing his enthusiasm for his sorry role, in an excess of jealous ardor: 'I propose that any one who gets as far as Madame de la Tournelle's reception-room shall be of more account that one who used to be admitted to a tete-a-tete with Madame de Mailly.' The new favorite, before yielding to the king, imposed certain conditions. Haughty and domineering, as are most beautiful women who are surrounded by flatterers, she demanded guaranties, and transformed an affair of the heart into a diplomatic negotiation. . . . Madame de la Tournelle was not in love, but she was laying plans for the future. Far more absolute than Madame de Vintimille, who had been content to share her power with Madame de Mailly, she proposed to reign alone. Her demands covered not only money and influence, but the final dismissal of her sister. That, however, was not an easy matter to bring about. The thought of leaving Versailles smote Madame de Mailly to the heart. She was so humble, so modest, so patient and submissive, that Louis had not the heart to drive her away. From time to time ha had spasms of reminiscence which made him pity her, even though his attachment was irrevocably broken. He would have been glad to keep by him, as a faithful servant, the poor creature whose gentleness and kind heart he could not overlook. But Madame de la Tournelle was inflexible. She had declared that she would never become the king's mistress until Madame de Mailly should have been sent away, never to return. . . ." (Saint-Amand. The Women of the Court of Louis XV: 62)
" . . . But it was the fifth sister, Madame de Chateauroux, who besotted him. She was the object of his unswerving love. He endowed her with great wealth, plundered from the public treasury. He organised numerous parties and receptions at Versailles, the Louvre and La Muette for his mistress. When she died in the early 1740s, the king was inconsolable. He closed himself in at La Muette with friends of Madame de Chateauroux for weeks on end." (OECD, 1998, p. 68)
"According to some writers, one of the most poignant sorrows of the old cardinal-minister's last days was the prospect he saw of the evil influence of a mistress in the affairs of State. He had already been accused of jealousy of Madame de Vintimille. Death had removed her from his path, but in her successor, Madame de la Tournelle, he foresaw for the king even greater cause for alarm. The former was plain in feature, but lively, spirituelle, and ambitious. The latter, from the imperiousness of her manners, had gained the name of 'la grande princesse.' She was a young widow, very beautiful; ambitious of power, and loftier in her sentiments---being fond of heroes, and determined to make of Louis XV a hero, and a rival to Maurice de Saxe, whom she especially admired. As her sister was compared to Madame de la Valliere, so she, with as little reason, was likened to Agnes Sorel. It should rather have been Madame de Montespan. She had acquired so much influence over the king, by a system of artful coquetry, and an assumption of grand airs, that to gratify her, he seemed likely to become as prodigal as hitherto he had been parsimonious---prodigal of the public money, of course (now that there was no cardinal to remonstrate), not of his own private hoards., even for la belle Madame de la Tournelle. This lady was a protege of the Duc de Gevres---again in high favour---and the Duc de Richelieu, who had become the confidant of the king and his instructor in vice. To excite his curiosity, they made her beauty constant theme of admiration, and arranged her introduction to him in a very singular and usual manner. (The Old Regime: Courts, Salons and Theatres, Volume 1: 354-355)
Physical Traits & Personal Qualities: "'She was not one of your ordinary beauties,' wrote Richelieu; 'with her nymph-like form and her regal carriage, with her blue eyes full of genius and her enchantress's voice, with her mouth made for kisses and commands, and with her superb blond hair, waving on brow of ivory like the hair of the Antiope of Correggio or the Venus of Titian, she was a morsel for a king. But she was far more beautiful that these masterpieces of art, for she was a masterpiece of Nature. She had speech, movement, life; her eyes called for homage, her lips for pleasure, her heart for love. Such a woman was born to reign." (Trowbridge, 2003, p. 39)
" . . . The influence which really predominated in the state was that of the king's mistress, the Duchess of Chateauroux, the youngest of four sisters of the family of Nesle who had successively yielded to his licentious passion. Madame de Chateauroux was a woman of talent, spirit and ambition, and did her utmost to rouse Louis from his constitutional indolence and torpor to a bold, energetic policy, better befitting the ruler of a great and gallant nation." (Jervis, 1867, p. 489)
Diane-Adelaide de Mailly-Nesle
Duchesse de Lauraguais.
Lover in 1742-1745.
" . . . The influence which really predominated in the state was that of the king's mistress, the Duchess of Chateauroux, the youngest of four sisters of the family of Nesle who had successively yielded to his licentious passion. Madame de Chateauroux was a woman of talent, spirit and ambition, and did her utmost to rouse Louis from his constitutional indolence and torpor to a bold, energetic policy, better befitting the ruler of a great and gallant nation." (Jervis, 1867, p. 489)
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| Diane Adélaïde de Mailly-Nesle |
Duchesse de Lauraguais.
Lover in 1742-1745.
"Diane-Adélaïde served the king as his mistress on and off for three years - when her sister, Marie-Anne died, the king was noted to "amuse himself" with Diane-Adélaïde. Actually, her title and marriage was due to the influence of Marie-Anne who demanded these from the king. Diane-Adélaïde sided with Marie-Anne in the feud with their sister, Louise-Julie." (This is Versailles)
Marie-Françoise-Marguerite de Talleyrand-Périgord.
Francoise de Chalus
(1734-1821)
Lover in in 1749-1750.
Duchesse de Narbonne-Lara
Lady in waiting to Princesse Adelaide de France.
Daughter of Gabriel de Chalus, Seigneur de Sansac & Claire de Geraud.
Wife of Jean-Francois, Duc de Narbonne-Lara (1718-1806).
Natural Offspring:
"Françoise's relationship with the king sparked a lot of rumours. Her affair with the king began in 1749 and gave birth to a son in 1750. For her birth she travelled to Parma which caused courtiers to speculate that the child's paternity was a bit more royal than the Duc de Narbonne-Lara since Louis XV's eldest daughter had been married to the Duke of Parma." (This is Versailles)
Wife of:
Comtesse d'Estrades's other lover was:
Lover in 1747
Marie-Anne-Françoise de Noailles (1719-1793)
Marie-Anne-Françoise de Noailles (1719-1793)
Lover in 1748.
Comtesse de La Marck.
Daughter of Adrien Maurice III, Duc de Noailles & Françoise Charlotte Amable d'Aubigné
Wife of Louis Engelbert de la Marck, Marquis de Vares.
Comtesse de La Marck.
Daughter of Adrien Maurice III, Duc de Noailles & Françoise Charlotte Amable d'Aubigné
Wife of Louis Engelbert de la Marck, Marquis de Vares.
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| Marie-Francoise-Renee de Carbonnel de Canisy |
Marie-Françoise de Carbonnel de Canisy
Lover in 1749.
Marquise d’Antin
Lover in 1749.
Marquise d’Antin
Comtesse de Forcalquier
a.k.a. Marie-Francoise-Renee de Carbonnel de Canisy.
a.k.a. Marie-Francoise-Renee de Carbonnel de Canisy.
Anne-Marie de Luxembourg (1728-1760)
Princesse de Robecq
Princesse de Robecq
Lover in 1749.
French princess & salon hostess.
French princess & salon hostess.
a.k.a. Anne-Marie de Montmorency-Luxembourg, Madame de Robecq.
Daughter of: Charles-Francois II de Luxembourg, Duc de Piney-Luxembourg & Marie Colbert, Marquise de Segnellay.
Wife of: Louis-Alexandre-Anne de Montmorency, Prince de Robecq.
Daughter of: Charles-Francois II de Luxembourg, Duc de Piney-Luxembourg & Marie Colbert, Marquise de Segnellay.
Wife of: Louis-Alexandre-Anne de Montmorency, Prince de Robecq.
" . . . In October the marquis again announced that Madame de Pompadour was to be replaced, his Majesty having fallen in love with Madame de Robecq. 'He asked the queen to make the princess one of her ladies of honour on the first opportunity. The queen reflected awhile, and then consented. It was remarked that the king blushed like a child, and then became crimson, when making this demand. In March 1749, D'Argenson once more reported that the favorite was going to be sent away, 'the king desiring to perform his Easter devotions, and have recourse to God, seeing the great stress of the kingdom. . . ." (The Marriages of the Bourbons, Volume 2: 308)
"He reached Choisseul through the consumptive Princesse de Robecq, the Duc's mistress. This young lady was the stepdaughter of the Duchesse de Luxembourg, a woman who had proved a veritable Messalina before she married the colourless Duc de Luxembourg---whose first wife she had led into a condition of degradation which proved her downfall. The Luxembourgs, towards the end of his career, became the patrons---strange patrons indeed!--- of Rousseau, but the Princesse de Robecq, who was hated by her stepmother, herself detested all the philosophers. She was at the same time---a common mixture in those days---devout and depraved. Although well aware that she had not long to live, the consumptive girl gave herself up violently to the delights of unbridled passion at the same time that she was a violent adherent of the Church, as represented by the Jesuit faction---that of the Dauphin. She it was who urged Choisseul, for her own expatiation and the glory of God, to give her, before she died, the satisfaction of seeing the impious philosophers dragged in the dust. Diderot was well aware of this. When he found Choisseul and Pompadour withdrawing their protection from the Encyclopedie, he accused no one but Choisseul's sickly paramour, Madame de Rebecq." (The Real Louis XV: 518)
Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson (1721-1764)
Marquise de Pompadour.
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| Madame de Pompadour @Wikipeida |
Marquise de Pompadour.
Lover in 1745-1764.
Daughter of Francois Poisson & Madeleine de la Motte.
Wife of Charles Guillaume le Normant d'Étiolles (1717–99), mar 1741.
Physical appearance & personal qualities.
"The Marquise de Pompadour reigned for nearly fifteen years without a rival or a partner. There was nothing to foreshadow the end of this unheard-of supremacy. She was not an ordinary woman. 'Every man,' writes Cheverny, 'would gladly have get as his mistress; she was tall for a woman, but not too tall, and very well made; her face was round, her features regular, her complexion exquisite; she had a superb hand and arm, eyes which were pretty rather fine, but full of a fire, a sparkle, a vivacity I have never seen matched in any other woman. She was round in every outline, as in every movement.'" (The Duc de Lauzun and the Court of Louis XV: 34)
"The Marquise had a pretty voice, was an excellent musician, acted well, and had the great art of amusing the man in all the kingdom the most difficult to amuse. Her fine intelligence comprehended all subjects, and she patronized the arts with equal taste and discernment; poets, painters, sculptors, philosophers, men of letters, all found a flattering welcome and enlightened protection. By sheer grace and mother-wit she succeeded in giving dignity to an equivocal position, and in making it recognized by society at large." (The Duc de Lauzun and the Court of Louis XV: 35)
Start of the royal affair.
" . . . The post-Metz debate was less about the fact of royal mistresses than who they were, the power they wielded and the way in which they seemed to symbolize failings in the royal will. It was a debate which found its immediate focus in the beautiful person of Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame d'Etioles -- soon to be known as Madame de Pompadour. Born, bred and married in high finance milieux, Madame d'Etiolles seems to have set her cap at becoming the lover of the king as he was casting off moroseness caused by the death of the duchesse de Chateauroux. Their affair is said to have started at a masked ball in February 1745 (Louis was dressed as a yew tree, 'Pompadour' as a shepherdess). By the time Louis set off on campaign again several months later, she was installed as official mistress and lodged in Versailles. In the autumn a separation from her husband was arranged and a handy marquisate -- Pompadour -- located to give her requisite status." (The Great Nation: France from Louis XV to Napoleon)
Wife of Charles Guillaume le Normant d'Étiolles (1717–99), mar 1741.
Physical appearance & personal qualities.
"The Marquise de Pompadour reigned for nearly fifteen years without a rival or a partner. There was nothing to foreshadow the end of this unheard-of supremacy. She was not an ordinary woman. 'Every man,' writes Cheverny, 'would gladly have get as his mistress; she was tall for a woman, but not too tall, and very well made; her face was round, her features regular, her complexion exquisite; she had a superb hand and arm, eyes which were pretty rather fine, but full of a fire, a sparkle, a vivacity I have never seen matched in any other woman. She was round in every outline, as in every movement.'" (The Duc de Lauzun and the Court of Louis XV: 34)
"The Marquise had a pretty voice, was an excellent musician, acted well, and had the great art of amusing the man in all the kingdom the most difficult to amuse. Her fine intelligence comprehended all subjects, and she patronized the arts with equal taste and discernment; poets, painters, sculptors, philosophers, men of letters, all found a flattering welcome and enlightened protection. By sheer grace and mother-wit she succeeded in giving dignity to an equivocal position, and in making it recognized by society at large." (The Duc de Lauzun and the Court of Louis XV: 35)
Start of the royal affair.
" . . . The post-Metz debate was less about the fact of royal mistresses than who they were, the power they wielded and the way in which they seemed to symbolize failings in the royal will. It was a debate which found its immediate focus in the beautiful person of Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame d'Etioles -- soon to be known as Madame de Pompadour. Born, bred and married in high finance milieux, Madame d'Etiolles seems to have set her cap at becoming the lover of the king as he was casting off moroseness caused by the death of the duchesse de Chateauroux. Their affair is said to have started at a masked ball in February 1745 (Louis was dressed as a yew tree, 'Pompadour' as a shepherdess). By the time Louis set off on campaign again several months later, she was installed as official mistress and lodged in Versailles. In the autumn a separation from her husband was arranged and a handy marquisate -- Pompadour -- located to give her requisite status." (The Great Nation: France from Louis XV to Napoleon)
First encounter--1745
" . . . [O]n the twenty-eighth of February 1745, while attending a masked ball, Louis XV had the presence of mind to pick up a handkerchief dropped by a certain Madame Lenormant d'Etioles. She was the daughter of a kept woman and an embezzler who had to flee the country, but she was, Voltaire perceived, 'very well educated, born with a good sense and a good heart. Moreover, she was talented, amiable, and kind.' Here was the future Madame de Pompadour." (Voltaire: 48)
" . . . [O]n the twenty-eighth of February 1745, while attending a masked ball, Louis XV had the presence of mind to pick up a handkerchief dropped by a certain Madame Lenormant d'Etioles. She was the daughter of a kept woman and an embezzler who had to flee the country, but she was, Voltaire perceived, 'very well educated, born with a good sense and a good heart. Moreover, she was talented, amiable, and kind.' Here was the future Madame de Pompadour." (Voltaire: 48)
The mistress's influential role.
" . . . Upon the death of Madame de Chateauroux, the royal affections were transferred with heartless levity to a new mistress, Madame Lenormant d'Etioles, a person of low birth, but of decided talent and great accomplishments, who was soon afterward created Marchioness of Pompadour. Louis abandoned himself slavishly to her influence, and for twenty years she was the most powerful personage in France. All the great affairs of state were discussed and arranged under her guidance. Generals, ministers, ambassadors, transacted business in her boudoir; she dispensed the whole patronage of the government; the rich prizes of the Church, of the army, of the magistrature, were to be obtained solely through her favor. When her personal attractions began to wane, she had the address to maintain her empire over the king, by sanctioning, if she did not actually suggest, the infamous establishment called the Parc aux Cerfs, which was neither more nor less than a seraglio, after the fashion of the Oriental monarchs, formed by Louis in a beautiful retreat belonging to his mistress near Versailles. The favorite thus secured herself against the rise of any dangerous rival who might dispute her supremacy; but the spectacle offered thenceforth by the French court was a flagrant outrage to every principle of public decency, and produced results in the highest degree prejudicial to the royal authority." (The Student's France: 496)
"Madame de Pompadour's tenure as royal mistress is one of the longest and most influential of any maitresse en titre of ancien regime France. For almost twenty years Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson occupied a central position at the court despite the fact her sexual relationship with the king ceased sometime around 1750. Nonetheless, she achieved a level of influence, status, rank, and reputation that eluded many before her and all who followed. Her impact on the monarchy arguably exceeded that of either Madame de Montespan or Madame de Maintenon during the reign of Louis XIV, and her public profile in the new circumstances of eighteenth-century printing and publication easily surpassed that of her predecessors. She was the wife of a financier, and many regarded her bourgeois background as unbecoming of a royal mistress; however, she spent much of her tenure at court crafting an image which sought to strengthen her reputation as a patron of the arts, as a femme savante, and, above all, as worthy of the king's devotion." (Female Beauty Systems: 189)
Mistress of royal pleasures & supplier of 'little mistresses'
"The young marquise was witty, cultured and accomplished -- and also had a calculating head on her shoulders. Unlike her predecessors in the mistress role, she showed unfailing respect for the queen. She encouraged Louis to do so too, and also to develop warm, paternal feelings for his children -- an ingenious way of reducing his propensity for sexual and marital guilt. The king's dizzy infatuation with his new mistress was not long in passing -- they seem not to have had sex after 1750 but, again unlike her predecessors, she was able to use the period of grace to make herself indispensable to the king. She became mistress of royal pleasures, keeping Louis's gloom at bay by an unceasing round of evening entertainments, gambling parties, musical soirees and plays in which she and other quests acted the parts. As Louis's sexual interest in her began to wane, moreover, she winked at (and may well have colluded in) the supply of a series of 'little mistresses', usually daughters of obscure noble families, to allow Louis's sexual energies an outlet. She worked hard to ensure that the king's relations with these women was (sic) strictly sexual -- any attempt to develop something more substantial was crushed. A score or so of royal bastards resulted and all, like their mothers, were dealt with discreetly and generously, without any thought for the process of legitimization which had caused so much political trouble with Louis XIV's bastard issue." (The Great Nation: France from Louis XV to Napoleon)
Affair's benefits to Madame de Pompadour.
"Frequently as Louis XV changed his private mistresses, he was extremely fearful of changing those whom he had publicly acknowledged. Hence Madame de Pompadour had leisure to collect the prodigious wealth, and the copious treasures of nature and art which she amassed while she was in power. The king gave her five hundred thousand livres to purchase her hotel at Paris, and the decorations and furniture cost no less a sum. She had hotels of the same kind at Fontainebleau and Versailles, but they were all surpassed by the enchanted palace of Bellevue. For her all the French artists view with each other in the display of their talents, and every quarter of the globe poured forth its most beautiful and costly productions. The palace of no monarch in Europe was so superbly and so elegantly furnished as the country-house and the hotels of Madame de Pompadour. The sale of her effects, after her death, lasted a whole year. It was a spectacle to which people went from curiosity as to a museum, where they daily beheld rarities which they had never seen before. None ventured to calculate the millions which the marquis de Marigny, the brother of the mistress, found among her effects. The marquise, providing against every accident that might happen, had invested large sums in every bank in Europe, which swelled the property she left in France to an amount that cannot be ascertained. She shewed contempt for the nation by appointing a knight of St. Louis to be her ecuyer, a female of quality to be her first lady of the bed-chamber, and a procureur au chatelet to be her maitre d'hotel. She richly deserved the epigrams and the execrations that were lavished upon her during her life, and after her death." (History of the Female Sex: Volume 3: 387)
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| Francoise de Chalus Duchesse de Narbonne |
Francoise de Chalus
(1734-1821)
Lover in in 1749-1750.
Duchesse de Narbonne-Lara
Lady in waiting to Princesse Adelaide de France.
Daughter of Gabriel de Chalus, Seigneur de Sansac & Claire de Geraud.
Wife of Jean-Francois, Duc de Narbonne-Lara (1718-1806).
Natural Offspring:
a. Philippe de Narbonne-Lara, Duc de Narbonne-Lara (1750-?)
b. Louis Marie Jacques Amalric de Narbonne-Lara (1755-1813).
"Françoise's relationship with the king sparked a lot of rumours. Her affair with the king began in 1749 and gave birth to a son in 1750. For her birth she travelled to Parma which caused courtiers to speculate that the child's paternity was a bit more royal than the Duc de Narbonne-Lara since Louis XV's eldest daughter had been married to the Duke of Parma." (This is Versailles)
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| Elisabeth Charlotte Huguet de Sémonville (?) Comtesse d'Estrades |
Elisabeth-Charlotte Huguet de Semonville (1722-1784)
Lover in 1749-1755.
Comtesse d'Estrades
French courtier
Cousin & best friend of Madame de Pompadour.
Comtesse d'Estrades
French courtier
Cousin & best friend of Madame de Pompadour.
a.k.a. Corinne Charlotte Huguet de Sémonville.
Wife of:
1. Charles-Jean, Comte d'Estrades
2. Nicolas-Maximilien Seguiers, Come de St.-Brisson.
"When she had first moved to Versailles, Mme de Pompadour had brought with her a cousin, Mme d'Estrades, who, in that new, difficult world, accompanied her everywhere and became her best friend. The king, it soon turned out, also liked her. Although plain, she was witty, lively, and amusing, qualities that counted for much. Very quickly, she tried to seduce the monarch, though it mattered very little since it was virtually a reflex for every woman at court. She was neither pretty enough nor kind enough to succeed, so Mme de Pompadour never gave her attempts a second thought. Besides, Mme d'Estrades was clearly ambitious, a characteristic Louis XV detested. As a result, she knew the court and its intrigues, and that information, in turn, was useful for the marquise. Soon, as a reward, she was appointed lady-in-waiting to Madame Adelaide, a post which gave her an income (not very large) and, far more important, an official position. As if all this largess weren't enough, she soon turned into a backstairs power by becoming the comte d'Argenson's mistress. Unlike his impractical brother, the marquis and ex-foreign minister, the come had become a fixture. The King trusted him and failed to see that he had a tendency to arrange military affairs in such a way as to make himself look good. A master intriguer but also, to be fair, a competent minister, he was unquestionably the most influential member of the council in 1752 and yearned to be prime minister, in name if possible, but, at any rate, in fact.
"It seems pretty certain that Mme d'Estrades actually loved d'Argencon. In any event, whether it was sentiment, ambition, or more probably, both, she wanted to see him succeed, especially since she herself would become immensely powerful if he did. Unfortunately, Mme de Pompadour was in the way, so together d'Argenson and Mme d'Estrades arranged for her to go. Having looked around carefully, they picked a charming, ravishingly pretty, vivacious, empty-headed young woman, Charlotte-Rosalie, comtesse de Choiseul. A cousin of Mme d'Estrades, the young comtesse, then still in her late teens, was thus also, by stretching the family tree a little, a relation of the marquise's, who, kind as always, had arranged her marriage to M. de Choiseul. For the lady, it was a great set-up: The Choiseuls were an old and illustrious Lorraine family; for the husband, it meant access to the intimate circle around the king, something of which everyone dreamed." (Louis XV)
"Madame d’Estrades was a particular friend of Madame de Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV. She was married firstly to Charles Jean, Comte d’Estrades, and secondly to Nicolas Maximilien Seguiers, Comte de St-Brisson, and was the mother of Charles Louis Huguet de Semonville, Marquis de Semonville (1759 – 1839). Madame d’Estrades introduced her cousin, Marie Charlotte de Xaintonge de Richemont, Marquise d’Estrades, to the private circle of the king at Versailles, where she plotted with the Marquis d’Argenson to use her to supplant Mme de Pompadour in the king’s affections. Ultimately this failed, and the comtesse lost both her friendship with La Pompadour, and her former pre-eminence at the court." (A Bit of History)
"On this occasion, Louis XV had made known his displeasure in unequivocal terms and these were by no means isolated examples. Like his predecessor, the king used disgrace as a means of trying to police his court, removing those whose intrigues or behaviour threatened to disturb his own inner circle or bring discredit on the head of the royal household. As at Metz, his own amorous affairs were an almost constant source of disputes because his female courtiers or their relatives sought untiringly to capture his affections. Those who tried unsuccessfully to supplant Pompadour or the comtesse du Barry, such as Mlle de Choisseul-Beaupre, the comtesse d'Estrades or the duchesse de Gramont were all banished for their pains. . . ." (Exile, Imprisonment, Or Death: The Politics of Disgrace in Bourbon France, 1610-1789: 207)
"It seems pretty certain that Mme d'Estrades actually loved d'Argencon. In any event, whether it was sentiment, ambition, or more probably, both, she wanted to see him succeed, especially since she herself would become immensely powerful if he did. Unfortunately, Mme de Pompadour was in the way, so together d'Argenson and Mme d'Estrades arranged for her to go. Having looked around carefully, they picked a charming, ravishingly pretty, vivacious, empty-headed young woman, Charlotte-Rosalie, comtesse de Choiseul. A cousin of Mme d'Estrades, the young comtesse, then still in her late teens, was thus also, by stretching the family tree a little, a relation of the marquise's, who, kind as always, had arranged her marriage to M. de Choiseul. For the lady, it was a great set-up: The Choiseuls were an old and illustrious Lorraine family; for the husband, it meant access to the intimate circle around the king, something of which everyone dreamed." (Louis XV)
"Madame d’Estrades was a particular friend of Madame de Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV. She was married firstly to Charles Jean, Comte d’Estrades, and secondly to Nicolas Maximilien Seguiers, Comte de St-Brisson, and was the mother of Charles Louis Huguet de Semonville, Marquis de Semonville (1759 – 1839). Madame d’Estrades introduced her cousin, Marie Charlotte de Xaintonge de Richemont, Marquise d’Estrades, to the private circle of the king at Versailles, where she plotted with the Marquis d’Argenson to use her to supplant Mme de Pompadour in the king’s affections. Ultimately this failed, and the comtesse lost both her friendship with La Pompadour, and her former pre-eminence at the court." (A Bit of History)
"On this occasion, Louis XV had made known his displeasure in unequivocal terms and these were by no means isolated examples. Like his predecessor, the king used disgrace as a means of trying to police his court, removing those whose intrigues or behaviour threatened to disturb his own inner circle or bring discredit on the head of the royal household. As at Metz, his own amorous affairs were an almost constant source of disputes because his female courtiers or their relatives sought untiringly to capture his affections. Those who tried unsuccessfully to supplant Pompadour or the comtesse du Barry, such as Mlle de Choisseul-Beaupre, the comtesse d'Estrades or the duchesse de Gramont were all banished for their pains. . . ." (Exile, Imprisonment, Or Death: The Politics of Disgrace in Bourbon France, 1610-1789: 207)
Marc-Pierre de Voyer de Paulmy, Comte d'Argenson. [Ref1:301].
Marie-Genevieve Radix de Saint-Foy (1729-?)
Marquise de BrigesLover in 1750-1751.
Daughter of: Claude-Mathieu Radix, Seigneur de Chevillon & Marie-Elizabeth-Genevieve Denis.
Wife of:
1. Jean-Francois Boudrey (1701-1760), Premier Commissioner of Finances mar 1750.
2. Nicolas-Augustin de Malbec de Montjoc mar 1761
Her other lover was:
Louis-Ferdinand de Bourbon (1729-1765), Dauphin de France.
Lady-in-waiting to Princess Adelaide, daughter of Louis XV
Daughter of: Jacques du Buisson, Seigneur de Longpre & Marie-Elisabeth de Seran.
Wife of: Charles-Francoise Filleul, Advisor & secretary to the King, mar 1747
Natural offspring: 1) Marie-Francoise-Julie Filleul (1751-1822)
Marie-Louise O'Murphy (1737-1814)
Lover in 1752-1755.
French royal mistress.
Wife of:
1. Charles-Rene du Cambout, Marquis de Coislin (d.1771) mar 1750
Wife of:
1. Jean-Francois Boudrey (1701-1760), Premier Commissioner of Finances mar 1750.
2. Nicolas-Augustin de Malbec de Montjoc mar 1761
Her other lover was:
Louis-Ferdinand de Bourbon (1729-1765), Dauphin de France.
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| Irene du Buisson de Longpre |
Irène du Buisson de Longpré (d.1767)
Lover in 1750-1760.
Lover in 1750-1760.
Lady-in-waiting to Princess Adelaide, daughter of Louis XV
Daughter of: Jacques du Buisson, Seigneur de Longpre & Marie-Elisabeth de Seran.
Wife of: Charles-Francoise Filleul, Advisor & secretary to the King, mar 1747
Natural offspring: 1) Marie-Francoise-Julie Filleul (1751-1822)
_-_02.jpg) |
| Marie-Louise O'Murphy |
Lover in 1752-1755.
French royal mistress.
a.k.a. Marie-Louise O'Murphy de Boisfailly, Louisa O'Murphy, Louise Morfi, Louison, Morphise, Mademoiselle de Morphise, Mademoiselle de Murphy, La Belle Morphise.
Daughter of: Daniel Morfi, Secretary to Charles O'Brien, 6th Viscount Clare & Marguerite Iquy, a.k.a. Marguerite Hicky (Hickey), the Englishwoman, married 1714.
Wife of:
1. Jacques Pelet de Beaufranchet, Seigneur d'Ayat (1728-1757) mar 1755
"After two years as one of Louis’ favourites, and with his illegitimate child as proof, Marie-Louise was obviously feeling rather confident and superior. She tried to have herself made maîtresse-en-titre; it was a drastic mistake. The affronted Madame de Pompadour immediately had a marriage arranged that would remove Marie-Louise from court. She married Jacques Pelet de Beaufranchet in November 1755 and gave him two children, the younger posthumously, as Pelet died during the battle of Rossbach on the 5 November, 1757." (Hidden Historical Heroines)
2. Francois-Nicolas Le Normant, Comte de Flaghac (1725-1783), Receiver General of Finance, mar 1759
"Two years later, Marie-Louise married a widower, François Nicolas Le Normant, the comte de Flaghac. She gave him a daughter in January 1768 – Marguerite Victoire – although many historians hold her to have been a second illegitimate daughter of Louis XV, due to the high level of interest that Louis and his Bourbon heirs had in the girl – providing her with money throughout her life and attending her wedding." (Hidden Historical Heroines)
3. Louis-Philippe Dumont, MP in National Convention (1765-1853) mar 1795, div 1798.
"After the death of Le Normant in 1583, the still rather eligible Marie-Louise remained ‘single’ for twelve years. In 1795 though, at the age of 58, she was compelled into a third marriage, with one Louis-Philippe Dumont. Dumont was, by contemporary accounts, a rather handsome rogue, and – impressively – 28 years younger than Marie-Louise; she still must have been quite the catch. The marriage ended in divorce after three years; it was to be Marie-Louise’s last (although three marriages and an elongated affair with a king isn’t bad going)." (Hidden Historical Heroines)
1. Jacques Pelet de Beaufranchet, Seigneur d'Ayat (1728-1757) mar 1755
"After two years as one of Louis’ favourites, and with his illegitimate child as proof, Marie-Louise was obviously feeling rather confident and superior. She tried to have herself made maîtresse-en-titre; it was a drastic mistake. The affronted Madame de Pompadour immediately had a marriage arranged that would remove Marie-Louise from court. She married Jacques Pelet de Beaufranchet in November 1755 and gave him two children, the younger posthumously, as Pelet died during the battle of Rossbach on the 5 November, 1757." (Hidden Historical Heroines)
2. Francois-Nicolas Le Normant, Comte de Flaghac (1725-1783), Receiver General of Finance, mar 1759
"Two years later, Marie-Louise married a widower, François Nicolas Le Normant, the comte de Flaghac. She gave him a daughter in January 1768 – Marguerite Victoire – although many historians hold her to have been a second illegitimate daughter of Louis XV, due to the high level of interest that Louis and his Bourbon heirs had in the girl – providing her with money throughout her life and attending her wedding." (Hidden Historical Heroines)
3. Louis-Philippe Dumont, MP in National Convention (1765-1853) mar 1795, div 1798.
"After the death of Le Normant in 1583, the still rather eligible Marie-Louise remained ‘single’ for twelve years. In 1795 though, at the age of 58, she was compelled into a third marriage, with one Louis-Philippe Dumont. Dumont was, by contemporary accounts, a rather handsome rogue, and – impressively – 28 years younger than Marie-Louise; she still must have been quite the catch. The marriage ended in divorce after three years; it was to be Marie-Louise’s last (although three marriages and an elongated affair with a king isn’t bad going)." (Hidden Historical Heroines)
Natural offspring: 1. Agathe Louise de Saint-Antoine de Saint-André (1754-1774).
Personal & family background.
Marie-Louise was the daughter of "...Daniel Murphy, formerly a soldier in an Irish regiment of the French army, who had settled in Rouen as a cobbler. Their mother, Margaret Murphy, nee Hickey, appears to have been the ambitious type, who recognised the social potential of at least one of her five daughters and knew that Paris, rather than Rouen, was the place to fully realise it." (History Ireland)
Physical appearance & personal qualities.
"Marie-Louise O'Murphy was brought at first to the two little rooms of the Birdcage, then, from March 1753, she was installed in the Parc-aux-Cerfs. She was 'well-made, quite tall, brunette, a rather long, delicate face, very pretty indeed. She has a bosom and is very formed for her age. She became nubile only three or four months ago.' Marie-Louise was sixteen-and-a-half years old." (Algrant, 2003, pp. 151-152) (Wild Irish Women: Extraordinary Lives from History:59] (Hidden historical heroines)
Personal & family background.
Marie-Louise was the daughter of "...Daniel Murphy, formerly a soldier in an Irish regiment of the French army, who had settled in Rouen as a cobbler. Their mother, Margaret Murphy, nee Hickey, appears to have been the ambitious type, who recognised the social potential of at least one of her five daughters and knew that Paris, rather than Rouen, was the place to fully realise it." (History Ireland)
Physical appearance & personal qualities.
"Marie-Louise O'Murphy was brought at first to the two little rooms of the Birdcage, then, from March 1753, she was installed in the Parc-aux-Cerfs. She was 'well-made, quite tall, brunette, a rather long, delicate face, very pretty indeed. She has a bosom and is very formed for her age. She became nubile only three or four months ago.' Marie-Louise was sixteen-and-a-half years old." (Algrant, 2003, pp. 151-152) (Wild Irish Women: Extraordinary Lives from History:59] (Hidden historical heroines)
First encounter.
" . . . His favourite mistress, Madame de Pompadour, admitted frankly that she couldn't keep up with him -- but she also knew that failing to pander to the king's every whim was risky. Should one of the many cultured ladies of the court succeed her as maitresse en titre, she would lose her powerful and influential position. So the clever courtesan hit on a plan. She drew the king's attention to the paintings of Louison adorning the walls of the palace, then, one day in 1753, she invited Casanova to introduce Louison to the king in person. Louison was just seventeen years old. Louis XV was instantly captivated by Louison's looks, good humour and apparent naivete. . . ." (Wild Irish Women: Extraordinary Lives from History: 50-61)
"Some say Louison was introduced to king Louis XV by Casanova, others that the king summoned her after viewing the 1752 painting of her by Francois Boucher. But a recent exhibition on Casanova in Paris suggests that Boucher's picture of a naked girl reclining on a sofa is not a portrait of Louison at all and that it was a different portrait of Louison---commissioned by Casanova from a German artist for the sum of 6 ecus---that around the king's well-developed libido. Camille Pascal, in his meticulous, definitive biography of Louison suggests that any number of people---including Boucher and the king's official mistress, Mme de Pompadour--could all have facilitated her introduction to the King as a way of currying favour with him. With the help of a series of entremetteuses---responsible for negotiating a suitable financial settlement with the girls' parents---Louis XV was thus supplied with a constant supply of young flesh. These girls were often, like Louison, parked in houses outside the palace gates in Versailles." (Marie-Louise O'Murphy @ Irish Paris)
Marie-Louise O'Murphy's other lover was:
Francois Boucher, French painter.
" . . . His favourite mistress, Madame de Pompadour, admitted frankly that she couldn't keep up with him -- but she also knew that failing to pander to the king's every whim was risky. Should one of the many cultured ladies of the court succeed her as maitresse en titre, she would lose her powerful and influential position. So the clever courtesan hit on a plan. She drew the king's attention to the paintings of Louison adorning the walls of the palace, then, one day in 1753, she invited Casanova to introduce Louison to the king in person. Louison was just seventeen years old. Louis XV was instantly captivated by Louison's looks, good humour and apparent naivete. . . ." (Wild Irish Women: Extraordinary Lives from History: 50-61)
"Some say Louison was introduced to king Louis XV by Casanova, others that the king summoned her after viewing the 1752 painting of her by Francois Boucher. But a recent exhibition on Casanova in Paris suggests that Boucher's picture of a naked girl reclining on a sofa is not a portrait of Louison at all and that it was a different portrait of Louison---commissioned by Casanova from a German artist for the sum of 6 ecus---that around the king's well-developed libido. Camille Pascal, in his meticulous, definitive biography of Louison suggests that any number of people---including Boucher and the king's official mistress, Mme de Pompadour--could all have facilitated her introduction to the King as a way of currying favour with him. With the help of a series of entremetteuses---responsible for negotiating a suitable financial settlement with the girls' parents---Louis XV was thus supplied with a constant supply of young flesh. These girls were often, like Louison, parked in houses outside the palace gates in Versailles." (Marie-Louise O'Murphy @ Irish Paris)
Marie-Louise O'Murphy's other lover was:
Francois Boucher, French painter.
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| Gabrielle de Chimay |
Gabrielle de Chimay (1732-1809)
Lover in 1756.
Vicomtesse de Cambis
French aristocrat, society figure, Bourbon courtier, & royal mistress.
a.k.a. Gabrielle-Charlotte-Francoise de Chimay; Madame de Cambis; Louise-Francoise-Gabrielle d'Alsace-Henin-Lietard, Princesse de Chimay.
Daughter of: Alexandre-Gabriel de Henin Lietard, Prince de Chimay & Gabrielle-Francoise de Beauvau-Craon.
Wife of: Jacques Francois, Vicomte de Cambis (1727-1792) mar 1755.
Daughter of: Alexandre-Gabriel de Henin Lietard, Prince de Chimay & Gabrielle-Francoise de Beauvau-Craon.
Wife of: Jacques Francois, Vicomte de Cambis (1727-1792) mar 1755.
Madame de Cambis's other lovers were:
1. Armand-Louis de Gontaut, Duc de Lauzun.
" . . . (S)he became the mistress of the Duc de Lauzun, twenty years her junior, according to his own Memoires. . . . " (A Bit of History)
2. Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond (1735-1806)
3. Chevalier de Coigny.
1. Armand-Louis de Gontaut, Duc de Lauzun.
" . . . (S)he became the mistress of the Duc de Lauzun, twenty years her junior, according to his own Memoires. . . . " (A Bit of History)
2. Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond (1735-1806)
3. Chevalier de Coigny.
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| Marie-Anne de Mailly |
Marie-Anne de Mailly (1732-1817)
Lover in 1757.
Marquise de Coislin.
Lover in 1757.
Marquise de Coislin.
French aristocrat & royal mistress.
Daughter of Louis de Mailly & Anne Françoise Elisabeth Arbaleste de Melun.
Daughter of Louis de Mailly & Anne Françoise Elisabeth Arbaleste de Melun.
Wife of:
1. Charles-Rene du Cambout, Marquis de Coislin (d.1771) mar 1750
2. Louis-Marie, Duc de Mailly (1744-1792), French general & politician, mar 1793.
Her other lovers were:
1. Gustav III of Sweden
2. Peter III of Russia.
"The moment of supremacy was, in a way, the last triumph. The events of late 1757 did not bode well either for the marquise or for France. A serious rival appeared at court, in the person of Marie-Anne-Louise-Adelaide de Mailly, marquise de Coislin. A member of the Mailly family, from whom Louis XV's first favorites had come, she was a tall, rather imposing young woman, who possessed great charm and lively intelligence. Madame du Hausset relates how one evening Madame de Pompadour returned from the salon at Marly in a state of complete agitation, throwing down her cloack and muff and undressing with furious impatience. She had played cards with Madame de Coislin, watched attentively by all the court, and Madame de Coislin had said two or three times, with an insulting look, 'I stake all,' and then; I have a Royal pair.' Madame du Hausset asked if the king had observed this. 'You do not know him, my dear; if he were going to move her into my rooms this evening, he would still treat her coldly in public, and treat me with the greatest friendship. This is the result of his upbringing, for he himself is honest and open.'" (Madame de Pompadour: Mistress of France: 223)
Marguerite-Catherine Haynault (1736-1823).
Her other lovers were:
1. Gustav III of Sweden
2. Peter III of Russia.
"The moment of supremacy was, in a way, the last triumph. The events of late 1757 did not bode well either for the marquise or for France. A serious rival appeared at court, in the person of Marie-Anne-Louise-Adelaide de Mailly, marquise de Coislin. A member of the Mailly family, from whom Louis XV's first favorites had come, she was a tall, rather imposing young woman, who possessed great charm and lively intelligence. Madame du Hausset relates how one evening Madame de Pompadour returned from the salon at Marly in a state of complete agitation, throwing down her cloack and muff and undressing with furious impatience. She had played cards with Madame de Coislin, watched attentively by all the court, and Madame de Coislin had said two or three times, with an insulting look, 'I stake all,' and then; I have a Royal pair.' Madame du Hausset asked if the king had observed this. 'You do not know him, my dear; if he were going to move her into my rooms this evening, he would still treat her coldly in public, and treat me with the greatest friendship. This is the result of his upbringing, for he himself is honest and open.'" (Madame de Pompadour: Mistress of France: 223)
Marguerite-Catherine Haynault (1736-1823).
Lover in 1759-1762.
Marquise de Montmelas.
a.k.a. Marguerite Hainault.
Daughter of a tobacco warehouse owner
Wife of: Blaise d'Arod, Marquis de Montmelas, mar 1766
Natural Offspring:
Marquise de Montmelas.
a.k.a. Marguerite Hainault.
Daughter of a tobacco warehouse owner
Wife of: Blaise d'Arod, Marquis de Montmelas, mar 1766
Natural Offspring:
Agnès-Louise de Montreuil (1760-1837)
Anne-Luisa de La Réale (1763-1831)
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| Lucie-Madeleine d’Estaing @Favorites Royales |
Lucie-Madeleine d’Estaing (1743-1826)
Lover in 1760-1763
Dame de Ravel.
a.k.a. Madame de Ravel.
Daughter of Charles-Francois d'Estaing, Vicomte de Ravel & Marquis de Sailhant and Magdeleine Erny de Mirfond.
Wife of Francis, Comte de Boysseuth, mar 1768
Natural offspring
1. Agnes-Lucie Auguste (1771-?)
2. Aphrodite-Lucie Auguste (1774-?)
"In 1760, aged 17, she became the mistress of Louis XV. Like Marguerite Hainault, she is a small "intermittent" mistress of the sovereign. Indeed, Louis XV puts his two mistresses pregnant one year out of two each, during four years. During the pregnancy of one, he fooled with the other ... until she became pregnant in turn. Meanwhile, the first has given birth and is available again .... And Lucie-Madeleine is not long in giving his royal lover two natural daughters: Agnès-Lucie Auguste born in 1761 and Aphrodite-Lucie Auguste born 1763, officially baptized as daughters of Lucie Citoyenne and Louis Auguste, fictitious characters but whose names can make us smile. The two girls are raised together from their parents in the convent of Chaillot and recognized in August 1774 by letters patent of King Louis XVI as " young ladies from the oldest nobility of France " and who gives them the honors of the Court . They also receive a capital of 223,000 livres, constituted by their father, Louis XV, as well as an annual annuity of 24,300 livres." (Favorites Royales)
Anne Couppier de Romans (1737-1808)
Lover in 1760-1765.
Baronne de Meilly-Coulogne
Marquise de Cavanac
Wife of: Gabriel Guillaume de Siran, marquis de Cavanac (Cavamau) mar 1772.
Natural offspring:
1) Louis-Aimee de Bourbon (1762-1787)
a.k.a. l'Abbe de Bourbon.
Abbot of Saint-Vincent de Metz, Commendator 1777, Canon of Notre-Dame, Ordained priest 1778
La Petite Provence.
". . . Here it was that Louis XV first saw Mlle de Romans, brought hither as a beautiful little girl to see the show of the king's entry, sent to inquire at the lemonade stall (existing then as now) who she was, and then took her away from her parents to become his mistress and the mother of the Abbe de Bourbon. . . ." (Paris: 26)
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Louis-Aimee de Bourbon |
First encounter.
"The manner in which Mademoiselle de Romans, mistress to Louis XV and mother of the Abbe de Bourbon, was presented to him, deserves, I think, to be related. The King had gone, with a grand cavalcade, to Paris to hold a bed of justice. As he passed the terrace of the Tuileries he observed a chevalier de St. Louis, dressed in a faded lutestring coat, and a woman of a pretty good figure, holding on the parapet of the terrace a young girl strikingly beautiful, much adorned, and dressed in a rose-coloured taffety frock. The King's notice was involuntarily attracted by the marked manner in which he was pointed out to the girl. On returning to Versailles, he called Le Bel, the minister and confidant of his secret pleasures, and ordered him to seek in Paris a young female about twelve or thirteen years of age, describing her as I have just mentioned. Le Bel assured him he saw no probability of the success of such a commission. 'Pardon me,' said Louis XV, 'this family must live in the neighbourhood of the Tuileries, on the side of the Faubourg St. Honore, or at an entrance of the Faubourg St. Germain. . . Le Bell fulfilled his master's orders; and within a month discovered the dwelling place of the girl; he found that Louis XV was not in the least mistaken with respect to the intentions which he supposed to exist. All conditions were easily." (The Private Life of Marie Antoinette: 10)
Natural offspring: "Mademoiselle de Romans had, by Louis XV, a son who was christened under the name of Bourbon, a favour not accorded to any other natural son of the king. She however failed to obtain his legitimization. He was known afterwards under the name of Abbe de Bourbon, and died in the reign of Louis XVI. Mademoiselle de Romans married later M. de Cavanac. . . ." (Talleyrand-Perigord, 1891, p. 38)
Jeanne-Luisa Tiercelin de la Colleterie (1746-1779)
Lover in 1762-1765.
French royal mistress.
a.k.a. Madame de Bonneval.
Daughter of: Pierre Tiercelin de La Colleterie & Jeanne-Jacqueline Vautorte.
Natural Offspring: Benoît Louis Le Duc (1764-1837) a.k.a. l'Abbe le Duc. [Bio]
French royal mistress.
a.k.a. Madame de Bonneval.
Daughter of: Pierre Tiercelin de La Colleterie & Jeanne-Jacqueline Vautorte.
Natural Offspring: Benoît Louis Le Duc (1764-1837) a.k.a. l'Abbe le Duc. [Bio]
"Amongst the young ladies of very tender age, with whom the King amused himself during the influence of madame de Pompadour, or afterwards, there was also a mademoiselle Tiercelin, whom his majesty ordered to take the name of Bonneval, the very day she was presented to him. The King was the first who perceived this child, when not above nine years old, in the care of a nurse, in the garden of the Thuilleries (sic), one day when he went in state to his 'good city of Paris:' and having, in the evening , spoken of her beauty to Le Bel, the servant applied to M. de Sartine, who traced her out, and bought her of the nurse for a few louis. She was the daughter of M. de Tiercelin, a man of quality, who could not patiently endure an affront to this nature. He was, however, compelled to be silent; he was told his child was lost; and that it would be best for him to submit to the sacrifice, unless he wished to lose his liberty also." (Campan, 1823, p. 446)
Natural offspring: "On February 7, 1764, Jeanne-Louise Tiercelin of La Colleterie, little mistress of Louis XV, gave birth to a boy. The child, baptized the day after his birth in the parish of Saint-Paul in Paris, bears the name of Benoît-Louis Le Duc. Officially, he is the son of a certain Louis Le Duc, former cavalry officer, and Julie de La Colleterie. However, behind the pseudonym "Le Duc" it is not difficult to recognize the King of France. Most historians admit that Benoît-Louis Le Duc is the eighth and last natural child of Louis XV. Shortly after the birth of her child, Miss Tiercelin was exiled from the court, after attempting - in vain - to legitimize her son by the king. Held away from her child, Jeanne-Louise Tiercelin died in 1779 without having seen him again." (Histoires et Secrets)
" . . . She was Aimee de Tellison, daughter of Louis XV and a lady known as Madame de Bonneval, later married to an official, a widower named de Tellison. Aimee had been well educated under the provision of Louis XVI, who had also bestowed an annuity on her mother. . . Mlle. de Tellison is described as 'petite, extremely vivacious and possessed of all the polite accoplishments,' though 'without fortune.'. . . ." (Russell, 1927, pp. 182-183)
Anne-Thoynard de Jouy (1739-1825)
Lover in 1763-1765.
a.k.a. Madame de Gramont.
Daughter of Franz Joseph Marquis de Choiseul & Marie-Louise Bassompierre
Wife of Antoine VII, Duke of Gramont, Governor of Navarre & Bearn.
Beatrix's other lover was:
Etienne-Francois Choiseul-Stainville, Duc de Choiseul, Her brother.
[Ref1:252]
Lover in 1765.
Comtesse de Séran
Maid of honour to Adelaide de Bourbon, Duchesse de Penthievre
a.k.a. born Marie Marguerite Adélaide de Bullioud; Mademoiselle de Bullioud; Madame de Seran.
Comtesse d’Esparbès de Lussan
French aristocrat & poet.
a.k.a. Madame Versailles.
Daughter of: Barthelemy-Francois Thoynard & Anne-Marie-Jacqueline Lallemant Levignen.
a.k.a. Madame Versailles.
Daughter of: Barthelemy-Francois Thoynard & Anne-Marie-Jacqueline Lallemant Levignen.
Wife of: Jean-Jacques d'Esparbes de Lussan, Comte d'Esparbes (1720-1810), mar 1758.
Béatrix de Choiseul-Stainville (1729-1794)
Duchesse de Gramont
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| Béatrix de Choiseul @Wikipedia |
Duchesse de Gramont
Lover in 1764.
French salonniere & bibliophile & royal mistress
a.k.a. Madame de Gramont.
Daughter of Franz Joseph Marquis de Choiseul & Marie-Louise Bassompierre
Wife of Antoine VII, Duke of Gramont, Governor of Navarre & Bearn.
Beatrix's other lover was:
Etienne-Francois Choiseul-Stainville, Duc de Choiseul, Her brother.
[Ref1:252]
"There was at Court a cousin of M. de Stainville's, the Comtesse de Choiseul-Romanet, as lovely as an angel, gentle, well-conducted and faithful. The King paid his court to her and wrote her several ardent letters. Mme. de Pompadour, aware of this royal caprice, and very uneacy as to the issue, begged M. de Satinville to find some means of disenchanting the King. 'This was enough. M. de Stainville exerted all his powers of attraction and Mme. de Choiseul-Romanet was won. He then affected jealousy, and by skillful by-play obtained possession of the King's letters. He had no sooner got them than he carried them to the Marquise, who made such triumphant use of htem that Louis XV was convinced, and gave up this new caprice.' Three months later Mme. de Choiseul-Romanet died of malignant fever, and a report was spread that M. de Stainville had had her poisoned. This, however, was an atrocious calumny." (The Duc de Lauzun and the Court of Louis XV: 27)
Marie-Adélaïde de Bullioud (1743-1793) |
| Adélaïde de Bullioud Comtesse de Seran |
Lover in 1765.
Comtesse de Séran
Maid of honour to Adelaide de Bourbon, Duchesse de Penthievre
a.k.a. born Marie Marguerite Adélaide de Bullioud; Mademoiselle de Bullioud; Madame de Seran.
Daughter of Michel de Bullioud, Sieur de Fougeuil & Marguerite Le Brun
Wife of Louis François Anne, Comte de Séran mar c1722
Lover in 1768.
Wife of Louis François Anne, Comte de Séran mar c1722
"The new wife made it her goal then, to become a lady in waiting to the Duchess of Chartres. Unfortunately her pedigree was questioned (the job required your linage to trace back 400 years. The matter could only be approved by the King, and Louis XV heard enough about her beauty to give the 'OK'. So she earned the position by hand of Louis XV, on the condition that she came to personally thank him. Success! All her friends knew she would soon be a favorite! = benefits, favors and money for them! So she went to meet with him, in private, and he was of course taken by her beauty. Where many women would bat their eyes and hold their hands out for jewels and love from Louis, she spoke kindly and maturely to him. She expressed that she would like, at some point, to have the title of Princesse d'Armagnac. He said that he would need to know and trust her for that major title, and she offered to him her time and friendship. Yes, Friendship! The Comtesse de Seran became very good friends with the king, and they wrote letters often. He was OK with the )because sometimes having a good friend is really important!" (Marie Antoinette's Gossip Guide to the 18th Century)
Marie-Thérèse-Francoise Boisselet (1731-1800)
Madame de Gassicourt. Lover in 1768.
Natural Offspring: 1. Charles Louis Cadet de Gassicourt (1769-1821)
" . . . Marie Therese Boisselet was briefly the lover of Louis XV during the period of his liaison with Madame DuBarry. She bore Louis a son, known as Charles Louis Cadet de Gassicourt (1769 – 1821), who was made a Chevalier of the Empire under Napoleon I. When the liaison had petered out, the king arranged for her marriage with Louis Claude Cadet, who died in 1799. Her descendants in the male line died out in 1879." (abitofhistory.net-B)
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| Madame du Barry @Wikipedia |
Jeanne Becu de Cantigny (1723-1793)
Comtesse du Barry
Lover in 1768-1774.
Illegitimate Daughter of: Jean-Baptiste Gormand de Vaubernier & Anne Becu de Cantigny, a seamstress.
Wife of: Comte Guillaume du Barry, mar 1768.
Madame du Barry's personal & family background.
"The Memoirs of General Dumouriez, vol. i,page 142, contain some curious particulars about Madame du Barry; and novel details respecting her will be found at page 243 of Curiosites Historiques, by J.A. Le Roi (Paris, Plon, 1864). His investigation lead to the result that her real name was Jeanne Becu, born 19th August 1743, at Vaucouleurs, the natural daughter of Anne Becu, otherwise known as 'Quantiny.' Her mother afterwards married Nicolas Rancon. Comte Jean du Barry met her among the demi-monde, and succeeded, about 1767, and by the help of his friend Lebel, the valet de chambre of Louis XV, in introducing her to the King under the name of 'Mademoiselle l'Ange.' To be formally a mistress a husband had to be found. The Comte Jean du Barry, already married himself, found no difficulty in getting his brother, Comte Guillaume, a poor officer of the marine troops, to accept the post of husband. In the marriage-contract, signed on 23rd July 1768, she was described as the daughter of Anne Becu and of an imaginary first husband, 'Sieur Jean-Jacques Gomard de Vaubernier,' and three years were taken off her age. The marriage-contract was so drawn as to leave Madame du Barry entirely free from all control by her husband. The marriage was solemnised on 1st September 1768, after which the nominal husband returned to Toulouse. Madame du Barry in later years provided for him; and in 1772, tired of his applications, she obtained an act of separation from him. He married later Jeanne Madeleine Lemoine, and died in 1811. Madame du Barry took care of her mother, who figured as Madame de Montrable. In all she received from the King, Monsieur Le Roi calculates, about twelve and a half million of livres. On the death of Louis XV she had to retire first to the Abbey of Pont-aus-Dames, near Meaux, then she was allowed to go to her small house at Saint Vrain, near Arpajon, and finally, in 1775, to her chateau at Louveciennes. Much to her credit be it said, she retained many of her friends, and was on the most intimate terms till his death with the Duke de Brissac (Louis-Hercule-Timoleon de Cosse-Brissac), who was killed at Versailles in the massacre of the prisoners in September 1792, leaving at his death a large legacy to her. Even the emperor Joseph visited her. In 1791 many of her jewels were stolen and taken to England. This caused her to make several visits to that country, where she gained her suit. But these visits, though she took every precaution to legalise them, ruined her. Betrayed by her servants, among them by Zamor, the negro page, she was brought before the Revolutionary tribunal, and was guillotined on 8th December 1793, in a frenzy of terror, calling for mercy and for delay up to the moment when her head fell." (The Private Life of Marie Antoinette: 67)
First encounter -- 1767.
"Much disgusted by a rebuff to which she was unaccustomed, and which Choiseul's not undeserved reputation made still more surprising, the young woman was wandering sadly about the gardens of the palace when fate, which owed her some compensation, threw her in the way of Louis XV. Nothing was easier than to approach the King in the gardens, at chapel, or at the grand convert, his supper in public. Jeanne Vaubernier's 'figure and fresh looks, her radiant expression and air of innocence,' attracted his Majesty, and he sent his valet, Le Bel, to follow her. A few days later 'the Angel' was the King's mistress, and the old monarch devoted himself to her with a servile passion, which ere long was the scandal of the Court and of France." (The Duc de Lauzun and the Court of Louis XV: 194)
Successor to Madame Pompadour in 1769.
" . . . The king's favour in the end fell on Jeanne Becu, illegitimate daughter of a monk, whose beauty and wit had won her quite a reputation in Parisian roue circles. She was duly reinvented as an aristocrat grand enough to be presented at court in early 1769 and provided with a spouse who conveniently decamped. Choiseul regarded the new mistress with displeasure: he had lined up his own sister, the duchesse de Gramont, for the honour, and was aware that du Barry was closely linked to his court rivals. Initially, however, Madame du Barry was keener on jewels and fashion than on political meddling." (The Great Nation: France from Louis XV to Napoleon)
Princesse de Monaco
First encounter -- 1767.
"Much disgusted by a rebuff to which she was unaccustomed, and which Choiseul's not undeserved reputation made still more surprising, the young woman was wandering sadly about the gardens of the palace when fate, which owed her some compensation, threw her in the way of Louis XV. Nothing was easier than to approach the King in the gardens, at chapel, or at the grand convert, his supper in public. Jeanne Vaubernier's 'figure and fresh looks, her radiant expression and air of innocence,' attracted his Majesty, and he sent his valet, Le Bel, to follow her. A few days later 'the Angel' was the King's mistress, and the old monarch devoted himself to her with a servile passion, which ere long was the scandal of the Court and of France." (The Duc de Lauzun and the Court of Louis XV: 194)
Successor to Madame Pompadour in 1769.
" . . . The king's favour in the end fell on Jeanne Becu, illegitimate daughter of a monk, whose beauty and wit had won her quite a reputation in Parisian roue circles. She was duly reinvented as an aristocrat grand enough to be presented at court in early 1769 and provided with a spouse who conveniently decamped. Choiseul regarded the new mistress with displeasure: he had lined up his own sister, the duchesse de Gramont, for the honour, and was aware that du Barry was closely linked to his court rivals. Initially, however, Madame du Barry was keener on jewels and fashion than on political meddling." (The Great Nation: France from Louis XV to Napoleon)
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| Maria Caterina Brignole Princesse de Monaco |
Maria Caterina Brignole (1737-1813)
Lover in 1771.
Princesse de Monaco
Italian aristocrat & royal mistress
a.k.a. Marie-Christine de Brignole.
Daughter of: Giuseppe Brignole, 7th Marchese di Groppoli, Genoese aristocrat, & Maria Anna Balbi.
Wife of:
1. Honore III de Monaco mar 1757
2. ??? |
| Francoise de Raucourt |
Francoise de Raucourt (1756-1815)
Lover in 1772.
French actress & singer.
a.k.a. Francoise-Marie-Antoinette de Saucerotte, Francoise Raucourt, Mlle de Raucourt, Mademoiselle Raucourt.
No actresses for me, please.
"Notwithstanding the habitual gallantry of Louis XV, he troubled himself very little with actresses; whether he thought (and with reason) that these persons are charming only when adorned with the tinsel and glitter of scenic decorations, or whether he imagined that, by selecting the objects of his regard from the boards of a theatre, he might excite the dissatisfaction of the Parisian belles, I know not; but Mademoiselle Raucourt, whom I had liberally furnished both with money and clothes, was imprudent enough to betray, in my presence, her own ambitious views on the heart of the King. I did not at the time pay any attention to the circumstance, but having heard shortly after that she was continually boasting of her intimacy with Louis XV, the dread of finding a rival in one I had hitherto believed too inconsiderable to notice filled me with alarm. I immediately sought an explanation with the King, who laughed at my fears, asserting that he had no taste for such a pair of long scraggy arms as those of Mademoiselle Raucourt. 'Besides,' added he, 'I have no desire to turn my private apartments into a sort of theatrical saloon. This girl is public property; far be it from me to entrench upon so just a claim.' And the better to mark his dislike to Mademoiselle Raucourt, Louis XV, from that moment interested himself greatly for Mademoiselle Sainval, who, although, very plain, had far more talent than Mademoiselle Raucourt." (Memoirs of Madame Du Barri, Volume 3: 73)
"Her beauty and talent had made her famous, but her not so secret love affairs with other women made her notorious. She was known to have had numerous affairs with both men and women, preferring the latter. One on-again-off-again lover was opera soprano Sophie Arnould. Famous or not, in her time this could have a negative effect on a career, and a popular scandalous pamphlet claimed that she led a secret society of lesbians in Paris called the Sect of Anandrynes." (Wikipedia)
"In 1772, she made her debut by playing the role of Dido. She becomes an extremely popular actress. She becomes friends with the official favorite of the king, the Countess du Barry. Besides, it was through her who introduced her to the king that she became one of the little mistresses of the Beloved in 1772; the anonymous author of the "Fastes de Louis XV" presents it thus: " This ardent young lady was so famous for her immodesty that she was called" the great she-wolf "or" the laye of the woods ", which means how good she was; Louis XV from his first meeting, showed himself strongly seduced by his brilliance and his initiatives. The king, He gave himself up to the movements of the flesh with this new object, which was filled with the blessings of the master and the favorite. So famous for her beauty and her talents, she collects many lovers and also mistresses. Moreover she will be displayed throughout her life with several mistresses including Jeanne-Françoise-Marie Sourques, not hesitating to display them in broad daylight. She will also be proud to be a lesbian, which will cause her serious trouble, lower her popularity and tarnish her image with people. With her mistress, Sophie Arnauld, a soprano opera, she will create an organization called Sect d'Anadrynes, a lesbian association in Paris, rue des Boucheries-Saint-Honoré." (Favorites Royales)
Rose-Marie-Helene de Tournon (1757-1782).
Lover in 1773
Vicomtesse du Barry.
a.k.a. Helene de Tournon.
Daughter of: Baron de Retour.
Wife of: Adolphe, Vicomte du Barry
"In 1772, she made her debut by playing the role of Dido. She becomes an extremely popular actress. She becomes friends with the official favorite of the king, the Countess du Barry. Besides, it was through her who introduced her to the king that she became one of the little mistresses of the Beloved in 1772; the anonymous author of the "Fastes de Louis XV" presents it thus: " This ardent young lady was so famous for her immodesty that she was called" the great she-wolf "or" the laye of the woods ", which means how good she was; Louis XV from his first meeting, showed himself strongly seduced by his brilliance and his initiatives. The king, He gave himself up to the movements of the flesh with this new object, which was filled with the blessings of the master and the favorite. So famous for her beauty and her talents, she collects many lovers and also mistresses. Moreover she will be displayed throughout her life with several mistresses including Jeanne-Françoise-Marie Sourques, not hesitating to display them in broad daylight. She will also be proud to be a lesbian, which will cause her serious trouble, lower her popularity and tarnish her image with people. With her mistress, Sophie Arnauld, a soprano opera, she will create an organization called Sect d'Anadrynes, a lesbian association in Paris, rue des Boucheries-Saint-Honoré." (Favorites Royales)
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| Helene de Tournon Vicomtesse du Barry |
Lover in 1773
Vicomtesse du Barry.
a.k.a. Helene de Tournon.
Daughter of: Baron de Retour.
Wife of: Adolphe, Vicomte du Barry
Albertine-Elisabeth de Nyvenheim
Marquise de Champenez
Lover in 1774.
Marquise de Champenez
Daughter of: Johannes de Neukirchen de Nyvenheim & Seina Margriet van Wicke
Wife of:
1. Gerhard Pater mar 1760, sep 1763
2. Jean-Louis-Quentin de Richebourg, Marquis de Champenez (1723-1813), mar 1779.
" . . . Catherina Frederica van Nyvenheim was a tall, handsome young woman from one of the best families in Holland. She was initially sent to Paris to learn deportment under the care of her elder sister, who had the distinction of having briefly been the mistress of Louis XV. . . ." (The Road from Versailles)
" . . . Albertine Elisabeth de Champcenetz (nee de Nyvenheim de Nieukerque (1742-1805), known as 'La Belle Hollandaise [was] one of the myriad of Louis XV's mistresses [who] became the third wife of Jean Louis Quentin de Richebourg de Champcenetz (1723-1813, Governor of the Tuilleries Palace. A counter-revolutionary, La Belle Hollandaise was arrested in the Petit Chateau on February 9, 1794, but survived the Reign of Terror. Her stepson, however, the political satirist Louis Rene Quentin de Richebourg de Champcenetz, born in 1760, was executed on the guillotine in 1794." (Monville: Forgotten Luminary of the French Enlightenment; 79)
" . . . Catherina Frederica van Nyvenheim was a tall, handsome young woman from one of the best families in Holland. She was initially sent to Paris to learn deportment under the care of her elder sister, who had the distinction of having briefly been the mistress of Louis XV. . . ." (The Road from Versailles)
" . . . Albertine Elisabeth de Champcenetz (nee de Nyvenheim de Nieukerque (1742-1805), known as 'La Belle Hollandaise [was] one of the myriad of Louis XV's mistresses [who] became the third wife of Jean Louis Quentin de Richebourg de Champcenetz (1723-1813, Governor of the Tuilleries Palace. A counter-revolutionary, La Belle Hollandaise was arrested in the Petit Chateau on February 9, 1794, but survived the Reign of Terror. Her stepson, however, the political satirist Louis Rene Quentin de Richebourg de Champcenetz, born in 1760, was executed on the guillotine in 1794." (Monville: Forgotten Luminary of the French Enlightenment; 79)
Her other lover was:
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| Louise Julie Constance de Rohan Comtesse de Brionne |
25) Louise-Julie-Constance de Rohan, Comtesse de Brionne (1734-1815)
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Francois Boucher |
"Although the relationship between Boucher and Louisa has not been clearly defined, she may have been his lover for a time. Although married, Boucher followed his wife's example by taking lovers, and it seems that Louisa was among them. Their affair was short-lived as she soon gained a reputation as one of the prettiest models at the Academy, a recognition that prompted Mme de Pompadour, the declared mistress of the king, to commission Bocher to paint the Holy Family in the queen's oratory, with Louisa as the Madonna, through which she came to the notice of Louis XV."
79) Yolande de Polastron, Duchesse de Polignac (1749-1793)
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Yolande de Polastron Duchesse de Polignac
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a.k.a. born Yolande Martine Gabrielle de Polastron, Gabrielle-Yolande de Polignac.
Daughter of: Jean Francois Gabriel, Comte de Polastron, Seigneur de Noueilles, Venerque and Grepiac & Jeanne-Charlotte Herault.
Wife of: Jules-Francois Armand de Polignac (1746-1817), Comte de Polignac, Marquis de Mancini, mar 1767
Physical Traits and Personal Qualities: "Yolande de Polastron, Comtesse de Polignac was a soft-eyed, mild and delicately beautiful woman with an attractive serenity that had a calming effect on the restless and occasionally frenetic Antoinette. She was much admired for her exquisite manners, her skin 'with the whiteness of a narcissus,' her lovely brown eyes, good teeth and charming smile, even her 'little pink fingertips.'...." (Erickson, 2004, p. 165)
Character or Persona: "..."...Married to Comte Jules de Polignac, a soldier of good family but only modest means, Yolande might have tried to advance herself through intrigue as so many did at Versailles. Instead she seemed content with what she had. When Antoinette first saw har at a palace ball..., she told the Queen candidly that she rarely came to Versailles as her husband's income was not sufficient to support the expense of court life. She dressed simply, talked softly and sweetly, and in general was in refreshing contrast to the grasping people around her. Antoinette was much taken with her, and by 1777 they were fast friends...." (Erickson, 2004, p. 165)
Parc-aux-Cerfs.
References for Louis XV of France:
Amours et galanteries des rois de France: mémoires historiques sur les concubines, maitresses et favorites de ces Princes, Volume 2.
Amours et galanteries des rois de France: mémoires historiques sur les concubines, maitresses et favorites de ces Princes, Volume 3.
"That summer, Marie Antoinette became pregnant again but suffered a miscarriage in the early stages of the pregnancy. She and the King wept together, but Louis then sought solace in the company of another woman, though not just any woman: Gabrielle Yolande de Polignac was Marie Antoinette's closest friend at court. Louis started visiting Madame de Polignac without his wife, a development that disturbed Mercy and the Empress. She had a husband---Come Jules de Polignac--and a lover-- the handsome and entertaining Comte de Vaudreuil, one of Marie Antoinette's favorite companions, whom the King would appoint Grand Falconer. When Madame de Polignac became pregnant in the second half of 1779 after not having had a child for a good many years, Marie Antoinette feared her worst suspicions confirmed, but she said nothing to the King hoping that his 'infatuation' would subside." (Nagel, 2009, pp. 28-29)
Personal and Family Background: She was born Yolande Martine Gabrielle de Polastron to Jean Francois Gabriel, comte de Polastron, seigneur de Noueilles, Venerque and Grepiac and of Jeanne-Charlotte Herault. She was married in 1767 to Jules-Francois Armand, comte de Polignac, marquis de Mancini (1746-1817).
Physical Traits and Personal Qualities: "Yolande de Polastron, Comtesse de Polignac was a soft-eyed, mild and delicately beautiful woman with an attractive serenity that had a calming effect on the restless and occasionally frenetic Antoinette. She was much admired for her exquisite manners, her skin 'with the whiteness of a narcissus,' her lovely brown eyes, good teeth and charming smile, even her 'little pink fingertips.'...." (Erickson, 2004, p. 165)
Character or Persona: "..."...Married to Comte Jules de Polignac, a soldier of good family but only modest means, Yolande might have tried to advance herself through intrigue as so many did at Versailles. Instead she seemed content with what she had. When Antoinette first saw har at a palace ball..., she told the Queen candidly that she rarely came to Versailles as her husband's income was not sufficient to support the expense of court life. She dressed simply, talked softly and sweetly, and in general was in refreshing contrast to the grasping people around her. Antoinette was much taken with her, and by 1777 they were fast friends...." (Erickson, 2004, p. 165)
Benefits: "...Count Jules de Polignac was given the post of first equerry to the Queen, solving all financial difficulties and making him a wealthy man. Yolande and Jules were given spacious and well located quarters in the palace---a great rarity and a coveted privilege. In time Yolande took the place of the scandal-tainted Madame de Guemenee as governess of the royal children. And all the couple's relatives prospered well." (Erickson, 2004, p. 165).
"Yolande's husband was the most conspicuous beneficiary of the Queen's largess. He was in charge of her stables, and in 1780 was created a hereditary duke. Large gifts followed in subsequent years...." (Erickson, 2004, p. 167)
Patronages: "The list of Polignac appointees was a long one. Diane de Polignac, Yolande's sister-in-law, was lady of honor to the Countess of Artois... Francois-Camille, Marquis de Polignac (uncle of Yolande's husband Jules) became first equerry to the Comte d'Artois and drew a sizable pension besides his large salary and valuable perquisites of office. Louis-Heraclius Victor, Vicomte de Polignac, was appointed to a governorship and given a large pension. Auguste-Apollinaire de Polignac, a Cluniac monk, received a pension and another Polignac cleric, Camille-Louis, was paid a double-salary as Bishop of Meaux and Abbot of St.-Epure. Lesser branches of the family were given gifts and annuities worth tens of thousands of livres. Jules de Polignac's friend (and Antoinette's reputed lover) the Duc de Coigny became wealthy as first equerry to the King and the Duc de Vaudreuil was made chief falconer." (Erickson: 166)
Yolande de Polastron's other lover was:
(1740-1817)
Louis XV de France Gallery.
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| Louis XV de France |
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| Louis XV of France on Peter the Great's Lap |
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| Louis XV de France by Pierre Gobert, 1714 |
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| Louis XV de France by Augustin-Oudart Justinant, 1716 |
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| Louis XV de France by Jean Ranc, 1718 @ Palace of Versailles |
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| Louis XV de France by Pierre Gobert, 1720 |
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| Louis XV de France by Charles-Sevin de La Penaye, 1721 |
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| Louis XV de France by Jean-Baptist van Loo, 1723 |
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| Louis XV de France & Mariana Victoria de Espana by Belle, 1723 |
_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg/576px-Rosalba_Carriera_-_Louis_XV_of_France_as_Dauphin_(1720-1721)_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) |
| Louis XV de France as Dauphin aged 10-11 by Rosalba Carriera, 1720-1721 @ Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister |
_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg/735px-Jean-Baptiste_Van_Loo_-_Louis_XV%2C_roi_de_France_et_de_Navarre_(1710-1774)_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) |
| Louis XV de France |
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| Louis XV de France |
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| Louis XV de France by Martin Bernigeroth, 1733 @ Bibliotheque nationale de France |
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| Head of Louis XV of France |
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| Vue du chí¢teau de Versailles en 1668 by Pierre Patel. The king’s petites maí®tresses were accommodated in inconspicuous houses nearby. (Réunion des Musées Nationaux) @History Ireland |
"Louis XV had added a new dimension to kingly vice, however. As well as keeping an official mistress, Mme de Pompadour, he opened the Parc-aux-Cerfs. . . The Parc-aux-Cerfs was an otherwise inconspicuous house near the palace at Versailles. Over the years two houses were used for the purpose, one on the Rue d’Anjou and the other on the Rue St Médéric; the latter was purchased in November 1755, after Louisa’s departure. It would seem that the girls were sometimes brought from the Parc-aux-Cerfs to the king’s quarters in a sedan chair with closed windows. The comte de Saint-Priest noticed: ‘I have seen several arrive under the little vault where one opened a secret door which led by a hidden staircase to a room next to the king’s suite’. . . ." (History Ireland)
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| Louis XV de France aged 63 by Francois-Hubert Drouais, 1773 @ Palace of Versailles |
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| Louis XV by Jean-Marc Nattier, 1745 Musée de l’Ermitage |
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| Louis XV by Gustaf Lundberg, 1730 Chateau de Versailles |
Summary List of Louis XV’s Lovers
(1715-1774)
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Affair Year
Ages at affair start (Lover/Louis)
| Name & Title | Social Status, Occupation or Profession |
1732-1739
1741-1742 (17/22) |
Louise-Julie de Mailly-Nesle, Comtesse de Mailly
|
Aristocrat
Nun in retirement |
1738
(25 /33)
|
Thérèse-Eulalie de Beaupoil de Saint-Aulaire, Marquise de Beuvron
|
Aristocrat
|
1738
(25/22) |
Marie-Anne de Vougny, Madame Amelot
|
Commoner
Wife |
1738
(25/?) |
Daughter of a butcher of Poissy or Versailles
|
Commoner
|
1739-1741
(24/27) |
Pauline-Félicité de Mailly-Nesle, Comtesse de Vintimille
|
Aristocrat
|
1742-1745
(27/28) |
Diane-Adélaïde de Mailly-Nesle, Duchesse de Lauraguais
|
Aristocrat
|
1742-1744
(27/25) |
Marie-Anne de Mailly-Nesle, Marquise de La Tournelle, Duchesse de Châteauroux
|
Aristocrat
|
1745-1764\(30/24)
| Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour |
Commoner
|
?-?
| Louise Augustine Crozat de Thiers, Duchesse de Broglie |
Aristocrat
|
1748
(33/29)
| Marie-Anne-Françoise de Noailles, Comtesse de La Marck |
Aristocrat
|
1748/1749
(33/19) | Anne-Marie de Montmorency-Luxembourg, Princesse de Robecq |
Aristocrat
|
1749:
Élisabeth-Charlotte Huguet de Sémonville, Comtesse d'Estrades (34/34) |
Aristocrat
| |
1749:
Marie-Françoise de Carbonnel de Canisy, Marquise d'Antin (34/24)
|
Aristocrat
| |
1749-1750:
Françoise de Chalus, Duchesse de Narbonne-Lara (19/15) (2S)
|
Aristocrat
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1750:
Alexandrine Sublet d'Heudicourt, Marquise de Belsunce (35/29)
|
Aristocrat
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1750-1751:
Marie-Geneviève Radix de Saint-Foix (35/21)
|
Commoner
|
Wife
|
1750 and 1760:
Irène du Buisson de Longpré (1D) (35/30)
|
Commoner
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1752:
Mademoiselle Trusson
|
Commoner
| |
1752:
Charlotte-Rosalie de Romanet, Comtesse de Choiseul-Beaupré |
Aristocrat
| |
1752:
Jeanne-Marguerite de Niquet (37/20) |
Aristocrat
|
Wife
|
1752:
Mademoiselle de Saint-André |
Commoner
| |
1752-1755:
Marie-Louise O'Murphy (38/16) (1D) |
Commoner
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1754:
Thérèse Guerbois (39/17) |
Commoner
| |
1754 (after):
Louise Augustine Crozat de Thiers, Duchesse de Broglie |
Aristocrat
|
Companion to King’s younger daughters
|
1755:
Brigitte O'Murphy |
Commoner
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1755:
Mademoiselle Fouquet |
Commoner
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1755: Mademoiselle Robert (?-?)
|
Commoner
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1755-1759 (b/w): Mademoiselle David (?-?)
|
Commoner
|
Nun
|
1755-1759 (b/w): Mademoiselle Armory (a.k.a. Mimi) (?-?)
|
Commoner
|
Opera dancer
|
1756:
Gabrielle-Charlotte Françoise d'Hénin-Liétard, Vicomtesse de Cambis (1729-1809) (41/27) |
Aristocrat
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1756:
Dorothée |
Commoner
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1756:
Mademoiselle Selin |
Commoner
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1757: Marie-Anne de Mailly-Rubempré, Marquise de Coislin
|
Aristocrat
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1758: Marie-Louise de Marny (43/21)
|
Commoner
|
Wife of a banker
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1759-1762: Marguerite-Catherine Haynault, Marquise de Montmélas (44/23) (2D)
|
Commoner
|
Maid of Honour
|
1760: Louise Jeanne Marie de Courtarvel de Pezé, Marquise de Dreux-Brézé (45/27)
|
Aristocrat
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1760-1763: Lucie-Madeleine d'Estaing (45/17) (2D)
|
Commoner
|
Wife
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1760-1765: Anne-Marie de Romans, Baronne de Meilly-Coulonge (45/23) (1S)
|
Commoner
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Companion to King’s daughter Marie-Adelaide
Nun (after affair)
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1762-1765: Louise-Jeanne de Tiercelin de La Colleterie (47/16) (1S)
|
Commoner
|
Exiled to provinces
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1762-1765 (b/w): Anne-Thoynard de Jouy, Comtesse d'Esparbès de Lussan (37/23)
|
Commoner
|
Exiled
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1764: Béatrix de Choiseul, Duchesse de Gramont (1730-1794) (49/34)
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Aristocrat
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1764: Louise Jeanne Marie de Courtarvel de Pezé, Marquise de Dreux-Brézé (1733-1789) (49/29)
|
Aristocrat
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1765: Marie-Adélaïde de Bullioud, Comtesse de Séran. (1743-1793) (50/22)
|
Aristocrat
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1768:
Catherine-Éléonore Benard/Binary (43/28) (1D) |
Commoner
|
Maid of Honour
|
1768:
Marie-Thérèse Boisselet (53/37) (1S) |
Commoner
|
Wife
|
1768: Jeanne-Marguerite Salvetat (a.k.a. Madame Mars) (53/20)
|
Commoner
|
Actress
|
1768-1774:
Jeanne Bécu de Cantigny, Comtesse du Barry (53/25) |
Commoner
|
Courtesan
|
1771:
Marie-Catherine de Brignole Sale, Princesse de Monaco (56/34) |
Aristocrat
|
Aristocrat
|
1771: Miss Smith
|
Commoner
|
Unknown
|
1771: Madame Beche
|
Commoner
| |
1772: Françoise-Marie-Antoinette de Saucerotte (57/16)
|
Commoner
|
Actress
|
| 1772: Madame d’Amerval |
Commoner
|
Unknown
|
| 1773: Rose-Marie-Hélène de Tournon Vicomtesse du Barry (57/16) |
Commoner
|
Wife
|
1774:
Albertine-Elisabeth van Nyvenheim, Baronne de Neukirchen (59/32) |
Aristocrat
|
Aristocrat
|
?-?: Marthe-Antoinette Aubry de Vatan, Presidente Portail
|
Commoner
| |
?-?: "Rose-Blanche"
|
Commoner
| |
?-?: "Belle-Nuit"
|
Commoner
| |
?-?: "la Pudeur"
|
Commoner
| |
?-?: Madame de Grandis
|
Commoner
| |
?-?: Madame de Martinville
|
Commoner
| |
?-?: Mademoiselle de Ville
|
Commoner
|
Courtesan
|
?-?: Madame de Beaunier
|
Commoner
| |
?-?: Mademoiselle de Malignan
|
Commoner
| |
?-?: Madame de Salis
|
Commoner
| |
?-?:
Françoise-Catherine Boutinon Deshayes, Madame de La Pouplinière |
Commoner
| |
?-?: Louise-Julie Constance de Rohan-Montauban, Comtesse de Brionne
|
Aristocrat
| |
?-?: Marguerite-Elisabeth-Flavie de Cohorn de La Palun, Comtesse de Noé
|
Aristocrat
| |
?-?: Sophie de Vignerot du Plessis de Richelieu
|
Aristocrat
| |
References
This is Versailles
| ||
5 sisters,1 king @cupboardworld
Amours et galanteries des rois de France: mémoires historiques sur les concubines, maitresses et favorites de ces Princes, Volume 2.
Amours et galanteries des rois de France: mémoires historiques sur les concubines, maitresses et favorites de ces Princes, Volume 3.
Favorites Royales @canalblog
Heroes, Philosophers and Courtiers of the Time of Louis XVI, Vol. 2 @archive.org
Jardin Secret @donarussia
Jean Plaidy's Royal Intrigue @blogspot
Jardin Secret @donarussia
Jean Plaidy's Royal Intrigue @blogspot
L'envers de l'Histoire @canalblog
Les Soeurs Nesle, Favorites de Louis V @Histoire et Secrets.
Secret Memoirs of the Regency: The Minority of Louis XV @hathitrust.org
The Court of Louis XV @hathitrust.org
[Ref2:The Life of Anne Damer...:346)]
The Real Louis the Fifteenth, Volume 1 @archive.net
The Secret History of the Court of France Under Louis XV, Vol. 1 @hathitrust.org
The Secret History of the Court of France Under Louis XV, Vol. 2 @hathitrust.org
Women of Versailles: Last Years of Louis XV @ archive.org
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