1.
Monarchy of France
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The monarchs of the Kingdom of France and its predecessors ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of the Franks in 486 till the fall of the Second French Empire in 1870. Sometimes included as kings of France are the kings of the Franks of the Merovingian dynasty, which ruled from 486 until 751, and of the Carolingians, who ruled until 987. The Capetian dynasty, the descendants of Hugh Capet, included the first rulers to adopt the title of king of France for the first time with Philip II. The Capetians ruled continuously from 987 to 1792 and again from 1814 to 1848, the branches of the dynasty which ruled after 1328, however, are generally given the specific branch names of Valois and Bourbon. During the brief period when the French Constitution of 1791 was in effect and after the July Revolution in 1830 and it was a constitutional innovation known as popular monarchy which linked the monarchs title to the French people rather than to the possession of the territory of France. With the House of Bonaparte Emperors of the French ruled in 19th century France and it was used on coins up to the eighteenth century. During the brief period when the French Constitution of 1791 was in effect and after the July Revolution in 1830 and it was a constitutional innovation known as popular monarchy which linked the monarchs title to the French people rather than to the possession of the territory of France. They used the title Emperor of the French and this article lists all rulers to have held the title King of the Franks, King of France, King of the French or Emperor of the French. For other Frankish monarchs, see List of Frankish kings, in addition to the monarchs listed below, the Kings of England and Great Britain from 1340–60, 1369-1420, and 1422–1801 also claimed the title of King of France. For a short time, this had some basis in fact – under the terms of the 1420 Treaty of Troyes, Charles VI had recognized his son-in-law Henry V of England as regent and heir. Henry V predeceased Charles VI and so Henry Vs son, Henry VI, most of Northern France was under English control until 1435, but by 1453, the English had been expelled from all of France save Calais, and Calais itself fell in 1558. Nevertheless, English and then British monarchs continued to claim the title for themselves until the creation of the United Kingdom in 1801. The Merovingians were a Salian Frankish dynasty that ruled the Franks for nearly 300 years in a known as Francia in Latin. Their territory largely corresponded to ancient Gaul as well as the Roman provinces of Raetia, Germania Superior, the Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. In 751, a Carolingian, Pepin the Younger, dethroned the Merovingians and with the consent of the Papacy, the Robertians were Frankish noblemen owing fealty to the Carolingians, and ancestors of the subsequent Capetian dynasty. Odo, Count of Paris, was chosen by the western Franks to be their king following the removal of emperor Charles the Fat, the Bosonids were a noble family descended from Boso the Elder, their member, Rudolph, was elected King of the Franks in 923. After the death of Louis V, the son of Hugh the Great and grandson of Robert I, the Capetian Dynasty, the male-line descendants of Hugh Capet, ruled France continuously from 987 to 1792 and again from 1814 to 1848. They were direct descendants of the Robertian kings, the cadet branches of the dynasty which ruled after 1328, however, are generally given the specific branch names of Valois and Bourbon
Monarchy of France
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Clovis I (Clovis Ier)
Monarchy of France
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Royal Coat of arms
Monarchy of France
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Theuderic I (Thierry Ier)
Monarchy of France
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Theudebert I (Thibert Ier)
2.
French nobility
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The French nobility was a privileged social class in France during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period to the revolution in 1790. The nobility was revived in 1805 with limited rights as an elite class from the First Empire to the fall of the July Monarchy in 1848. Hereditary titles, without privileges, continued to be granted until the Second Empire fell in 1870 and they survive among their descendants as a social convention and as part of the legal name of the corresponding individuals. In the political system of pre-Revolutionary France, the nobility made up the Second Estate of the Estates General, although membership in the noble class was mainly inherited, it was not a fully closed order. New individuals were appointed to the nobility by the monarchy, or they could purchase rights and titles, sources differ about the actual number of nobles in France, however, proportionally, it was among the smallest noble classes in Europe. For the year 1789, French historian François Bluche gives a figure of 140,000 nobles and states that about 5% of nobles could claim descent from feudal nobility before the 15th century, with a total population of 28 million, this would represent merely 0. 5%. Historian Gordon Wright gives a figure of 300,000 nobles, in terms of land holdings, at the time of the revolution, noble estates comprised about one-fifth of the land. The French nobility had specific legal and financial rights and prerogatives, the first official list of these prerogatives was established relatively late, under Louis XI after 1440, and included the right to hunt, to wear a sword and, in principle, to possess a seigneurie. Nobles were also granted an exemption from paying the taille, except for lands they might possess in some regions of France. Furthermore, certain ecclesiastic, civic, and military positions were reserved for nobles and these feudal privileges are often termed droits de féodalité dominante. With the exception of a few isolated cases, serfdom had ceased to exist in France by the 15th century, in early modern France, nobles nevertheless maintained a great number of seigneurial privileges over the free peasants that worked lands under their control. They could, for example, levy the tax, an annual tax on lands leased or held by vassals. Nobles could also charge banalités for the right to use the lords mills, ovens, alternatively, a noble could demand a portion of vassals harvests in return for permission to farm land he owned. In the 17th century this system was established in Frances North American possessions. However, the also had responsibilities. Nobles were required to honor, serve, and counsel their king and they were often required to render military service. The rank of noble was forfeitable, certain activities could cause dérogeance, most commercial and manual activities were strictly prohibited, although nobles could profit from their lands by operating mines and forges. The nobility in France was never a closed class
French nobility
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A
signet ring with coat of arms
French nobility
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Kingdom of France
French nobility
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The abolition of privileges, relief by
Léopold Morice at the "Monument to the Republic", Paris
French nobility
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Joan II, Countess of Auvergne (1378-1424)
3.
Governess
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A governess is a woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny, she concentrates on teaching instead of meeting their physical needs. Her charges are of age rather than babies. The position of governess used to be common in well-off European families before World War I, parents preference to educate their children at home—rather than send them away to boarding school for months at a time—varied across time and countries. Governesses were usually in charge of girls and younger boys, when a boy was old enough, he left his governess for a tutor or a school. Governesses are rarer now, except within large and wealthy households or royal families such as the Saudi royal family, There has been a recent resurgence amongst families worldwide to employ governesses or full-time tutors. The reasons for this include personal security, the benefits of an education. Traditionally, governesses taught the three Rs to young children and it was also possible for other teachers with specialist knowledge and skills to be brought in, such as, a drawing master or dancing master. The governess occupied an awkward position in the Victorian household. She worked in the home of the landed gentry or aristocracy. She herself had a background and education, yet was paid for her services. As a sign of this social limbo she frequently ate on her own, away from the rest of the family, by definition, a governess was an unmarried woman who lived in someone elses home, which meant that she was subject to their rules. In any case, she had to maintain a reputation by avoiding anything which could embarrass or offend her employers. If a particular governess was young and attractive, the lady of the house might well perceive a threat to her marriage. As a result of various restrictions, the lifestyle of the typical Victorian governess was often one of social isolation and solitude. The fact that her presence in the household was underpinned by an employment contract emphasized that she could never truly be part of the host family. However, being a governess was one of the few legitimate ways by which a middle class woman could support herself in Victorian society. Not surprisingly, her position was often depicted as one to be pitied, once a governesss charges grew up, she had to seek a new position, or, exceptionally, might be retained by the grown-up daughter as a paid companion
Governess
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In
Rebecca Solomon 's 1851 painting The Governess, the title figure (seated right, with her charge) exhibits the modest dress and deportment appropriate to her quasi-invisible role in the Victorian household.
Governess
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The daughters of
Alexander Graham Bell with their governess, c. 1885.
4.
Louis XV
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Louis XV, known as Louis the Beloved, was a monarch of the House of Bourbon who ruled as King of France and Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five, Cardinal Fleury was his chief minister from 1726 until the Cardinals death in 1743, at which time the young king took sole control of the kingdom. During his reign, Louis returned the Austrian Netherlands, territory won at the Battle of Fontenoy of 1745, Louis also ceded New France in North America to Spain and Great Britain at the conclusion of the Seven Years War in 1763. He incorporated the territories of Lorraine and Corsica into the kingdom of France and he was succeeded by his grandson Louis XVI in 1774. French culture and influence were at their height in the first half of the eighteenth century, however, many scholars believe that Louis XVs decisions damaged the power of France, weakened the treasury, discredited the absolute monarchy, and made it more vulnerable to distrust and destruction. Evidence for this view is provided by the French Revolution, which broke out 15 years after his death, norman Davies characterized Louis XVs reign as one of debilitating stagnation, characterized by lost wars, endless clashes between the Court and Parliament, and religious feuds. A few scholars defend Louis, arguing that his negative reputation was based on propaganda meant to justify the French Revolution. Jerome Blum described him as a perpetual adolescent called to do a mans job, Louis XV was born in the Palace of Versailles on 15 February 1710 during the reign of Louis XIV. His grandfather, Louis Le Grand Dauphin, had three sons with his wife Marie Anne Victoire of Bavaria, Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Philippe, Duke of Anjou, and Charles, Duke of Berry. Louis XV was the son of the Duke of Burgundy and his wife Marie Adélaïde of Savoy, the eldest daughter of Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy. At birth, Louis XV received a title for younger sons of the French royal family. In April 1711, Louis Le Grand Dauphin suddenly died, making Louis XVs father, the Duke of Burgundy, at that time, Burgundy had two living sons, Louis, Duke of Brittany and his youngest son, the future Louis XV. A year later, Marie Adélaïde, Duchess of Burgundy, contracted smallpox and her husband, said to be heartbroken by her death, died the same week, also having contracted smallpox. Within a week of his death, it was clear that the two children had also been infected. The elder son was treated by bloodletting in an unsuccessful effort to save him. Fearing that the Dauphin would die, the Court had both the Dauphin and the Duke of Anjou baptised, the Dauphin died the same day,8 March 1712. His younger brother, the Duke of Anjou, was treated by his governess, Madame de Ventadour. The two year old Dauphin survived the smallpox, on 1 September 1715, Louis XIV died of gangrene, having reigned for 72 years
Louis XV
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Louis XV by
Hyacinthe Rigaud (1730)
Louis XV
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Signature
Louis XV
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The duke of Brittany with his father Louis, Duke of Burgundy, his grandfather Louis, Le Grand Dauphin and his great-grandfather King Louis XIV in 1709. The future Louis XV, not yet born, is not on the painting.
Louis XV
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Two
Louis d'or, 1717, depicting a very young Louis XV
5.
Victoire de Rohan
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Victoire de Rohan, Princess of Guéméné was a French aristocrat who was the governess of the children of Louis XVI of France. She is known better as Madame de Guéméné and she was Lady of Clisson in her own right. Victoire Armande Josèphe de Rohan was the daughter of Charles de Rohan. The Princes of Soubise were a branch of the House of Rohan. Her mother was Princess Anna Teresa of Savoy, a daughter of Victor Amadeus and her mother was also a first cousin of Louis XV through an illegitimate line. She had an older half-sister, Charlotte de Rohan, who married in 1753 Louis Joseph de Bourbon, as the princesse de Condé, Charlotte was a princesse du sang and far outranked her younger half-sister. As the House of Rohan claimed descent from the medieval Dukes of Brittany, at the age of seventeen, Victoire married her cousin, Henri Louis de Rohan, duc de Montbazon, who was fifteen at the time. He was a member of the main House of Rohan, the Princes of Guéméné and he was a nephew of the cardinal de Rohan, who was disgraced in the famous Affair of the Diamond Necklace involving Marie Antoinette. Henri Louis eventually became the Grand Chamberlain of France, upon the death of his father in 1788, the duke inherited the title of prince de Guéméné. Afterwards, Victoire was known at court as Madame de Guéméné and she and her family lived lavishly in Paris at the Hôtel de Rohan-Guéméné, located on the famous Place des Vosges. The couple had to sell the property in 1797 in order to pay off a debt of 33 million livres. In 1775, Marie Louise de Lorraine, comtesse de Marsan resigned the post of governess to the children in favour of Victoire. From 1778 to 1782, Victoire was in charge of the household of King Louis XVIs oldest child, Marie Thérèse of France, in this role, she was in charge of a staff of over one hundred courtiers and servants. Victoire and her went on to various affairs with others. She became the mistress of Augustin Gabriel de Franquetot de Coigny, comte de Coigny, Madame de Fleury inspired the famous poet André Chénier. The prince de Guéméné meanwhile had an affair with a Victoires close friend, Thérèse Lucy de Dillon, comtesse de Dillon, at the death of her father, her husband became the legal heir to the title Prince of Soubise. Victoire and her husband lived to see the French Revolution, later fleeing to Austria and they lived at Sychrov Castle, and it was here that the Rohan Family lived for 125 years. Victoire died in Paris in September 1807 at the age of sixty-three, having far outlived her older half-sister, Charlotte and her husband, the prince, outlived her by two years
Victoire de Rohan
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Victoire with
Madame Royale; the text reads: Madame, Fille unique du Roi..Unknown artist
Victoire de Rohan
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Victoire's mother,
Anna Teresa of Savoy.
6.
Marie Antoinette
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Marie Antoinette (/ˈmæriˌæntwəˈnɛt/, /ˌɑ̃ːntwə-/, /ˌɑ̃ːtwə-/, US /məˈriː-/, French, born Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna, was the last Queen of France and Navarre before the French Revolution. She was born an Archduchess of Austria, and was the fifteenth and second youngest child of Empress Maria Theresa and Francis I, in April 1770, upon her marriage to Louis-Auguste, heir apparent to the French throne, she became Dauphine of France. After eight years of marriage, Marie Antoinette gave birth to a daughter, Marie-Thérèse Charlotte, the Diamond Necklace affair damaged her reputation further. On 10 August 1792, the attack on the Tuileries forced the family to take refuge at the Assembly. On 21 September 1792, the monarchy was abolished, after a two-day trial begun on 14 October 1793, Marie Antoinette was convicted by the Revolutionary Tribunal of high treason, and executed by guillotine on Place de la Révolution on 16 October 1793. Maria Antonia was born on 2 November 1755, at the Hofburg Palace and she was the youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa, ruler of the Habsburg Empire, and her husband Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. Her godparents were Joseph I and Mariana Victoria, King and Queen of Portugal, Archduke Joseph, shortly after her birth, she was placed under the care of the Governess of the Imperial children, Countess von Brandeis. Maria Antonia was raised with her older sister Maria Carolina. As to her relationship with her mother, it was difficult, despite the private tutoring she received, results of her schooling were less than satisfactory. At the age of ten she could not write correctly in German or in any language used at court, such as French. Under the teaching of Christoph Willibald Gluck, Maria Antonia developed into a good musician and she learned to play the harp, the harpsichord and the flute. During the familys gatherings in the evenings, she would sing and she also excelled at dancing, had an exquisite poise, and loved dolls. Following the Seven Years War and the Diplomatic Revolution of 1756, Empress Maria Theresa decided to end hostilities with her longtime enemy, on 14 May she met her husband at the edge of the forest of Compiègne. Upon her arrival in France, she adopted the French version of her name, a further ceremonial wedding took place on 16 May 1770 in the Palace of Versailles and, after the festivities, the day ended with the ritual bedding. The lack of consummation of the marriage plagued the reputation of both Louis-Auguste and Marie Antoinette for the seven years. The initial reaction to the marriage between Marie Antoinette and Louis-Auguste was mixed, on the one hand, the Dauphine was beautiful, personable and well-liked by the common people. Her first official appearance in Paris on 8 June 1773 was a resounding success, on the other hand, those opposed to the alliance with Austria, and others, for personal reasons, had a difficult relationship with Marie Antoinette. Madame du Barry, for example, was Louis XVs mistress and had political influence over him
Marie Antoinette
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Marie Antoinette with the Rose Portrait by
Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, 1783.
Marie Antoinette
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Archduchesses Maria Carolina (in blue dress) and Maria Antonia (in pink dress). Watercolor on ivory by Antonio Pencini, 1764. Vienna, Hofburg.
Marie Antoinette
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Maria Antonia aged 12 by
Martin van Meytens, c. 1767-1768.
7.
Yolande de Polastron
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She was considered one of the great beauties of pre-Revolutionary society, but her extravagance and exclusivity earned her many enemies. Yolande Martine Gabrielle de Polastron was born in Paris in the reign of King Louis XV and her parents were Jean François Gabriel, Count of Polastron, seigneur de Noueilles, Venerque and Grépiac, and Jeanne Charlotte Hérault de Vaucresson. As was customary with aristocrats, most of whom more than one Christian name. While Gabrielle was still an infant, her parents moved to the family Château of Noueilles, when Gabrielle was three, her mother died and her welfare was entrusted to an aunt, who arranged for her to receive a convent education. At the age of 16, Gabrielle was betrothed to Jules François Armand, comte de Polignac, marquis de Mancini, whom she married on 7 July 1767, polignacs family had a well-bred ancestry similar to Gabrielles family, and was in equally uncomfortable financial straits. At the time of his marriage, Polignac was serving in the Régiment de Royal Dragons, within a few years of the marriage, Jules and Gabrielle had two children, a daughter Aglaé and a son. Two more sons followed several years later, including Jules, prince de Polignac who became the minister of France in 1829. Most surviving portraits show her to be pretty, one historian said that Gabrielle, in her portraits by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, generally looks like some harvested and luscious fruit. She had dark hair, very pale white skin and, perhaps most unusually. Compiling the contemporary accounts of her, one historian has summarised her physical appearance thus. With her cloud of dark hair, her big eyes, her neat nose, the cost of maintaining oneself at the court of Versailles was ruinous and Gabrielle replied that her husband did not have the money to finance a permanent move to the palace. Determined to keep her new favourite by her side, the Queen agreed to settle the many outstanding debts. She was, however, resented by other members of the entourage, particularly the Queens confessor and her chief political adviser. Charismatic and beautiful, Gabrielle became the leader of the Queens exclusive circle. She was considered by many of her friends to be elegant, sophisticated, in 1780, her husband was given the title of duc de Polignac, thus making her duchesse, a further source of irritation to the courtiers. By the late 1780s, thousands of pornographic pamphlets alleged that Gabrielle was the Queens lesbian lover and those who were not themselves swept into the whirlpool, stood at the marge contemplating it with astonishment. The Queens hand was guided by the violet-eyed, the lovely. In 1782, the Governess to the Children of France, Victoire de Rohan, princesse de Guéméné, the Queen replaced the princess with Gabrielle
Yolande de Polastron
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Duchess of Polignac (1782) by
Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun
Yolande de Polastron
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Marie Antoinette was instantly "dazzled" by the duchess of Polignac
Yolande de Polastron
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A more formal portrait of the Duchesse de Polignac by
Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun
Yolande de Polastron
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Pamphlet against the duchesse de Polignac printed in 1789 after her escape to Switzerland
8.
Henry II of France
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Henry II was a monarch of the House of Valois who ruled as King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I, he became Dauphin of France upon the death of his elder brother Francis III, Duke of Brittany, as a child, Henry and his elder brother spent over four years in captivity in Spain as hostages in exchange for their father. Henry pursued his fathers policies in matter of arts, wars and he persevered in the Italian Wars against the House of Habsburg and tried to suppress the Protestant Reformation, even as the Huguenot numbers were increasing drastically in France during his reign. Henry suffered a death in a jousting tournament held to celebrate the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis at the conclusion of the Eighth Italian War. The kings surgeon, Ambroise Paré, was unable to cure the infected wound inflicted by Gabriel de Montgomery and he was succeeded in turn by three of his sons, whose ineffective reigns helped to spark the French Wars of Religion between Protestants and Catholics. Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris and his father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by the forces of his sworn enemy, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, and held prisoner in Spain. To obtain his release, it was agreed that Henry and his brother be sent to Spain in his place. They remained in captivity for four years. Henry married Catherine de Medici, a member of the family of Florence, on 28 October 1533. The following year, he became involved with a thirty-five-year-old widow. They had always very close, she had publicly embraced him on the day he set off to Spain. Diane became Henrys mistress and most trusted confidante and, for the next years, wielded considerable influence behind the scenes. Extremely confident, mature and intelligent, she left Catherine powerless to intervene and she did, however, insist that Henry sleep with Catherine in order to produce heirs to the throne. When his elder brother Francis, the Dauphin and Duke of Brittany, died in 1536 after a game of tennis and he succeeded his father on his 28th birthday and was crowned King of France on 25 July 1547 at Reims Cathedral. Henrys reign was marked by wars with Austria and the persecution of Protestants, Henry II severely punished them, particularly the ministers, for example by burning at the stake or cutting off their tongues for uttering heresies. Even those only suspected of being Huguenots could be imprisoned and it also strictly regulated publications by prohibiting the sale, importation or printing of any unapproved book. It was during the reign of Henry II that Huguenot attempts at establishing a colony in Brazil were made, persecution of Protestants at home did not prevent Henry II from becoming allied with German Protestant princes at the Treaty of Chambord in 1552. Simultaneously, the continuation of his fathers Franco-Ottoman alliance allowed Henry II to push for French conquests towards the Rhine while a Franco-Ottoman fleet defended southern France, an early offensive into Lorraine was successful
Henry II of France
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Henry II
Henry II of France
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Henry as a child
Henry II of France
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Entrance of Henri II in
Metz in 1552, after the signature of the
Treaty of Chambord.
Henry II of France
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Engraving of Henry II
9.
Claude Catherine de Clermont
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Claude Catherine de Clermont-Tonnerre de Vivonne, lady of Dampierre, countess and duchess of Retz, was a French noblewoman, courtier and salon host. She was born in Paris, the child of Claude de Clermont-Tonnerre. At 18, she married Jean d’Annebaut, but found herself widowed at 20 after he was killed in the battle of Dreux, beautiful and courteous, Catherine was made lady in waiting to queen Catherine de Medici, then governess to Catherines children. She was the Governess of the Children of France and she acquired a great reputation as an intellectual, becoming known as the 10th Muse and the 4th Grace. The Croix du Maine wrote that she deserved to be in the first rank of those learned and well-versed in poetry, oratory, philosophy, mathematics, history and she spoke Latin, Greek and several living languages. Their children included Jean-François de Gondi and Claude-Marguerite de Gondi and she circulated her own writings mostly in manuscript, so that little of it has been preserved. Official WebSite of the House of Clermont-Tonnerre, Claude Catherine De Clermont Biography
Claude Catherine de Clermont
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Claude Catherine de Clermont
10.
Louis XIII of France
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Louis XIII was a monarch of the House of Bourbon who ruled as King of France from 1610 to 1643 and King of Navarre from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. Shortly before his birthday, Louis became king of France. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during his minority, Louis XIII, taciturn and suspicious, relied heavily on his chief ministers, first Charles dAlbert, duc de Luynes then Cardinal Richelieu, to govern the kingdom of France. King and cardinal are remembered for establishing the Académie française, the reign of Louis the Just was also marked by the struggles against Huguenots and Habsburg Spain. This battle marked the end of Spains military ascendancy in Europe and foreshadowed French dominance in Europe under Louis XIV, his son, born at the Château de Fontainebleau, Louis XIII was the oldest child of King Henry IV of France and his second wife Marie de Medici. As son of the king, he was a Fils de France and his father Henry IV was the first French king of the House of Bourbon, having succeeded his ninth cousin, Henry III of France, in application of Salic law. Louis XIIIs paternal grandparents were Antoine de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme and his maternal grandparents were Francesco I de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Joanna of Austria, Grand Duchess of Tuscany. Eleonora de Medici, his aunt, was his godmother. His mother Marie de Medici acted as Regent until 1617, although Louis XIII became of age at thirteen, his mother did not give up her position as Regent until 1617. Marie maintained most of her husbands ministers, with the exception of Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully and she mainly relied on Nicolas de Neufville, seigneur de Villeroy, Noël Brûlart de Sillery, and Pierre Jeannin for political advice. Marie pursued a policy, confirming the Edict of Nantes. She was not, however, able to prevent rebellion by nobles such as Henri, Prince of Condé second in line to the throne after Maries second surviving son Gaston, Duke of Orléans. Condé squabbled with Marie in 1614, and briefly raised an army, but he found support in the country. Nevertheless, Marie agreed to call an Estates General assembly to address Condés grievances, the assembly of this Estates General was delayed until Louis XIII formally came of age on his thirteenth birthday. Although Louiss coming-of-age formally ended Maries Regency, she remained the de facto ruler of France, the Estates General accomplished little, spending its time discussing the relationship of France to the Papacy and the venality of offices, but reaching no resolutions. Beginning in 1615, Marie came to rely increasingly on the Italian Concino Concini, Concini was widely unpopular because he was a foreigner. This further antagonised Condé, who launched another rebellion in 1616, Huguenot leaders supported Condés rebellion, which led the young Louis XIII to conclude that they would never be loyal subjects. Eventually, Condé and Queen Marie made peace via the Treaty of Loudun, which allowed Condé great power in government, but did not remove Concini
Louis XIII of France
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Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
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Half Louis d'Or (1643) depicting Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
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Louis XIII in 1611 by
Frans Pourbus the Younger (
Palazzo Pitti)
Louis XIII of France
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Louis XIII, young King, by
Frans Pourbus the younger, 1620
11.
Louis XIV
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Louis XIV, known as Louis the Great or the Sun King, was a monarch of the House of Bourbon who ruled as King of France and Navarre from 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest of any monarch of a country in European history. In the age of absolutism in Europe, Louis XIVs France was a leader in the centralization of power. Louis began his rule of France in 1661, after the death of his chief minister. By these means he became one of the most powerful French monarchs, under his rule, the Edict of Nantes, which granted rights to Huguenots, was abolished. The revocation effectively forced Huguenots to emigrate or convert in a wave of dragonnades, which managed to virtually destroy the French Protestant minority. During Louis reign, France was the leading European power, and it fought three wars, the Franco-Dutch War, the War of the League of Augsburg. There were also two lesser conflicts, the War of Devolution and the War of the Reunions, warfare defined Louis XIVs foreign policies, and his personality shaped his approach. Impelled by a mix of commerce, revenge, and pique, in peacetime he concentrated on preparing for the next war. He taught his diplomats their job was to create tactical and strategic advantages for the French military, Louis XIV was born on 5 September 1638 in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, to Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. He was named Louis Dieudonné and bore the title of French heirs apparent. At the time of his birth, his parents had married for 23 years. His mother had experienced four stillbirths between 1619 and 1631, leading contemporaries thus regarded him as a divine gift and his birth a miracle of God. Sensing imminent death, Louis XIII decided to put his affairs in order in the spring of 1643, in defiance of custom, which would have made Queen Anne the sole Regent of France, the king decreed that a regency council would rule on his sons behalf. His lack of faith in Queen Annes political abilities was his primary rationale and he did, however, make the concession of appointing her head of the council. Louis relationship with his mother was uncommonly affectionate for the time, contemporaries and eyewitnesses claimed that the Queen would spend all her time with Louis. Both were greatly interested in food and theatre, and it is likely that Louis developed these interests through his close relationship with his mother. This long-lasting and loving relationship can be evidenced by excerpts in Louis journal entries, such as, but attachments formed later by shared qualities of the spirit are far more difficult to break than those formed merely by blood
Louis XIV
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Louis XIV by
Hyacinthe Rigaud (1701)
Louis XIV
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Louis-Dieudonné,
Dauphin of France, in 1643 by
Claude Deruet
Louis XIV
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Louis XIV as a child, unknown painter
Louis XIV
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1655 portrait of Louis, the Victor of the Fronde, portrayed as the god
Jupiter
12.
Grand Dauphin
–
Louis of France was the eldest son and heir of Louis XIV, King of France, and his spouse, Maria Theresa of Spain. As the heir apparent to the French throne, he was styled Dauphin and he became known as Le Grand Dauphin after the birth of his own son, Le Petit Dauphin. As he died before his father, he never became king, as a Fils de France he was entitled to the style of Royal Highness. He was baptised on 24 March 1662 at the chapel of the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, at the ceremony, Cardinal de Vendôme and the Princess of Conti acted as proxies for the godparents, Pope Clement IX and Queen Henrietta Maria of England. For this ceremony, Jean-Baptiste Lully composed the motet Plaude Laetare Gallia, when Louis reached the age of seven, he was removed from the care of women and placed in the society of men. No prince could have been deserving of such feelings. Monseigneur, as the heir to the throne was now known, had inherited his mothers docility, all his life he remained petrified with admiration of his formidable father and stood in fear of him even while lavish proofs of affection were showered upon him. The best way for Monseigneur to do someone an injury was to him to the royal favour. He knew it, and did not conceal it from his rare petitioners, Louis XIV saw to it that his sons upbringing was quite the opposite of his own. Bossuet overwhelmed his backward pupil with such splendid lessons that the Dauphin developed a horror of books, learning. By the age of eighteen, Monseigneur had assimilated almost none of the knowledge amassed to so little purpose, and it was said that when Louis was an adult, he could pass a whole day simply tapping his cane against his foot in an armchair. Nonetheless, his generosity, affability, and liberality gave him popularity in Paris. Louis was one of six children of his parents. The others all died in childhood, the second longest-lived, Marie Thérèse of France. According to various reports, Marie Louise and Louis were in love, however, Louis XIV used Marie Louise to forge a link with Spain and forced her to marry the invalid Charles II of Spain, the Dauphins own half-uncle. Louis was engaged to his cousin, Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria. She was an older than Louis and, upon arriving at the French court, was described as being very unattractive. Nonetheless, she was a cultured princess
Grand Dauphin
–
Louis by
Hyacinthe Rigaud
Grand Dauphin
–
The Grand Dauphin
13.
Madame de Ventadour
–
Charlotte de La Motte Houdancourt, Duchess of Ventadour was the governess of King Louis XV of France, great-grandson of King Louis XIV. She is credited with saving Louis XV from the ministrations of the royal doctors when he was ill as a child and she was the Gouvernante des enfants royaux, Governess of the Children of France like her mother, granddaughter, granddaughter in law and great grand daughter. Charlottes sisters were, Françoise Angélique de La Mothe Houdancourt, Dame of Fayel, Marie Isabelle Angélique de la Mothe Houdancourt, Duchess of La Ferté Senneterre. Charlotte married Louis Charles de Lévis, Duke of Ventadour and governor of the Limousin, … a lot of duchesses came in, including the beautiful and charming Duchess of Ventadour. There was a bit of a delay before they brought her the sacred stool, I turned to the Grand Master and I said, Oh, just give it to her. It certainly cost her enough, and he agreed, Charlotte and Louis Charles had one daughter, Anne Geneviève de Lévis, born in February 1673. Anne Geneviève first married in 1691 Louis-Charles de la Tour dAuvergne, prince de Turenne, the son of Maurice Godefroy de La Tour dAuvergne, Duke of Bouillon, and his wife, Marie Anne Mancini. After the death of her first husband, Anne Geneviève married secondly in 1694 Hercule Mériadec de Rohan, through this second marriage, Anne Geneviève de Lévis became the grandmother of Charlotte de Rohan, the wife of Louis Joseph, Prince of Condé. Madame de Ventadour was appointed governess to the children in 1704. In 1712, an outbreak of measles struck the French royal family, first to die was the Dauphine, Marie Adélaïde of Savoy. The sickness, however, had not yet run its course, deciding that she would not allow the same treatment to be applied to the Duke of Anjou, Madame de Ventadour locked herself up with three nursery maids and refused to allow the doctors near the boy. Louis survived his disease, becoming King of France upon the death of his three years later. Madame de Ventadour continued in her position as royal governess until 1717 and her husband died in the same year. She then became Lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Dowager Duchess of Orléans, widow of Philippe de France, Duke of Orléans and she died at the Château de Glatigny, her residence in Versailles. Through her daughter she is an ancestress of the Princes of Guéméné of the House of Rohan, texte établi, présenté et annoté par Roger Duchêne
Madame de Ventadour
–
Madame de Ventadour
Madame de Ventadour
–
Her only child,
Anne Genevieve de Levis,
Nicolas de Largillière.
Madame de Ventadour
–
Madame de Ventadour with Portraits of
Louis XIV and his Heirs (1715-1720) London,
Wallace Collection
14.
Napoleon I
–
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during the French Revolutionary Wars. As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 until 1814, Napoleon dominated European and global affairs for more than a decade while leading France against a series of coalitions in the Napoleonic Wars. He won most of these wars and the vast majority of his battles, one of the greatest commanders in history, his wars and campaigns are studied at military schools worldwide. Napoleons political and cultural legacy has ensured his status as one of the most celebrated and he was born Napoleone di Buonaparte in Corsica to a relatively modest family from the minor nobility. When the Revolution broke out in 1789, Napoleon was serving as an officer in the French army. Seizing the new opportunities presented by the Revolution, he rose through the ranks of the military. The Directory eventually gave him command of the Army of Italy after he suppressed a revolt against the government from royalist insurgents, in 1798, he led a military expedition to Egypt that served as a springboard to political power. He engineered a coup in November 1799 and became First Consul of the Republic and his ambition and public approval inspired him to go further, and in 1804 he became the first Emperor of the French. Intractable differences with the British meant that the French were facing a Third Coalition by 1805, in 1806, the Fourth Coalition took up arms against him because Prussia became worried about growing French influence on the continent. Napoleon quickly defeated Prussia at the battles of Jena and Auerstedt, then marched the Grand Army deep into Eastern Europe, France then forced the defeated nations of the Fourth Coalition to sign the Treaties of Tilsit in July 1807, bringing an uneasy peace to the continent. Tilsit signified the high watermark of the French Empire, hoping to extend the Continental System and choke off British trade with the European mainland, Napoleon invaded Iberia and declared his brother Joseph the King of Spain in 1808. The Spanish and the Portuguese revolted with British support, the Peninsular War lasted six years, featured extensive guerrilla warfare, and ended in victory for the Allies. The Continental System caused recurring diplomatic conflicts between France and its client states, especially Russia, unwilling to bear the economic consequences of reduced trade, the Russians routinely violated the Continental System and enticed Napoleon into another war. The French launched an invasion of Russia in the summer of 1812. The resulting campaign witnessed the collapse of the Grand Army, the destruction of Russian cities, in 1813, Prussia and Austria joined Russian forces in a Sixth Coalition against France. A lengthy military campaign culminated in a large Allied army defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813, the Allies then invaded France and captured Paris in the spring of 1814, forcing Napoleon to abdicate in April. He was exiled to the island of Elba near Rome and the Bourbons were restored to power, however, Napoleon escaped from Elba in February 1815 and took control of France once again. The Allies responded by forming a Seventh Coalition, which defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in June, the British exiled him to the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he died six years later at the age of 51
Napoleon I
–
The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries, by
Jacques-Louis David, 1812
Napoleon I
–
Napoleon's father
Carlo Buonaparte was
Corsica 's representative to the court of
Louis XVI of France.
Napoleon I
–
Napoleon Bonaparte, aged 23, Lieutenant-Colonel of a battalion of Corsican
Republican volunteers
Napoleon I
–
Bonaparte at the
Siege of Toulon
15.
Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry
–
Charles Ferdinand dArtois, Duke of Berry was the third child and youngest son of the future King of France, Charles X, and his wife, Princess Maria Theresa of Savoy. He was assassinated at the Paris Opera in 1820 by Louis Pierre Louvel, Charles Ferdinand dArtois, Duke of Berry, was born at Versailles. As a son of a fils de France not being apparent, he was himself only a petit-fils de France. However, during the Restoration, as his father was heir presumptive to the crown and his maternal grandparents were Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia and Maria Antonietta of Spain. She was the youngest daughter of Philip V of Spain and Elisabeth Farnese, since he was already dead when his father became king, he and his surviving daughter always had Artois as surname. At the French Revolution he left France with his father, then Count of Artois, as a member of the Condes emigre army, he fought in the Rhine Campaign of 1796, and achieved particular distinction at the Battle of Emmendingen and the Battle of Schliengen. He afterwards joined the Russian army, and in 1801 took up his residence in England, during that time he had a relationship with an Englishwoman, Amy Brown Freeman, whom the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica described as his wife, but that is highly unlikely. In 1814, the set out for France. His frank, open manners gained him favour with his countrymen. He was, however, unable to retain the loyalty of his troops, on 17 June 1816, following negotiations by the French ambassador, the Duke of Blacas, he married Princess Maria-Carolina of Naples, oldest daughter of then hereditary Prince Francis of Naples. Three children were born before the death, with one surviving infancy. His daughter, Louise dArtois, born in 1819, married Charles III of Parma, on 13 February 1820, the Duke of Berry was stabbed and mortally wounded when leaving the opera house in Paris with his wife, and died the next day. The assassin was a maker named Louis Pierre Louvel, a Bonapartist opposed to the monarchy. With his wife, the Duke of Berry had four children, HRH Louise Marie Thérèse dArtois, married Charles III, Duke of Parma. HRH Henri dArtois, Duke of Bordeaux and Count of Chambord, in addition to them, the Duke had several illegitimate offspring, With Mary Bullhorn, a Scottish actress, Marie de la Boulaye, married Henri-Louis Bérard. With Amy Brown Freeman, Charlotte Marie Augustine de Bourbon, comtesse dIssoudun, married in 1823 to Ferdinand de Faucigny-Lucinge, Louise Marie Charlotte de Bourbon, comtesse de Vierzon, married in 1827 to Charles de Charette, Baron de la Contrie. With Eugénie Virginie Oreille, Charles Louis Auguste Oreille de Carrière, married in 1846 to Elisabeth Jugan, with whom he had a son Charles, a lyric artist, married but without surviving issue. Ferdinand Oreille de Carrière, married in 1860 to Louise Eugénie Ancelle, with whom he had a daughter, Léonie, with Marie Sophie de La Roche, Ferdinand de La Roche, married in 1849 to Claudine Gabrielle Claire de Bachet de Méziriac
Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry
–
Charles Ferdinand d'Artois, miniature of
Jean-Baptiste Jacques Augustin
16.
Philippe de La Mothe-Houdancourt
–
Philippe, comte de la Mothe-Houdancourt, Duke of Cardona, was French Viceroy of Catalonia and a Marshal of France who fought in the Thirty Years War. Philippe de la Mothe-Houdancourt was one of 12 children of Philippe, Seigneur de La Mothe-Houdancourt, de Sacy et de Rucoin, and his third wife, Louise Charles du Plessis-Picquet. Since 1622 he fought in the Chevau-légers against the Huguenots and was present at the Siege of La Rochelle and he then fought in the War of the Mantuan Succession and at the taking of Pinerolo in 1630, and the battle of Carignano bridge, where he was wounded. On September 1,1632 he fought in the Battle of Castelnaudary against Henri II de Montmorency, in the same year he was made governor of Bellegarde. At the outbreak of the Franco-Spanish War he fought at the head of his own regiment in the Siege of Nancy, the Battle of Les Avins, the Siege of Leuven. In 1636 he defended Saint-Jean-de-Losne against Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine, the next years he fought several battles in Germany at the head of his own Army Corps under Henri II dOrléans, Duke of Longueville. As lieutenant general he was sent to Piedmont to temporary command of the army after the death of Louis, cardinal de La Valette, waiting the arrival of Henri de Lorraine. Here La Mothe-Houdancourt distinguishes himself in taking Chieri and defeating the Spanish in the Battle of Casale, in 1641 he was sent to Catalonia at the head of the French Army to support the Catalan Revolt. After some initial victories he besieges Tarragona, but the city can be supplied by the Spanish over sea, in September he takes the castle of Tamarite in Aragon, returns to Tarragona and lifts the siege of Almenar by the Spanish in November. In 1642, La Mothe won the important Battle of Montmeló on March 28 capturing a Spanish force of 3.600 men. For this victory he is made a Marshal of France on April 2, Viceroy of Catalonia on June 25 after the dismissal of Urbain de Maillé-Brézé and Duke of Cardona in October. On October 7, he obtained his most important victory, the Battle of Lleida, against Diego Felipez de Guzmán, by 1644 the balance was shifting in favor of the Spanish. They besieged Lleida again, and when La Mothe tried to lift the siege though seriously outnumbered, for this defeat, he was charged with treason and locked up for 4 years in the Pierre-Encise castle. Bitter by this experience he supported the claims of the Fronde and was for this relieved of command of his troops, in 1651 he was rehabilitated and reinstated as Viceroy of Catalonia, replacing Louis II de Bourbon-Vendôme to save the desperated situation there. He breaks through the Spanish siege of Barcelona and defended the city for several months, now Catalonia was definitively lost for France and Marshal de La Mothe withdrew from active service, spending the last years of his life on his domain at Fayel. 29, columns 247–250, in Nouvelle biographie générale, edited by Ferdinand Hoefer
Philippe de La Mothe-Houdancourt
–
Philippe de la Motte-Houdancourt
17.
Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine
–
Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine was a legitimised son of the French king Louis XIV and his official mistress, Madame de Montespan. The kings favourite son, he was the founder of the semi-royal House of Bourbon-Maine named after his title, Louis-Auguste de Bourbon was born at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on 31 March 1670. His siblings, Louis-César, Louise-Françoise and Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon were also there after their births. Their mother, living with the king at Versailles, rarely saw her children, on 19 December 1673, when Louis-Auguste was three years old, Louis XIV legitimised his children by Montespan by letters patent registered by the Parlement de Paris. At this time, Louis-Auguste received the title of duc du Maine, in 1674, at the age of four, Louis-Auguste and his siblings were officially introduced to the court at Versailles. In the same year, he was made a colonel-general of the Swiss Guards, du Maines greatest enemy at court became his fathers sister-in-law, the duchesse dOrléans, known at court as Madame. The maréchal du Luxembourg, a military strategist, was put in charge of the childs military training. Despite this, Louis-Auguste never became more than a mediocre soldier and he was made Grand Maître de France. As a result, Louis-Auguste became the comte dEu, sovereign Prince of the Dombes and he also received the governorship of Languedoc and was awarded the Order of the Holy Spirit. In April 1684 du Maine represented the king at the wedding of the Duke of Savoy to du Maines cousin, in 1688, Louis Auguste was made a capitaine général des galères. However, the Grand Condé, a distant relative of the king. So du Maine was allowed to choose among the three unmarried daughters of Condés son, the duc dEnghien and he chose Louise Bénédicte, Mademoiselle de Charolais, over her sisters, Anne Marie, Mademoiselle de Condé and Marie Anne, Mademoiselle de Montmorency. All three were small, the eldest was beautiful, and full of sense and wit. Presided over by the Cardinal de Bouillon, the guest of honour was the exiled James II of England, Madame de Montespan, who had fallen out of favour with the king after the Affaire des Poisons, did not attend her sons wedding. The duc du Maine received a gift of one million livres from his father at his wedding and his bride was given a hundred thousand livres in cash, with clothes and jewels worth an additional two hundred thousand livres. Louise Bénédicte felt disgraced by her marriage to a légitimé de France and was often unfaithful, as the groom and bride were both physically handicapped, people at court snickered, Voici lunion dun boiteux et dune manchote. Nonetheless, the couple eventually had three children who grew to adulthood and their daughter, baptised at Versailles on 9 April 1714, was known as Mademoiselle du Maine and named Louise-Françoise de Bourbon. In 1707, Madame de Montespan died, and the duc du Maine inherited a portion of her fortune, including the château de Clagny
Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine
–
Louis Auguste in 1695
18.
Mademoiselle de Nantes
–
Louise Françoise de Bourbon, Légitimée de France was the eldest surviving legitimised daughter of Louis XIV of France and his maîtresse-en-titre, Madame de Montespan. She was said to have named after her godmother, Louise de La Vallière. Prior to her marriage, she was known at court as Mademoiselle de Nantes, married at the age of eleven, she became known as Madame la Duchesse, a style which she kept as a widow. She was, Duchess of Bourbon and Princess of Condé by marriage and she was later a leading member of the cabale de Meudon, a group of people who centered on Louis, le Grand Dauphin her older half brother. Whilst her son, Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon was Prime Minister of France she tried to further her political influence, very attractive, she had a turbulent love life and was frequently part of scandal during the reign of her father Louis XIV. Later in life, she built the Palais Bourbon in Paris, after returning from Tournai, her parents placed her and her older siblings in the care of one of her mothers acquaintances, the widowed Madame Scarron. On 19 December 1673, Louis XIV legitimised the children he had had with his mistress in a process that was recognised with letters patent from the Parlement de Paris. Her parents had nicknamed her Poupotte after her doll like appearance, in the year after her birth, another sibling joined Maine, Vexin and Louise Françoise at their residence in Paris. The future Mademoiselle de Tours had been born at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye in November 1674, the young Mademoiselle de Tours was legitimised in 1676 and would become a great friend of Mademoiselle de Nantes. The death of her sister in 1681, deeply affected her. After the death of Mademoiselle de Tours, Madame de Montespan wrote to the duc du Maine, I do not speak to you of my grief, you are naturally too good not to have experienced it for yourself. Louise Françoise and Françoise-Marie were especially competitive, despising any increase in status or rank that the other, or any of her children, having inherited her parents passion for music and dance, Louise Françoise became a good dancer. When she was nine, she played Youth in a dedicated to the Dauphine of France. She also inherited her mothers sharp and caustic wit, the famous Mortemart esprit, saint-Simon later said of the future Princess of Condé, her face was formed by the most tender loves and her nature made to dally with them. She possessed the art of placing everyone at their ease, there was nothing about her which did not tend naturally to please, with a grace unparalleled, even in her slightest actions. She made captive even those who had the most cause to fear her, sportive, gay, and merry, she passed her youth in frivolity and in pleasures of all kinds, and, whenever the opportunity presented itself, they extended even to debauchery. Prettiest, wittiest, and naughtiest of the fast set in the half of the reign. Her husband was the son of Henry Jules, Duke of Enghien, the son of the head of the House of Condé and his mother was Anne Henriette of Bavaria
Mademoiselle de Nantes
–
Louise Françoise as
Cleopatra
Mademoiselle de Nantes
–
The marriage of Mademoiselle de Nantes to the
duc de Bourbon, Anonymous artist, 1685
Mademoiselle de Nantes
–
Her younger sister,
Françoise-Marie de Bourbon, c.1710
Mademoiselle de Nantes
–
The Palais Bourbon as built by Louise Françoise
19.
Mademoiselle de Tours
–
Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon, Légitimée de France, Mademoiselle de Tours was the illegitimate daughter of Louis XIV of France and his most famous Maîtresse-en-titre, Madame de Montespan. Louis Marie Anne de Bourbon was born at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on 18 November 1674 and she was the couples third daughter and their fifth child. She was legitimised by her father Louis XIV in January 1676 at the age of almost two and her parents affectionately dubbed her Toutou after her title. Known as Louise Marie, she was born after the separation of Madame de Montespan. After her legitimisation in 1676, she gained the style of Mademoiselle de Tours from the town of Tours in France, growing up in Paris, she was adored by her oldest sister Louise-Françoise de Bourbon, who was known as Mademoiselle de Nantes. Some three years after her birth, she was joined by another sister, Françoise-Marie de Bourbon – future wife of Philippe dOrléans Régent of France, then in 1678 her last full brother was born at Clagny, Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon. The latter two were made legitimate in November 1681 and she was known as Mademoiselle de Tours till her premature death in 1681, at the age of six. Her father who was at Fontainebleau ordered that his daughter be buried at the tomb of the Dukes of Bourbon. After her death, writing to the duc du Maine, her mother said, I do not speak to you of my grief,18 November 1674 – January,1676 Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon January, 1676–15 September 1682 Her Highness Mademoiselle de Tours
Mademoiselle de Tours
–
posthumous painting by
Pierre Mignard
20.
Madame de Montespan
–
Her immediate contemporary was Barbara Villiers, mistress of King Charles II of England. She is an ancestress of several houses in Europe, including those of Spain, Italy, Bulgaria. From her father, she inherited the famous Mortemart esprit, as a young girl, she often travelled with her mother between the family estates and the court at the Louvre in Paris. At the age of twelve, she began her education at the Convent of St Mary at Saintes. She was very religious and took Communion once a week, a practise that she would continue as a young woman and her siblings were, Gabrielle, who married Claude Léonor Damas de Thianges, Marquis of Thianges and had children. Louis Victor, known as the Marquis of Vivonne, who was an enfant dhonneur, Marie Madeleine Gabrielle Adélaïde, who due to her relationship with Françoise-Athénaïs, was known as the Queen of Abbesses. At the age of twenty, Françoise-Athénaïs became a maid-of-honour to the kings sister-in-law, Princess Henrietta Anne of England, who was known at court by the traditional honorific of Madame. Later, because of the relationship between her mother and the dowager, Anne of Austria, Françoise-Athénaïs was appointed to be a lady-in-waiting to the kings wife. On 28 January 1663, Françoise married Louis Henri de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Marquis of Montespan, however, La Tremouille had to flee to Spain after a disastrous duel, and Françoise-Athénaïs was betrothed to Montespan. The wedding ceremony took place in a chapel at the Église Saint-Eustache in Paris, Françoise later recounted that as she had neglected to bring along the proper kneeling cushions for the ceremony, the couple had to kneel on dog cushions. She soon became pregnant with her first child, Christine, two weeks after her daughters birth she danced in a Court Ballet, and less than a year later her second child was born. The Montespan children were, Marie Christine de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Louis Antoine de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Marquis of Antin, later Duke of Antin. Louis Antoine had a relationship with his younger half-brothers, the Duke of Maine. The couple lived in a house close to the Louvre. She quickly established herself as the beauty of the court. Beauty, however, was one of Madame de Montespans many charms. She was a cultured and amusing conversationalist, who won the admiration of literary figures as letter-writer Madame de Sévigné. In addition, she kept abreast of political events and this had the effect of making her even more appealing to men of intellect and power
Madame de Montespan
–
Contemporary portrait of Françoise by an unknown artist
Madame de Montespan
–
Françoise while known as Mademoiselle de
Tonnay-Charente.
Madame de Montespan
–
Henrietta Anne of England, to whom Madame de Montespan was a lady-in-waiting.
Madame de Montespan
–
Mme de Montespan, by
Pierre Mignard, c 1670
