Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise de Montespan

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Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan
The Marquise de Montespan
Born(1641-10-05)October 5, 1641
Charente-Maritime, France
DiedError: Need valid birth date (second date): year, month, day
Bourbon l'Archambault
Occupation(s)Maîtresse-en-titre and lover to Louis XIV of France from 1667 to 1681, his reign was from 1643-1715 (his longest serving mistress)
Spouse(s)Louis-Henri de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Marquis de Montespan
Children1 Louis-Henri Pardaillan de Gondrin, Marquise d'Antin;
2 Marie-Christine de Pardaillan de Gondrin
3 Louise Françoise de Bourbon;
4 Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, Duc du Maine;
5 Louis César de Bourbon, Comte de Vexin;
6 Louise Françoise de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Nantes;
7 Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Tours;
8 Françoise-Marie de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Blois;
9 Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, Comte de Toulouse.
Parent(s)Gabriel de Rochechouart de Mortemart, duc de Mortemart,
Diane de Grandseigne

Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, marquise de Montespan [1] (October 5, 1641 – May 27, 1707), known more commonly as Madame de Montespan. She was the most famous mistress of Louis XIV of France

Born a member of the aristocratic Rochechouart family, Madame de Montespan was called by some the Real Queen of France during her romantic relationship with Louis XIV due to the pervasiveness of her influence at court during that time. Her so-called reign lasted from around 1667, when she first danced with Louis XIV at a party hosted by the king's younger brother, Monsieur, at the Louvre, until her alleged involvment in the notorious Affaire des Poisons in the late 1670's to 1680's.

Early life

Françoise de Rochechouart de Mortemart before her marriage

Born at the chateau of Tonnay-Charente in today's Charente-Maritime, France, Madame de Montespan possessed the blood of two of the oldest noble families of France through her parents, Gabriel de Rochechouart, duc de Mortemart and Diane de Grandseigne. She was educated at the Convent of St Mary at Saintes, and at age twenty became a maid-of-honour to the king's sister-in-law, Madame. Later, she became a lady-in-waiting to the king's wife, Queen Marie-Thérèse.

Before her marriage, she was known as Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente after the family château or Mademoiselle de Mortemart. She married in February, 1663, Louis-Henri de Pardaillan de Gondrin, known as the marquis de Montespan (1640 - 1701), who was a year older than she was.

By him, she had two children:

Portrait of Madame de Montespan's first son, the Marquis d'Antin, 1710 by Hyacinthe Rigaud
  • Marie-Christine de Pardaillan de Gondrin (1663-1675);
  • Louis Antoine de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Marquis d'Antin (1665 - 1736)
    • Louis Antoine later was given the title of duc d'Antin. He was good friends with his younger half-brothers, the Duc du Maine and the Comte de Toulouse.

Beauty was only one of Madame de Montespan's charms; she was a cultivated and amusing conversationalist who won the admiration of such figures as Saint-Simon and Mme de Sévigné. She kept herself abreast of political and world events, making herself more appealing to royalty, as she could speak on matters of interest when in social circles.

Rise as Maîtresse-en-titre

Madame de Montespan astounded the court by openly resenting the position of the queen, a frumpy former Spanish princess with bad teeth. A scandal arose when Mme de Montausier was accused of acting as a go-between in order to secure the governorship of the king's young son, the Dauphin, for the marquis. Madame de Montespan was arrested, but released after a few days' imprisonment. By 1666, she was trying to replace Louis XIV's latest mistress, the lovely but shy Louise de la Vallière. Using her wit, she sought to ingratiate herself with the king. She became close to the Dauphin as well. His affection for her never wavered.

The first of the seven children that Mme de Montespan bore to the king was born in March 1669. The baby was entrusted to one of Madame de Montespan's companions, Mme. Scarron (the future Madame de Maintenon), to raise. The couple's illegitimate children were legitimatized in 1673 without mention of their mother's name for fear that she might claim them.

The eldest, Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, became the Duc de Maine. The second child, Louis Cesar de Bourbon, became the Comte de Vexin. The third, a daughter named Louise-Françoise, became the Demoiselle de Nantes. The three had little contact with their mother and spent most of their time with their governess, Mme. Scarron.

Meanwhile Montespan had been compelled to retire to Spain, and in 1674 an official separation with her husband was declared by the procureur-general Achille de Harlay, assisted by six judges at the Chatelet. When Louis's affections showed signs of cooling, Mme de Montespan is alleged to have resorted to black magic in order to get him back. In 1675, the Roman Catholic church refused to give absolution to the king, with the result that his mistress was driven from the court for a short time. Some have supposed that Montespan may have started to consider using poison against potential rivals for the king's affections as early as 1676.

Louis' intrigue with Angélique de Fontanges and de Montespan's relegation to the position of superintendent of the queen's household brought matters to a crisis. Mlle de Fontanges died in 1681 and poisoning was suspected by many at the time, although none could prove it. It is now believed that Mlle de Fontages died from natural causes.

Royal scandal and fall

Long assumed to have been involved in the notorious Affaire des Poisons, Madame de Montespan has never been conclusively implicated. Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie, Paris's first Lieutenant General of Police and the chief judge of the court before which the famous poisoning cases were brought, heard testimony that placed Montespan's first visits to the so-called witch Catherine Monvoisin ("La Voisin") in 1665. Initially, Montvoisin reportedly just gave de Montespan love potions concocted of repulsive ingredients for Louis XIV to take. Later, however, things progressed.

In 1666, Montespan supposedly went so far as to allow a priest, Etienne Guibourg, to perform a black mass over her nude body in a blood-soaked ceremony, including infant sacrifice. In 1667, regardless of the actual procedure, Montespan gained her objective, becoming Louis XIV's mistress in July.

In addition to seeking Louis' love, some charged that Montespan with also conspiring to kill him. However, certain inconsistencies in this testimony suggest that the royal mistress was innocent of these charges. However, suspicion was thrown onto Mme de Montespan because the name of her maid, Mlle Desoeillets, was frequently mentioned in connection with La Voisin in the evidence brought before the Chambre Ardente.

Indeed, it seems likely that if anyone was attempting to kill the king, it was probably Mlle. Desoeillets, who also had an illegitimate child by Louis. Desoeillets' child, however, was not acknowledged by the king, and presumably the lowly maid resented the loss of Louis' attention.

From the end of 1680 onwards, Louvois, Colbert and Mme de Maintenon all helped to hush up the affair in order to prevent further scandal about the mother of the king's legitimatized children. Concerning the king's need to avoid shocking scandal, Police Chief Reynie said, "the enormity of their crimes proved their safeguard". After the scandal had forced Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan apart, he continued to spend some time daily in her rooms at the palace, and apparently her brilliance and charm in conversation mitigated to some extent her reduced status as a discarded mistress.

In 1691, no longer in royal favour, Montespan retired to the Convent of St Joseph with a pension of half a million francs. In gratitude for her departure, the king made her father the governor of Paris, her brother, the duc de Vivonne, a marshal of France, and one of her sisters, Gabrielle, whose vows were but four years old, the abbess of the wealthy community of Fontevrault.

In retirement, Mme de Montespan spent vast sums on hospitals and charities. She was also a generous patron of letters, and befriended Corneille, Racine and La Fontaine.

Later Life

The last years of her life were given up to a very severe penance. When she died at Bourbon l'Archambault, the king forbade her children to wear mourning for her. Real sorrow over her death was felt by her three youngest children.

The Duchesse de Bourbon, the Duchesse d'Orléans and the Comte de Toulouse all refused to go to any court gatherings as a mark of respect for the death of a mother who had tried to secure for them as many honors and as much wealth for them as possible. However, it was, her eldest and most disloyal child, the Duc de Maine was hardly able to conceal his joy at the death of his mother. He had always considered Madame de Maintenon to be more of a mother to him.

Children by Louis XIV

Madame de Montespan and her children
Madame de Montespan and four of her children: the Demoiselle de Nantes, the Comte de Vexin, the Demoiselle de Tours and the Duc du Maine

Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan had seven children :

Louise Françoise de Bourbon

  • Louise Françoise (1669-1672) - died in infancy.

Louis-Auguste de Bourbon

Louis César de Bourbon

  • Louis César de Bourbon, Comte de Vexin, abbot of Saint-Germain-des-Prés (1672-1683)
    • Died at the age of 11.

Louise-Françoise de Bourbon

Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon

Madame de Montespan's two surviving daughters: the blonde Françoise-Marie de Bourbon, duchesse d'Orléans, with her older brunette sister, Louise-Françoise de Bourbon, princesse de Condé
Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, Comte de Toulouse, Madame de Montespan's youngest child
  • Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Tours (1674-1681)
    • Died in infancy.

Françoise-Marie de Bourbon

Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon

Legacy

House of Orléans

Through three of her children (Louise-Françoise de Bourbon, Françoise-Marie de Bourbon and Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, Comte de Toulouse), Madame de Montespan is an ancestor of the House of Orléans and its present head, the Comte de Paris.

She is related to the present Portuguese and Brazilian Royal House of Braganza, the House of Este, the House of Austria-Este and the House of Savoy, mainly through her grand-daughter by Françoise-Marie de Bourbon, Charlotte Aglaé of Orléans.

Françoise-Marie's great-great-grandson was King Louis-Philippe of the French. Through Louis-Philippe's eldest daughter, Louise-Marie d'Orléans, the wife of King Leopold I of Belgium, Madame de Montespan is an ancestor of the present king of Belgium, Albert II. Through Louis-Philippe's fourth daughter, Clémentine, the wife of Leopold's nephew, August of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary, she is also the ancestor of the current pretender to the throne of Bulgaria, King Simeon II.


Château de Clagny

Madame de Montespan was the builder of the stunning Château de Clagny, which was situated in Versailles. It was a smaller version of the Palace of Versailles, where Madame de Montespan was given an apartment as the maîtresse-en-titre (official mistress) of the king. Clagny was designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart between 1674 and 1680. The château was famed for its stunning gallery and large gardens which looked west toward the much larger palace. After her disgrace, Madame de Montespan used Clagny less and less.

In June 1692, Madame de Montespan left Clagny to begin her life in a convent. At her death, the château was inherited by her son, the Duc du Maine, who in turn passed it on to his son, the Prince des Dombes, the last of his line. The château reverted to the French Crown in 1766. It was demolished in 1769.

Trianon de Porcelaine

A plan of the Trianon de Porcelaine; built for Madame de Montespan by Louis XIV. It was there that she sought to escape from court life

Louis XIV also had a pleasure pavilion called the Trianon de Porcelaine built for Madame de Montespan in the park of the Palace of Versailles. It was meant as a hideaway for the couple so that they could escape from the prying eyes of the gossip-hungry court. Eventually it was demolished and replaced by the Grand Trianon.

Fashion

At court, people often copied Madame de Montespan's lavish style of dress which was often very loose. The looseness allowed her to move more easily during her frequent pregnancies. Queen Marie-Thérèse unsuccessfully copied her coiffure in order to get the king to notice her more. Later, after her departure, her favorite taste in clothes was still copied.

Court

As the king's official mistress, Madame de Montespan frequently joined the rest of the court as it escorted the king as he waged his many wars against the Dutch and Austrians. Below is a picture of one of the court processions. It shows Louis XIV and his wife, Queen Marie-Thérèse, in Arras in 1667 during the War of Devolution.

Madame de Montespan, is said to be the blonde women at the center of the coach which would have also held the king's sister-in-law Madame, his first cousin La Grande Mademoiselle, the Queen and de Montespan's older sister, the Marquise de Thianges. Louis XIV stands behind the coach with his red hat while his younger brother, Monsieur, stands further to the right in blue.

The French Court at Arras in 1667.

Mme de Montespan in fiction

  • She played a major role as the rival to the main character in "Angelique and the King" by Sergeanne Golon (1960).
  • She also was a driving force in Judith Merkle-Riley's novel The Oracle Glass (1995).
  • Mme de Montespan was also fictionally referenced as a Satanist in Chelsea Quinn Yarbo's vampire novel Hotel Transylvania (1978).
  • She had a minor role in Chiho Saito and Kunihiko Ikuhara's manga series S to M no Sekai (2001), which was published in English as The World Exists For Me (2005).
  • She was one of the many courtiers of Louis XIV in Alexandre Dumas, père's novel, The Vicomte de Bragelonne. She was seen more in her younger years as one of the maids of honor to Queen Marie-Thérèse and a close friend to Louise de la Vallière, Louis XIV's mistress at the period of the novel's action.
  • She has a major role in 'The Orange Trees of Versailles' by Annie Pietri. It is set during the Affair of the Poisons and is written from the viewpoint of Marion, one of Mme de Montespan's maids. Marion disrupts Mme de Montespan's attempt to murder Queen Marie-Thérèse and is taken to work as a perfumer for the king and queen.
  • She is a central character in Clare Colvin's novel The Mirror Makers (2003).
  • She is a central figure in the collection of poetry, "Some Other Garden", by Jane Urquhart, first published as: "I am Walking in the Garden of His Imaginary Place". (2000; 1982)

Gallery

External link and reference

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Madame de Montespan.

References

  • Public Domain This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  • See contemporary memoirs of Mme de Sévigné, of Saint-Simon, of Bussy-Rabutin and others; also the proceedings of the Chambre Ardente preserved in the Archives de la Bastille (Arsenal Library) and the notes of La Reynie preserved in the Bibliothéque Nationale.
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