Marquise de Montespan

Death of the Marquise de Montespan, mistress of Louis XIV

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Francois-Athenas de Rochechouart, Marquise de Montespan, was born on 5th October 1641.

Daughter of the Marquis de Mortemart, she was married in 1663 to the marquis de Montespan, by whom she had two children.

She was appointed lady-in-waiting to the queen of France, Marie Therese in 1664.

Born into one of the oldest noble families of France, Madame de Montespan was called by some, the "true Queen of France"' during her romantic relationship with Louis XIV.

She was described as astonishingly beautiful by the standards of her time.

She had large, blue eyes, long, thick, corn-coloured hair that fell in curls about her shoulders, and a curvaceous, voluptuous body.

Although The Marquise de Montespan, first met King Louis, in the early 1660s, it was not until around 1666-1667, that the King fell under her spell.

A woman of outstanding beauty, she was much feared by her fellow courtiers, on account of her famous wit, for which her family was renowned.

A passionate lover of the arts, she enjoyed the king’s protection, until she was superseded by Madame de Maintenon in around 1680.

In 1674, she become the king’s official mistress.

Louis set her up in an apartment adjoining his own, complete with private entrance.

They had seven children together, entrusting their education to the widow of poet Paul Scarron, the future Madame de Maintenon, and Louis next mistress.

Six of these children were legitimated by the King from 1673 onwards.

The Marquise de Montespan soon came to play a prominent role in life at the palace.

Her social circle became the epicentre of the court, its pleasures and its fortunes, a source of both hope and terror, for the Courtiers.

A great lover of both luxury and the arts, she covered her walls with paintings, and transformed her apartments into a lavish scene of seduction, for herself and the King.

She filled her apartments with pet animals, and thousands of flowers.

She had a private gallery, and costly jewels were showered upon her.

She was highly discriminating as regards to the quality of the gems, returning them if they did not meet her exacting standards.

Her love for fine food and wine, combined with her numerous pregnancies, caused her to gain weight in her late thirties.

After many years in the spotlight, the Marquise de Montespan struggled to maintain the upper hand over her younger, prettier rivals.

With her fiery and unpredictable temper, she ultimately alienated the king.

Louis XIV, fed up with her mood swings, and jealousy, gradually excluded her from his private chambers, and from life at court.

She had been mistress of Louis for 13 years.

The Marquise, neglected by the King, finally retired from the court in 1691, and moved to the convent of Saint-Joseph in Paris, of which she eventually became the superior.

In her long retirement, Madame de Montespan donated vast sums to hospitals and charities.

She was also a generous patron of the arts.

While taking the waters at Bourbon-l'Archambault, in order to try to heal an illness, her health began to rapidly decline.

She passed away at the age of almost 67, on 27th May 1707.

Real sorrow over her death was felt by her three youngest children, but The king forbade them to wear mourning for her.

After her death in 1707, her heart was sent to the Convent of La Flèche in Anjou.

Her entrails were somehow lost, on the way to the priory of Saint Menoux, near Bourbon.

The rest of her remains was buried in the tomb of her family in Poitiers.

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https://historicwomendaily.tumblr.com/post/189947450143....

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https://ko-fi.com/thetudorintruders

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Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, the Marquise de Montespan 1670 ~Attributed to Henri Gascar