by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2020
Madame de Montespan was one of the most notable mistresses of King Louis XIV of France, from 1667 until the early 1680s.
Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart was born on October 5, 1640 in Lussac-les-Châteaux, France, the 3rd of 5 children of Gabriel de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Duke de Mortemart and Diane de Granseigne. Her father was a prominent member of the court of King Louis XIII of France, serving as First Gentleman of the Chamber, and was also a close confidante of Queen Anne of France (born Anne of Austria). Her mother also served as a lady-in-waiting to The Queen.
Raised at her family’s estates as well as the French court in Paris, she began her formal education at the Convent of Saint Mary at Saintes and became very religious. At 20 years old, she became a maid of honour to the Duchess of Orléans (born Princess Henrietta of England), and later a lady-in-waiting to Queen Marie Therese of France (born Maria Teresa of Spain).
On January 28, 1663, at the Église Saint-Eustache in Paris, she was married to Louis Henri de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Marquis de Montespan. The couple had two children:
- Marie Christine de Pardaillan de Gondrin (1663-1675)
- Louis Antoine de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Duke d’Antin (1664-1736)
A prominent figure in the French court, Madame de Montespan soon set out to become the primary mistress of King Louis XIV, replacing his current mistress, Louise de La Vallière. Before long, she developed an intimate relationship with the King and slowly pushed Louise out of his life. By 1669, she had become his primary mistress and gave birth to her first child with the King. They would have seven children together:
- Louise-Françoise (1669-1672)
- Louis Auguste, Duke of Maine (1670-1736)
- Louis César, Count of Vexin (1672-1683)
- Louise Françoise de Bourbon (1673-1743)
- Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon (1674-1681)
- Françoise Marie de Bourbon (1677-1749)
- Louis Alexandre, Count of Toulouse (1678-1737)
The children were raised by Madame Scarron, the Marquise de Maintenon, who would later become King Louis XIV’s second wife. In 1673, the living children were legitimized by the King, although Françoise-Athénaïs’s name was not listed, as she was still married to her husband at the time. The rest of their children were also legitimized. In 1674, she and her husband were officially separated but never divorced.
In 1677, Madame de Montespan was involved in the Affaire des Poissons (Affair of the Poisons) which would lead to the end of her influence and power at court – as well as the end of her relationship with the King. Over a period of several years, a number of prominent members of the court were charged and sentenced on charges of poisoning and witchcraft. Accusations were made that Madame de Montespan was involved, with allegations that she had engaged a midwife, Catherine Deshayes Monvoison, to perform black masses in order to retain the King’s favor. No charges were ever made against Françoise-Athénaïs, but it quickly led to rumors and scandal within the French court.
By 1691, Madame de Montespan was no longer in favor with King Louis XIV and left the French court for a convent in Paris. Louis XIV gave her a generous pension and she spent the remainder of her life supporting numerous hospitals and charities. On May 27, 1707, Madame de Montespan died at Bourbon-l’Archambault, France and was buried in the chapel of the Cordeliers convent in Poitiers, France.
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