The existence of Madame de Maintenon at the court of Versailles was an odd one. Initially, she was recognised as the king's official mistress but their subsequent marriage - if it ever occurred - was never formally recognised by the king; consequently, she was never officially made queen of France.
Typically, the family of the king's mistress stood to benefit immensely from their connection. Madame de Maintenon's predecessors certainly had had their share of the loot. Louise de La Vallière's brother as well as the sisters of Madame de Montespan all reaped the benefits of the royal favour. Both women had another massive boon: their children by the king. Madame de La Vallière had had five children by Louis XIV of which two survived into adulthood and were amply provided for - the daughter by a marriage to the Conti-family and the wayward son by high-ranking military appointments before his premature death at 16. Her brother, too, received a handsome pension, a very advantageous marriage and several appointments that certainly did not correspond to his experience.
Meanwhile the numerous offspring of Madame de Montespan - 7 in total of which 5 survived into adulthood - were married into the highest echelon of French aristocracy. Her sons were furthermore given prestigious positions both in the military and the subsequent regency. Her recalcitrant husband, however, got nothing due to his indecent display of disagreeing with his wife being the king's mistress.
But what of Madame de Maintenon? She had been married once before to Paul Scarron but had never had children herself - at least none that were recorded. When she became Louis XIV's mistress she had either entered menopause or simply never conceived for she had no children by the otherwise notoriously virile king either. Yet, the position of royal mistress (and potential wife) remained remarkable lucrative and she therefore needed an heir - or in this case, an heiress.
While Madame de Maintenon had no children of her own, she did have immediate family, albeit far less illustrious than the incomparable Mortemarts of Madame de Montespan. Her father, Constant d'Aubigné, had been married twice. The first marriage was to Anne Marchant who gave him a son, Theodore. The second marriage was to Jeanne de Cardilhac who gave birth to three children: Madame de Maintenon, Charles, and another son.
While two of Madame de Maintenon's brothers either never had children or were not in contact with her, Charles d'Aubginé did. Charles had married Geneviève Piètre in 1678; however, neither of them had either money or status. They had a single child between them: Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné.
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| Françoise with Madame de Maintenon |
The young Françoise was therefore Madame de Maintenon's niece and it was on her that Madame de Maintenon focused her attention. It was a stroke of remarkable luck for Françoise. Her parentage would otherwise likely have meant a mediocre marriage to an equally impoverished nobleman. However, the interference of Madame de Maintenon changed everything for her. As it happened, it was Françoise's own parents who reached out to their suddenly very influential relative.
Madame de Maintenon agreed to help their financial troubles and take Françoise under her wing but made certain conditions. For one, the young Françoise was to be brought up according to Madame de Maintenon's own ideas and it would be her who chose her future husband. Having little other choice, Charles and Geneviève agreed.
The timing was perfect; Françoise was born in 1684 which meant that her formative years were spent under Madame de Maintenon's care. Once she turned 13, Madame de Maintenon was ready with a marriage. As could be expected, the king's mistress had aimed high - and succeeded. She had set her sights on the ancient and powerful Noailles-family, even going so far as seeking out the heir to the dukedom of Noailles.
Sensing an opportunity for royal favour, the Duc de Noailles agreed to the match between his son, Adrien Maurice, and Françoise. It cannot be what he had had in mind for his heir. After all, Françoise came with no connections beyond Madame de Maintenon and in 1698 - when the marriage took place - there was no telling whether Madame de Maintenon would remain forever in the king's favour. Furthermore, the bride was penniless.
Fortunately, the latter could easily be remedied. Madame de Maintenon made Françoise the primary beneficiary of her will which meant that upon her death, Françoise would inherit not only the considerable fortune amassed by Madame de Maintenon but also the estate of Maintenon itself. A letter by Madame de Maintenon suggests where the dowry came from. A match to a duke's heir was not cheap. Besides her own estates, the king had given 800.000 livres while the father had had to hand over 100.000 livres.
Madame de Maintenon's brother himself also benefited personally. He was made governor of Berry and received the cordon bleu before dying in 1703.
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