tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86570121367320455092024-03-19T08:15:02.709+01:00This is VersaillesLouise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.comBlogger1260125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-61410454233212236432024-03-13T22:07:00.003+01:002024-03-13T22:07:50.559+01:00The Tragic Decline of the Comte de La Vauguyon<p style="text-align: justify;">On 29 November 1693, Louis XIV was informed of the tragic suicide of one of his courtiers: the Comte de La Vauguyon. The incident was related in a rather casual manner by the Duc de Saint-Simon in his memoirs. However, Saint-Simon made it clear that the gunshots in his throat was of "less surprise than interest" due to the Comte's obviously declining mental health.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">For years, André de Béthoulat, Comte de La Vauguyon had suffered a steady decline. Being unfortunately poor in finances, he possessed several traits necessary to make a successful career at court. Gallantry (highly prized by Louis XIV himself) was one, a good singing voice and the good fortune of enjoying the favours of Madame de Beauvais. She was the one who had allegedly "initiated" Louis XIV into life's more sensual pleasures for which she was generally respected and treated remarkably well by the king.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Saint-Simon attributed the seemingly good career of La Vauguyon to his mistress' favour with the king; the duke never seems to have considered that perhaps the king also liked La Vauguyon for his own sake. Either way, on the outside, La Vauguyon was doing quite well for himself at court. After several stints abroad as ambassador (a post which in itself required a certain degree of trust from the king) he was made councillor of state before finally being awarded the knighthood.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yet, then followed a period of nothing - no appointments, no favours, no positions. This left him in a dire financial situation which Saint-Simon attributed to his increasingly odd behaviour. In other words, the duke argued that La Vauguyon's failing fortunes had literally made him lose his mind.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to Saint-Simon, we know of some of the odd incidents leading up to the tragic conclusion in 1693. La Vauguyon seems to have been overcome by episodes of extreme and unprovoked anger. One episode was said to have occurred at the house of Madame Pelot, the wife of the President of the Rouen Parliament. The party had been playing in the gambling room when the hostess gently teased him about the game. He allegedly waited until the remaining company had left before attacking poor Madame Pelot, pinning her against the wall and threatening to bash her skull in. According to Saint-Simon, she had only mentioned it after his death but it had been noticed that after that evening, she was never alone with him again. However, it seems remarkable that she would never say anything to anyone - after all, she had been attacked in her own home.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Another incidence of such unprovoked rancor occured at Fontainebleau in October 1691 when he passed the Prince de Courtenay, a gentleman with whom he had never had an issue before. Yet on that day, La Vauguyon suddenly drew his sword in such a threatening manner that Courtenay was obliged to do the same. Drawing one's weapon within the king's residence was a massive mistake - it could easily result in either exile or downright imprisonment. Passers-by managed to prevent further escalation but not before La Vauguyon turned on his heel and bolted away. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">He headed straight for the king's apartment where he forced his way past the usher who desperately tried keeping him away. Finally, he literally broke into the king's private chamber where the king - somewhat startled, one might imagine - demanded to know what was happening. Thus, La Vauguyon threw himself to the ground and insisted that M. de Courtenay had grievously insulted him and he had therefore had no choice but to draw his weapon. Understandably, Courtenay claimed the same and both were sent to the Bastille for a short while. The king was greatly disturbed by the incident and even ordered an investigation into the matter. It was up to the Prévôt d'Hôtel to ensure the safety of the court - consequently, he was put in charge. The feuding pair was released in July 1692.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Having been granted permission to return to court, La Vauguyon was considered with a wary eye by his fellow courtiers. If they were hoping for another bizarre incident, they were soon satisfied. Being free from the Bastille, La Vauguyon soon convinced himself that he had somehow angered the king beyond reason. In October 1692 (a year after his would-be duel) he happened to pass by a servant of the Prince de Condé who was walking the prince's horse. Having ascertained whom the horse belonged to, La Vauguyon claimed that the prince would not object to his lending it before jumping onto its back and riding off - poor servant, he must have been both utterly confused and somewhat fearful of his employer's reaction.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Where was La Vauguyon going? He headed straight for Paris, more precisely the Bastille. Having convinced himself of the king's ire, he had apparently decided to hand himself in. Consequently, he approached the governor of the prison and demanded to be locked away as he expected the king's anger to conduct him there anyhow. Taken aback, the governor checked his papers and found no order for the confinement of La Vauguyon and declined to imprison him. It took a remarkable effort on the governor's behalf to make La Vauguyon leave and they agreed initially that La Vauguyon would retire to his house while the governor investigated. Thus, sending a quick messenger to Versailles, the king confirmed that no arrest had been ordered and the "house arrest" was lifted.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, the king continued to allow La Vauguyon at court. Clearly, the man was suffering from some sort of mental disorder which unfortunately rendered him quite unpredictable. Upon the death of his wife, he appeared to go completely over the edge. Insisting on traveling with loaded pistols - not for safety, mind you - he frequently drew them and aimed at his own servants before calmly putting them away again.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">By this point, his finances were said to be entirely dreadful. Saint-Simon, for one, was sure that he would never have survived without the assistance of both M. de Beauvais (Madame de Beauvais' son) and the king's own charity. While the king continued to treat him with kindness, he also withheld any means of improving La Vauguyon's situation. According to the Marquis de Sourches, he had requested to be sent as ambassador to Sweden which would provide him with both a fixed wage and honorable employment. However, the king refused which prompted La Vauguyon to lament that he was being sabotaged - not by the king, but by others who rendered him "bad service", i.e. bad-mouthing him to the king.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Interestingly, these incidents are not the first oddities concerning the Comte. Years earlier, the Marquis de Sourches casually remarked that La Vauguyon was being recalled from his position as ambassador to Vienna due to "great inconveniences". The wording is tantalizingly vague. Were these inconveniences financial in nature? Perhaps La Vauguyon's finances were already so disturbed as to prevent him doing his job properly. However, it is worth considering whether La Vauguyon was already exhibiting odd behavior. Obviously, he was not already plagued by the outbursts of his later years, as this would undoubtedly have been reported elsewhere. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The end was the tragic suicide of La Vauguyon in November 1693. It is interesting to speculate what exactly led him to such a desperate act?</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">He might have been utterly depressed at his situation - penniless with no prospects of gaining employment or receiving aid from the king. Given that his behaviour seem to have gotten worse after the death of his wife, it is not unlikely that her loss only furthered his spiral into depression.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Desparation and frustration could also explain the odd outbursts of violence but there is another element which warrants consideration: early dementia.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">La Vauguyon was 63 when he committed suicide. Every odd incident had occurred within a few years previously which indicates that he had not always been prone to the behaviour he was suddenly showcasing. Changed personality, confusion, mood changes, depression - all are symptoms of early dementia. The phrasing of the Marquis de Dangeau is worth noticing. When La Vauguyon was informed that he would, in fact, not be going to Sweden, he "fell into such a fit of despair, that he became rather deranged". The following day, Dangeau reported that he had "recovered his senses". The choice of words <i>could</i> indicate that La Vauguyon was experiencing an episode of some king. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Furthermore, Louis XIV was notoriously prickly when it came to his honour. The fact that he never considered La Vauguyon's odd outbursts - even when directed at the king's behaviour - to be an affront could indicate that the king saw fit to treat La Vauguyon with more kindness and consideration than usual.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Whether or not La Vauguyon suffered from dementia or succumbed to depression, it is difficult not to sympathise with him. Either way, he was clearly suffering from a horrible mental health crisis - potentially worsened by the pressure of his awful financial situation - which eventually cost him his life.</p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-34233530559534153092024-03-11T21:18:00.001+01:002024-03-11T21:18:23.847+01:00The Only Protestant Lord in France: The Persecution of the Duc de La Force<p style="text-align: justify;">Jacques Nompar de Caumont, Duc de La Force, was said to be "le seul grand seigneur huguenot" - the only great, Huguenot lord in France. As a duke and peer, Jacques was definitely a grand lord - he was also a Protestant.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Protestantism had not entirely passed by France which otherwise remained staunchly catholic. Few of the aristocrats had adopted the new religion but they were far outnumbered. Until the 1680's this divergence was treated rather as the proverbial elephant in the room - not to be acknowledged. However, when Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in October 1685 spelled disaster for Protestants within France.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Established as so-called "irrevocable law" (ironic, considering that it not even last a century), the Edict of Nantes had established fundamental rights for Protestants within France. Catholicism was acknowledged as the state religion but Protestants were ensured their freedom of religion. Yet, with the stroke of a pen, Louis XIV made Protestantism illegal - those practicing were given a dire ultimatum: convert to Catholicism or leave France (and everything you have). </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Whereas thousands of commoners found themselves in a downright deadly situation - with evidence of some being tortured into conversion or facing starvation as a result of having to abandon every earthly belonging - the courtiers were not in direct peril.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Jacques Nompar, for one, was somewhat protected by his status as a duke and peer - or so he might have thought. Attempts were made to make Jacques willingly convert - civilised conversation, gentle prodding etc. etc. However, two factors made the conversion almost impossible. For one, Jacques Nompar does not appear to have had any particular, personal interest in religion. While there is little doubt that he did believe in god, the finer mechanisms of Protestantism versus Catholicism were far more open to discussion than for most of his contemporaries. One of those contemporaries also makes up the second factor. His second wife (and mother of his sons) was an intensely Protestant woman whose devotion to her faith made even the king's attempts to convert her utterly useless. The fact that the two enjoyed a close relationship certainly heightened the influence her conviction had on her more pliable husband.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Fanatical, Jacques certain was not, yet his refusal to simply obey and convert was a sore spot for the king. Having attempted the gentle approach, the king had enough of his "obstinacy" and decided that if the duke could not be persuaded, he could be forced.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">On 22 April 1685 (mind you, before the official revocation of the Edict of Nantes), the Duc de La Force was arrested by the king's police while staying in Paris. As befit his rank, he was escorted to the Bastille. There, he was subjected to immense pressure with the background of the royal fortress to remind him of his position. To convince him of the errors of his ways, the king appointed M. Bordes who was in for a long and tiring mental battle. In the end, the duke remained steadfast - he would not convert.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, if the duke was determined not to convert, the king was determined not to release him until he did. Thus, two years later, Jacques Nompar was still imprisoned. He had been placed under the care of the Duc de Duras who could eventually report to the king that his charge was seriously ill. Whether the illness was a matter of chance or the result of misuse is not known. Realising that he might die in prison, Jacques Nompar gave the king the conversion he wanted - on paper, at least.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">For his compliance, he was released into the care of his wife. She, too, was a staunch Protestant, but had remained out of prison although the king had tried to force her into a conversion, too. Suzanne de Béringhen (as was her name) was described as being even more determined in her faith than her husband and she undoubtedly supported his return to Protestantism. It says something of her faith that her husband was considered a reasonable target for "persuasion" whereas she was "a lost cause".</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Having been nursed back to health, it soon became clear that Jacques Nompar had little intention to actually become a proper Catholic. Angry at the seeming turnabout, the king promptly refused to grand Jacques Nompar the prestigious Order of St. Michel. According to Dangeau, the king even deigned to have private discussions with the duke on the importance of his converting. When that did not have the desired effect, Jacques was sent to his estates to mull things over in 1686. However, if the king had thought that some good old-fashioned public snubbing would bring the duke to heel, he was wrong. Jacques Nompar continued his insistence of religious freedom, much to the annoyance of the king. Perhaps the irritation was made even worse by the fact that Jacques continuously allowed the king's preachers to assume that they had won.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In May 1686, the Mercure Gallante reported that the Duc de La Force had finally been convinced of the "errors of Protestantism" and had therefore become a good Catholic. It did not even last a year before it became clear that that was definitely not the case. Still, the same publication gleefully reported on the successful conversion of his sons not long after. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Eventually, Louis XIV could not abide the open defiance of an obviously Protestant duke at his own court. It was honestly getting embarrassing considering the harsh measures taken everywhere else; the duke's refusal could potentially be seen as disobedience which in itself would be damaging to the king's power. The duke himself did nothing to hide his continued adherence to Protestantism. His private château left little doubt that its lord was not a Catholic. Even worse, from the king's point of view, he allowed his household servants to also continue in their Protestantism. In a particularly petty move, three servants were seized from his estate and imprisoned.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, his papers were seized and his private testament was discovered which showed that he still considered himself a Protestant. If the king ever needed concrete proof that the abjuration had been false, he had it now. There was only one thing to do: sent him back to the Bastille.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, on 14 July 1689, Jacques Nompar was once again escorted back to the Bastille. It was whispered that his arrest was the result of an alleged conspiracy with the British. Conveniently, that would serve to draw a link between the French rival and this obstinate duke, thus villainising both. The Duchesse did not escape notice either. She remained a thorn in the eye of the king - it was one thing to imprison an obstinate nobleman but Louis XIV had always been raised to be the very picture of gallantry. It did not sit right with him to force the Duchesse into the Bastille as well - consequently, she remained under house arrest, far from her husband. House arrest turned into downright prisons where she was kept as isolated as possible.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The duke had three sons and four daughters - before escorting Jacques to his prison, the king made a show of removing his children. On the orders of the king, the daughters were quickly dispatched to convents where they would be converted; meanwhile, the sons quickly bowed to the pressure and lack of any type of support. They would not be handed back to their parents afterwards but would be the charges of their god-mother, the Duchesse de Saint-Simon. One of the girls, Marie-Anne-Louise, was rewarded with a position in the household of the dauphine and a marriage. Sadly, she would widowed after just two years and would later be exiled from court for improper conduct - the whispers of an illegitimate child with none less than the Grand Dauphin could explain the reason. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Another, Jeanne, eagerly took to convincing the court that she had indeed converted and was promptly married off advantageously to the marquis de Courtomer. The two others remained at the convent as nuns.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It must have been heartbreaking, particularly for the Duchesse de La Force, to have her children forcibly removed and then bullied into converting to a religion she herself had always resisted. Yet, there was nothing to be done.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The entire de La Force-family soon came under fire, although not nearly as intensely as the head of their house. Many fled to England or the Netherlands where the men joined the army or simply blended into the aristocracy. For one, Pierre Nompar de Caumont married the daughter of another Huguenot who happened to serve as the Prince of Wales' doctor.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">What of Jacques Nompar? He remained imprisoned until 29 April 1691 before being transferred to a monastery. It was said that he - having always been less fiercely religious than his wife - had actually wanted to convert this time. Perhaps the king thought the change of scenery would evoke the same change of heart as it had for his daughters? If so, the king was mistaken. Whatever change might have happened in the monastery, once he was permitted back to his estates, his wife was released as well - and she quickly undid the persuasive techniques of the monks. The king was furious with the Duchesse; in his mind, she was undoing everything he had spent years accomplishing. He even went so far as to order her to relocate as she was "inspiring her husband with sentiments contrary to the good faith".</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Obeying, the Duchesse retired - for a while. Then she returned to her husband which led the king to continue his spying on the couple, irate that the duke listened more to his wife than his king. He even dispatched both policemen and M. Bordes to counteract the influence of the Duchesse. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="672" data-file-width="485" decoding="async" height="305" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Follower_of_Rigaud_-_Portrait_of_the_Duc_de_la_Force_in_a_gold_embroidered_coat.jpg/220px-Follower_of_Rigaud_-_Portrait_of_the_Duc_de_la_Force_in_a_gold_embroidered_coat.jpg" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Follower_of_Rigaud_-_Portrait_of_the_Duc_de_la_Force_in_a_gold_embroidered_coat.jpg/330px-Follower_of_Rigaud_-_Portrait_of_the_Duc_de_la_Force_in_a_gold_embroidered_coat.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Follower_of_Rigaud_-_Portrait_of_the_Duc_de_la_Force_in_a_gold_embroidered_coat.jpg/440px-Follower_of_Rigaud_-_Portrait_of_the_Duc_de_la_Force_in_a_gold_embroidered_coat.jpg 2x" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="220" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henri Jacques - the heir who <br />turned Catholic with a vengeance</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />By the time he was 67, Jacques' health was seriously declining. It soon became clear that he was dying. Realising that they had to move quickly to ensure his soul for the Catholic faith, he was continuously pressed to reconsider before it was too late. The Duchesse was even forcibly kept from his apartment to prevent any "relapse". Yet, Jacques Nompar refused - proving that his initial abjuration had been a sham. He would die as he had lived - as a Protestant. And so he did, expiring on 19 April 1699. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Louis XIV was allegedly told that he died a good Catholic although he never did make a genuine abjuration. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Upon his death, the Duchesse de La Force finally obtained permission to leave France for England where she was received with sympathy. She was allegedly presented with the age-old dilemma: convert or go into exile. She would die in England at 81, having survived Louis XIV by 16 years and his attempts at forcible conversion even longer. Ironically, one of her own sons - the heir, Henri Jacques - became intensely Catholic (unfortunately of the bigoted kind) who would forcibly convert those living on his estates. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-71102349347322345772024-02-07T22:48:00.001+01:002024-02-07T22:48:12.480+01:00The Princesse de Lamballe & the Duchesse de Polignac: Rivals for the Queen's Favour<p>The duo of the Princesse de Lamballe and the Duchesse de Polignac are usually mentioned as the friends of Marie Antoinette; generally, the three women have been depicted as forming a trio of female friendship through turbulent times. While it is true that both Lamballe and Polignac were integral parts of Marie Antoinette's inner circle, their mutual friendship seem to have been somewhat more prone to petty jealousies and rivalry.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Savoyard princess Marie Thérèse was married into the extended royal family in 1767 when she became the Princesse de Lamballe. Being widowed at just 19 years old, she enjoyed the privileges of being a princess of the blood. As such, she was there to welcome the new dauphine, Marie Antoinette, when she arrived in 1770.</p><p>Meanwhile, Yolande Martine Gabrielle de Polastron was French by birth, but had moved in rather obscure circles of nobility before being invited to Versailles by her cousin, Diane, in 1775. It was there that she was introduced to Marie Antoinette who was said to have been immediately struck by the newcomer. Thus, Yolande was the latest edition to the little group and she would soon become well-acquainted with Madame de Lamballe.</p><p><br /></p><p>Coincidentally, the two women shared an exact birthday - 8 September 1749. Hierarchically, however, Polignac was far beneath the Princesse de Lamballe. Not only was Marie Thérèse a member of the Savoyard royal family - and thus related to the kings of France - she was also a princess of the blood by marriage. In contrast, Gabrielle's family was old nobility but had become quite impoverished and had hitherto failed to break through into the very elite of the aristocracy. </p><p>Ideally the two women would have found a common cause in the resentment their favour with the queen brought; after all, Marie Antoinette was an extremely generous friend. Both ladies were showered in favours, positions, even money when at the height of their respective favour. While the position of Surintendante of the Queen's household was reinvented for Lamballe, Polignac was granted the post of governess to the royal children. These were two of the most prestigious positions available for women and its distribution shows both the queen's wish to benefit her friends - and their rivalry.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="undefined" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Gabrielle_de_Polastron.jpg/1024px-Gabrielle_de_Polastron.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="228" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madame de Polignac</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Conveniently, the Austrian ambassador Mercy-Argenteau kept the queen's august mother, Empress Maria Theresia, abreast of everything regarding her daughter's life. This included her social life, and it is partially thanks to the assiduous ambassador's frequent missives to Vienna, that we are able to follow the unfolding rivalry between Lamballe and Polignac.</p><p>As early as 15 November 1775, Mercy-Argeanteau wrote:</p><blockquote><p><i>"Her Majesty (Marie Antoinette) does not know how to reconcile the princesse de Lamballe to the Comtesse de Polignac, because these two favourites, who are jealous of each other, have been presenting the queen with respectful little complaints disguised as marks of the most loving sensitivity"</i></p></blockquote><p>Remember that Yolande had only been presented to the queen earlier that year. Perhaps - not entirely unfounded - did Lamballe see the new-comer as a threat to her position. Undoubtedly, the queen began to spend more time with the headstrong Yolande and slightly less with the sensitive Lamballe. If Marie Thérèse did indeed feel herself slipping out of royal favour, she was not handling it well.</p><p>By May 1776, Marie Antoinette was showing clear signs of being very irritated with Lamballe who was picking fights with everyone in the queen's household. Thus, the queen turned even more to Polignac which only further exasperated the frustrations of Lamballe. As mentioned by Mercy-Argenteau, this (quite frankly silly behaviour) caused the queen to constantly having to act as peacemaker in her own household.</p><p><br /></p><p>As time went on, Marie Antoinette continued to split her favour somewhat equally - at least outwardly. When Yolande's husband was made the queen's Premier Écuyer, the Duc de Chartres (a dear friend to Lamballe and son of the Duc d'Orléans) was immediately made governor of Poitou. Tit for tat. Yet, these attempts at keeping the peace only worked for brief periods of time.</p><p>By January 1777, Mercy-Argenteau once again reported on the state of the queen's closest friends:</p><blockquote><p><i>"The queen often has some difficulty in keeping up the appearance of friendship between the princesse de Lamballe and the Comtesse de Polignac."</i></p></blockquote><p>If Mercy-Argenteau was correct in his assessment (and he did have access to the queen which few others did) the relationship had become more than strained. The ambassador was personally in no doubt of the reason for this enmity. In the same letter, he wrote:</p><blockquote><p><i>"As the latter's favour (Polignac) grows, that of the Surintendante withers away so that she has now become a bore and an annoyance to the queen" </i></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>Mercy-Argeanteau might be slightly harsh here. Marie Antoinette was not known for doing things she rarely wished to do and it would have been very easy for her to dispense entirely with the social company of the Princesse de Lamballe. Yet, she did not. As her surintendante, the queen could not escape her company but she did have the option of excluding her from social events which she refrained from doing. There can be little doubt that Lamballe - despite often being likened to an angel - was intensely jealous of her rival.</p><p>Madame de Polignac herself was entirely aware of this and - equally as petty as Lamballe's jealousies - took full advantage. As her company was increasingly considered necessary to the queen, Madame de Polignac did not rise above the temptation to "bad-mouth" Madame de Lamballe. Both Marie Antoinette and Yolande de Polastron shared a somewhat sharp sense of humour which (unfortunately) occasionally delighted in ridiculing others. It can easily be imagined that such snide comments were carefully intertwined in otherwise casual conversation in the queen's private company.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="undefined" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Florimont-Claude_Mercy-Argenteau.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="249" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mercy-Argenteau - the man who had<br />plenty to say of the two ladies</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>While the Princesse de Lamballe was not known for her intelligence, she was clearly not unaware of the decline of her favour with the queen. The later years of the 1770s, she spent an increasing amount of time away from court, primarily for health reasons. Publicly, this was widely seen as a natural consequence of the clear change in favorites exhibited by the queen; however, when she returned, Lamballe was still welcomed into the queen's inner circle, albeit with less warmth than before. Even so, Lamballe did not surrender without a fight. Knowing the queen's near-constant search for amusement, she ensured that her well-stocked coffers offered what the royal treasury increasingly could not: balls, high-stakes gambling, operas. Alas, even these attempts had little impact as Lamballe often found herself snubbed in favour of La Polignac. </p><p>Socially, they moved in slightly different circles. Besides the all-important company of the queen, the two women drew support from separate groups at court. Whereas Madame de Polignac surrounded herself with her family members and the male members of the queen's entourage, Madame de Lamballe found support in the princes of the blood. Particularly, the Duc de Chartres was a close friend as was the Comte d'Artois. Unfortunately, this division only further added to the schism between the women as their individual supporters gladly took sides in any conflict between them.</p><p><br /></p><p>By 1780, Mercy-Argenteau bluntly reported Lamballe's deroutement to the Empress of Austria:</p><blockquote><p><i>"The Comtesse Jules (Polignac) has completely succeeded her rival in the affection of the queen"</i></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>Did this mean that Madame de Lamballe was entirely excluded? Not quite. Hers was the lot of previous royal favourites whose time has run its course. She was welcomed politely into the queen's circle but over the following years, the queen made no attempt at hiding her preference for Polignac. There was nothing for Lamballe to do but to accept her new position and attempt to regain her former ascendancy. For a brief period towards the latter half of the 1780s, Madame de Polignac felt briefly out of favour with Marie Antoinette. The result was a trip to London where Gabrielle basked in the company of the Duchess of Devonshire. Upon her return, things seem to have mended (perhaps she had rid herself of a noisome alleged lover, the Comte de Vaudreuil, infamous despised by the queen?). </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="undefined" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/MA-Lebrun.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="256" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marie Antoinette</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>If Lamballe was jealous, what was Polignac? Considering the immensity of the favours she reaped from her friendship with the queen, it is possible that Yolande never truly considered Madame de Lamballe a threat to her position. The queen's generosity ensured that she had amble proof of Marie Antoinette's esteem, so maybe her somewhat backhanded comments regarding Lamballe was considered sufficient to keep her rival at bay.</p><p><br /></p><p>While Mercy-Argenteau provides a wonderful insight into the private sphere of the queen, it should be remembered why he was at the French court. He was, first and foremost, a politician. Throughout his correspondence, he rarely refers to the two ladies solely in their own capacity. In his eyes, they each represented a different faction; each was carefully weighed and measured according to the level of threat he regarded them as. It should be pointed out that Mercy-Argenteau had continuously reported to the Empress that Polignac was the greater threat but he still would prefer if the two ladies could cancel their respective influences out. Either one - he mused - presented a threat in her own right to the queen's reputation and proper conduct. This should be kept in mind when discussion his depiction of their relationship.</p><p>It is highly unlikely that the queen considered her relationships with the same political cynicism. To be sure, she might have found Madame de Lamballe slightly boring after a while, but she never ceased caring for her first friend in France. When Madame de Lamballe fell ill at her private estate, the queen assiduously inquired after her and never excluded her entirely from her private apartments.</p><p>What the queen did do, however, was almost as mortifying. As Madame de Polignac's influence grew, so did the number of relatives of hers who surrounded the queen. It was noted by Madame Campan (another insider to the queen) that Lamballe had been greatly concerned at the rapidity with which Madame de Polignac gained the queen's favour. Her concern turned to mortification when the queen began shutting herself in her private apartments. This, of course, had always been the queen's tendency, but hitherto, Madame de Lamballe had been on the other side of the door. While not exiled from the queen's presence, she was not invited to the gatherings when they consisted of Madame de Polignac and her family and friends.</p><p><br /></p><p>The possibility exist that Mesdames de Polignac and de Lamballe were not so irreconcilable as observers such as Mercy-Argenteau mused. Both would have known full well that royal favour was fleeting. Considering that they seemingly kept any quarrels somewhat private - very few contemporary sources noted any concrete examples of outright infighting - it is possible that their relationship had developed into one of necessary tolerance rather than blatant enmity. After all, by the mid-1780s, they had both been in the queen's company for ten years and neither had succeeded in formally ousting the other. Perhaps, then, it was better to seek the queen's good graces by more subtle, courtly manners. </p><p>While neither Lamballe nor Polignac have left written testament to their personal feelings for one another, their outward conduct tells its own tale. Neither woman visited the other at their private estates - not even following an illness or an <i>accouchement</i>. The separation of the Polignac-clan from Madame de Lamballe's company is a further indicator that they did not see eye to eye. Finally, whereas Marie Antoinette wrote them both assiduously, they did not seem to have corresponded.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Portrait of Madame de Lamballe" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Rioult_-_The_Princess_of_Lamballe.jpg/1024px-Rioult_-_The_Princess_of_Lamballe.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="249" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madame de Lamballe</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>When the revolution broke out, once again the two ladies found themselves in completely different situations - but with the same outcome. By the end of 1793, Marie Antoinette, the Princesse de Lamballe and the Duchesse de Polignac were all dead. </p><p>The first to succumb to the violence of the time was the Princesse de Lamballe. Having been hauled before a tribunal, her captors demanded that she swore an oath to liberty and denounced the royal family. She agreed to the former but utterly refused to denounce her friend. Upon leaving the courthouse, a furious mob set upon her and massacred her. Stabbed, beaten and decapitated, her head was placed on a pike and placed outside the queen's window. The queen herself died on the guillotine just a month later. </p><p>This left Madame de Polignac. By the time of her erst-while rival's grisly death, she was long gone. Her unpopularity had reached almost unprecedented heights and she had fled France and gone to Vienna, the birthplace of Marie Antoinette. There, she died in December 1793 of an unknown illness.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mesdames de Lamballe and de Polignac had certainly been rivals for the queen's affection and the bounty of royal favour. Yet, they had also shared years of their lives together with their mutual friend. None of them survived the Revolution and thus their relationship remains inextricably tied with their lives at Versailles. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-80570188428889877742024-02-01T23:48:00.002+01:002024-02-06T21:11:09.346+01:00Were They, Weren't They? Yolande de Polignac & the Comte de Vaudreuil<p style="text-align: justify;">The relationship between the Duchesse de Polignac and the Comte de Vaudreuil was a stormy one, at best. The queen's (in)famous friend, Yolande de Polastron, had been married to Jules de Polignac since 1767 whereas Joseph Hyacinthe François de Paule de Rigaud remained unmarried until after Yolande's death. While at Versailles, the Comte served as Captain of the Gardes du Corps which would have brought him into contact with both the queen and - by extension - Yolande. He might already have known Yolande, though, as they were distant cousins. Legend has it that the two were actually intended to have married when both very young but Joseph refused after glimpsing her in a convent and finding her not pretty enough - he would later drastically change his mind but she had already been married off. He had also attached himself to the company of the Comte d'Artois and therefore already had an "in" with the royal family's inner circle.</p><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">As the relationship between the two grew, it caused many of Yolande's friends - including Marie Antoinette - to worry. The Comte de Vaudreuil was known for his violent temper and his extreme ambition which made him unwelcome in most circles. However, as the two became closer, he became indispensable to the queen's favourite. Even Marie Antoinette begrudgingly accepted his presence in their small circle of friends, despite often lamenting his presence - notably, the queen was outraged that a raging Vaudreuil had broken one of her billiard cues. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Interestingly, the exact nature of Yolande and Joseph's relationship is not quite clear. Even at the time, people were doubting whether their liaison had become physical. Yolande was considered to be a rather cold woman who did not lend herself easily to a physical relationship. This has been further evidenced by the ease with which she distanced herself from Vaudreuil when he overstepped the queen's patience. If they were in love, it was evidently not a blinding sort of love, and Yolande was not willing to risk her position for him.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Madame de Polignac | Palace of Versailles" aria-hidden="false" class="sFlh5c pT0Scc iPVvYb" jsaction="VQAsE" jsname="kn3ccd" src="https://en.chateauversailles.fr/sites/default/files/styles/personnage_liste/public/visuels_principaux/personnages/mv_8971_003.jpg?itok=csuE4Ltg" style="height: 376px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 340px; width: 266px;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yolande de Polignac</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, others gleefully (and loudly) speculated that when Yolande gave birth to a son in 1780, it was Vaudreuil's. Neither Marie Antoinette nor Louis XVI believed that particular rumour, though, and even went so far as to visit the infant which was otherwise not done.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Another intriguing fact about their relationship is the utter lack of correspondence between them. It is possible that they burned or otherwise destroyed such evidence - or maybe they did not write to each other? </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Greed was an unfortunate characteristic shared by both Yolande and Joseph. They both shamelessly exploited their proximity to a generous queen, although Yolande was considerably more successful. However, as the 1780s wore on, Marie Antoinette became increasingly disillusioned with the grasping nature of Madame de Polignac. The queen had already showered her with money, favours, positions, etc. yet, the demands kept coming. The relentless pressure from Vaudreuil is said to have contributed to the cooling of their relationship, although it did not end entirely.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">When Yolande died in late 1793, Joseph wrote a letter to the exiled Comte d'Artois. The letter clearly expresses the Comte's seemingly heartfelt sorrow at her death - but also ends on an entirely different note. Rather than focusing the short letter on the death of a woman he cared for, Joseph ends it with a practical note regarding his financial matters. It does give the impression that Joseph was not <i>that</i> distraught - despite his eloquent expressions.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">On another note, the memoirs of Yolande's life - written by her own sister-in-law - does not mention Vaudreuil at all. Likewise, Yolande's last will and testament also left nothing to Joseph. Rather unhelpfully, the attitude of Yolande's husband does not help clear the situation up. The relationship between husband and wife was rather more like two friends; they got along, but no one suspected that they had any particular romantic love for one another. The fact that Joseph was welcomed into their home - by both parties - consequently cannot be taken as a token of platonic relationship.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Collectively, these clues give their relationship an odd character. Joseph was clearly important enough for Yolande for her to risk the queen's wrath by bringing him with her - but not important enough to risk the queen's displeasure. It poses the question of whether Vaudreuil - in his capacity as a relation - was yet another blindly ambitious family member who was more than willing to use Yolande's relationship for his own advantage? If so, he succeeded, as he was granted both a pension of 30.000 livres and the position of Grand Fauconnier of France - neither of which he would have gained without Yolande.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Comte_de_Vaudreuil2.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; cursor: zoom-in; display: block; margin: auto; text-align: start;" width="236" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comte de Vaudreuil</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Their behaviour during the revolution is quite telling, too. Both fled France during the revolution but went in separate directions. Yolande embarked on a journey through Europe, ending in Vienna where she herself died shortly after Marie Antoinette's execution. Joseph, meanwhile, had left far in advance. Already by the storming of the Bastille in 1789 - before the attack on Versailles, mind you - Joseph had left for the Austrian Netherlands. Furthermore, there is nothing to suggest that Yolande made any attempt at contacting Joseph after she fled France. It should not be ignored, either, that Joseph did not attend her funeral. Therefore, it seems likely that any connection they might have had in France was well and truly over by 1789.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Coincidentally, Yolande experienced a resurgence in her relationship with Marie Antoinette in the dying years of the 1780s. Whereas the queen had - as mentioned - become exasperated by her friend's demands, something changed after Yolande had spent a bit of time in England. Perhaps that change was the discarding of Vaudreuil? It would explain both why the queen happily accepted her friend back as her pushy lover would no longer be an inconvenience. It would also explain the seemingly sudden rupture of Yolande and Joseph's relationship. Considering that just a few years before, Yolande had been constantly flanked by Joseph, it would have taken quite a turn-around for something to change that drastically.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Given Yolande's willingness to remain in the queen's good graces, it might have become obvious that her relationship (whatever its nature) with Vaudreuil was more hindrance than help.</p><div><br /></div>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-39862426861324442432024-01-24T21:15:00.004+01:002024-01-24T21:15:40.805+01:001783: Marie Antoinette's Mysterious Pregnancy<p style="text-align: justify;">The year-long struggle for Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to have children is well-known; once they did manage to consummate their marriage, Marie Antoinette found herself pregnant fairly frequently. The birth of Marie Thérèse in 1778 was followed by Louis Joseph in 1781, Louis Charles in 1785 and Sophie in 1786.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It is also known that the queen suffered a miscarriage in 1779; however, in 1783 something odd happened. That happened to be the year of the queen's mysteriously discreet pregnancy. Extremely few court sources mention the queen being pregnant in 1783 at all - except for the queen herself.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">References to this mysterious pregnancy are found in the intimate correspondance between Marie Antoinette and her brother, Emperor Joseph II. In September 1783, Joseph II wrote to his sister: "<i>I await with infinite impatience ... the news of your pregnancy</i>". On first glance, this might just have been an expression of the emperor's wish to see his sister have another child; yet, the queen herself responded to the letter by informing him that "<i>My pregnancy and health are marvelous</i>" - then ... nothing. None of either Marie Antoinette or Joseph's ensuing letters ever referenced the pregnancy again. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The obvious implication was that the queen miscarried again. In fact, it is widely accepted that the queen did indeed suffer a dramatic miscarriage in November, about the time of her own birthday. The pregnancy had apparently been difficult from the beginning and the ordeal made her health worse for months. However, this does not explain the utter silence of the courtiers on the subject. After all, the pregnancy of a queen was not personal news - it was state business. The fact that Marie Antoinette was apparently certain herself that she was pregnant implies that the pregnancy was established. Consequently, it ought to have been remarked upon by <i>everyone.</i> Yet it was not.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It is generally accepted that the queen's pregnancy was announced in June 1783 which would mean that she was at least three months pregnant by the time of the September letters. Consequently, when she lost the baby in November, she was at least five months along.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" src="https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/api/collection/v1/iiif/656930/1516758/restricted" style="-webkit-user-select: none; display: block; margin: auto; text-align: start;" width="256" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marie Antoinette in 1783</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">The oddity of the radio silence of the court is the marked oddness of it. Nothing at court was ever truly secret, especially not when it came to the lives of the royals. It has even been suggested that the child was not even Louis XVI's but that of Count Fersen. This, alone, would have made it gold for gossip mongers set on further destroying the queen's reputation. Sadly, that particular story has been repeated by authors such as Evelyn Farr who remains convinced that Marie Antoinette not merely loved Fersen, but had a physical affair with him, too. Farr speculate that the queen had fallen pregnant by Fersen. The theory is extremely doubtful, at best. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">There is nothing concrete to suggest that Marie Antoinette and Count Fersen ever developed a physical liaison. On the contrary, throughout her life, the queen had shown marked distaste for adultery and relations outside marriage - even going as far as entirely snubbing Madame du Barry because of her role as royal mistress. While the subject of Marie Antoinette and Fersen deserves its own post, suffice it to say, that the theory lacks credibility of any kind.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Considering that the pregnancy was allegedly a difficult one it is puzzling that no one bothered to mention it. Discretion or consideration of the queen's loss seems unlikely. By this point in time, Marie Antoinette was already the object of remarkably vicious rumours and slander. There is nothing to suggest that everyone at court would suddenly have become gracious enough not to torment her on that head. The fact that no one then suggested that the child was not the king's adds to the unlikeliness of the Evelyn Farr-theory. Her detractors would have given anything to be able to pin such a story on the queen - just imagine the outrage it would cause, if the already deeply unpopular queen was thought to have fallen pregnant by another man! The story would have been too tantalizing to receive so little attention. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">As stated, few remarked on the pregnancy. Amongst these was the Marquis de Bombelles who wrote on 29 August 1783: </p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>"There is a worrying silence on the Queen's condition. Many people think that she had a miscarriage last Sunday; and conclude this from the fact that at 11.00, the queen sent for Madame de Polignac, who seemed sad and very worried when she returned..."</i></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;">This snippet further murks the waters. It suggests that even at the time, the court was eerily silent on the matter, although the fear of a miscarriage in itself ought to have set tongues wagging. Bombelles' statement also confirm that the pregnancy was a difficult one. After all, he wrote the excerpt in late August, when the queen was still pregnant. If it was already suspected that she might have miscarried, it is fair to assume that there were considerable problems with the pregnancy. Furthermore, the queen was said to have been so big at just 4-5 months that doctors already predicted twins. Relying again on Bombelles, he himself reported in October that she queen already looked as if she was at least 6 months pregnant.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Bombelles goes on to comment on the fact that the queen's dame d'honneur, Madame de Chimay, was refused access to her mistress - something that was entirely unheard of as Madame de Chimay - in her capacity as dame d'honneur - had the right to enter the queen's apartment at any time. At any rate, the situation was deeply unusual for the court.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Another aspect must be considered which likely contributed to the aura of mystery of this pregnancy. The queen - and king - had already established a court life in which the monarchs were far more withdrawn from their own court than usual. The couple's love of privacy meant that they retired to their own apartments with a select group of friends whereas hitherto the lives of the monarchs were lived entirely in public. It was noted that Marie Antoinette withdrew even further during her difficult pregnancy. Being thus only surrounded by her entourage, the queen might have felt more comfortable, but to the excluded courtiers, the queen's condition became all the more mysterious. After all, it is far easier to conjure up shadows when kept in the dark.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Miscarrying in itself was - and remains - a deeply personal tragedy. Given Marie Antoinette's pride and determination not to appear weak, it is not unlikely that she consoled herself with her friends over her loss. There might have been nothing mysterious, at all, in the entire affair.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">When the queen did miscarry in November, Bombelles is again remarkably well-informed. He felt sure enough of his knowledge to state outright that the miscarriage was luck in disguise, as the fetus was deformed. How would he have known? Unlike the birth of a child (stillborn or living) a miscarriage was not a court event; people were not summoned for it, nor had they the right to witness it. Considering that the miscarriage took place in the middle of the night, Bombelles would not have been anywhere near the queen herself. He cannot have seen the "deformed fetus" for himself. It makes it more likely, then, that he was speculating or repeating rumours he had heard elsewhere. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">As for the queen's own silence on the matter - especially in her correspondance with her brother - that has a far more reasonable explanation. The loss of a child in itself was harrowing enough; the situation was only made the worse for the health issues it brought it with. It was not until December 1783 that the queen once again remarked to her brother that her health was good. Interestingly, that same letter reveals her desire to have a second son, but her own assurance that "a few months rest will put me in a better condition to carry it (the pregnancy) through". Clearly the ordeal had been traumatic for both mind and body.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It has been speculated that the queen was remarkably - even unusually - silent about the episode. It can be argued that her behaviour was <i>not</i> different from her typical self. Having a sensitive nature, the queen was not the daughter of Maria Theresia for nothing. Sensitive, yes, but deeply devoted to duty and the image of herself as queen. The latter automatically required her to appear constantly composed - even in the throes of heartache. All in all, it is not unlikely that Marie Antoinette wished to put the episode behind her and focus on the two children she did have.</p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-83918463077836303852024-01-22T22:48:00.003+01:002024-01-22T22:48:35.381+01:00The Aftermath: The Men who Killed the King<p style="text-align: justify;">21 January 1793 - the day cemented in history as the execution date of Louis XVI. The king's execution had had a remarkably short prelude; from his arrest on 13 August 1792 the king was still kept prisoner after the official abolition of the monarchy on 21 September 1792. The king was read his indictment on 11 December 1792 although the conclusion of the trial was already apparent - the king himself informed his counsel that he was prepared to die for the good of his country.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Considering that the king was already found guilty of colluding with invading, foreign powers, the question remained - what to do with the former king, now merely called citizen Capet?</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">That question was put to the 721 deputies. As predicted by Louis XVI, none of them had voted for his acquittal. A total of 693 deputies cast their votes while 23 abstained from voting at all. Most devastating to the king was the involvement of his own cousin - the Duc d'Orléans - who voted for the king's death. Sadly, the king's death was determined by just a single vote.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Several of the men who resisted the death penalty made eloquent responses in which they vehemently <span style="text-align: left;">refused to act as judge or acknowledge the deputies' right to do so. As they rightly argued, they were not created as a court of law and as such had no authority to sentence anyone to death. Others made their vote of death dependent on certain events, such as invasion of foreign powers.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The vote took place on 15 January 1793; the following day, the deputies once again met to decide whether the king was to be reprieved from his sentence. The suggestion was rejected and five days later the 38-year old king was beheaded.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Besides the Duc d'Orléans, the assembly included several other noblemen, albeit of far lesser status than the king's own cousin. Amongst these were:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Jean Pierre André Amar - voted for execution</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">From a minor noble family from Dauphiné, his family had been in the lower ranks of the noblesse de robe</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Paul de Barras, Vicomte de Barras - voted for execution</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">He had served in the American Independence War and was not a fervent anti-monarchist before the revolution but was somewhat radicalized during the late 1780s - early 1790s</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Aubin Bigorie du Chambon - voted for execution</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Another member of the noblesse de robe, he would himself be assassinated on 20 November 1793</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Antoine Bonnier d'Alco </b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Also a member of the noblesse de robe, he shared the fate of Chambon; Antoine was assassinated in 1799</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Jean Dyzès, Comte d'Arène - voted for execution</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Having bought the barony of Samadet, he was eventually made Comte d'Arène although his primary occupation was as a lawyer at the parliament of Navarre</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Antoine Joseph Marie d'Espinassy de Fontanelle - voted for execution</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">From a very old but provincial aristocratic family, he served in the military but was eventually accused of leaving his post without leave</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Louis-Michel Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau - voted for execution</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Descending from a long line of magistrates, he was also a noblesse de robe, even owning a large château in Paris. He was confronted by an old bodyguard of the king's who requested if he had voted for the death of the king. Upon answering in the affirmative, the bodyguard stabbed him to death.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Antoine de Mailly, Marquis de Châteaurenaud - voted for execution</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">His family had been raised to the marquisate by Louis XV and he himself would seek out Voltaire - he became his secretary before becoming a member of the parliament </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Ironically, several of these men also faced their own demise on the scaffold:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>Louis-Philippe, Duc d'Orléans - beheaded on the very same scaffold that he sent his cousin to</li><li>Charles Jean Marie Barbaroux, guillotined on 25 June 1794</li><li>Claude Basire, guillotined on 5 April 1794</li><li>Jacquirs Boilleau d'Ausson, guillotined on 31 October 1793</li><li>Pierre Bourbotte, guillotined on 17 June 1795</li><li>Jean-Baptiste Boyer-Fonfrède, guillotined on 31 October 1793</li><li>Jean-Baptiste Carrier, guillotined on 16 December 1794</li><li>François Chabot (former cleric), guillotined on 5 April 1794</li><li>Georges Couthon, guillotined on 28 July 1794</li><li>Joseph-Marie Cusset, shot on 10 October 1796</li><li>George Jacques Danton, guillotined on 5 April 1794</li><li>Jean-François Delacroix, guillotined on 5 April 1794</li><li>Camille Desmoulins, guillotined on 5 April 1794</li><li>Jean Duprat, guillotined on 31 October 1793</li><li>Jean-Michel Duroy, guillotined on 17 June 1795</li><li>Marc-Antoine Huguet, shot on 9 October 1796</li><li>François Joseph Antoine de Hell, guillotined on 22 April 1794</li><li>Élie Guadet, guillotined on 19 June 1794</li><li>Armand Gensonné, guillotined on 31 October 1793</li><li>Jean-Bertrand Féraud, massacred on 20 May 1795</li><li>Fabre d'Églantine, guillotined 5 April 1794</li><li>Claude Javogues, shot on 10 October 1796</li><li>Charles-Nicolas Osselin, guillotined on 26 June 1794</li><li>Pierre Philippeaux, guillotined on 5 April 1794</li><li>Maximilien de Robespierre, guillotined on 28 July 1794</li><li>Louis Antoine de Saint-Just, guillotined on 28 July 1794</li><li>Pierre-Amable de Soubrany, guillotined on 17 June 1795</li><li>Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud, guillotined on 31 October 1793</li></ul><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Max Robespierre | Made up Characters Wiki | Fandom" aria-hidden="false" class="sFlh5c pT0Scc iPVvYb" jsaction="VQAsE" jsname="kn3ccd" src="https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/muc/images/1/1a/Max%27s_death.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/250?cb=20230420134046" style="height: 350px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 250px; text-align: start; width: 250px;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Execution of Robespierre</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Other fates of the men involved included:</div><div><ul><li>François Buzot - committed suicide in 1794. He would likely have been guillotined if he had not taken his own life first.</li><li>Étienne Nicolas de Calon - became mayor of Saint-Leu-la Fôret. He was a very old man at that point, as he had served Louis XV as a general; he had also voted for the execution of Louis XVI.</li><li>Jean-François Delmars - died in 1798 (at 47 years old) after having been committed to a mental institute.</li><li>Ernest Dominique François Joseph Duquesnoy - also committed suicide in 1795. He had just been found guilty and was sentenced to the guillotine.</li><li>Thomas-Augustin de Gasparin - died of gangrene in November 1793</li><li>Joseph-Pierre-Marie Fayau - was arrested but finally released in the grand amnesty in 1795. He returned to his native village where he was initially elected to a minor post before having his election overturned. He then died at just 33. </li><li>Claude Dominique Côme Fabre - despite being a lawyer by trade, he was involved in the attacks on the French from the Catalonian coast. He was killed in battle and his widow awarded a pension by Robespierre </li><li>Philippe-François-Joseph Le Bas - remained a loyal follower of Robespierre, even after his downfall. Committed suicide on 28 July 1794.</li><li>Jean-Paul Marat - assassinated by Marie Anne Charlotte Cordray d'Armont, an aristocrat with a vengeance </li><li>Jérôme Pétion de Villeneuve - found himself with the tables turned when he was accused of wrongdoing following the insurrection of 2 June 1793. He fled the capital but was recaptured which prompted him to commit suicide.</li></ul></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div><span><span>There are clear indications that the men above were subjected to downright threats in the effort to force a verdict of guilty and punishment of execution. Several of those who refrained from sentencing clearly mention the "menacing" they experienced as well as the "tricks" employed; including perhaps physical threats (at least one referred to the threat of weapons). Louis XVI was seemingly quite right in assuming that his fate was already decided.</span></span></div>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-76491350100163843062024-01-14T21:30:00.005+01:002024-01-14T21:30:41.747+01:00The Queen Versailles Did Not Want: Marie Leszczynska<p style="text-align: justify;">When the Duc de Bourbon proclaimed that the then-15 year old Louis XV was to marry the 22-year old Marie Leszczynska, the reaction was prompt. Neither the court nor the Parisians - for once on the same page - considered the young woman suitable for the throne of France.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">For one, who was she? Marie Leszczynska was the daughter of Stanislaus I Leszczynski and Catherine Opalinska - the deposed king and queen of Poland. Not only had her father lost his throne, her mother had lost her immense fortune. The family had fled to one place after another before being finally granted permission to reside in Wissembourg. As such, they were under the protection of the king of France (as France had annexed Alsace where Wissembourg is located) but they had no influence, no power, no money. Even more bleak, there was nothing to suggest that they would ever regain their former grandeur. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Thus, the main question was - what did Marie Leszczynska bring to France? As far as the public was concerned, it was not much. Her marriage would not provide France with a new, powerful ally nor with a significant dowry. In fact, her father had to borrow heavily to even scrape one together for her.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Also, there was no prestige in the marriage. To the French, the king of France was the most eligible match in the world (literally). The idea that he should be "squandered" on an unknown, impoverished princess - seven years his senior even - was completely unfathomable. Therefore, it did not take long before vicious tongues started wagging; rumours soon began that Marie Leszczynska was not just a poor choice but a dangerous one.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The entire point of importing a royal bride was to produce an heir. Therefore, her health was vital and any doubts were immense causes for concern. It is not difficult to see, then, why the rumour of Marie Leszczynska being epileptic started.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Alarmed, the court of France demanded that she be subjected to a medical exam - performed by French doctors, of course. The examination took place on 6 May 1725 by doctors Duphénix and Mouges. Their report was unequivocal - the princess was not epileptic. The rumour had it that her mother had frequently taken her to a nunnery where one of the sisters aided the symptoms. The Duc de Bourbon promptly - and discreetly - sent out scouts to discover the truth. As it happens, Catherine Opalinska was a frequent visitor to the nunnery but - as it was found - the nun was a life-long friend of hers.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Their good report was further bolstered by Marie's personal doctors who proved that her menstrual cycle was "perfectly regular" - thus alleviating accusations of infertility. On the contrary, the doctors found her health to be robust.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="undefined" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/MariaLeszczynska03.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="244" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marie Leszczynska</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Other unpleasant accusations were hurled her way too - that some of her fingers were webbed or even entirely paralysed (the latter being reported directly to the Duc de Bourbon by Cardinal Rohan), that she was hideously ugly etc. Neither were true nor did they need to be particularly counter proven.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Her nationality was a thorn in the eye of most people. It was said that the French "could not love" the Polish; they were considered to be republican (because their king was elected, not born to the role) and far too different from the French. There were even fears that her Polish-ness would result in a massive European war - however, this seems unlikely. Augustus II (the reigning king of Poland) was understandably not pleased at this development but upon being assured that France would not attempt to replace him with Stanislaus, he backed down.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The other European powers were equally stunned - few mentioned anything about the bride herself with the exception of the king of Sardinia. He was Louis XV's grandfather and thus in a position to publicly disclaim that the marriage was a massive mésalliance. To his shame, the Sardinian king also repeated the rumours of physical disabilities. Madame (Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate) were equally aghast at the marriage, writing to her friend that the trend of mésalliances had even reached the king himself. Some has claimed that the rumour of epilepsy originated in the court of Lorraine where none other than Madame's own daughter was the reigning duchess. The point was that the Duchesse de Lorraine had several, very eligible daughters herself whom she considered to be far worthier of Louis XV - after all, they were already related!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Other, anonymous letters arrived, all warning against the ghastly deformities said to plague the queen-to-be. Hunchbacked, one-eyed - if even half the things said against her were true, she would truly have been an unfortunate woman. Some even pointed to the fact that Marie was unmarried at the ripe old age of 22 - surely something must be wrong with her? Poor Marie!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The people were quickly won over by Marie Leszczynska as she travelled toward Versailles. Once they saw her, they could dismiss the rumours of hideousness and her grace and kindness did much to endear her to them. It certainly helped that she would become pregnant very quickly after the marriage which further disproved any theory of infertility - on the contrary, as she would go on to be pregnant for a decade in total. </p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-5880295891810069112023-12-28T01:58:00.006+01:002023-12-28T01:58:47.300+01:00The Men in the Queen's Inner Circle<p style="text-align: justify;">The intimate circle of Marie Antoinette was largely dominated by her two most famous friends - the Princesse de Lamballe and the Duchesse de Polignac. Whereas these two women have received the majority of focus, they were far from the only ones in the intimate social circle of Marie Antoinette. In fact, her circle were unisex in nature and included four prominent gentlemen:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval</h4><p style="text-align: justify;">Like Marie Antoinette, the Baron was a foreigner who found himself in France due to the nature of his birth. A Swiss by birth, Pierre Victor had entered French military service where he had quickly come into contact with the Duc de Choiseul - the very man responsible for bringing Marie Antoinette to France.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">What attracted the baron to the queen's company was a shared sense of humor. Marie Antoinette had a somewhat sharp sense of humor - according to some of her contemporaries - which Besenval was said to encourage. He amused her, he made her laugh - and he did not correct her when her humor bordered on mockery. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">He made a fatal faux pas, though, in assuming he could rise further by engaging the queen's romantic feelings. Feeling secure enough to declare his feelings (on his knees, no less), she icily rebuked him and reminded him of his place. At the end of the day, the whole episode appears to have been a misunderstanding which did not exclude Besenval from her company - although he never attempted such a maneuver again.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Amusing as he was, Besenval recognised the sensitive side to Marie Antoinette. It was he who mused on the heartfelt sympathy she felt for those in need; he himself had seen it on numerous occasions which were increasingly not broadcast to the public. Genuine recognition was something that Marie Antoinette sorely lacked. As queen, there was no end to the sycophants willing to proclaim her to be the most empathetic woman in the world. As a friend, he was actually honest. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Furthermore, Besenval does not appear to be entirely blinded by the prospect of riches and favour. For one, he admitted that there were women who exceeded her in beauty but maintained that her bearing and dignity made her ideal for her position. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">It is easy to see why Marie Antoinette cherished his company. Besenval amused her endlessly - and he saw her in a realistic light. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="undefined" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Portrait_of_Pierre-Victoire%2C_Baron_of_Besenval_Hermitage.jpg/1024px-Portrait_of_Pierre-Victoire%2C_Baron_of_Besenval_Hermitage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="251" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Besenval</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Adrien-Louis, Duc de Guines</h4><p style="text-align: justify;">One word was said to encompass Guines: Vanity. He was a member of Polignac's social circle and had been implicated in a very unfortunate affair whilst serving as ambassador to England. This scandal had actually resulted in his dismissal from both his ambassador post and court - despite Marie Antoinette's pleas. He was later made Duc de Guines - a gesture of goodwill from Louis XVI to his dismayed wife.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Whereas Besenval's career in the army was largely out of her domain, Marie Antoinette went out of her way to promote Guines.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In the private sphere of Petit Trianon, the Duc de Guines had the important asset of being a remarkably good flutist. Considering that Marie Antoinette had a lifelong passion for music and often staged private performances, it is likely that they bonded over music.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">He also had another character trait which was seemingly irresistible to the queen: he was funny. Despite his vanity - even to excess - he greatly amused the queen with whom he could freely share his passion for music. Nevertheless, there were those who were deeply concerned at the friendship. The Austrian ambassador, Comte de Mercy-d'Argenteau, attempted to sever their friendship and not without reason. Vain was one thing but the Duc de Guines had several, more dangerous characteristics which it would be wisest for the queen to steer clear of. For one, he had a taste for intrigue but without a capacity for discretion - a fatal combination. Added to that was his intelligence and obvious ambition.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The latter raises the question whether his friendship with the queen was based on mutual admiration or rather a stepping stone for greater things? After all, she had been the one to rescue him on numerous occasions when his ill-advised behaviour overtook his cleverness. It would be career suicide to sever ties with her now.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Finally, he had a tendency to simply not pay his bills. Having hired Mozart himself to compose a concerto, he refrained from ever paying for it. Such an attitude was hardly convenient when desperately trying to have the queen moderate her own expenses.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Marie Antoinette herself considered him a fixture of her social circle but perhaps not as close as the others. She refused to cut ties with him when approached by Mercy-d'Argenteau - she simply enjoyed his company too much.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="undefined" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="305" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Louis_Vig%C3%A9e_-_Portrait_d%27Adrien-Louis_de_Bonni%C3%A8res%2C_comte_de_Souastre%2C_duc_de_Guines_%281735-1801%29.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="243" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guines</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">François-Henri, Duc de Coigny</h4><p style="text-align: justify;">The Duc de Coigny was amongst those grey-haired gentlemen whom Marie Antoinette favoured. He had been a soldier in his youth, distinguishing himself in the Seven Years' War. His contemporaries agreed that he was an elegant man with flawless manners (to women) which was exactly what a queen ought to be surrounded by. Furthermore, he possessed a polished, suave manner - in other words, he was good company.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Upon her arrival in France, he was known as a rather moderate man - however a few years at the new court, he became more wasteful. Like Madame de Polignac, he had realised that the queen would do anything for those dear to her. Unfortunately, he took advantage of his favour with Marie Antoinette and rather shamelessly exploited the good terms he was on with her.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="undefined" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Fran%C3%A7ois-Henri_de_Franquetot_de_Coigny_%281737-1821%29.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="258" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coigny</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Comte Valentin Esterhazy</h4><p style="text-align: justify;">Another foreigner (Hungarian by birth) on French soil, the Comte Esterhazy had also entered French military service. He had first met Marie Antoinette when she was still in Austria; it was he who had been commissioned with bringing her portrait to the court of Versailles. Thus, when Empress Maria Theresia redirected him to France, the now-queen Marie Antoinette fondly embraced him as an arbiter of her marriage. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The queen made little attempt to hide her favoritism towards him, calling him such pet names as her "brother" and showered him with attention. They shared a private correspondence - much disapproved of by her mother due to the relaxed and thus intimate nature - when he was away from court. She did her utmost to secure his comfort whether financially or by appointments. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Madame Campan relate a rather touching moment following the dramatic first delivery of the queen. Esterhazy was - due to his limited rank - relegated to awaiting both the sex of the baby and other news with the others in the Salon des Nobles. Having lost consciousness, it was feared that the queen would not survive the labour; however, when she did regain her senses, Madame Campan went to inform those awaiting news, the first of whom was Esterhazy. He was apparently so relieved that he promptly embraced Campan.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">He never left her circle, not even when she found herself imprisoned in the Tuileries. It was he whom she entrusted with smuggling out personal belongings and letters.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Count Valentin Esterhazy - Wikipedia" aria-hidden="false" class="sFlh5c pT0Scc iPVvYb" jsaction="VQAsE" jsname="kn3ccd" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Valentin_Esterhazy_1.png" style="height: 320px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 228px; text-align: start; width: 228px;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Esterhazy</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Charles-Joseph, Prince de Ligne</h4><p style="text-align: justify;">This lesser-known gentleman only entered the queen's circle towards the end of the reign. He was considered to be the most intelligent of the bunch. Yet another foreigner, this time from a Belgian family although residing elsewhere, he was also known to Marie Antoinette's mother, Empress Maria Theresia. The Empress described him as frivolous but full of wit and good qualities. In a letter to her mother, Marie Antoinette admitted that she recognised his frivolity but also conceded that he was very well-liked in France. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">There was a very clear reason why the two might have connected. Marie Antoinette famously suffered for being an Austrian in France; Ligne himself could relate to that. He was said to be considered to be French in Austria but Austrian in France. It would be very unlikely if the two did not bond over being considered an outsider. However, unlike Marie Antoinette he absolutely adored Versailles.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Interestingly, he is said to have been the most disinterested amongst her party. Unlike particularly the Polignac-set, he did not attempt to use their friendship for further advancement. Instead, he genuinely respected the queen for herself. He defended her against her detractors - even after her execution. It is worthwhile reiterating his perception of the impossible predicament which constantly surrounded the queen:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">"As for the queen, the radiance of her presence harmed her. The jealousy of the women whom she crushed by the beauty of her complexion and the carriage of her head, ever seeking to harm her as a woman, harmed her also as a queen. Frédégonde and Brunehaut, Catherine and Marie de Medici, Anne and Theresa of Austria never laughed; Marie Antoinette when she was fifteen laughed much; therefore she was declared "satirical."</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">She defended herself against the intrigues of two parties, each of whom wanted to give her a lover; on which they declared her "inimical to Frenchmen"; and all the more because she was friendly with foreigners, from whom she had neither traps nor importunity to fear.</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">An unfortunate dispute about a visit between her brother the Elector of Cologne and the princes of the blood, of which she was wholly ignorant, offended the etiquette of the Court, which then called her "proud."</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">She dines with one friend, and sometimes goes to see another friend, after supper, and they say she is "familiar." That is not what the few persons who lived in her familiarity would say. Her delicate, sure sense of the becoming awed them as much as her majesty. It was as impossible to for get it as it was to forget one's self. </span><br style="text-align: left;" /><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">She is sensible of the friendship of certain persons who are the most devoted to her; then she is declared to be "amorous" of them. Sometimes she requires too much for their families; then she is “unreasonable.” </span><br style="text-align: left;" /><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">She gives little fêtes, and works herself at her Trianon: that is called “bourgeoise.” She buys Saint-Cloud for the health of her children and to take them from the malaria of Versailles: they pronounce her “extravagant." </span><br style="text-align: left;" /><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">Her promenades in the evening on the terrace, or on horseback in the Bois de Boulogne, or sometimes on foot round the music in the Orangery "seem suspicious." Her most innocent pleasures are thought criminal; her general loving kindness is “coquettish.” She fears to win at cards, at which she is compelled to play, and they say she “wastes the money of the State."</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">She laughed and sang and danced until she was twenty five years old: they declared her “frivolous." The affairs of the kingdom became embroiled, the spirit of party arose and divided society; she would take no side, and they called her “ungrateful.”</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">She no longer amused herself; she foresaw misfortunes: they declared her “intriguing.” She dropped certain little requests or recommendations she had made to the king or the ministers as soon as she feared they were troublesome, and then she was “fickle."</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">With so many crimes to her charge, and all so well-proved, did she not deserve her misfortunes? But I see I have forgotten the greatest [crime]. </span><br style="text-align: left;" /><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">The queen, who was almost a prisoner of State in her château of Versailles, took the liberty sometimes to go on foot, followed by a servant, through one of the galleries, to the apartments of Mme. de Lamballe or Mme . de Polignac. How shocking a scandal! "</span></i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="801" data-original-width="681" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UgQizF-kzjU/YK0xvW12uSI/AAAAAAAAAGU/Wv77AZodW2wRv2IGAP1xLnfkI9Wn3s9VwCLcBGAsYHQ/w272-h320/index.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="272" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prince de Ligne</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">These men were frequent guests at the Petit Trianon; they were even amongst the very few permitted to join the queen during her recovery from measles. Naturally, this led her detractors to immediately speculate whether the king would be supplied with four ladies of the court if he should find himself ill?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The risk to her reputation (romantically, at least) was a great concern to Marie Antoinette. Nothing in her behavior suggests that she was naturally flirtatious and she fully understood the utter necessity of not appearing to be so as queen. Consequently, it has been speculated that one of the reasons she embraced men who were often much older than her was to avoid just that type of speculation. The Comte Esterhazy, for one, was 15 years older than the queen while the Duc de Coigny was almost twenty years her senior - Besenval was in his fifties! If her entourage included respectable, elder men, surely people would be less eager to accuse her of improper conduct? </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Alas, that was sadly not the case. As her unpopularity grew, her enemies attacked the very essential characteristic of a proper, French queen: her chastity. First, they accused her of engaging in lesbian relationships with Lamballe and/or Polignac, then with taking one or several of the gentlemen above as her lover. Realistically, there was nothing to suggest this to be the case - on the contrary, she publicly refuted the few misguided advances made to her by enthusiastic followers.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It is easy to see why the likes of Mercy-d'Argenteau would frown at some of the characters in Marie Antoinette's circle. While clearly devoted to her, for instance, Madame de Polignac was also shamelessly grasping whatever the queen could throw her way, often using her influence to advance both herself, her family, and her friends. Likewise, characters such as Coigny or Guines were also boosted by their relationship with the queen.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The problem was that a queen of France traditionally had no political influence with the exception of when she acted as regent for an underage son. Louis XVI was very wary of involving her in the major decisions - and truthfully, she does not appear to have sought that kind of influence. However, Marie Antoinette did exert her influence when it came to appointments within the court machinery. Considering that this might have direct influence on the policies enacted, even that little influence was seen as highly improper. This further supported her opposers' arguments that she was meddling in affairs that were none of her concern.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, Mercy-d'Argenteau recognised these risks and even dared to approach the queen. Unfortunately, Marie Antoinette often brushed his concerns on such matters aside - surely she should be allowed to chose her own friends? Any other person would be given that privilege but Marie Antoinette was doomed by having alert enemies who were willing - and able - to spin anything into something sinister.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Even if her public detractors were not considered worthwhile paying attention to, it should be admitted that it was not a particularly good look for the queen. She had already turned the majority of the court against her by secluding herself at her private estates (thus depriving them of the traditional focal point of the court) but further excluding anyone else from her company was unfortunate. It gave the impression that the queen cared little for the opinions of her courtiers, not even bothering to pay them the slightest attention. It made her inaccessible, unapproachable - and her very role required her to be the opposite.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Furthermore, the spendthrift habits of some of her companions did little to either curb her own expenditure nor her reputation in that regard. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yet, the queen's inner circle was not merely made up of money grasping sycophants. Interestingly, most of the people who exploited her position happened to be associates of Madame de Polignac. It would seem that that particular lady had a tendency to attract some rather unscrupulous types. Yet, while there is little doubt that Madame de Polignac used her favour with the queen to her utmost advantage, it would be inaccurate to assume that there was no real friendship between them.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Likewise, men such as the Prince de Ligne or the Comte de Besenval appears to have genuinely appreciated Marie Antoinette for her good qualities. Their friendships were undoubtedly necessary for the queen's happiness, particularly when her unpopularity seemed to grow daily, no matter what she did. Having true friends around her must have been a true comfort.</p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-49488964602912304542023-12-05T19:30:00.004+01:002023-12-05T19:30:39.219+01:00Behind the Myths: Louis XIV<p style="text-align: justify;">Considering his record-breaking reign, it is little wonder that Louis XIV has become a person surrounded by numerous tales and stories - some more shocking than others. The following examines a total of five myths surrounding the legendary Sun King - four untrue but one quite accurate.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Myth #1: The Baths</h4><p style="text-align: justify;">One of the more pervasive rumours surrounding Louis XIV concerns his personal hygiene. The rumour states that the Sun King only bathed thrice in his life. It must be understood that the concept of hygiene was vastly different in the 17th century. Usually, submerging the body fully in water was associated with either a medical cure or recreational pleasure. For instance, both Louis XIV and Marie Adélaide of Savoy were frequent swimmers in their youths. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The medical faculties of the times strongly discouraged their patients from bathing frequently because water was seen as a carrier of disease. This was not quite untrue, either. Most villages and towns used water sources to discard their refuse in which left most bodies of water (particularly stagnant ones) utterly filthy. In that regard the doctors were probably right in warning of the dangers of bathing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Most hygienic practices consisted of a dry wash - rubbing the body with either a dry towel or moist with scented water / alcohol. The frequent changes of linen and inner clothing also attributed to keeping odours at bay. The reasoning behind this was that doctors believed sitting in hot water would dilate the pores (true) which let in dangerous miasmas into the bloodstream (false). The latter was then thought to bring disease.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The fact that the king had an entire bathing suite on the ground floor of Versailles is another testimony to a sense of hygiene. Albeit, that suite was often used for more romantic pursuits but the massive marble tub there was supplied with both hot and cold water. Even before the bathing suite was built, Louis XIV had a cabinet des Bains installed in the early 1670's. That chamber contained two bath tubs; one for rinsing and one for scrubbing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">While Louis XIV was probably hardly a paragon of hygiene, the idea that he only had three baths in his long life-time simply does not correspond to reality.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Louis XIV | Facts, Biography, Children, & Death | Britannica" aria-hidden="false" class="sFlh5c pT0Scc iPVvYb" jsaction="VQAsE" jsname="kn3ccd" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/75/117375-050-A9EF0779/Louis-XIV-Portrait-Charles-Le-Brun-1655.jpg" style="height: 376px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 1256px; text-align: start; width: 295px;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis XIV</td></tr></tbody></table><h4 style="text-align: left;">Myth #2: The Child Births</h4><p style="text-align: justify;">One disturbing myth that has recently sprung up - and been spread on some social media platforms - is that it was Louis XIV who invented the method of childbirth in which the labouring mother lies on her back.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">That particular birthing method has (rightly) come into scrutiny lately, as many women are questioning why a woman already enduring immense stress and pain must also fight against gravity. Child birth at Versailles was a public spectacle which did indeed take place with the mother on her back. However, Louis XIV can hardly be given the dubious "honour" of imposing that position on the women of his time. For royal women, the presence of spectators was a matter of legitimacy. If the birth took place in front of witnesses it would be nearly impossible to later claim that one child had been switched with another. That could be the case if the child was stillborn, deformed - or a girl. So, to ensure that no doubts as to the child's legitimacy was raised, royal women had to undergo that demeaning practice.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The very practice itself of a lying-back childbirth was not for the convenience of the mothers - but for their doctors. Midwifery was typically a woman-dominated field for the majority of the population but doctors took over when it came to the high-born ladies. Sadly, this meant that the doctors relied entirely on often non-sensical medical practice and their own convenience. After all, it is far easier (for the doctor) to see what is happening if the woman is in that position.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, this practice was in place long before Louis was born - he can hardly be blamed for that.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Myth #3: The Gods</h4><p style="text-align: justify;">Some sources have questioned whether Louis XIV thought himself to be divine - or perhaps even the personification of the god Apollo.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The answer to that is yes and no. The entire world order of the baroque age was based on the so-called "divine order" which the catholic church had imposed for centuries. This order stated that each person's state in life was divinely chosen - and the king himself was divinely chosen by god to rule as his representative. Throughout his life, Louis XIV was a devout catholic and had been brought up with this belief. But did he actually believe that he was touched by the divine?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It is hard to say - he certainly believed in the divine right to rule for a king but he never made any allusion personally to considering himself as being divine himself.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">As for Apollo, this one is easier to tackle. Baroque art heavily relies on allegories - particularly linking reigning royalty to Roman or Greek gods. Having chosen the Sun as his emblem, it was an easy offshoot to go with Apollo who also had a solar emblem. Throughout Versailles itself many of the mesmerizing paintings portrays either the king as Apollo or references to that deity. Likewise, the King himself appeared as Apollo in a ballet in his younger years. Yet, it is almost certain that he did not see himself as <i>being</i> Apollo.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Myth #4: The Biological Weapons</h4><p style="text-align: justify;">Biological weapons are not a product of the modern age - although they have become far more advanced over the years. Throughout the centuries, warring countries have adapted various types of biological warfare; these techniques included poisoning wells and throwing disease-ridden corpses into the enemy camp.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Unlike the other entries in this post, this myth is factual - however paradoxical that statement might seem. The Italian Martin Poli had been granted permission to establish his own laboratory. Exactly what he developed there is not quite certain although it would seem to have been either incendiary or bacteriological in nature; nevertheless, it was described as utterly terrifying. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">If the weapon was indeed bacteriological it would explain why a thorough description has not survived. After all, the early 18th century was still far off the discovery of bacteria. Any bacteriological effect would have seemed almost supernatural albeit very much real.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In 1702, Poli went to France and obtained an audience with the king. Upon this meeting, Louis XIV was offered the weapon which would have come in very handy in the on-going War of the Spanish Succession. Yet, the king refused. Legend (unconfirmed) has it that he responded by saying that he already had numerous means of destroying life. Louis might have sent Poli on his way but instead he offered him a lifelong pension and appointed him to the Academy of Sciences. The condition was that Poli could never sell his invention to anyone.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Equestrian portrait of Louis XIV, workshop of Réné-Antoine Houasse" aria-hidden="false" class="sFlh5c pT0Scc iPVvYb" jsaction="VQAsE" jsname="kn3ccd" src="https://www.galerienicolaslente.com/docs/tableaux/portrait-equestre-d-apparat-de-louis-xiv-atelier-de-rene-antoine-houasse-vers-1680/portrait-equestre-d-apparat-de-louis-xiv-atelier-de-rene-antoine-houasse-vers-1680-4.jpg" style="height: 405px; margin: 0px; max-width: 800px; text-align: start; width: 270px;" /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Myth #5: The Paternity</h4><p style="text-align: justify;">The marriage between Louis XIII and Anne of Austria was notoriously sterile for a staggering 23 years when the queen announced her pregnancy. By this point, most people had assumed that their marriage would remain childless - but then along came Louis.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Rumours began circulating that maybe the queen had become desperate to deliver an heir and had turned from her husband to another - particularly Cardinal Mazarin?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This rumour is luckily easy to dispel. Louis was born 5 September 1638; by January that year the royal doctors estimated the queen to be six weeks along. This would place the time of conception to late November 1637. The romantic legend has it that the child was conceived when the queen was staying at Saint-Maur; the king was forced to spend the night there due to a sudden storm - and the rest is history. Whether that is how it happened will naturally never be known.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">What is known, however, is that Cardinal Mazarin cannot have been Louis XIV's father - he was not even in France when Louis was conceived. </p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-40915413029027279182023-10-14T21:10:00.001+02:002023-10-14T21:10:13.105+02:00The King Without a Mistress: Louis XVI<p style="text-align: justify;">The Bourbons were a dynasty of big appetites - for power, food and love. The position of maitresse-en-titre to the king was a coveted and influential one and the kings certainly did not hold back. Whereas both Louis XIV and Louis XV had several official mistresses - and a myriad of unofficial ones - the last king of Versailles never followed in his forefathers' footsteps.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The place of the king's official mistress brought an avalanche of benefits for the people connected with the lady in question. Positions at court, favours, estates, money - everything was within reach for the family of the one who had the king's ear. Thus, it is hardly surprising that the courtiers of Versailles were eager to place a suitable young mistress before the new king, Louis XVI.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">For years, the marriage between Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette was infamously sterile; the constant scrutiny and humiliating rumours can hardly have induced the king to take a mistress, especially as it would undoubtedly raise questions regarding his marriage. After all, if the king turned out to be able to have a physical relationship with another woman, what would that say about the queen?</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Portrait of King Louis XVI" height="260" src="https://www.battlefields.org/sites/default/files/styles/squarish/public/thumbnails/image/Louis%20XVI%20Square.png?h=8ac4b066&itok=eCZkMp3j" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis XVI</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">However, once Marie Antoinette fell pregnant in 1778, the court immediately expected Louis to take a mistress. For one, he had proven that he was physically capable of intimacy. Furthermore, it was customary not to continue nocturnal visits to one's wife if she was pregnant for fear of a miscarriage; especially, if the baby was the longed-for heir to the throne. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Interestingly, even Marie Antoinette herself was concerned that her husband might turn his attentions elsewhere. She confided in her brother that she would do her utmost to regain his affections, if he were to stray. Meanwhile, the courtiers snatched at straws in feeble attempts at placing the king's affections. The poor Louis could hardly look at a woman without immediately hearing rumours of his being infatuated with her. On one occasion, he had innocently looked at a newcomer to the theatre and asked her name - immediately, rumours began circulating that the king was interested in her.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Lady Antonia Fraser claims that the Duc de Fronsac even attempted to tempt the king by parading his own, very beautiful mistress before the king. The result was futile as the king considered the "offering" to be offensive. The lady in question - an opera dancer - was far from the only one who was assumed to be a viable candidate for the king's affections.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Some were more loyal to the king's decision. For instance, at a supper at M. de Merville, a lady asked who the king's mistress was. In response, the gracious host allegedly responded with "the Nation". </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Finally, in February 1782, Louis XVI made the matter clear once and for all. He was heard to loudly disclaim:</p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>"Everyone would like me to take a mistress but I have no intention of doing so. I do not wish to recreate the scenes of the previous reigns"</i></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The king undoubtedly referred to both the public humiliations endured by Marie Thérèse and Marie Leszczynska as well as the immoral concept of adultery. It should also not be disregarded that his relationship with Marie Antoinette had grown considerably closer and he might not have wished to cause her any distress. From that period on, it would seem that the court had accepted the king's position. There were no fresh attempts - recorded at least - of pushing a mistress on the king.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Louis XVI was a man of strong morals. He firmly believed in the sanctity of marriage and the idea of committing adultery upset both his sense of duty towards his wife and his religious feelings. There is no doubt that the decision to remain without a mistress was entirely his own. After all, who could have stopped him, if he had chosen a lady to fulfill the traditional role?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It is not unlikely that Louis XVI was influenced by his late parents. Both Louis Ferdinand and Marie Josèphe de Saxe were deeply religious and openly hostile towards both the king's mistresses and the concept of adultery. Louis XVI was just eleven years old when his father died which means that he had spent his formative years under the influence of his parents' viewpoints.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Marie Antoinette: Biography, French Queen, Royalty" aria-hidden="false" class="sFlh5c pT0Scc iPVvYb" jsaction="VQAsE" jsname="kn3ccd" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/portrait-of-louis-xvi-king-of-france-circa-1786-artist-news-photo-1689111954.jpg?crop=0.638xw:0.647xh;0.182xw,0.203xh&resize=640:*" style="height: 373px; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; text-align: start; width: 298px;" /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Sadly, as was the established pattern, the decision was blamed almost entirely on Marie Antoinette. Frustrated at not being able to exhort favours from the favourite, they blamed the queen for this deprivation of an opportunity for advancement. The public, for once, agreed entirely with the court. Surely, this reluctance on behalf of the king was a sign of the unnatural influence exerted by the queen over her husband? As such it was taken as an example of how powerful the queen had become. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The point was that queens did not play a political role but a royal mistress could influence ministerial appointments or even international events. One need only look to Madame de Pompadour to see how politically powerful a mistress could become. In lieu of a mistress, that influence was instead thought to belong to the queen now. In reality, Louis XVI never allowed Marie Antoinette to exert political power nor is there any particular proof that she sought it. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Traditionally, the queen was a chaste and pious figure in the public imagination whereas the king's mistress - by her very definition - was the opposite. As such, there is a rich history of public outrage and outright hatred against the king's chosen companion, but that option was now removed. The position of the queen was thus doubly despised. For one, she was blamed for the king's choice to remain faithful while simultaneously attracting the hatred of the public usually reserved for the mistress.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The paradox is that if Louis XVI had taken a mistress, the reputation of Marie Antoinette might just have been considerably better.</p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-80148175169483398072023-09-18T21:58:00.004+02:002023-09-18T21:58:24.219+02:00The Battle of the Brothers: Philippe & Louis<p style="text-align: justify;">The balance of power between Louis XIV and his only brother, Philippe, had never been the slightest askew. Philippe was left entirely out of power and would eventually see his successful military career be halted, as well. Over the years, Philippe might have grumbled at the state of affairs, but he nevertheless understood the ways of the worlds.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Knowing full well that the instruments of power were out of his reach, the Duc d'Orléans focused his attentions on his satellite court at his various splendid residences, including the Palais-Royal and Saint-Cloud. Here, the death of his first wife, Henrietta of England, had left him without an heir to his immense fortune. After contracting his second marriage, the new Madame had quickly provided him with two sons and a daughter - both very much legitimate.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">At Versailles, the king was not quite that fortunate. Marie Thérèse had given her husband six children but just one had survived childhood - the Grand Dauphin. On the other hand, the king's mistresses were far more fortunate in that department as both Louise de La Vallière and Françoise-Athénaise de Montespan had given him several living children. Living - but illegitimate. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The king did his utmost to integrate his otherwise disenfranchised children a firm foothold in the upper echelons of French nobility. First by legitimising them, then by arranging marriage after marriage to the legitimate princes and princesses of the blood. Finally, the children of Philippe had grown enough to contemplate marriage and Louis eyed an opportunity.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Philippe I, hertug af Orléans 1640-1701 | Antoine Mathieu" aria-hidden="false" class="r48jcc pT0Scc iPVvYb" jsaction="VQAsE" jsname="kn3ccd" src="https://www.meisterdrucke.dk/kunstwerke/500px/Antoine_Mathieu_-_Philippe_I_Duke_of_Orlans_1640-1701_-_(MeisterDrucke-1191484).jpg" style="height: 370px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 542px; text-align: start; width: 286px;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Philippe, Duc d'Orléans</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Initially, the idea had been a double marriage between the cousins. The heir to Philippe - the Duc de Chartres - was intended for Françoise Marie de Bourbon while Elisabeth-Charlotte was destined for the Duc du Maine. The attitudes of the parents were not particularly encouraging. The Duchesse d'Orléans was aghast and famously retorted to slapping her son in public for his acquiescence to the marriage before turning her back to the king himself. Philippe, too, was not pleased at the prospect but knew too well that his brother's will always carried in the end - better to agree immediately and reap the benefits of cooperation. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">In the end, only one of the marriages materialised: that of the Duc de Chartres to Françoise Marie. The couple were infamously ill-matched; he would later refer to her by the moniker "Madame Lucifer" whereas Françoise herself had made her sentiments clear when she declared that she cared not whether he loved her, only that he married her.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The official reasoning was that there were no other suitable candidate for the 17-year old Chartres. The on-going war ruled out any Catholic princess, the princesses of the blood were too young - so the only possible alternative was to bestow the king's own natural daughter on his nephew. The fact that a marriage could possible wait a year or two apparently did not seem reasonable.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="undefined" class="mw-mmv-final-image png" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Portrait_of_Philippe_d%27Orl%C3%A9ans%2C_Duke_of_Orl%C3%A9ans_in_armour_by_Jean-Baptiste_Santerre.png/1024px-Portrait_of_Philippe_d%27Orl%C3%A9ans%2C_Duke_of_Orl%C3%A9ans_in_armour_by_Jean-Baptiste_Santerre.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="252" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duc de Chartres, son of Philippe</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">The scene was set for family bliss (outwardly at least) which ought to have benefited the Orléans-family immensely. That was clearly the expectation of Philippe and his thought-process is not hard to follow. By bestowing his only surviving male heir on a woman who was a result of double adultery and legitimised to boot, the Duc d'Orléans was surely justified in expecting something in return. His own military career had been very promising but he had quickly become sidelined by the king. The turn had now come for his son to reap his own laurels. Consequently, the Duc de Chartres had been trained for years and by 1701 the War of the Spanish Succession had erupted.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Understandably, Chartres clearly expected to be given a prime command by his uncle/father-in-law. Yet, that was not to happen. Rather than being deployed to the front, the king kept him back to the scandal of both Philippe and Chartres. To the on-lookers, it was definitely a slap in the face and neither father nor son were prepared to overlook the snub.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Louis XIV's reasoning for denying his nephew a chance to shine was to be found in the very marriage that Philippe had reluctantly agreed to. As mentioned, the Duc and Duchesse de Chartres were anything but a happy couple, and the Duc had quickly taken an official mistress by the name of Mademoiselle de Séry. While not particularly unusual, Chartres had then taken to parading Mademoiselle de Séry for everyone to see. She was not the first one either - there had been two other ladies of dubious reputation which hardly added to the loving atmosphere at home. Naturally, the Duchesse could hardly help but seeing it as an insult - regardless of their clear dislike for each other, it was still an affront to her position.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Years of unfulfilled potential and seeing the pattern continue with his son - despite their sacrifice - brought Philippe to a rare outwards burst of rage against his brother. Meanwhile, Louis felt utterly justified in his conduct. The ground was laid for a serious clash on 8 June 1701 when the two brothers met for dinner at Marly. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="undefined" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Fran%C3%A7oise-Marie_de_Bourbon_in_1700%3B_Duchess_of_Chartres.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="248" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Françoise Marie</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Initially, Louis reproached his brother for his nephew's "scandalous" behaviour towards his beloved daughter, Françoise. It is likely that Louis had expected the conversation to go as usual - a bit back and forth but eventually he would come out on top. However, Philippe was in no mood to humour his elder brother and immediately retorted that Chartres had done nothing which the king had not done himself to his long-suffering wife, Marie Thérèse. Apparently, Philippe pointed out that Louis had not exactly been discreet in his affairs so the argument that flaunting one's mistress was ground for public punishment was absurd. Amongst the things which Philippe allegedly threw in the king's face was the disrespect shown to Marie Thérèse when she was obliged to share the coach with both Mesdames de La Vallière and de Montespan - an incident which had caused people to gather to look at "the three queens".</p><p style="text-align: justify;">One can only imagine the shock of Louis who had become increasingly focused on his religious persona after the ascent of Madame de Maintenon. Having his former behaviour thrown back at him was likely neither welcome nor even comparable to the aging king. However, if Louis had expected the reprimand to be a brief - and singular - charge from his brother, he was sorely mistaken.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Years of pent up frustrations were bubbling up to the surface. Whilst unspoken at this particular meeting, Philippe had had to suffer much at the hands of his brother - and Louis undoubtedly felt the same way. One thing was being utterly kept from any influence but the passing over entirely of Philippe - and his son - when it came to the candidature for the throne of Spain was insufferable. Given that Louis had secured his line (the devastating year of 1712 was still a decade away) it was incomprehensible to Philippe that he was not even considered when the crown of Spain became vacant. Louis XIV had chosen his second-oldest grandson, the Duc d'Anjou, as his official candidate and even presented him to the court as the king of Spain. Philippe was - once again - passed over and left wondering where <i>his</i> claim had gone. After all, his own claim to the Spanish crown was equally as strong as the Duc d'Anjou's, stronger even, if one considers that Philippe was the elder.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Philippe had clearly not forgotten the promises made when he agreed to let Chartres marry Françoise - promises that Louis had not kept entirely. Whilst the official ownership of the Palais-Royal had indeed changed hands and the Chevalier de Lorraine had received a handsome pay-off and a knighthood of the Saint-Esprit, there was something vital missing from the bride's dowry: a key role for the Duc de Chartres in the coming war. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Added to that was the payment in full of the immense dowry promised. Considering the circumstances, Louis had seen fit to double to dowry he had given to his other daughter which raised the sum to 2.000.000 livres. Yet, the dowry itself had only been paid in full five years after the marriage upon the end of the Nine Years' War. One might argue that Madame was the greatest loser in the game - she had "lost" her son to the one thing she dreaded the most: an illegitimate princess. Adding to the injury was that fact that the marriage was largely promoted by her arch-enemy, Madame de Maintenon. She could not even rejoice at the financial gains as they were all given to either Philippe or the Chevalier de Lorraine. Madame herself saw not a sou.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="undefined" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="400" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/Louis_le_Grand%3B_Rigaud_Hyacinthe.jpg/800px-Louis_le_Grand%3B_Rigaud_Hyacinthe.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="251" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis XIV in 1701</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">The problem was that although Louis loved his children, he was not blind either. He knew full well that the mésalliance between a legitimised person (even a king's daughter) and a legitimate prince of the blood was a massive concession on his brother's part. According to Hugh Stokes, the king retorted with a thinly veiled threat: the drain on the treasury caused by the new war meant that retrenchments in the royal pensions were inevitable. In other words - watch it or I'll cut you off.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This latest attack on the king's lack of fulfilling his own part was interrupted by the announcement of dinner. For a brief period, the brothers cooled down while dining but tempers were still raw when they parted after the food was cleared away. Whether anything of note was said between them is known only to them yet Philippe had clearly not obtained his goal of greater recognition for his son. During the whole of the dinner - witness, of course, by spectators - the king was noted to be his usual stoic self while Philippe was so obviously livid that some suggested he be bled immediately. Upon his departure, he was noticeably still furious.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">That same evening, Philippe collapsed from a massive stroke which eventually proved to be his death. He died the next day at noon.</p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-18576349275030386272023-08-27T21:33:00.002+02:002023-08-27T21:33:57.584+02:00Cabinet of Curiosities: The Duc de Sully<p style="text-align: justify;">Few people managed to assemble a truly curious collection of oddities to rival that of the Duc de Sully. Louis-Pierre-Maximilien de Béthune was born in 1685 and seemingly took the conventional path of a male aristocrat: he joined the military. Over the years, he would acquire the rank of colonel of the queen's regiment but it was his taste for the oddities of life that never truly left him.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Art, natural history, medallions, and weaponry - all featured in the duke's collection which was housed in his private residences. The collection was divided into twenty categories of which a few choice pieces are repeated here.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Plenty of courtiers shared his taste but few collections are as well-documented as his. This is due to the fact that upon his death in 1761, his collection was sold - for this purpose, an exhaustive inventory was drawn up which has survived to this day. No fewer than 792 lots were put up for auction which shows the sheer size of the collection. The auction took place on 8 March 1762.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Lot - LOUIS PIERRE MAXIMILIEN DE BETHUNE, 6TH DUKE OF SULLY" aria-hidden="false" class="r48jcc pT0Scc iPVvYb" jsaction="VQAsE" jsname="kn3ccd" src="https://image.invaluable.com/housePhotos/alexautographs/08/714008/H0171-L273938416.JPG" style="height: 370px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 1000px; text-align: start; width: 270px;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Duc de Sully</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">The collection contained numerous pieces of antiquity, including several very finely preserved statues of Egyptian priests and gods. Of the ancient Roman statues, the duke appears to have been particularly fond of Venus and Jupiter; both of whom he had several likenesses. Likewise, Etruscan antiquities, medallions and etchings were plentiful. Rather tellingly, the long list of bronze antiquities is quaintly ended with the listing of a bronze equestrian statue of none other than Louis XIV.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, the "curious" pieces in the collection are the ones that truly draws attention:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>An ivory tooth (likely an elephant tusk) delicately carved with bacchanalian scenes</li></ul><div><ul><li>A red coral still attached to a rock</li></ul><ul><li>Two nautiluses mounted on golden stands</li></ul><ul><li>Skin of a rattlesnake </li></ul><ul><li>Petrified wood</li></ul><ul><li>A collection of starfish</li></ul><ul><li>A lantern discovered in an ancient sepulcher </li></ul><ul><li>A gondola cut from rock crystal</li></ul><ul><li>A rhinoceros' tail and two horns</li></ul><ul><li>Fossil of marine animals</li></ul><ul><li>Antique weapons from the Far East </li></ul><ul><li>A narwhale's horn</li></ul><ul><li>Various clusters of minerals </li></ul><ul><li>A taxidermy ibis </li></ul><ul><li>326 coins from foreign countries</li></ul><ul><li>Various sea urchins </li></ul><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Besides his obvious fascination with antiquity, the Duc de Sully had two other interests which clearly shines through: the Far East and natural history, particularly pertaining to the ocean. His collection was full of various types of sea creatures (both living and fossilized) including rare species of fish, starfish, corals, crabs etc. Likewise, he had an entire collection of gemstones, minerals and silver.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Animals, too, seems to have generally been a topic of interest for him. Amongst his numerous bronze sculptures, he had an entire little menagerie which included a wolf, a horse, a dog, a lion, a crab, a frog - even mythological creatures such as dragons and sphinxes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, China and India has an entirely separate category dedicated solely to such exotic influences. Figurines, books, and even fabrics could be found amongst the lots at the auction. Japanese lacquerwork was also a frequent material amongst his cabinets. The duke would not have been alone in this fascination; Europe was deeply intrigued by the wonders of Asia with its magnificent luxury, revolutionary technology and utterly different traditions in art. The collection of books on the subject in his collection shows that the duke's interest was more than a mere trend but a genuine interest in the societies of the Orient.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The duc de Sully had arranged his collection in four connected rooms, as reported by d'Argenville. The first one housed etchings, maps and various drawings including numerous sculptures, particularly busts and two cabinets with fossils. The second room held his antiques, mainly the Egyptian ones, as well as his collection of engraved precious stones and antique jewellery. These were - like the fossils - kept safe in their own boxes. The third room was dominated by sea-shells - and the antique lantern - while the fourth room had medallions, coins and more antiques.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Catalogue d'une très belle collection de bronzes et autres curiosités égyptiennes, étrusques, indiennes et chinoises [...] : [" aria-hidden="false" class="r48jcc pT0Scc iPVvYb" jsaction="VQAsE" jsname="kn3ccd" src="https://bibliotheque-numerique.inha.fr/i/?IIIF=/e7/19/d8/ea/e719d8ea-ed94-4526-8308-6e752418003e/iiif/1001_doucet_cv00881_17620308_000001.tif/full/!500,500/0/default.jpg" style="height: 370px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 500px; text-align: start; width: 421px;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frontispiece of the catalogue prepared for the auction</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">The amount of antiquities amongst his collection might indicate that the duc de Sully had a penchant solely for times long gone. However, his collection also included several pieces of far newer date, including an etching of the wedding of princess Louise Élisabeth (Louis XV's eldest daughter) to the Duke of Parma - an event which he himself would have attended. This could indicate that the duke merely appreciated good craftsmanship. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">While the duke was not particularly scholarly himself, he was allegedly always prepared to show his collection off to those who might be interested.</p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-20528020070921037342023-08-25T22:55:00.002+02:002023-08-25T22:55:43.416+02:00Abel-François Poisson, Marquis de Marigny<p style="text-align: justify;">When Abel-François Poisson de Vandières was born in 1725, no one expected him to cut a figure at the French court. His family were not aristocratic but rather financiers. Little to nothing is known of his early childhood; it was not until his 20th birthday that his life was drastically changed. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">In 1745, his sister became the official mistress of Louis XV and assumed the name of Madame de Pompadour. The elevation of his sister was the cataclysm of his career. Once established as the maitresse-en-titre, favours began raining down on Madame de Pompadour's relatives, including Abel-François. It did not take long before he was granted an important position as the next Dirécteur-Général of the Batiments du Roi - the head of the king's buildings. The post gave him a suitable reason to remain at court, an income and some status.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Abel-François was still a young man and he was entrusted to the care of Charles Antoine Coypel for his education. He was sent on a tour of Italy in 1749 during which he collected numerous pieces of art for the royal collection. Some of the pieces were put on display at the Palais du Luxembourg; this happened to make the exhibition the first museum in France.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="undefined" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Abel-Fran%C3%A7ois_Poisson%2C_marquis_de_Marigny.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="251" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abel-François</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Upon the death of the current Dirécteur-Général in 1751, he was recalled to France to assume his post. To the surprise of most people, he managed to survive the premature death of his sister and remained in his post until 1773 - the longest term served in an administrative post.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yet, despite his lucrative post and obvious favour with the king, Abel-François was not particularly well-liked by his fellow courtiers. His temper was notorious and he was never able to escape the sense of inferiority of not having a noble background. It did not help his ego that his lack of an aristocratic title meant that he was known simply as Monsieur de Vandières at court; to remedy the situation, a marquisate de Vandières was quickly discovered. The friends he did manage to gather around him praised his intelligence and his keen sense for organisation - both key characteristics of a good administrator.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">His character was difficult for the courtiers to understand. He never did acquire that tact which was necessary for court life and did not seem particularly interested in advancing himself as an aristocrat. For instance, he could easily have agreed to the demands of his sister that he marry an impoverished nobleman's daughter but he did not. At the same time, he was deeply conscious of the very lack of a coat-of-arms; perhaps he resented the idea of owing his nobility to a wife?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Abel-François even shocked his dinner guests one particular evening with an unexpected display of brutality. A household servant committed some minor blunder which caused Abel-François to fly into a rage which he did little to control. In front of his horrified dinner guests, he beat his servant mercilessly before dismissing him. The event caused considerable outrage amongst his fellow courtiers. While physical punishment had long been a stable of a household, the upper classes began to consider it uncivilized to use such methods. After all, <i>noblesse oblige</i>. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="François Abel Poisson" class="portrait" ng-src="//gw.geneanet.org/public/img/media/deposits/27/23/4099289/medium.jpg?t=1449669538" src="https://gw.geneanet.org/public/img/media/deposits/27/23/4099289/medium.jpg?t=1449669538" style="text-align: start;" /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The incident caused Abel-François to be shunned by several high-ranking contemporaries. However, not everyone was so easily deterred especially as Louis XV continued to show him considerable favour. Madame de Pompadour teasingly referred to him as petit frère which the king began imitating. Immediately, the star of Abel-François sky-rocketed as such a term undoubtedly indicated unbounded royal favour. To be sure, Abel-François enjoyed access to the king in a manner which few others could boast of. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Nevertheless, he assumed to title of Marquis de Marigny in 1754. Over the years, he began to display the same taste for building as Madame de Pompadour had. He acquired numerous private residences which he filled with his immense collection of art. Professionally, he lend his considerable knowledge to various institutions including the École Militaire while acting as patron for now-esteemed painters such as Boucher, Soufflot and van Loo.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">With his background as a bourgeois, an aristocratic marriage of the first class was out of the question. For years, he remained unmarried, despite the efforts of his sister to establish him firmly in the nobility. At last, he married at the age of forty-two to the just sixteen-year old Julie Marie Françoise Filleul. She was the illegitimate and unrecognised daughter of Louis XV by Irene du Buisson de Longpré. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">At this point, he remained largely out of sight. After the death of his sister several decades previously, Abel-François' tendency for privacy had increased. He had never shared her personal ambition and seemingly did nothing to further advance himself under the reign of the new king. On the contrary, he assumed a rather private existence.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The couple had a single child, a daughter who did not survive infancy. As he grew older, Abel-François began suffering from gout which greatly impeded him. He outlived Louis XV, saw the ascension of Louis XVI and the birth of the new generation of royal princes; despite his gout, his health was seemingly good. However, Abel-François died suddenly at the age of 56 in 1781.</p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-85142297377448002412023-07-22T21:50:00.001+02:002023-07-22T21:50:22.412+02:00House of Phélypeaux<p style="text-align: justify;">Few families have played such consistent part in the political engine of Versailles than that of the Phélypeaux. Originating near Blois, at the heart of France, the family had divided into two branches by the ascension of Louis XIV: Pontchartrain-Maurepas and La Vrillière.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The family had an iron grip on one of the coveted positions as Secretary of State; rather unusually, both branches were equally invested in the political game and both were remarkably successful. This made the family quite a powerful dynasty whose very power lay rather in their service than in their lineage. While their nobility was uncontested, they did not enjoy generations of ducal or princely rank. They were largely considered to be noblesse de robe as their family was almost exclusively committed to politics and parliaments rather than military service.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">La Vrillière</h3><p style="text-align: justify;">Preceding the branch of Pontchartrain-Maurepas, that of La Vrillère began in the 16th century with Raymond Phélypeaux. Their name was derived from the fact that Raymond was seigneur of La Vrillière. Raymond had died before Louis XIII and consequently, the head of the branch was:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>1. Louis Phélypeaux & Marie Particelli</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Oddly enough, Louis was known by the La Vrillière-name rather than his otherwise established titles of Marquis de Châteauneuf or Comte de Saint-Florentin. Louis toiled away for decades within the inner machinery of political power and amassed several important posts, including those of Minister of State and Secretary for Protestant Affairs.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The couple had five children:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>Louis</li><li>Balthasar, Marquis de Châteauneuf</li><li>Marie</li><li>Michel, Bishop of Uzès</li><li>Agnès</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2. Balthasar Phélypeaux & Marguerite de Fourcy</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Remarkably little is known of the second Phélypeaux; it must be surmised that he did not attract particular notice but managed his affairs in a quiet manner.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Marguerite - or Marie-Marguerite, she is sometimes referred to - was also a member of the noblesse de robe. Her father had been a councillor of the Grand Conseil during Louis XIV's minority. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The couple had two children:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>Louis, Marquis de La Vrillière</li><li>Charlotte Thérèse, Duchesse de La Feuillade</li></ul><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><img alt="File:Balthazar Phélypeaux de Châteauneuf.jpg" data-file-height="3104" data-file-width="2076" decoding="async" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Balthazar_Ph%C3%A9lypeaux_de_Ch%C3%A2teauneuf.jpg/401px-Balthazar_Ph%C3%A9lypeaux_de_Ch%C3%A2teauneuf.jpg?20110413111843" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Balthazar_Ph%C3%A9lypeaux_de_Ch%C3%A2teauneuf.jpg/602px-Balthazar_Ph%C3%A9lypeaux_de_Ch%C3%A2teauneuf.jpg?20110413111843 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Balthazar_Ph%C3%A9lypeaux_de_Ch%C3%A2teauneuf.jpg/802px-Balthazar_Ph%C3%A9lypeaux_de_Ch%C3%A2teauneuf.jpg?20110413111843 2x" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="214" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Balthasar </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>3. Louis II Phélypeaux & Françoise de Mailly-Nesle</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Inheriting the job of Secretary for Protestant Affairs, he would also take on the role of Secretary for the Navy. He would later be replaced by a cousin, Jean-Frédéric, in the naval department but handed down the Huguenot-position to his own son. At court, Louis was known as the Marquis de La Vrillière.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Françoise served as Marie Leszczynska's dame d'atours which placed her in both considerable standing at court and provided her with a personal income. She was the grandmother of the infamous Nesle-sisters, four of whom became Louis XV's mistresses. However, she was not fond of the idea of Julie Louise being the king's mistress and therefore attempted to have her replaced with Marie-Anne.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Françoise was only married to Louis for five years before he died. She would later remarry to the Duc de Meilleraye, who happened to also die - three months after their wedding.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The couple had four children:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>Anne Marie</li><li>Marie Jeanne, Comtesse de Maurepas</li><li>Louis, Duc de La Vrillière</li><li>Louise Françoise, ambassadress to Denmark</li></ul><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="512" data-file-width="353" decoding="async" height="290" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Louis_Ph%C3%A9lypeaux_%281672-1725%29.jpg/200px-Louis_Ph%C3%A9lypeaux_%281672-1725%29.jpg" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Louis_Ph%C3%A9lypeaux_%281672-1725%29.jpg/300px-Louis_Ph%C3%A9lypeaux_%281672-1725%29.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Louis_Ph%C3%A9lypeaux_%281672-1725%29.jpg 2x" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="200" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis II</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>4. Louis III Phélypeaux & Amélie Ernestine de Platen</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Louis inherited the position of Secretary of Protestant Affairs and would later assume the role of head of the King's household; he would even take the post of Secretary of Foreign Affairs after the fall of Choiseul. After an impressive career in politics (which included the record for years in service), he retired in 1775. Louis was rewarded with the elevation to Duc de La Vrillière.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Amélie was the daughter of a German margrave; her family is still living while most emigrated to Denmark.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The couple does not seem to have had children.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="821" data-file-width="734" decoding="async" height="246" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Saint-Florentin%2C_comte_de.jpg/220px-Saint-Florentin%2C_comte_de.jpg" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Saint-Florentin%2C_comte_de.jpg/330px-Saint-Florentin%2C_comte_de.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Saint-Florentin%2C_comte_de.jpg/440px-Saint-Florentin%2C_comte_de.jpg 2x" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="220" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis III</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="PLATEN ALLERMUND Amalie Ernestine von" aria-hidden="false" class="r48jcc pT0Scc iPVvYb" jsaction="VQAsE" jsname="kn3ccd" src="https://www.hyacinthe-rigaud.com/media/djcatalog2/images/item/8/platen-allermund-amalie-ernestine-von_m.jpg" style="height: 285px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 230px; width: 230px;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amélie Ernestine</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Pontchartrain-Maurepas</h3><p style="text-align: justify;">The Pontchartrain-Maurepas was founded by Paul Phélypeaux who assumed the position of Secretary of Protestant Affairs. He died prior to Louis XIV's enthronement, as did his son, Louis I. This meant that by the time Louis XIV was crowned, the family was headed by Louis II Phélypeaux de Pontchartrain.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>1. Louis II Phélypeaux de Pontchartrain & Marie de Maupeou</b></p>Whereas his cousins dealt with the ministerial posts, Louis focused on the parliaments. During particularly unrestful times, he managed to bring about a peaceful resolution with unruly parliamentarians which caught the eye of Louis XIV. Summoned to court, the king recognised his obvious abilities for bureaucracy and his efficiency; Louis was made Controller-General of Finances. He would later assume the ministries of the navy and of the king's personal households. Both were a testament to the king's satisfaction with Louis' work. Being made Chancellor of State, his intelligence was widely admired as was his ability to command respect without force; even Saint-Simon admitted that here was a man who knew what he was doing.<div><br /></div><div>At court, he was referred to as either the Marquis de Phélypeaux or the Comte de Maurepas while also holding the title of Comte de Pontchartrain.<br /><div><br />The couple had one child:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Jérôme, Marquis de Phélypeaux</li></ul><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="1001" data-file-width="933" decoding="async" height="268" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/PortraitPontchartrain.jpg/250px-PortraitPontchartrain.jpg" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/PortraitPontchartrain.jpg/375px-PortraitPontchartrain.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/PortraitPontchartrain.jpg/500px-PortraitPontchartrain.jpg 2x" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="250" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis II</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>2. Jérôme Phélypeaux de Pontchartrain & (1) Éleonore Christine de La Rochefoucauld de Roye, (2) Hélène d'Aubespine</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Like his father, Jérôme began his career in the parliaments before being groomed to take over his father's ministerial posts. He was particularly involved in the settlement of Louisiana (of French nationals, of course) and founded the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Éleonore was just 29 years old when she died although it is unclear what killed her at such an early age. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Jérôme had five children by Éleonore:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>Marie Françoise Christine</li><li>Louis François, Comte de Maurepas</li><li>Jean-Frédéric, Comte de Maurepas</li><li>Paul Jérôme, Marquis de Chefboutonne</li><li>Charles Henri, Bishop de Blois</li></ul><div>Hélène gave him another two daughters:</div><div><ul><li>Marie Louise</li><li>Hélène Françoise Angélique, Duchesse de Nevers</li></ul></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="1940" data-file-width="1501" decoding="async" height="284" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/J%C3%A9r%C3%B4me_Ph%C3%A9lypeaux%2C_comte_de_Pontchartrain%2C_fin_XVIIeme.jpg/220px-J%C3%A9r%C3%B4me_Ph%C3%A9lypeaux%2C_comte_de_Pontchartrain%2C_fin_XVIIeme.jpg" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/J%C3%A9r%C3%B4me_Ph%C3%A9lypeaux%2C_comte_de_Pontchartrain%2C_fin_XVIIeme.jpg/330px-J%C3%A9r%C3%B4me_Ph%C3%A9lypeaux%2C_comte_de_Pontchartrain%2C_fin_XVIIeme.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/J%C3%A9r%C3%B4me_Ph%C3%A9lypeaux%2C_comte_de_Pontchartrain%2C_fin_XVIIeme.jpg/440px-J%C3%A9r%C3%B4me_Ph%C3%A9lypeaux%2C_comte_de_Pontchartrain%2C_fin_XVIIeme.jpg 2x" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="220" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jérôme </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>3. Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux de Pontchartrain & Jeanne Phélypeaux</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Jean-Frédéric dutifully took over the family ministries and proved to particularly adept at the naval ministry; it was largely thanks to his administration that the French navy regained some international recognition. He had one of the most efficient networks throughout Europe which made it possible for him to foresee the maneuvers of rival states, particularly the British. Despite his obvious talent for his trade, he was overthrown in a coup headed by the Duc de Richelieu and supported by Madame de Pompadour, whom Jean-Frédéric had insulted.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Jean-Frédéric was recalled into service by Louis XVI, he committed his greatest blunder when he caved in to public pressure and recalled the parliaments. This would eventually have disastrous consequences and paved the way for the revolution.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="852" data-file-width="575" decoding="async" height="326" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/20161229143657%21BPC_LD_3.png/220px-20161229143657%21BPC_LD_3.png" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/20161229143657%21BPC_LD_3.png/330px-20161229143657%21BPC_LD_3.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/20161229143657%21BPC_LD_3.png/440px-20161229143657%21BPC_LD_3.png 2x" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="220" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jean-Frédéric</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>The couple did not have children.<br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Interesting facts and anecdotes:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li>Jérôme was compelled to resign his ministries upon the death of Louis XIV but managed to keep them in the family </li><li>It was Raymond Balthasar Phélypeaux who - as ambassador to Savoy - discovered the plot against France concocted by the Duc de Savoy</li><li>The Phélypeaux had a habit of reaching remarkably high ages; Jérôme died at 73 while his father lived to 84 and his grandfather to 72</li></ul><p></p></div></div>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-9094109568301693352023-07-20T22:49:00.001+02:002023-07-20T22:49:28.753+02:00The Widowed Dauphine: Status of Marie Josèphe after the Death of the Dauphin<p style="text-align: justify;">The marriage between Marie Josèphe of Saxony and Louis Ferdinand of France on 9 February 1747 bestowed the rank of Dauphine on the German princess. This automatically made her the second-highest ranking woman in France as well as the future queen.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Over the years, Marie Josèphe cemented her position by having no fewer than thirteen children; three of whom would become kings: Louis XVI, Louis XVIII and Charles X, while five were stillborns. For years, the position of Marie Josèphe was seemingly secure - until the death of her husband. Louis Ferdinand died unexpectedly on 20 December 1765, at just 36 years old. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The loss was devastating to Marie Josèphe; the couple had grown very close despite having a somewhat unfortunate beginning to their marriage. Louis Ferdinand had only just lost his first wife whom he had become deeply in love with; his consent to the second marriage had been somewhat forcibly extracted which resulted in a less than ideal start to a new marriage. The entire relationship between the dauphin and new dauphine rested on how the new-comer might deal with the situation - and <span style="text-align: left;">Marie Josèphe certainly rose to it. Rather than forcefully trying to chase the memory of the late dauphine from her husband's mind, she consoled him for his loss and gradually won his friendship. This would lay the foundation for a marriage of mutual respect and even love. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Fr%C3%A9dou_Marie-Jos%C3%A8phe_de_Saxe.jpg/1280px-Fr%C3%A9dou_Marie-Jos%C3%A8phe_de_Saxe.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="272" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marie Josèphe</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">By a single stroke of particularly ill fortune, Marie Josèphe had lost not just her husband, but her position at court. She would never become queen of France, as otherwise expected. This new situation left her in an uncomfortable position at court; there was no question of sending her back as she had given birth to three male heirs; consequently, one of them would inherit the throne after Louis XV and making her the king's mother. Yet, as a dauphine-no-longer, she could not claim the same status as before. Thus, her position was neither set in stone nor easily defined.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The first change after the death of Louis Ferdinand concerned her living quarters. She requested that she be moved elsewhere as their shared apartment held too many memories of her late spouse. Naturally, Louis XV consented and provided her with a new apartment: that of Madame de Pompadour who herself had recently died in 1764. This new apartment was as close to that of the king as possible. He made sure that she had everything she might wish for and visited her frequently - more than he had when Louis Ferdinand was still alive. <span style="text-align: left;">Marie Josèphe herself did not resent having to occupy the apartment of the former maitresse-en-titre; she and Madame de Pompadour had had a good relationship, as it was the influence of Madame de Pompadour who had brought </span>Marie Josèphe to France.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Marie Josèphe's mental health never recovered from the loss of Louis Ferdinand. She was reported as suffering from depression - some claimed that her dramatically expressed grief (including the hanging of black curtains everywhere in her apartment and insisting on having portraits of her husband on his deathbed) was a sign that she regretted the loss of the crown more than him. It is hardly fair to lay such a claim on a woman whose marriage had long been admired for being remarkably happy; yet, one would not be entirely surprised if she was disappointed at never becoming queen. After all, the future she had planned with Louis Ferdinand was inextricably bound up in their assuming the throne.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Another often-forgotten aspect was that Louis Ferdinand was only the last in a series of recent and devastating losses for Marie Josèphe. In a remarkably short period of time she lost almost her entire immediate family: her mother died in 1757, her sister in 1761 while both her father and eldest brother died in 1764. Added to that were the numerous children she had already lost. It is hardly surprising, then, if Marie Josèphe should succumb to a severe depression.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="mw-mmv-final-image png" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/After_Nattier_-_Louis%2C_Dauphin_of_France.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="243" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis Ferdinand</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">The timing itself was not fortunate either. Marie Josèphe was just 34 years old which meant that she might live on for many years. Technically, this would place her in the same position as the king's daughters whose very lives was seen as a drain on already strained finances. However unlike Mesdames, Marie Josèphe could not hope to alleviate that strain by marrying and thus removing herself from court - as stated, her position as mother of a future king made her place at court certain. The question remained - in what capacity?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">She would no longer be the second-highest ranking lady in France nor could she be entirely discarded. The only thing that could prevent her from slipping entirely into the shadows was her close relationship with the king. At court, proximity to the monarch was the foundation for one's status there. Louis XV never showed any signs of lessening his sympathy for his bereaved daughter-in-law which would likely have been beneficial to her later years.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">As it happens, the king was very well aware of the changed circumstances of his daughter-in-law. He announced that it was the natural right of any mother to follow in the footsteps of their children; while he could not offer her a crown any longer, she was to enjoy her position until her son became king. Thus, the king had decided on her future fate. It was further noticed that Louis XV went out of his way to console her, granting her everything she wished for.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="235" src="https://antiquevintageprints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/marie-josephe-de-saxe-portrait-louis-dauphin.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; display: block; margin: auto; text-align: start;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dual portraits of the dauphin and dauphine</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It is interesting to speculate what might have happened to Marie Josèphe if she had <i>not</i> had children by Louis Ferdinand. At 33 years of age she would have been considered too old to remarry to another heir as the likelihood of her becoming pregnant would be slim to none. Likewise, if the court of France were to simply sent her back to Saxony, this would - naturally - be seen as a massive insult causing political damage to the two countries' relationship. One might wonder whether Marie Josèphe might not have been persuaded to enter a nunnery, if that had been her situation. Given her noted piety it is not difficult to imagine that she would have accepted what must have been the best possible outcome for all parties.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Oddly enough, no other dauphine had been in the same position during the age of Versailles. Marie Anne Victoire of Bavaria, Marie Adélaide of Savoy and Marie Raphaëlle of Spain (Marie Josèphe's predecessor) had all predeceased their husbands. While Marie Antoinette would outlive her husband it was only for ten months before she, too, was executed. Consequently, the court of Versailles had not seen a similar situation since Mary, Queen of Scots, had become widowed in 1560.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Therefore, the decision on behalf of the king to allow <span style="text-align: left;">Marie Josèphe to keep her prerogatives could have been decisive in future similar situations - that is, if the monarchy had not fallen in the following generation. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">If anyone would still have doubts as to the ci-devant dauphine's status, they were settled definitively in 1767. Just 15 months after the death of her husband, Marie Josèphe caught the same disease which had sent him to his grave: tuberculosis. Marie Josèphe died on 13 March 1767 at just 36.</p><p><br /></p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-44951673001392115142023-07-20T21:50:00.000+02:002023-07-20T21:50:23.630+02:00The Lost Bathrooms of Versailles<p>The transformation from royal residence to national museum undertaken by Louis-Philippe was a harsh ordeal for Versailles. While it gained the so-called Empire-rooms - and the Salle des Battailles - it lost the majority of personal apartments of the resident courtiers. This included the accommodation for their servants and their private installations. Sadly, the few semi-permanent bathrooms of the royal family were also demolished. </p><p>This has led to the idea that Versailles was inhabited by people who never washed - while fixtures such as permanent bathtubs were rare, the ideals of hygiene advanced rapidly during the 18th century. This meant that the majority of the royal family had their own, private bathrooms. Sadly, only three survives today: those of Madame du Barry, that of Louis XVI (without the bathtub) and that of Marie Antoinette.</p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Marie Leszscynska </h4><p>The queen's interior apartment today entirely shows the taste of its last inhabitant - Marie Antoinette. Her predecessor, Marie Leszczynska, had her own distinct style which was gradually replaced as the new queen made her mark on the few rooms allocated to the queen's personal use.</p><p>Whereas Marie Antoinette's bathroom is largely intact, that of Marie Leszczynska is entirely gone. It was replaced by a supplementary library. The bathroom was installed in 1728 and was remodeled in 1769. The queen made regular use of her bathroom which is attested by the fact that it was temporarily closed due to maintenance in 1746; Marie Leszczsynska had to make use of her husband's bathrooms while the plaster was still moist. This particular cabinet was done in a blue-grey colour scheme; it was joined immediately by a small cabinet in which she could relax after her bath. That cabinet was decorated by five large paintings of landscapes by Oudry.</p><p>Meanwhile, the bathroom itself was decorated by Natoire who chose pastoral scenes with a definite poetic theme. He was joined by Verbeckt and Guesnon who provided the panelling. </p><p>The small rooms contained a water tank as well as a so-called "Peking-bed"; a style inspired by the Far East which was very much an interest of Marie Leszczynska. At the time of her death, the bed was in white and blue.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwbWjldyCYy9o6QCDPz0dmFpNfz_ep5vLxUi3_aWAqyrr7calYunPrV1XOk5IdmciENR56XmgnjkxtvGNeTRV27AAzUkg6naWOtV7zvGM8C3EUrM-RgS4ITY4hRG5wGMCp77KBoTKpumuYcBek5G3cdDB3b2Jobn0K_Df0i2UwnYzUlh0-z5YnBn09dvj/s630/ML.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="542" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwbWjldyCYy9o6QCDPz0dmFpNfz_ep5vLxUi3_aWAqyrr7calYunPrV1XOk5IdmciENR56XmgnjkxtvGNeTRV27AAzUkg6naWOtV7zvGM8C3EUrM-RgS4ITY4hRG5wGMCp77KBoTKpumuYcBek5G3cdDB3b2Jobn0K_Df0i2UwnYzUlh0-z5YnBn09dvj/w344-h400/ML.jpg" width="344" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marię Lezczynska's bathroom marked, 1747</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Madame Adélaide</h4><p>The first bathroom of Madame Adélaide received a makeover in 1737 which saw imitated marble painted on the walls; this was a far cheaper way of achieving that particularly expensive look. This bathroom was either changed - likely when she was moved to another apartment - or updated.</p><p>She had another bathroom which was made in 1765. This room overlooked what is currently the Louis-Philippe Staircase and was decorated with golden figures, mostly associated with water, such as fishing and swimming. The bathroom was directly connected with her then-bedroom (now Louis XVI's library).</p><p>Plans exist from the late 1780's which suggested an entirely new bathroom for the aging Madame Adélaide on the ground floor - they were likely never carried out.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Marie Josèphe </h4><p>While the reigning dauphine, Marie Josèphe's apartment included a small salle de Bain. It was decorated with stucco by Chevalier (the same man who had redone Madame Adelaide's bathroom); the renovations by the king's stucateur were only enjoyed briefly by Marie Josèphe as her husband died shortly afterwards. Her bathroom was oval in shape and delicately decorated with boiserie. The dauphine entered her bathroom from her interior cabinet.</p><p>Interestingly, Marie Josèphe shared a bathroom with her husband, the Dauphin Louis-Ferdinand, before it was demolished to make room for a new staircase.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bathrooms were rarely mentioned in details in contemporary literature - whether that be correspondence or memoirs. Like today, they were considered particularly private areas and were rarely seen by any other than the owner and their staff. At Versailles, a permanent bathroom was the prerogative of the royal family; several courtiers submitted applications for erecting their own bathrooms in their apartments but were refused. This left them with the options of either having a bathtub being manually brought into their apartment when needed or using their private hotels in town - if they had one.</p><p><br /></p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-6489890246265648142023-07-20T21:34:00.001+02:002023-07-20T21:34:02.781+02:00The Numerous Children of Lorraine<p> The numerous children of the Noailles-family or even the constant pregnancies of Marie Leszczynska has attracted its fair share of attention, the equally impressive feat of Élisabeth-Charlotte d'Orléans is rarely touched upon.</p><p><br /></p><p>Élisabeth-Charlotte was the only daughter born to the marriage of Philippe d'Orléans and Elizabeth-Charlotte of the Palatinate. For years, her parents searched for a marriage that would be suitable for a young lady of her rank; after all, her half-sisters had married a king and a reigning duke. Yet as she grew older and older, the political map of Europe made it impossible to find a similar mate for the young Élisabeth-Charlotte. Eventually, the choice fell on Leopold of Lorraine - a match which the bride's mother termed "meh". It was neither glorious nor beneath her daughter as it neither gained nor cost her anything.</p><p><br /></p><p>The couple married in 1698 when the bride was 22 and the bridegroom 18 years of age. While the court might have snickered at the less than brilliant match, the two would happen to be particularly well-suited. Shortly afterwards, Élisabeth-Charlotte fell pregnant with her first child. Over the next twenty years, Élisabeth-Charlotte would give birth to fourteen children:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Léopold</li><li>Élisabeth-Charlotte</li><li>Louise Christine</li><li>Marie Gabrielle Charlotte</li><li>Louis</li><li>Josèphe Gabrielle</li><li>Gabrielle Louise</li><li>Léopold-Clément</li><li>François III Étienne</li><li>Élénore</li><li>Élisabeth-Thérèse</li><li>Charles-Alexandre</li><li>Anne Charlotte</li><li>Unnamed female</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>Tragically, only six would survive into adulthood. Added to that was the numerous miscarriages suffered by the Duchesse de Lorraine; while she gave birth fourteen times, she had been pregnant nineteen times. Of the ducal children, the following died prematurely:</div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Léopold - 1 year</li><li>Élisabeth-Charlotte - 11 years</li><li>Louise Christine - 1 month</li><li>Marie Gabrielle Charlotte - 9 years</li><li>Louis - 7 years</li><li>Josèphe Gabrielle - 3 years</li><li>Gabrielle Louise - 3 years</li><li>Élénore - under one year</li><li>Unnamed female - likely stillborn or died shortly after birth</li></ul><div><br /></div>The year 1711 would be particularly deathly for the family. No fewer than three children (Élisabeth-Charlotte, Marie Gabrielle Charlotte and Louis) all died within the same period of 12 months. Their deaths were attributed to an outbreak of smallpox. The little Élisabeth-Charlotte was the first to catch the dreaded disease which was quickly spread to her two siblings. Even though the girl was just 11 years of age, she had already been the cause of considerable political considerations. Her father preferred an ecclesiastical career for her as the Abbess of Remiremont; however, Louis XIV was concerned at the lack of a male heir to the duchy of Lorraine and wished to keep Élisabeth-Charlotte out of the convent in case she would have to assume the ducal crown - a potentiality in which the king made it very clear that he was willing to back his niece. Sadly, neither Leopold nor Louis were to have their way - Élisabeth-Charlotte was long dead before any agreement could be made.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Description de cette image, également commentée ci-après" class="mw-mmv-final-image png" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Largilli%C3%A8re%2C_circle_of_-_%C3%89lisabeth_Charlotte_of_Lorraine_-_Palazzo_Reale%2C_Genoa.png/1024px-Largilli%C3%A8re%2C_circle_of_-_%C3%89lisabeth_Charlotte_of_Lorraine_-_Palazzo_Reale%2C_Genoa.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="266" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Élisabeth-Charlotte</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>One can only feel for the parents; at this point in time, the Duchesse de Lorraine had given birth ten times but only two children remained alive. Over the years, more would follow but only few would go on to have their own lineages:</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Léopold-Clément</h4><p>Léopold-Clément managed to survive the turmoil of infancy and was immediately trained for the army. By 1721, he reached his majority and was officially proclaimed heir to the duchy of Lorraine. He attended the coronation of Louis XV and was intended to set out for Vienna when he caught smallpox. The disease killed him in a few days - he was just 16 years old and had not married.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="undefined" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/%C3%89lisabeth_Charlotte_d%27Orl%C3%A9ans_with_her_son_Fran%C3%A7ois_%C3%89tienne_de_Lorraine.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="221" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The duchesse de Lorraine with<br />either Léopold-Clément or <br />François Étienne</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">François III Étienne</h4><p>François inherited his brother's position as heir of the duchy at a time when the Duc de Lorraine was turning towards the Emperor rather than the king of France. This would have enormous influence on the future of François. By far the most famous member of the brood, François would later make a very illustrious marriage: Maria Theresia of Austria. He would become Holy Roman Emperor as well as king of Austria and Bohemia. This would make him the father of none other than Marie Antoinette.</p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Élisabeth-Thérèse</h4><p>Élisabeth-Thérèse was born in the very year which saw three of her siblings die - 1711. Yet, she herself managed to escape contagion and even survive infancy. She was briefly considered as a bride for Louis XV but was passed over; instead, she was married to Charles-Emmanuel III of Sardinia. This, in turn, would make Élisabeth-Thérèse a queen. She gave birth to four children before dying at the age of 29 following her latest childbirth.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Illustration." class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="609" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Elisabeth_Therese_of_Lorraine_as_Queen_of_Sardinia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="316" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Élisabeth-Thérèse</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Charles-Alexandre</h4><p>With François poised to become Duc de Lorraine, another vocation needed to be found for Charles-Alexandre. He would eventually became governor of the Austrian Netherlands; this position as well as his marriage would prove just how far towards to Emperor the house of Lorraine had turned. He would marry Marie-Anne of Austria with whom he had children.</p><p>This marriage into the very royal family of the Emperor was likely due to the snubbing of Élisabeth-Thérèse. It was seen as an affront by Élisabeth-Charlotte that her own daughter - and a great-granddaughter of France - was passed over for an entirely unknown Polish princess.</p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Anne Charlotte</h4><p>As the last daughter of an impoverished ducal house, Anne Charlotte was almost certainly destined for the church from an early age. She would become the Abbess of Remiremont like so many other daughters of Lorraine had been before her. Thus becoming a nun, she would never marry - she died at 59.</p><p><br /></p><p>While the ducal remained very much attached to one another, the decision of Leopold to engage in an affair was a blow to his wife. Élisabeth-Charlotte chose to willfully ignore the affair which was carried on with a lady of her own household - a decision which earned her the respect of both their small court and her people. Nevertheless, her letters betray the heat-ache she felt at this infidelity.</p><p>It is hardly a wonder if the health of Élisabeth-Charlotte - both physically and mentally - was worn down after two decades of constant childbirth and loss of children. Yet, she managed to outlive her husband by a whole fifteen years. She would even act as regent while her son was underage; few could have known it, but Élisabeth-Charlotte was to be the last Duchesse de Lorraine, as the duchy would merge with the French crown.</p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-65482223351336292832023-05-31T22:34:00.003+02:002023-05-31T22:34:19.896+02:00The Reluctant Queen: The Forced Marriage of the King's Niece<p style="text-align: justify;">The fate of Marie Louise d'Orléans is a remarkably sad one. Being the eldest daughter of Philippe, brother to Louis XIV, she was destined to make a glorious match when she became old enough to marry. For years, it had been speculated that she would marry her first-cousin, the Grand Dauphin, which would make her the future queen of France. As she grew older, Marie Louise herself became quite enamoured with the idea of marrying the heir to the throne - and likely the idea of becoming queen herself.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The union would not have been unthinkable despite their very close familial relationship. Louis XIV himself had married his own first-cousin, Marie-Thérèse, and it would also serve as a means of uniting the two branches of the family on the throne. Their ages, too, were compatible. Marie Louise had been born just a few months after the Grand Dauphin and they had grown up together.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Thus, when the 17-year old Marie Louise was summoned to the presence of both the king and her father, the Duc d'Orléans, in July 1679, she likely expected to hear news of a forthcoming marriage. However, her fate was not to become queen of France - but of Spain.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="undefined" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Miniature_of_Marie_Louise_d%27Orl%C3%A9ans%2C_future_Queen_of_Spain_by_Jean_Petitot_le_vieux_%281607-1691%29.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="279" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marie Louise at the time of her marriage</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Louis XIV wished to place his niece on the throne of Spain which required her to marry Charles II. The bride-to-be was absolutely distraught. Having been convinced for years that she would marry her cousin Louis, this development brought a whole onslaught of startling consequences. For one, she would have to leave her family - permanently. If she had married the Grand Dauphin, she would have had the privilege of remaining in her native country with her own family for the rest of her life. Now, she was to leave France behind immediately after the wedding.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Marie-Louise is said to have protested fiercely against the marriage to the best of her abilities. This included beseeching her all-powerful uncle, Louis XIV, to allow her to stay in France. Yet, there was not budging the Sun King who assured her that by making her queen of Spain, he could not have done more for his own daughter. Marie Louise is said to have responded by retorting: "No, but you might have done more for your niece". It was even said that she threw herself at the feet of the king, begging him not to make her go. Alas, sacrificing a niece was easily done for the good of the realm.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="File:The proxy marriage of Marie Louise d'Orléans to Carlos II of Spain on 30 August 1679 the king represented by the Prince of Conti at Fontainebleau by an unknown artist.jpg" data-file-height="741" data-file-width="471" decoding="async" height="400" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/The_proxy_marriage_of_Marie_Louise_d%27Orl%C3%A9ans_to_Carlos_II_of_Spain_on_30_August_1679_the_king_represented_by_the_Prince_of_Conti_at_Fontainebleau_by_an_unknown_artist.jpg/381px-thumbnail.jpg?20110602212646" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/The_proxy_marriage_of_Marie_Louise_d%27Orl%C3%A9ans_to_Carlos_II_of_Spain_on_30_August_1679_the_king_represented_by_the_Prince_of_Conti_at_Fontainebleau_by_an_unknown_artist.jpg?20110602212646 1.5x" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="255" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proxy marriage</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The bridegroom himself was not exactly a promising prospect either. Despite having the decided advantage of being king of Spain, Charles II was the result of generations of intense inbreeding and is thought to have suffered from several debilitating disabilities as well. The combination was not attractive for a young woman who was already determined to marry someone else. Her future husband was notoriously unattractive and prone to illnesses; while it was suggested that he was feebleminded, there is little to suggest that that was actually the case. He was also an avid hunter which would have been impossible if he had been entirely disabled.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The behaviour of the Spanish king was erratic, at best. Having become notorious for his fits of rage at his own courtiers, he had become besotted with his future wife from the moment he received her portrait. He continued to be devoted to her but also came to resent that she never conceived a child.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Another dreaded aspect was the extremely restrictive Spanish court. Whereas Versailles was ruled by etiquette, Madrid was strangled by it. The lives of the monarchs were so isolated by the countless prohibitions on direct contact with them that Marie-Louise would inevitably have a very lonely life. Furthermore, any carefree private life was entirely ruled out.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The preparation for the big event was a mixed affair. While the bride was obviously downcast and often seen weeping, her father relished both the idea of having a queen for a daughter and being able to equip her with a splendid trousseau. Meanwhile, the bride continued her outward display of grief at what she considered a terrifying fate. The wedding by proxy took place on 30 August 1679; the couple was married in person on 19 November that year.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Ficheiro:Marie Louise d'Orléans by Mignard wearing the Fleur-de-lis (showing her dignity as a Grand daughter of France) and the Spanish crown.jpg" data-file-height="1180" data-file-width="944" decoding="async" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Marie_Louise_d%27Orl%C3%A9ans_by_Mignard_wearing_the_Fleur-de-lis_%28showing_her_dignity_as_a_Grand_daughter_of_France%29_and_the_Spanish_crown.jpg/480px-Marie_Louise_d%27Orl%C3%A9ans_by_Mignard_wearing_the_Fleur-de-lis_%28showing_her_dignity_as_a_Grand_daughter_of_France%29_and_the_Spanish_crown.jpg" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Marie_Louise_d%27Orl%C3%A9ans_by_Mignard_wearing_the_Fleur-de-lis_%28showing_her_dignity_as_a_Grand_daughter_of_France%29_and_the_Spanish_crown.jpg/720px-Marie_Louise_d%27Orl%C3%A9ans_by_Mignard_wearing_the_Fleur-de-lis_%28showing_her_dignity_as_a_Grand_daughter_of_France%29_and_the_Spanish_crown.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Marie_Louise_d%27Orl%C3%A9ans_by_Mignard_wearing_the_Fleur-de-lis_%28showing_her_dignity_as_a_Grand_daughter_of_France%29_and_the_Spanish_crown.jpg 2x" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="256" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marie-Louise as queen of Spain </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Upon her final goodbyes to her family, she was once again reminded of the purpose of her new life by Louis XIV himself; the king informed her that it would be the greatest unhappiness if she ever saw France again. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Undoubtedly, this did little to comfort the teenage-bride and indeed she never did see her native country again. Finding a devoted husband in Charles II, she nevertheless suffered from his sterility - which was blamed on her - and the suffocating life at the Spanish court. Besides being obliged to witness the Inquisition perform its terrible practices, she was prevented from even looking out the windows of the royal palaces by etiquette. Her every move was scrutinized but the monotony was not broken up by the opulent parties of Versailles. Instead, the court of Madrid was oppressive and dour. It was not long before Marie Louise's fears for her future seemed to come true; after ten years of gilded solitude, Marie Louise died suddenly at just 26 years old.</p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-35966520103660988172023-05-31T21:30:00.001+02:002023-05-31T21:30:19.113+02:00Chosing Another Madame: The Choice of Elizabeth-Charlotte<p style="text-align: justify;">The untimely death of Henrietta of England, Duchesse d'Orléans, in 1670 meant that there was (in the words of Louis XIV) a vacant position at court: that of Madame, sister-in-law of the king. Such an elevated position warranted a princess from impeccable background. Henrietta herself had been a beautiful and well-educated woman who was beloved by her brother-in-law. Undoubtedly, it would be a difficult task to step into her shoes.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The choice fell on the nineteen-year old Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate. Unlike her predecessor, Elizabeth Charlotte was no beauty but had a strong intellect and even stronger opinions. The choice might seem a rather odd one. France had preferred to import their royal wives from the major powerhouses of Europe, particularly their southern neighbor of Spain. Furthermore, Elizabeth Charlotte's family were not rich nor did they rule a particularly large or strategically important territory. The Palatinate was located in the middle of modern Germany and was made up of many, some very small, territories. So why was Elizabeth Charlotte chosen?</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">As for Spain, there were no suitable princesses available. The reigning king, Charles II, was notoriously inbred and apparently infertile. Even if he had had a daughter by his first wife, the idea of a union between her and Philippe was unthinkable. The problem was that the girl in question would have been Philippe's own granddaughter, as Charles' first wife was Philippe's daughter, Marie Louise. Even the premature death of Marie Louise and her replacement by Maria Anna of Neuburg did not result in a princess; she would undoubted have been far too young as well. Thus, Spain was not a possibility.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="undefined" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Liselotte_von_der_Pfalz_1670_rem.jpg/1280px-Liselotte_von_der_Pfalz_1670_rem.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="272" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth-Charlotte at the time of her<br />marriage</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The choice of a royal bride was always a matter of politics. In this case, it was the foreign politics of Louis XIV that placed the unlikely candidate of Elizabeth Charlotte at the court of Versailles. The Sun King's combination of diplomacy and military might had ensured that the neighboring states were neutralised as a threat to France - except for the Palatinate. Hitherto, the Palatinate had had no definitive pact with France which provided France's enemies with a potential route directly to the French border. It would also enable the king to expand his interests to other German states.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">There was also the possibility of physically pushing France's own borders. In lieu of a dowry - the Elector being both unwilling and unable to pay a large enough sum - the succession rights of Elizabeth Charlotte remained intact. Should the male line fail, France might just claim the territory in her name - as it happens, that is exactly what happened. In 1685, Charles II of the Palatinate - or Karl as Liselotte would have known him - died. He had been the brother of Elizabeth Charlotte and had had no children by his wife, a Danish princess.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This prompted Louis XIV to raise the claim of his sister-in-law which famously resulted in the ravaging of Elizabeth Charlotte's homeland, including the palace she had grown up in. <span style="text-align: left;">Elizabeth Charlotte would never forgive her brother-in-law for this assault on her native country but preferred to assign blame to Louvois.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">By 1671, this was still in the future but remained a very strong argument for the choice of Elizabeth Charlotte. Furthermore, she might not have been a royal princess in her own right but she was connected to important families. For instance, she was the granddaughter of the King of Bohemia and the great-granddaughter of the King of England. Such distant ties might potentially prove desirable.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">For the bride's father, Charles Louis (Karl Ludwig) the union was beneficial. There was the obvious attraction of a high-ranking match for his daughter, especially as he was unlikely to have thought of marrying her so advantageously. However, the Elector realistically had little choice. Imagine that he had refused the offer altogether. He would have made a powerful enemy who had a dominating presence in every state surrounding him. Viewed in that light, agreeing to a marriage was the preferable option even if it meant having his daughter convert to Catholicism.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="undefined" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="269" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Monsieur_with_his_favourite_daughter_Marie_Louise%2C_Versailles%2C_Pierre_Mignard.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Philippe, ca. 1670 </td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">That was another thing that nagged the courtiers of Versailles. Elizabeth Charlotte was born a Protestant, had been raised a Protestant and had been educated in a remarkably religiously tolerant society. However, a member of the French royal family could not possibly be anything but a Catholic. Such matters were not typically a hindrance as a bride was easily converted. Yet, the Protestant family from which she came was far from pleased at the prospect. In the end, the Elector begrudgingly agreed that she could convert but stipulated that the conversion could only take place once she had left his own territories. Elizabeth-Charlotte herself was not too pleased about this forced conversion but accepted it for the good of her family.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The interference of Anne of Gonzaga should also not be overlooked. Anne was herself a member (by marriage) of the Palatinate-house; as such, she was the "original" Princess Palatine at the court of Louis XIV. Having been raised in France, Anne was a half Italian/half French lady who had been married to Edward of Simmerm, son of a former Elector of the Palatinate. She managed to get one of her daughters married to the Prince de Condé and maintained a close relationship with the French court. She was quite involved in many of the arranged marriages of her relatives and thus did not hesitate to suggest her niece-by-marriage, Elizabeth Charlotte. Interestingly, Anne was a close friend of Philippe which might have been a reason for him accepting the match without further ado.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">As for Elizabeth Charlotte herself, she would later reveal to an old friend that she would much have preferred remaining unmarried. She had little inclination to marry anyone and had undoubtedly heard of the somewhat scandalous life of her future husband. Also, her predecessor had died suddenly with rumours of poisoning swirling which hardly added to any incentive she might have had. Nevertheless, Elizabeth Charlotte was a pragmatic to the core. As she stated in one of her numerous letters, marriages were made in heaven - they were one's destiny and one could not avoid them.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine, Duchess of Orleans, with her son Philippe, later Regent of France, and daughter, Elizabeth, later Duchess of Lorraine" data-object-fit="contain" height="320" src="https://www.rct.uk/sites/default/files/styles/rctr-scale-1300-500/public/collection-online/5/8/53730-1292568055.jpg?itok=Zp8tC_dj" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" title="Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine, Duchess of Orleans, with her son Philippe, later Regent of France, and daughter, Elizabeth, later Duchess of Lorraine" width="268" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth-Charlotte with her two<br />surviving children: Philippe and yet another<br />Elizabeth-Charlotte</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">The matter of fertility was also an issue. The entire reason for marrying off Philippe again was that the house of Orléans needed an heir. <span style="text-align: left;">Elizabeth Charlotte was nineteen at the age of their marriage</span> and by all accounts a healthy young woman. Her own mother had had two children and would likely have had more if her marriage to the Elector had not dissolved in a truly spectacular fashion. Meanwhile, the Elector had a staggering eighteen children!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Traditionally, German princesses had a reputation for being particularly fertile which certainly suited the purpose. <span style="text-align: left;">Elizabeth Charlotte happened to be of a childbearing age - 19 years - and did indeed fall pregnant not long after her wedding which can only have seemed to confirm the theory.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It is hardly a wonder that the marriage between Elizabeth Charlotte and Philippe was a rocky one. Dynastically, it was a success as the couple produced both an heir and a daughter, but their personal relationship was quickly soured by their different dispositions. Elizabeth Charlotte viewed marriage as an inevitable duty which she had not sought herself. Meanwhile, Philippe was not too pleased at having a wife who was less than attractive; added to that was the life-long influence of his lover, the Chevalier de Lorraine. While the marriage served its political purpose (from the French point of view) the people involved would likely have been happier if they had been left alone.</p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-89237265315386910822023-05-23T22:55:00.004+02:002023-05-23T22:55:21.244+02:00Beauty and Scandal: Filles d'Honneur of Madame <p style="text-align: justify;">The household of Madame, the wife of Louis XIV's only brother, was large by default. When Elizabeth-Charlotte arrived in France as the second wife of Monsieur, she automatically assumed the role of second lady in France. Thus, the establishment which surrounded her had to be suitably large and impressive. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Amongst the more celebrated aspects of her household was the contingent of four filles d'honneur - "girls" in waiting, thus called because of their unmarried state. This also meant that the position was typically meant to be somewhat short-lived and definitely temporary. It would usually be terminated when the young ladies were married off. Consequently, both Henrietta of England and Elizabeth-Charlotte of the Palatinate had plenty of filles d'honneur come and go in their service.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">These young ladies were invariably from noble families but there seems to have been another requirement: beauty. The filles d'honneur of Elizabeth-Charlotte were renowned for their beauty which helped to attract more visits from the king himself. Madame herself did not scruple at such an arrangement as she enjoyed the frequent visits from her brother-in-law.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, the combination of young, beautiful and very eligible ladies and a court dictated by courtly romance, scandals were bound to arise.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Duchess of Orléans by Rigaud.jpg" data-file-height="818" data-file-width="650" decoding="async" height="277" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/The_Duchess_of_Orl%C3%A9ans_by_Rigaud.jpg/220px-The_Duchess_of_Orl%C3%A9ans_by_Rigaud.jpg" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/The_Duchess_of_Orl%C3%A9ans_by_Rigaud.jpg/330px-The_Duchess_of_Orl%C3%A9ans_by_Rigaud.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/The_Duchess_of_Orl%C3%A9ans_by_Rigaud.jpg/440px-The_Duchess_of_Orl%C3%A9ans_by_Rigaud.jpg 2x" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="220" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth-Charlotte</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">The most infamous character from Madame's gaggle of filles d'honneur was Mademoiselle de Fontanges. She was considered immensely beautiful and quickly caught the eye of the king who impregnated her. She was one of the only women who ever posed a serious threat to Madame de Montespan's position and she might just have supplanted her. Yet, Mademoiselle de Fontanges lacked one thing that Madame de Montespan had in abundance: wit. The young Marie Angélique was notoriously "stupid as a basket" but nevertheless charmed the king with her youthful ways. Her pregnancy progressed but when the time came for her to give birth it quickly became apparent that something was wrong. She was prematurely delivered of a son during a childbirth which was a downright disaster. For a while she was thought to recover but was considered "an invalid" due to her ordeal. Sadly, she never recovered and died at just 19 years old.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The household of Madame furnished the king with another mistress: la belle Ludres. The gorgeous Isabelle de Loudres likewise captured the king's attention and had more wit than Fontanges but little intelligence. She was extremely haughty and played her hand too quickly. Flaunting her royal favour and openly fanning suspicions that she, too, might replace Madame de Montespan, the king quickly tired of this drama. It was bad enough that Madame de Montespan was furious at such brazen attempts at supplanting her but even worse that Ludres occasionally gave the impression that she had more power over the king than she actually had. Thus, her time in the king's bed was cut short and she retired to a convent.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Portrait de Madame Marie-Elisabeth de Ludres, chanoinesse de Poussay , maîtresse de Louis XIV, représentée en Marie-Madeleine.jpg" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Portrait_de_Madame_Marie-Elisabeth_de_Ludres%2C_chanoinesse_de_Poussay_%2C_ma%C3%AEtresse_de_Louis_XIV%2C_repr%C3%A9sent%C3%A9e_en_Marie-Madeleine.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="256" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La belle Ludres</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">The king was not the only nobleman who searched for love - or variants of it - at the Palais-Royal. Uranie de la Crompte-Beauvais caught the eye of the Comte de Soissons who decided to marry her. This caused some scandal as Uranie was said to be an illegitimate daughter of an écuyer in the service of the Prince de Condé whereas the Comte de Soissons belonged to the powerful Soissons-Carignan family. The marriage was therefore conducted in secret which did not help the scandal. Especially the mother of the groom was furious as the marriage eliminated any chance of an alliance with either a French or a Savoyard princess. Uranie herself is said to have refused the king's advances which led to the couple leaving the French court for Savoy.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Louise de Kéroualle had served the previous Madame - Henrietta of England - and would later set out on an illustrious career as the mistress of Charles II of England. Across the channel her position earned her the title of Duchess of Portsmouth while she enjoyed that of Duchesse d'Aubigny while in France.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The case of Mademoiselle de Loube provides an ample mystery. Françoise de Loube is mentioned directly in one of Madame's numerous letters; on 12 March 1718, Madame refer to the "Loube-affair", seemingly reminiscing of something that happened long ago. However, exactly what this "affair" entailed in not quite clear. Madame did not mention in it any previous (surviving) letter but a few of the other contemporary writers provides bits and pieces of the mystery. A semi-popular ballad refer to the young Loube as yearning for an end to her post as an - unmarried - fille d'honneur. The ballad heavily implies that she was eager to find either a husband or a lover. However, when the Marquis de Dangeau mention her in 1686, she has resolved to become a nun. So, what happened? It is entirely possible that the public ballad was completely wrong; after all, these were often meant to mock and degrade courtiers and thus did not rely on facts. Yet, it is tempting to speculate whether her sudden turn to religion was the result of something else - perhaps an unfortunate love affair?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Either way, Françoise did not become a nun but was potentially transferred to the service of the dauphine in 1689. I have not been able to find any trace of her marrying which further add to the mystery.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="46C0D94A-F382-470E-9F13-2A9645063F85" border="0" class="widthadapted nonealign" height="320" src="https://p7.storage.canalblog.com/70/86/812331/132634469.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="276" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mademoiselle de Séry</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Even Madame's own son was not immune to the attractions of his mother's household. Philippe II (later regent of France) became enamored with Mademoiselle de Séry. The young lady was born Marie Louise Madeleine Victoire le Bel and served as fille d'honneur when she became pregnant. This immediately caused her dismissal but Philippe II made every gesture to acknowledge to child. For one, he provided her with a house and income before publicly announcing that she was his official mistress. She was later given the title of Comtesse d'Argenton. Their relationship ended in 1710 upon which she asked to become a nun - surprisingly, Philippe refused her request and provided her with a pension and a husband instead.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Whereas Elizabeth-Charlotte enjoyed the royal attention garnered by her pretty attendants, she was far from the only one to use such attributes to manipulate the king. It has been suggested that Anne of Austria and Philippe were eager to dispel rumours that Louis XIV and Henrietta of England were engaged in an affair. The way to do this was to provide the king with a suitable alternative. Consequently, three young women were chosen amongst Madame's own filles d'honneur to provide that distraction. These included a young Louise de La Vallière (the king's first maitresse-en-titre who famously attempted to flee to a convent before being finally permitted to cloister herself) and Bonne de Pons.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">By the death of Louis XIV, it was deemed expedient to suppress the office of fille d'honneur to Madame. Elizabeth-Charlotte herself was furious at having to let them, particularly as she suspected the move to that of Madame de Maintenon, her old foe. Madame herself enjoyed the company of her young attendants as they made her laugh. She utterly disagreed that they were unruly as she had both a governess and a sous-governess to educate and chaperone them. Yet considering the many scandalous stories to come from this single part of Madame's household perhaps its suppression was for the best.</p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-17621687540233815142023-05-21T23:06:00.001+02:002023-05-21T23:06:11.564+02:00Creations: Dukedoms of Louis XVI<p style="text-align: justify;">Due to his reign being cut dramatically short, Louis XVI created far fewer new dukedoms than either of his immediate predecessors. Over the sixteen years of his reign as king at Versailles, he created just sixteen new dukes, two of which were given to the royal family: Alençon and Berry.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The remaining fourteen were:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Duc de Civrac</h4><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Creation</i>: 1774<br /><i>For</i>: Aimeric Joseph de Durfort<br /><i>Family</i>: Durfort de Civrac<br /><i>Status</i>: Extinct in 1787<br /><i>Anecdote</i>:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The creation was a reward for decades of loyal service to the crown, including as ambassador to first Venice and later Vienna. However, it was likely Aimeric's efforts in the latter post which secured the title as he had been a key player in securing the alliance which brought about the marriage of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Duc de Quintin </h4><p style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: left;">Creation</i><span style="text-align: left;">: 1774</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">For</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Jean-Laurent de Durfort-Civrac</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Family</i><span style="text-align: left;">: </span><span style="text-align: left;">Durfort de Civrac</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Status</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Existing but changed to Duc de Lorge in 1776</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Anecdote</i><span style="text-align: left;">:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The family of Durfort had held the dukedom during the age of Louis XIV; Guy Aldonce had been Duc de Quintin but the title had become extinct over the 18th century. Thus, it was a revival in favour of the family.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="File:Jean-Laurent de Durfort-Civrac.jpg" data-file-height="424" data-file-width="300" decoding="async" height="304" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Jean-Laurent_de_Durfort-Civrac.jpg?20120524044416" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="215" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jean-Laurent</td></tr></tbody></table><h4 style="text-align: left;">Duc de Lesparre</h4><p style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: left;">Creation</i><span style="text-align: left;">: 1774</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">For</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Louis Armand de Gramont de Cravant d'Humières</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Family</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Gramont</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Status</i><span style="text-align: left;">: </span><span style="text-align: left;">Extinct in 1795</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Anecdote</i><span style="text-align: left;">:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Louis Armand had held the title of Comte de Guiche before his elevation which coincided with the appointment of his wife as the dame d'atours to the Comtesse de Provence. The two would later separate with the Duchesse de Lesparre dying during the revolution (albeit not by guillotine) and the Duc de Lesparre shortly after. This effectively ended the new line of dukes.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Duc du Châtelet</h4><p style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: left;">Creation</i><span style="text-align: left;">: 1777</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">For</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Florent-Louis du Châtelet</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Family</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Châtelet</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Status</i><span style="text-align: left;">: </span><span style="text-align: left;">Extinct in 1793</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Anecdote</i><span style="text-align: left;">:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Being made a hereditary duke in 1777, Louis XVI would later appoint him as head of the Regiment du Roi - the primary and most prestigious regiment. His draconian - and heavily Prussian-inspired - leadership earned him a harsh reputation which gained him few admirers. This would later come back to haunt him when he was recognised by a mob during the revolution. He was arrested and guillotined.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Louis Marie Florent du Châtelet.png" data-file-height="599" data-file-width="493" decoding="async" height="316" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/Louis_Marie_Florent_du_Ch%C3%A2telet.png/260px-Louis_Marie_Florent_du_Ch%C3%A2telet.png" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/Louis_Marie_Florent_du_Ch%C3%A2telet.png/390px-Louis_Marie_Florent_du_Ch%C3%A2telet.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Louis_Marie_Florent_du_Ch%C3%A2telet.png 2x" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="260" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duc du Châtelet</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Duc de Polignac</h4><p style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: left;">Creation</i><span style="text-align: left;">: 1780</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">For</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Armand-Jules-François de Polignac</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Family</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Polignac</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Status</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Existing</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Anecdote</i><span style="text-align: left;">:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Largely owing their astronomical rise to the favour of Marie Antoinette, the family of Polignac had made a brilliant career during the last days of the ancien regime. Originally, the dukedom was à brevet but it was changed to hereditary in 1783, but only in the male line. Armand was the husband of Madame de Polignac and emigrated during the revolution.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h4>Duc de Guiche</h4><p style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: left;">Creation</i><span style="text-align: left;">: 1780</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">For</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Antoine VIII de Gramont</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Family</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Gramont</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Status</i><span style="text-align: left;">:</span><span style="text-align: left;"> Extinct in 1836</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Anecdote</i><span style="text-align: left;">:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Like Armand-Jules-François, Antoine benefited enormously from the friendship between Marie Antoinette and </span>Yolande de Polastron. Antoine had married Yolande's daughter which ensured him continued favour from the king and particularly the queen. Being already the heir to the dukedom of Gramont, the title of Duc de Guiche was meant as an interim title until he could assume his father's title.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="thumbimage" data-file-height="870" data-file-width="707" decoding="async" height="308" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Antoine-VIII-duc-de-Guiche.jpg/250px-Antoine-VIII-duc-de-Guiche.jpg" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Antoine-VIII-duc-de-Guiche.jpg/375px-Antoine-VIII-duc-de-Guiche.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Antoine-VIII-duc-de-Guiche.jpg/500px-Antoine-VIII-duc-de-Guiche.jpg 2x" style="font-weight: 400; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="250" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Antoine VIII</td></tr></tbody></table><h4 style="text-align: left;">Duc de Maillé</h4><p style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: left;">Creation</i><span style="text-align: left;">: 1784</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">For</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Charles-René de Maillé</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Family</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Maillé de La Tour Landry</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Status</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Existing</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Anecdote</i><span style="text-align: left;">:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Holding the rank of Lieutenant General, the Duc de Maillé was particularly connected to the service of the Prince de Condé, including as a gentilhomme of his household and </span>the colonel of his regiment.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img data-file-height="225" data-file-width="155" decoding="async" height="319" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Charles-Fran%C3%A7ois-Armand%2C_duc_de_Maill%C3%A9.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="220" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles-René</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Duc de Lévis</h4><p style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: left;">Creation</i><span style="text-align: left;">: 1784</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">For</i><span style="text-align: left;">: François Gaston de Lévis </span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Family</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Lévis</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Status</i><span style="text-align: left;">: </span><span style="text-align: left;">Extinct in 1863</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Anecdote</i><span style="text-align: left;">:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">François Gaston had spent the majority of his life with the army including as a prisoner of war. By the time he was elevated to his dukedom, François was already retired with the rank of Maréchal de France. As such, he was in his sixties. Sadly, the revolution was particularly hard on his family. François himself died in 1787 but his widow and two of his daughters were guillotined.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="François Gaston de Lévis (Stewart 1984-8).jpg" data-file-height="2100" data-file-width="1553" decoding="async" height="338" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Fran%C3%A7ois_Gaston_de_L%C3%A9vis_%28Stewart_1984-8%29.jpg/250px-Fran%C3%A7ois_Gaston_de_L%C3%A9vis_%28Stewart_1984-8%29.jpg" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Fran%C3%A7ois_Gaston_de_L%C3%A9vis_%28Stewart_1984-8%29.jpg/375px-Fran%C3%A7ois_Gaston_de_L%C3%A9vis_%28Stewart_1984-8%29.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Fran%C3%A7ois_Gaston_de_L%C3%A9vis_%28Stewart_1984-8%29.jpg/500px-Fran%C3%A7ois_Gaston_de_L%C3%A9vis_%28Stewart_1984-8%29.jpg 2x" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="250" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">François Gaston in his younger years</td></tr></tbody></table><h4 style="text-align: left;">Duc de Saulx-Tavannes</h4><p style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: left;">Creation</i><span style="text-align: left;">: 1786</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">For</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Charles-François de Saulx</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Family</i><span style="text-align: left;">: </span>Saulx-Tavannes<br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Status</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Extinct</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Anecdote</i><span style="text-align: left;">:</span></p><p style="text-align: left;">The new Duc de Saulx-Tavannes had attached himself to the service of the Comte de Provence whom he became very close to - upon the restoration, his old friend brought him back to court. He was given immense influence in the affairs of the king's brother, particularly relating to his private finances. During the revolution, he continued to serve the interests of the future Louis XVIII including by acting as his emissary. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://www.histoireeurope.fr/ImgC/Charles%20Francois%20Casimir%20de%20Saulx.PNG" style="-webkit-user-select: none; display: block; margin: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles-François</td></tr></tbody></table><h4 style="text-align: left;">Duc de La Force</h4><p style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: left;">Creation</i><span style="text-align: left;">: 1787</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">For</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Louis-Joseph de Caumont</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Family</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Caumont</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Status</i><span style="text-align: left;">: Existing</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><i style="text-align: left;">Anecdote</i><span style="text-align: left;">:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Like the Durfort family, that of de La Force had also previously held the dukedom within their family. The last incumbent had been Jacques-Nompar II de Caumont who died in 1755 without children which led to the temporary extinction of the title.</span></p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-67829750510086639122023-04-20T20:19:00.002+02:002023-04-20T20:19:33.786+02:00The Mystery of the Tiny Beds<p style="text-align: justify;">As noted by a visitor to the blog, many who have visited Versailles - and other historical residences - have noted that the beds were remarkably small, especially compared to today. This might seem odd especially given the considerable proportions of the apartments.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">One theory speculated that people used to sleep sitting upright which would not necessitate nearly as much room. While some people slept propped up on pillows for medical reasons - to prevent indigestion or lung issues - there is little evidence to suggest that it was common to sleep entirely upright all night. Rather, people would sleep somewhat lying down with pillows supporting the back. The reason for sleeping upright lies in superstition from the Middle Ages - only the dead or dying were lying flatly down. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">An explanation might be optical illusion. Many of the beds - including those at Versailles - are meticulously crafted pieces of furniture with all imaginable adornments. This flurry of ribbons, pillows or canopies all create the illusion that the bed is smaller than it actually is - especially when the pillars are considerably taller than the width of the bed. The curtains ensured both privacy for the occupant (convenient if one's servant is also sleeping in the room) but also helped retain some heat which was quite a challenge at Versailles. This is particularly the case for the four-poster beds whose heavy canopies often make the available sleeping area appear quite small. A good example is the bed in the apartment of Madame du Barry; upon first glance it looks quite short but is remarkably deep.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkeznIhZEVXaCnbkD2h80AmGuS7SLj4QPmHzHB-YcauhF446a9GZfyWIR0kuTD6eqEBEWnVrmFLYCxau4vHLK8_mqXngagNgiwC8hnCHqMdQeEuBLg0dgDLZd3X9-bS3uVRnZajIHw33gTrbm3Rt2ukXA5Za5jSc2KsmBU5aPTW__lMm9MAVYfMyODw/s4032/5C3397B6-E3D9-4B36-9B4B-4BCAADE050F6.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkeznIhZEVXaCnbkD2h80AmGuS7SLj4QPmHzHB-YcauhF446a9GZfyWIR0kuTD6eqEBEWnVrmFLYCxau4vHLK8_mqXngagNgiwC8hnCHqMdQeEuBLg0dgDLZd3X9-bS3uVRnZajIHw33gTrbm3Rt2ukXA5Za5jSc2KsmBU5aPTW__lMm9MAVYfMyODw/s320/5C3397B6-E3D9-4B36-9B4B-4BCAADE050F6.heic" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Private photo of mine taken in the apartment of <br />Madame du Barry</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Many of the parade beds - such as those of the king and queen - were meant to be used during the daily ceremonies that dominated court life. Both the lever (in the morning) and the coucher (in the evening) focused on respectively getting the royal in and out of bed. Naturally, they would be grander and more luxurious than a private bed might otherwise be. Most nobles residing at court would likely not have had room for a bed of similar proportions to that found in the royal chambers. Space was also a consideration before the move towards privacy which took off in the latter half of the 18th century. Prior to this period, it was common to receive visitors in one's bedroom which could therefore not be entirely occupied by a large bed.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Unusually, the queen's bed was larger than that of the king's. This was not due to childbirth - the birth itself taking place on a specialized birthing-bed - but rather the required act for that childbirth to take place at all. The queen never moved to the king's bed at night - on the contrary, the king would visit the queen's chamber for this purpose. Therefore, her bed needed to be wider than his.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The royal parade beds were also social indicators. The size of the canopy was dictated by the rank of the person owning the bed. For instance, only the higher-ranking aristocrats were permitted a canopy the width of the bed itself; the lower-ranking nobles had to make due with a smaller one. In this manner, the bed also became a status symbol.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPt-gEylcriX4riAzU92tl3ovfUk4E1yb-W3FHjgiQ7HAowq3RS54aFWfMHODumv7ZA4y3iqvG_w5vxMiwA1ZqFAoioju_hpfPu5aIcHPwwzMDKRoY1j1xB6goWDRK-uGCI_UnuosY91RHLsK98MOjRiRxIdE-1-QBep-9FI2f-Phmmvzq7bhYeMO6w/s4032/1D04AA57-7F7E-4FF5-AAA0-22E2ED03896F.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPt-gEylcriX4riAzU92tl3ovfUk4E1yb-W3FHjgiQ7HAowq3RS54aFWfMHODumv7ZA4y3iqvG_w5vxMiwA1ZqFAoioju_hpfPu5aIcHPwwzMDKRoY1j1xB6goWDRK-uGCI_UnuosY91RHLsK98MOjRiRxIdE-1-QBep-9FI2f-Phmmvzq7bhYeMO6w/w300-h400/1D04AA57-7F7E-4FF5-AAA0-22E2ED03896F.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another private photo of mine - this time<br />of Marie Antoinette's bed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Finally, it should be kept in mind that people were slightly shorter a few centuries ago. While not as drastically shorter as has previously been theorised the average height was lower than it is today. For example, the French average height today is about 178 cm whereas it was 167 cm in the 18th century. Yet, several of the "main characters" of the court at Versailles were quite tall - Louis XVI measuring 1.93 cm, for instance. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Interestingly, the trend of such small beds ended with the French Revolution - afterwards, even during the restoration, beds began assuming the proportions we know today and people began sleeping more like we do today.</p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-18901182265505480702023-04-19T22:02:00.005+02:002023-04-19T22:02:41.956+02:00The Corset Debacle of Marie Antoinette<p style="text-align: justify;">Being synonymous with fashion excess and trendsetting, the contemporaries of Marie Antoinette were not always too pleased with the queen's choices. The most famous of her "shocking" creations was the flowing, sheer robe à la Reine, immortalized by Vigée le Brun. However, before she even queen, the young dauphine caused a stir on an issue that few - including both her mother and the Austrian ambassador - had expected: corsets.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The rigidly-tight whalebone corsets were a staple amongst the aristocratic ladies; its tightly-wound silhouette stands as one of the hall-marks of 18th century fashion. Yet, the newly arrived dauphine attempted to do away with the necessity of the harshest of corsets - those of whalebone. Already from an early age, the young Marie Antoinette preferred the less restricted fashion choices which were far from accepted by her contemporaries. Exceptions might have been more forthcoming had her reasons for ditching the corset been a pregnancy but that was far from the case.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Thus, shortly after arriving in France in May 1770, Marie Antoinette began refusing to don the traditional corset.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="File:Marie Antoinette as Dauphine of France in 1772 by Drouais.jpg" data-file-height="2179" data-file-width="1783" decoding="async" height="298" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Marie_Antoinette_as_Dauphine_of_France_in_1772_by_Drouais.jpg/490px-Marie_Antoinette_as_Dauphine_of_France_in_1772_by_Drouais.jpg?20180905200117" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Marie_Antoinette_as_Dauphine_of_France_in_1772_by_Drouais.jpg/735px-Marie_Antoinette_as_Dauphine_of_France_in_1772_by_Drouais.jpg?20180905200117 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Marie_Antoinette_as_Dauphine_of_France_in_1772_by_Drouais.jpg/980px-Marie_Antoinette_as_Dauphine_of_France_in_1772_by_Drouais.jpg?20180905200117 2x" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="244" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marie Antoinette as dauphine</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">The problem was the grand habit which was the required uniform for court ladies for official occasions; it is the stereotypical silhouette of the late 18th century with the wide panniers, narrow waist and heavy silks. For a 15-year old girl, the garment was immensely heavy and made even more uncomfortable by the restricting corset. In desperation, Marie Antoinette's dame d'honneur (Madame Etiquette) complained that there was "<i>no convincing Madame la Dauphine to wear a corset</i>". </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Contemporary opinion believed that the corset was not merely a status symbol but a necessity to obtain a correct figure. In continuous attempts to make the dauphine regain the corset, one of most frequently used arguments was that her figure was already deteriorating. In an August-letter from Mercy-Argenteau to the Empress, he reported that the Comtesse de Noailles complained bitterly that the lack of a corset had rendered her charge's waist "<i>misshapen and her right shoulder out of kilter</i>". It was likely this missive which prompted the Empress to take personal action. As for the dauphine herself, she made no attempts at hiding the situation from her mother. She even wrote that she was growing larger around the waist as she was not wearing a corset anymore. Neither she nor Madame Etiquette appear to have taken into account that the famously slender teenager was growing in to a woman's body.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The corset - and Marie Antoinette's refusal to adopt it - was given a far greater meaning than the young girl could possibly have predicted herself. Whereas she saw it as an unnecessary and uncomfortable piece of clothing, others saw her rejection as the rejection of all things French. Immediately, such a seemingly trivial piece of "news" was spread to other European courts which had prompted the involvement of the Empress herself. The Comtesse de Noailles had attempted to get Louis XV to intervene personally but he had refused to meddle in the matter.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Reminding her daughter of her duty both towards king, husband and country (and, apparently corsets), Maria Theresia sent several Viennese corsets with her letter of admonishing from November 1770. To the Empress, this refusal was both baffling and unexpected. The Marie Antoinette she had neatly packed away in her gilded carriage was obedient and eager to please; however, the stubborn streak was beginning to show which she would retain for the rest of her life.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="corset Stays, open view " class="img-fluid" height="229" loading="lazy" src="https://library.unh.edu/sites/default/files/styles/max_width_480px/public/media/2020-09/stays-open-exhibit.jpg?itok=HmkIR1b1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" typeof="foaf:Image" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the interior of a corset, 1780</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">For the French, it was embarrassing. No lady of quality could be considered well-dressed without a corset, especially not one who held the position of first lady of the court. That the dauphine was not well-dressed was exactly what the visiting Countess Windischgrätz reported to her large acquaintance scattered across Europe. For a while there was a stalemate between a stubborn dauphine, an exasperated household and an irate mother. The end of the matter came in October 1771; its origin could be found not in the wardrobe but in the bedroom.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The arrival of the new Comtesse de Provence brought a new onslaught of complaints that the marriage between Marie Antoinette and Louis Auguste remained unconsummated. Despite being naturally slender, the constant eyes directed towards her midriff caused endless speculation of whether the dauphine had become pregnant or was "losing her figure" (at fifteen, mind you). This, in turn, kept the state of her marriage in an unpleasant spotlight which she desperately attempted to divert. Turning to the Austrian ambassador, Mercy-Argenteau for comfort, Marie Antoinette was finally convinced to wear the corset again. The much-tried ambassador reassured the Empress that there would be no fear for her figure if she continued in her improved ways.</p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-68422220023053679162023-04-16T22:26:00.006+02:002023-04-16T22:26:26.461+02:00Charles Godefroy de La Tour d'Auvergne, Duc de Bouillon<p>Charles Godefroy de La Tour d'Auvergne was the last child born to Emmanuel Théodose de La Tour d'Auvergne and Marie Armande Victoire de La Trémoille; as the third son, there was little chance of Charles inheriting more than a smaller curtesy title. He was born on 16 July 1706 and spent his childhood in somewhat obscurity. At the age of eleven, his mother passed away and his father remarried to Louise Françoise Angélique le Tellier.</p><p>The home-life of Charles was changing. His new stepmother gave birth to a half-brother in 1718 before dying in 1719. This prompted his father to remarry again, this time to Anne Marie Christiane de Simiane who - in turn - had daughter. Like her predecessor, Anne also died young after just a few years of marriage. Despite being in his sixties' Charles' father remarried for the fourth time to the beautiful (and young) Louise Henriette Françoise de Lorraine who gave Charles another half-sister.</p><p>Thus, in the space of 12 years, Charles had had three stepmothers and three half-siblings. Little is known of the particulars of his personal upbringing which likely took place away from both court and his father. As he grew older, Charles' personal status would change considerably. His eldest brother had died before Charles was born but he was still the younger of two remaining son - until 1723.</p><p><br /></p><p>The year 1723 turned out to be a turning point in Charles' life. His brother married the Polish-born Maria Karolina Sobieski - promptly Frenchified into Marie Caroline - before dying just ten days after their wedding. This premature death had two massive consequences for Charles: firstly, he was catapulted from the third son to the heir of the Duc de Bouillon and secondly, he was given a wife.</p><p><br /></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Charles-Godefroy de La Tour d'Auvergne.jpg" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Charles-Godefroy_de_La_Tour_d%27Auvergne.jpg/1024px-Charles-Godefroy_de_La_Tour_d%27Auvergne.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="255" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles Godefroy</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The union between Charles and Marie Caroline was unexpected by outsiders. By Catholic law such a marriage required papal dispensation as the two were considered to be relatives due to Marie Caroline's first marriage. This dispensation was promptly acquired by Marie Caroline's sister, Clementina, but without either informing or asking permission from the bride's father. This caused a massive rift between Marie Caroline and her wealthy parents. That wealth happened to be the motif behind the hasty remarriage; the young woman had been given a massive dowry of 750.000 livres.</p><p>Marie Caroline became pregnant with their first child who was named Marie Louise Henriette Jeanne. Their second (and last) child was the son Godefroy Charles Henri.</p><p>By this time, the relationship had deteriorated rapidly; the couple officially separated in 1730 with Marie Caroline travelling to Poland to restore relations with her father. Meanwhile, Charles took up a liaison with none other than his last stepmother! </p><p>The life of the Duc de Bouillon was characterised by libertinage, privilege and royal favour. At court, he had the advantage of being a favourite of Louis XV who often included him in his private dinners behind the scenes. Charles possessed no fewer than three of the most coveted positions at court: Grand Chambellan, Grand Écuyer and Grand Maître. These brought him both considerable income and influence, the latter boosted by his personal friendship with the king.</p><p>Indulging fully in the finer things in life, Charles had several affairs and dappled heavily in gambling. Unfortunately, he was not particularly skilled at the pastime - the Duc de Luynes claimed that his gambling debts amounted to over a million livres. Ironically, Charles owned several of the most beautiful properties in France which helped diminish the public appearance of financial troubles. He therefore had high hopes that Marie Caroline would reconcile with her immensely wealthy father.</p><p>Besides his gambling, his temper was apparently not entirely under control. An incident occurred at his country estate in 1731 which ended in a brawl between himself and the Duc de Durfort; the scuffle went so far as Durfort being stabbed.</p><p>Still, his contemporaries hesitated to label him entirely a bad egg. Despite his propensity for scandal, his ill-luck at gambling and his less desirable qualities, he was also said to possess integrity and bravado. In this manner, he resembled Louis XV whose own libertinage was counteracted by several strong, good qualities. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Anonymous_Marie_Charlotte_Sobieska.jpg/640px-Anonymous_Marie_Charlotte_Sobieska.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; cursor: zoom-in; display: block; margin: auto;" width="246" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marie Caroline</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Marie Caroline never returned from Poland; she died in 1740. Charles did not seem to care much about the loss of his estranged wife.</p><p>His financial issues caused him to sell his viscounty of Turenne to Louis XV. His relationship with the king only grew closer over the years; he would even act as intermediary between Louis XV and "Bonnie Prince Charlie" prior to the latter's arrest. His personal expenses must have been considerable; the Duc de Luynes reported that his annual income was about 500.000 livres with one of his counties being worth 250.000 livres.</p><p>One would imagine that a man of Charles' tastes would not care particularly much about the emerging Enlightenment ideas and that might have been true. Nevertheless, he came to the rescue of Rousseau whose Journal Encyclopédie was in dire danger of being strangled by external powers. Charles offered the tiny territory that was his duchy of Bouillon for the philosopher who then successfully published his work. Charles himself was not much in favour if these new ideas but the publishing meant creating a potentially lucrative income for his tiny duchy. It worked, as the editions were in demand and generated a small fortune.</p><p>By this time, Charles was getting on in age but still had enough spirit to engage in various liaisons. His affair with Mademoiselle de Verrières resulted in an illegitimate son, Charles Godefroy. </p><p>Charles Godefroy died on 24 October 1771 at his estate of Montalet. </p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657012136732045509.post-45732106178041828552023-04-15T22:12:00.002+02:002023-04-15T22:12:05.574+02:00The Complicated Family Relations of the Duc de Bouillon<p style="text-align: justify;">Marriages between cousins were the norm rather than the exception for centuries; it was therefore not considered unusual and is still practiced in some areas today. Likewise, having official or public extramarital affairs were not necessarily scoffed at either.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">However, even in such a society there were relations that caused starched eyebrows to be raised - and the Duc de Bouillon is a good example of that.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Charles Godefroy de La Tour d'Auvergne was the result of a union between the houses of La Tour d'Auvergne and La Trémoille. As the son of a duke, he found himself at the very pinnacle of French society, even more so after the premature deaths of his two elder brothers which made him the heir. He was married to a Polish noblewoman in 1724. Her name was Maria Karolina Sobieska and she was nine years his senior which was quite unusual.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Charles-Godefroy de La Tour d'Auvergne.jpg" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Charles-Godefroy_de_La_Tour_d%27Auvergne.jpg/1024px-Charles-Godefroy_de_La_Tour_d%27Auvergne.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="255" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles Godefroy</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><br />What was even more unusual was the fact that she happened to be the widow of his late brother, Frédéric Casimir, who had died at just 20 - in 1723. That meant that immediately upon his death, arrangements were made for the young widow to be remarried to her brother-in-law. Sadly, the marriage between Maria Karolina and Frédéric Casimir must be amongst the shortest at Versailles. They had been married on 20th September 1723; ten days later, the bridegroom was dead, allegedly from the aftermath of a serious horse-riding accident. The fact that he also contracted smallpox - which he infected his new bride with - did not help matters.<p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The union between Maria Karolina and Charles Godefroy would have needed a papal dispensation as the governing law of the catholic church considered them to be already related. Maria's own relative, Clementina, personally wrote to the pope and was apparently successful. However, her father had not even been informed of the new match which left a deep rift between father and daughter. Their marriage would result in two children: Marie Louise and Godefroy Charles Henri. To make matters even more complicated, Maria had initially been considered as a bride for the brothers' father, Emmanuel Théodose.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The marriage was a disaster. The couple were not well-suited for each other which finally resulted in a public separation in the early 1730's. It is rather sad to think that Maria Karolina went to such great lengths to obtain the marriage only for it to turn out so poorly.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Portrait of Maria Carolina de Bouillon - Google Art Project.jpg" class="mw-mmv-final-image jpg" crossorigin="anonymous" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Portrait_of_Maria_Carolina_de_Bouillon_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg/1024px-Portrait_of_Maria_Carolina_de_Bouillon_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="240" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maria Karolina</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Having married his brother's widow, Charles Godefroy made another (more dubious) decision which would come dangerously close to incest. As was almost expected, Charles took a mistress. That in itself would not have raised many eyebrows if the object of his affection had not been his own step-mother!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Louise Henriette Françoise de Lorraine was notoriously beautiful with piercing dark eyes, an oval face and red lips. She had married Emmanuel Théodose in 1725 which made her the stepmother of a man who was a year older than herself. Five years later, her husband was dead which left her widowed at just 23 years old. She herself would die at 30 having made a name for herself as a woman with many lovers and few scruples.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Their affair was a massive scandal which garnered plenty of attention; after all, Emmanuel Théodose had only just died before his son and his widow got together. Their liaison caused considerable damage to the already terribly strained marriage of Charles Godefroy and Maria Karolina. It is said that the latter coolly commiserated with her husband on the loss of his "dear stepmother" - although the same letter also mused that her husband would surely not be too heartbroken.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The entire absurd family history ended somewhat tragically for most parties. Louise Henriette Françoise died young, Maria Karolina died alone in Poland (little regretted by her husband) and Charles Godefroy continued on in his debauched life.</p>Louise Boisen Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01611199148588697079noreply@blogger.com0