The End of an Era: The Fall of Madame de Montespan

Undoubtedly the most celebrated maitresse-en-titre of Louis XIV, Françoise-Athénais de Rochechoaurt had been the king's declared mistress since about 1666; she had since given him no less than seven children. Her relationship with the Sun King was a passionate one and despite several attempts, the couple always found their way back to each other - even the king's growing religious fervor was overcome time and time again.

So, when their relationship began unravelling in ca. 1677, the court probably expected it to be another storm that would eventually end in reconciliation. However, this time it was different. The infamous Affair of the Poisons had created an entirely new breeding ground for suspicions. Due to the nature of their relationship, the king was well-aware that his mistress would always be wary of being supplanted in his affection. So far, the charms, intelligence and beauty of La Montespan had been enough to keep his attention but the king was now persuaded to believe that she might have been involved in more occult methods. 

As the Affair of the Poisons unravelled, it quickly became clear that the royal favourite was somehow associated with the whole sordid affair. It did not take long before rumours started spreading and there was no limit as to what Madame de Montespan was accused of. 

Some said that she had used the services of the "witch" La Voisin to concoct love potions for the king in 1665 before finally succeeding in catching. Others claimed that she had prayed to the devil and had black sabbaths performed - complete with the obligatory sacrifice of an infant - to keep her lover's interest while yet others pointed to the recent death of Mademoiselle de Fontagnes. The young lady had captured the king's attention and had fallen pregnant as a result - she died after delivering the child.

Madame de Montespan

Had the affair simply been a matter of jealousy, the king could easily have overlooked it. But this was something entirely different. This concerned the very life of the king - and it did not take long before scandal mongers started whispering that Françoise-Athénais had attempted to kill the king. Despite the absurdity of this charge - after all, Madame de Montespan would lose everything if the king died - the king was alarmed. One can hardly blame him for being unnerved as the use of poison was not a by-gone weapon in his age; even the typically useless "potions" could be lethal if dangerous ingredients were added. This might not even be intentional as certain ingredients were considered harmless then but is known to be highly dangerous today.

Was there anything to suggest that Madame de Montespan actually was involved? The Lieutenant General of Police, Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie, was presented with several witness accounts which placed numerous ladies of the court as customers of La Voisin - including Madame de Montespan. Before diving further into this particular claim it is necessary to look closer at the attitude to the occult of the time. 

While the superstitions of the Middle Ages were not nearly as strong as they had been, they were far from eliminated. Even amongst the better educated parts of society a remarkably large number believed that black magic, potions and black sabbaths were very much effective. Others saw it merely as something interesting which could be used for entertainment on a boring day; for instance, young ladies would occasionally seek out palm readers to disclose their future but never went beyond that. Either way, there is no actual evidence to suggest why Madame de Montespan went to La Voisin - or if she even did.

It is telling that the potential visits to La Voisin only became suspicious after Madame de Montespan's maid, Mademoiselle Desœillets, was noted to be a frequent visitor herself. It was therefore easy to claim that where the maid went, so too might the mistress go.

It has often been put forward that Louis XIV's own reaction shows how little merit there was to the accusations levelled at his mistress. He himself had ordered the establishment of the so-called Chambre Ardente (the court passing sentences over the Affair of the Poisons) and as such would have been presented with every finding and evidence. If he had genuinely feared for his life, he would have ended their relationship - but he did not. Instead, she kept her place for no less than another decade.

But if the king did not believe Madame de Montespan to be genuinely guilty, why then did their relationship fall apart? Here it might help to look to something as simple yet complicated as human nature. The two had been together for a long time - far longer than any of his previous liaisons. It is not unheard of that they simply fell out of love with each other. As has often been pointed out, relationships that are so passionate will almost always fade out eventually.

Louis XIV

Furthermore, there is a decided shift in character in Louis XIV at this point in his life. Up until this point, he had been somewhat carefree in his love affairs; whether it was elevating La Montespan while La Vallière was pregnant with his child or having both mistresses ride in the same carriage as his wife, his attitude towards his dalliances were typical of his age. A king was expected to have mistresses - everyone, even the queen, knew this and it was generally accepted as a fact of life. However, as he grew older, Louis became more and more prone to religious reflections. 

Throughout his entire relationship with Françoise-Athénais, the most damning accusation levelled against both of them was that of double-adultery. Of course, the church had never been fond of the king's infidelity but it had turned a blind eye when the lady in question was unconnected by marriage. For instance, both Marie Mancini and Louise de La Vallière were unmarried when they first became the king's mistress - the former apparently never even had a physical affair with him.

Madame de Montespan, however, had been married to the Marquis de Montespan in 1663 and was therefore a married woman when she became the king's mistress. While the church could always explain away the king's guilt by pointing to the divine favour which all monarchs were said to hold, the same could not be said of her. This was therefore a matter of double-adultery - a sin that would not wash off quite so quickly. As it happens, this very reasoning had been the cause of their split in 1675, which had occurred after the church refused to give her absolution and even withstood the pleading of the king. 

In 1675, the church's argument had not been enough - it seemed to be more pressing as the king grew older. 

Thus, it does not seem unlikely that a mixture of cooling passions and growing religiousness was what eventually caused the downfall of Madame de Montespan. What is more certain - and unusual - is the manner in which that downfall occurred.

Typically a jilted royal mistress would be sent off with a handsome parting gift or she would voluntarily retire to a convent. Either way, the rupture would be somewhat obvious to everyone at court. However, Madame de Montespan continued to play a part in the king's life as their relationship cooled. Their split was not one which could be traced to a dramatic final interview or specific event. Rather, it was dragged out over several years. 

Madame de Montespan with her
children, 1677

For those watching - and everyone at court certainly was - the changes were small but of immense significance. The one thing that stood out was how much time the king devoted to a new lady: Madame de Maintenon. She would often be summoned to spend their evenings in conversations while Madame de Montespan remained conspicuous by her absence. Despite her reputation for being a very devout woman, Madame de Maintenon certainly did not shy away from using the king's religious fears to her advantage. Thus, a number of contemporary courtiers remarked that she was sought for by the king because he increasingly felt a need for religious discussion. 

The otherwise always-present Madame de Montespan found herself excluded from more and more activities at court. While she was still frequently invited to the king's beloved Marly in 1686, she would soon receive a very public (figurative) slap in the face. The king was suffering from his highly unpleasant fistula which he sought to cure by taking the waters at Barèges. Naturally, wherever the king went, the court followed - but not Montespan. To her great astonishment and frustration, she was deliberately not invited to this excursion; the message could hardly have been louder. In her anger, she took her youngest son by the king - the Comte de Toulouse - and went to Paris but was stopped on the way with orders that the young boy was to accompany his father. In the end, the trip to Barèges never materialised but the humiliation was complete.

By this point in time, no one had any doubts that their relationship was as good as dead. The king had adored Françoise-Athénais for years and such a public snub would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

Yet despite this dramatic incident, the king still did not call things off officially. While he certainly was a creature of habit, Louis XIV had never shown a reluctance to cut off people who had displeased him - it therefore seems more likely that the continuance of La Montespan at court was due to a certain respect and affection (although not love) that he must still have had for her. Furthermore, it should not be underestimated that her position as the mother of many of his children earned her some credit with him - after all, he was notoriously fond of his illegitimate children and it would have been a scandal if their mother was thrown out without a second thought, especially after so long a relationship.

These years cannot have been particularly pleasant for Madame de Montespan. Her pride was notorious and she had been accustomed to wielding immense power at court. Now, she was reduced to having to endure both the presence and influence of another woman; much like Louise de La Vallière had before her.  Whereas Françoise-Athénais would have had no problem keeping the king interested in her conversation through her wit and charm, that still required private time with him - and that was increasingly reserved for La Maintenon.

Françoise-Athénais, around 1680

Françoise-Athénais was no fool; she knew that the king's affections were not what they had been and she acknowledged that her time was over. Finally, it would be her who took the step to remove herself from an increasingly awkward situation. In 1691, after 25 years as the king's official mistress, she informed Louis of her decision to leave court. It is very telling that she did not do so in person; rather, she asked the king's trusted Boussuet to deliver the message.

There is one aspect of their final separation that is worth noticing. While much have been made of Louis XIV's ever-increasing religiousness, that same development in Madame de Montespan has been somewhat overlooked. Just like her royal lover, the former favourite was getting older and she shared many of Louis' fears for her eternal soul - after all, she did not have the benefit of claiming divine favour as a redeeming factor in her adultery. Perhaps this is an indication that their relationship simply had run its course - if they still had the same passionate love for each other, their new-found sense of religion could easily have united them as they grew older. This could have been strengthened further by their common interest and genuine affection for their children. Instead, it caused them to finally end their legendary liaison.

Madame de Montespan retired to the convent of Filles de Saint-Joseph in Paris. While Louis would spent the remainder of his life with the austere Madame de Maintenon - potentially even marrying her - the mother of seven of his children spent her years with charity. She spent large sums on charitable works and had cut all contact with the court - and the king. The king appears to have shown some sign of gratitude at her taking the first step; her father was given the governorship of Paris while her brother was made Marèchal de France. As for their children, they had been legitimised and their future was therefore secure.

When she died in 1707, their relationship was a thing of the past. While their children mourned for her, the king curiously forbade them from wearing official mourning. This last act has been interpreted as spiteful by some and it certainly does have elements of pettiness. However, it cannot be said to be an indication of resentment - after all, the king had not seen his former beloved for 15 years. Meanwhile he was desperately trying to have his children by her absorbed into the legitimate lines of aristocracy - perhaps their mother was an unwelcome reminder of the fact that they were, in fact, not only illegitimate but the result of double-adultery.

Whatever the king's motives for refusing mourning was can never be known. What is more certain is that his infamous relationship with Françoise-Athénais de Rochechouart dominated a good portion of his life and brought him seven beloved children. The end of their liaison was also a turning-point in the king's personal life. The carefree and splendid years were behind him and austerity took over - it truly was the end of an era at Versailles.