In 1764, Jeanne Antoinette Poissons, Madame de Pompadour, died at the age of just 42. Throughout her life, she had been plagued by frequent diseases which had only been exasperated by the whirlwind pace with which she led her life at court. Her finest task was to keep Louis XV from falling even further into his melancholia; that required a constant attendance to his every possible need. The king's need for distraction never truly ceased; thus, it fell to her to arrange the time-consuming private theatricals, the trips to their numerous country estates, the intimate suppers, balls etc.
All the while, Madame de Pompadour had garnered a position of influence at court. Her toilette was visited by both ambassadors and ministers just as it was well-known that she had considerable influence when it came to appointments. Even without such cares, she was constantly the target of malicious attacks and attempts at replacing her.
It is hardly surprising, then, that a woman with a weak constitution was very vulnerable in such a position. By early 1764, the royal mistress was once more under the weather. However, as that was so often the case, it was hardly given a second thought. Her first symptoms occurred as early as January. Her long-time friend, the Marquise de La Ferté, finally agreed to come visit her in the cold, wet month of January that year. She wrote that Madame de Pompadour complained of insomnia, indigestion, and trouble breathing when she walked upstairs. Later - in February - when she and Louis were at Choisy. Being struck suddenly by such a violent headache that she had to support herself on a valet.
She continued somewhat poorly but did experience a period of about three weeks with improved health. Her friends even had hope that she would eventually recover, although they dared not voice such hopes aloud. Thus, she was deemed safe enough to return to Versailles where she arrived shortly after. However, the weather throughout that spring continued to be unusually wet, cold, and dark.
As it happens, the prediction of Madame du Deffand turned out to be correct. Deffand had written to their common friend, Voltaire, and expressed her doubts that the marquise's illness was truly over. It did not take long from her arrival at Versailles for Madame de Pompadour to become considerably worse.
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| Madame de Pompadour |
By April, Madame de Pompadour's condition was deeply worrisome. She often found it almost impossible to breathe even when sitting upright. She received her final visit from her doctors on 11th April - that very evening they declared that nothing could be done for her. At this point, she was still at Versailles on the king's insistence.
Throughout her ordeal, her courage was exemplary. Even her staunch opponent, the dauphin, admitted that she was "dying with a courage rare in either sex. Every time she breathes, she believes it to be for the last time. It is one of the most painful ways to die and one of the cruelest one can imagine..."
It was now entirely impossible for her to breathe lying down; she therefore remained in her arm-chair where she continued to receive guests. It was widely noted that she never complained although she was clearly in pain. During these days, the king never left for more than a few minutes. When it became clear that she would not have long left, it was determined that a priest should be sent for. Finally, the king was obliged to leave - once she had confessed and received her blessing, the two could not see one another anymore. Louis therefore left her chamber and headed upstairs to his private apartment - he never saw her again.
She did have enough clearness of mind to add a codicil to her testament which she had written in 1757. The codicil still exists - and the tears shed by the writer, Monsieur le Cochin, are still plain to see.
Palm Sunday was as sombre as could be - she spent it with Messieurs Choiseul, Soubise and Gontaut. Finally, she turned to them and allegedly said: "It is coming now, my friends. I think you had bette leave me to my soul, my ladies, and the priest". Her ladies suggested a change of clothing but she rejected it as she was too tired. Initially, the attending priest took that as his cue to leave but when he rose to go, she stopped him with the words: "Wait a moment, Monsieur le Curé, and we will go together" - she was right. Just a few moments later, Madame de Pompadour died.
What exactly killed the king's beloved mistress? Traditionally, her death had been attributed to tuberculosis. Caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium Tuberculosis which was accompanied by heavy coughing, weight loss, weakness, fevers, night sweats, and chest pains. It is likely that she had had the disease from quite an early age; throughout her life, during her frequent bouts of illness, she often referred to a shortness of breath, insomnia and various fevers. Certainly, the symptoms which she exhibited during the spring of 1764 is consistent with tuberculosis.
Evelyn Lever, author of a biography on Madame de Pompadour, suggest that she also suffered from a heart condition which only furthered weakened the marquise's health. François Guizot went even further when he attributed her death entirely to heart disease. If so, she had mentioned problems with her heart herself - in 1758 (during yet another bout of illness), she described her symptoms as heart palpitations, fevers, and migraines.
It has also been brought forth that her heart troubles were exasperated by stress and anxiety - both factors which were a constant companion in her life.
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