From governess to queen: the mystery of the favorite and secret wife of Louis XIV

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Name Françoise d'Aubigne fanned by legends. And this is not surprising: this woman had a chance to experience a lot in her life and made her way from a governess to the "black queen" of France. Black - because Louis XIV married her in secret. Françoise achieved a lot: she became the official favorite of the Sun King when she was already over 40 (!), Became his heartfelt friend and advisor, radically changed life at court, facilitating the cancellation of Versailles balls and festivals … This modest nun was hated by many, but, most importantly, - adored Louis.

There are many conflicting opinions about the personality of Françoise d'Aubigne. Some consider her the embodiment of purity and meekness, which captivated Louis with quiet charm, education, intelligence … Others, on the contrary, see in her actions a cold calculation. Françoise's fate was not easy from childhood. She was born in prison, where her parents were thrown by order of Cardinal Richelieu, and the young years after her release were in constant ordeal. The relatives did not want to raise their daughter and dreamed of cutting her as a nun. At the age of 12, the brave little girl decided to go to her father in Mauritius (where he was exiled after imprisonment), but on the way she fell ill with a fever, fell into a lethargic sleep and woke up only a couple of hours before her own funeral!

Two years later, her mother, Françoise, died, and the godmother, who took custody of her, hastened to marry the girl off as soon as she was 16. The chosen one was the court poet Paul Scarron. Outwardly, he was cheerful and cheerful, the Parisian elite gathered in his house, he wrote comic poems, for which he won the favor of Anna of Austria. However, Scarron suffered from a serious illness - rheumatoid arthritis was haunted. The young wife turned into a real nurse: she looked after the poet, wrote down his poems, led the epistolary. And a few years later, Paul Scarron died, Françoise was faced with difficult months of poverty (she was not given a pension), until she was lucky enough to meet Madame de Montespan, the favorite of King Louis XIV.

Thanks to Montespan, Françoise was at court. At first, she looked after one illegitimate royal stepson, after a few years there were six children. Madame de Montespan could not forever shine at the zenith of fame, she looked ugly, and the king began to think about having a younger lady take her place. Soon a good opportunity presented itself to remove Montespan: she was accused of intending to poison the king and was exiled from Paris. More and more young ladies found themselves in Louis's bed, but the governess of his children haunted him. Modest and obedient, she was sure that Louis should be interested in the fate of children, and therefore sent him letters in the morning with the latest news about the lives of the children. Communication with Françoise interested Louis, and now he already spent a long time with an unattractive (by his standards) woman who could easily maintain small talk about music, literature, painting, emotional experiences and serving God. Needless to say, after a few years Louis began to seek her favor, because the forbidden fruit is sweet, and, dressed in monastic dresses, she gave birth to many fantasies in a voluptuous lover.

For two years Françoise was unapproachable, but after she gave up. Under her influence, Louis changed in many ways: in Versailles, everything was silent, calm and an almost homely atmosphere reigned, the king even remembered his lawful wife Maria Theresa. Françoise became the Marquise of Mentenon, her chambers were located next to the chambers of Louis. This woman was so wise and judicious that the king demanded her presence at all important negotiations, often consulted with her on state issues.

By secret marriage, Louis and Françoise were combined after the death of Marie-Theresa. Françoise could not satisfy the passion of King Françoise, according to historians, in intimate relationships she did not differ in temperament. That is why Louis continued to change his mistresses, but he could share spiritual closeness only with his chosen one. On the initiative of Françoise, a boarding house for girls was organized in Saint-Cyr, after the death of Louis, the "black queen" did not try to stay in Versailles, and went to Saint-Cyr and devoted the last years of her life to her pupils.