Anne de Rohan-Chabot, The Princess of Soubise
One of Louis XIV’s many mistresses was a beautiful young noblewoman who was the Princess of Soubise. Louis had met her at Chambord not long after she had given birth to her fourth child—at the age of 21. The child was named Hercule-Mériadec de Rohan. At the time, Louis XIV was somewhere between Louise de la Vallière and Madame de Montespan. The Princess de Soubise later became a lady in waiting for Louis’ wife Queen Marie-Thérèse. It was rumoured that Louis XIV was the father of her seventh child (she had 11 children in total). THE MISTRESS’ SON MARRIES THE GOVERNESS’ DAUGHTER HERCULE-MÉRIADEC Hercule-Mériadec de Rohan became a military man in Louis XIV’s army. At 24 he married Anne-Geneviève, the only child of Madame de Ventadour—future governess of Louis XV. Anne-Geneviève was the widow of the Prince of Turenne. ANNE-GENEVIÈVE Hotel de Soubise In 1704 the Prince of Soubise bought the Hotel de Guise in Paris, which he virtually reconstructed and renamed the Hotel de Soubise. The Princess of Soubise died there five years later. When her husband died in 1712, Hercule-Mériadec became the Prince of Soubise and inherited the Hotel de Soubise. His wife Anne-Geneviève, now Princess of Soubise, had five children. She died at the Hotel de Soubise at the age of 54. Five years later Hercule-Mériadec remarried at the age of 63. His second wife was the 19 year old Marie–Sophie de Courcillon, who became the next Princess of Soubise.
Mademoiselle de Fontanges
Marie-Angélique de Scorailles, Mademoiselle de Fontanges, was a beautiful young girl, the same age as Louis XIV‘s son, when she arrived at the court in the service of his sister-in-law. Athenaïs de Montespan was feeling threatened by the King’s relationship with Madame de Maintenon. She thought Marie-Angélique would be the perfect distraction for the King as a temporary measure. She believed the teenager would pose no long term threat because she was “as stupid as a basket”. However, Louis was completely charmed by the teenager. He felt he was rediscovering his own youth. Initially the affair was secret but Louis was so enchanted, he began to publicly shower her with gifts and money. Needless to say, Athenaïs was furious and was not going to leave the scene quietly. She was not the sweet, self-effacing person that Louise de La Vallière had been. To the amusement of the court, Athenaïs had her two pet bears, a gift from Louis, taken to Marie-Angélique’s apartment and let them loose to wreck it. She needn’t have bothered. Louis was already growing bored with the pretty young thing who was indeed “as stupid as a basket”. The problem was that she was pregnant. Marie-Angélique gave birth to a premature child, a son, who did not survive. Initially she seemed fine but within a few months she had ongoing health problems which also took a toll on her looks. As he had done before with Louise when he was looking to move on, Louis made Marie-Angélique the Duchess of Fontanges. She went to live at the Abbey where her sister was Abbess. She was already unwell and during that time it appears there was an attempt to poison her. When she died the following year at nineteen, the “Affair of the Poisons”* was in full swing and rumours abounded that she had been poisoned at the demand of Athenaïs de Montespan. Embarrassing revelations about Athenaïs which were coming out as part of the “Affair of the Poisons” were the final straw. The ever reliable Madame de Maintenon helped cover everything up as Louis wished, but Athenaïs’ days as the official King’s favourite were well and truly over. She had to move out of her lavish apartment in Versailles, which was given to her son. She remained at the court for the next ten years and watched with pride as Louis organised brilliant marriages for their children. Any hope she had for rekindling her romance with Louis was dashed. Less than two years after the dramas, Louis’ wife Queen Marie-Thérèse died at the age of 44. Ten weeks later Louis secretly married Madame de Maintenon and remained faithful to her for the rest of his life.
Madame de Montespan
Françoise de Montespan, or “Athenaïs” as she preferred to be called, did not arrive at Versailles with the goal of becoming the King’s mistress. Her family were part of the establishment, serving both Louis XIV’s parents. Her mother, a pious woman, was one of Queen Anne of Austria’s ladies in waiting. Her father had been a childhood companion and later Gentleman of the Bedchamber to King Louis XIII. His sense of humour was a major feature at the court. Their five children were obviously going to have a future with the royal family. Athenaïs, their second daughter, was well educated, intelligent and witty. She was a welcome guest at the salons of the Marais. A married woman with two children, she was above reproach. When she started to become a fixture at Versailles, neither the Queen Marie-Thérèse, nor Louise de la Vallière felt she posed a threat. Her reputation preceded her. Louis initially had no interest in her, but her interesting conversation and wicked sense of humour began to make his ritual visits to the Queen and Louise far more interesting. Initially Athenaïs refused Louis’ advances and even asked her husband to take her away from the court – he would later regret his decision to ignore her plea. When Louise was pregnant for the fifth time, Louis’ pursuit of Athenaïs finally paid off. She gave in and they became lovers. The problem was that they were both married. His long term affair with Louise was adultery, but with Athenaïs, Madame de Montespan, it was double adultery. Louise had to be kept around as a cover. Athenaïs gave birth to their first child who died at the age of two. In the following eight years she gave birth to six more children, all of whom survived. Her pregnancies were concealed by her introduction of a new dress style, a loose flowing robe which was the predecessor to the “robe à la Française”. The children were brought up in Paris by Madame de Maintenon and Athenaïs stayed with the King at Versailles. When their third (surviving) child was born, Louis decided to legitimise all three. He was the legal father. No mother was named as this could provoke, Athenaïs’ estranged husband the Marquis de Montespan to claim custody. The pregnancies took their toll on Athenaïs. She was conscious of gaining weight and desperate to keep Louis’ interest. She was aware that Louis had a number of affairs but they did not threaten her position as “official mistress”. The one woman who posed a threat was Madame de Maintenon, the childrens’ governess, who was beginning to look like a major rival for the King’s affection. Athenaïs decided to distract him.
Henri II: The New King
Diane de Poitiers Henri, second son of François I, had married the Pope’s niece Catherine de Medici when they were both 14. Henri had always been judgemental about his father’s love life. However from childhood Henri, had been obsessed with Diane de Poitiers, a respectable widow literally old enough to be his mother. Finally Diane de Poitiers succumbed to his advances when Henri was 19 and she was 38. (It helped that at the time he had become heir to the throne after the death of his older brother). While Diane de Poitiers appeared to be the de facto mother in law , Catherine de Medici was under no illusions. It was a torrid affair in private and the strange relationship between the two women is an unlikely tale. The most bizarre ménage à trois in history is our next story for new ideas for visitors to France. Catherine de Medici
Henri II’s Bed
Henri II became king of France on his 28th birthday. He went on with his father François’ building works at the Louvre and made further additions to the royal château at Amboise. It’s here you can see this large Henri II style* bed in the bed chamber he took over from his father. At the age of 40 Henri was participating in a jousting tournament on what is now rue St Antoine, near Place des Vosges in Paris. As usual, he was wearing his mistress Diane’s colours—black and white. He was accidentally injured and died ten days later. Henri II’s emblem appears on the section of the Louvre constructed during his reign. The H for Henri is interlaced with either a C for Catherine or a D for Diane, depending on who is telling the story. Henri probably enjoyed the ambiguity. On buildings Catherine took ownership or built after Henri’s death (such as the Medici column in Paris) there is no question of a “D” for Diane. *This was the original style of Henri II’s era, not to be confused with the “Henri II style” introduced into French décor in the 19th century as part of what was known as the “Second French Renaissance”. The Chateau of Amboise has renamed the “Henri II bedroom” to the “King’s Bedroom” to reflect the fact that other Kings, including François I, used the bed chamber.
The Ménage à Trois – Henri II, Catherine de Medici, Diane de Poitiers
The most bizarre ménage à trois in history. Henri, second son of François I, married the Pope’s niece Catherine de Medici. They were both 14. From childhood Henri had been obsessed with Diane de Poitiers, a respectable widow literally old enough to be his mother. Finally Diane succumbed to his advances when Henri was 19 and she was 38. (It helped that he was now heir to the throne after the death of his older brother). While Diane appeared to be the de facto mother in law , Catherine de Medici was under no illusions. It was a torrid affair in private and Catherine knew that from watching them through a hole in the ceiling. The strange relationship between the two women is an unlikely tale. The queen’s close friends advised all sorts of revenge plots but she waited, hoping the aging process would come into play to dethrone her rival. However Diane’s strict fitness and diet regime saw to it that she kept the King devoted right up to his death when she was almost 60. Henri had always been judgemental about his father’s love life. The age difference with Diane allowed him to keep up the pretence he was different but in fact, unlike his father, he had two illegitimate children that he recognised. Henri and Catherine had been married for five years without any sign of an heir. Away at war in Italy, Henri had a very brief affair (a single night, it appears) with Filippa Duci, resulting in the birth of a daughter. She was named Diane and proudly brought back to France as proof Henri could father children. She grew up at the French court and married the Pope’s grandson who died in battle five weeks later. Diane later married François de Montmorency, the son of one of her father’s closest friends. Catherine and Diane joined forces to eliminate the threat caused by Jane Stuart, aka Lady Fleming, a member of Marie Queen of Scots’ entourage. Henri started an affair with Jane while Diane was indisposed with a broken leg. Jane thought her future was secure when she announced she was pregnant. Diane was furious. Jane was packed off home to Scotland with the baby who was named Henri after his father. He returned to France nine years later after the death of his father. He was accepted by the French royal family. He was officially called the “Bastard of Angouleme” and given important positions by his brothers who each became King.
