In case you were wondering how the mother of the Mailly sisters reacted to her daughters becoming serial mistresses of Louis XV, it is interesting to see her own history.
In 1709 she married Louis III de Mailly-Nesle. She was 17 he was 20. The following year she have birth to her first daughter – later Louis XV’s first mistress.
The year after giving birth to her fifth daughter (who became the Duchess de Châteauroux) she became involved in a duel over her lover the Duke of Richelieu.
She had become involved with the infamous playboy when she was 27. He was 22.
The Viscountess of Polignac, one of Richelieu’s other mistresses, did not take kindly to the situation. The story goes that the two women ended up fighting a duel over him – with pistols!
Mme de Mailly-Nesle was shot in the shoulder. When the Duke of Richelieu heard about the duel that evening he said it was a good thing the women had fought over him but he wouldn’t sacrifice a hair for either of them.
Mme de Mailly-Nesle then had an affair with the Duke of Bourbon. In 1725 she gave birth to their child, who was, of course, a daughter they called Henriette. She was duly recognised by her father and married a nobleman at 15.
Two years after the birth of Henriette, Mme de Mailly-Nesle was made “dame d’atour” to the new queen Marie Leszczynska. This was an important position in the Queen’s household, responsible for the Queen’s wardrobe, jewels etc. It probably helped that the Duke of Bourbon had organised the marriage of Marie Leszczynska to Louis XV and his elder sister was in charge of the Queen’s household.
When Mme de Mailly-Nesle died two years later at the age of 38, her eldest daughter Louise-Julie took over her position in the Queen’s household.
It was another sister of the Duke of Bourbon, the scandalous Mademoiselle de Charolais, who set Louis XV up with Louise-Julie Mailly-Nesle as his first mistress.
