Anne was from a noble family but had been one of over 30 children her father had with 3 wives. She was very intelligent and it is claimed that the family had been pragmatic enough to invest in her future as a potential royal mistress, knowing there was no money for the dowry normally required for a regular noble marriage.
François’ mother Louise did not like his long term mistress Françoise de Châteaubriant. She deliberately did not include her in the group of young women she had accompany her to meet François when he returned from captivity in Spain. Anne de Pisselieu had been part of her group and if François fell for her that would be no problem at all.
Françoise de Châteaubriant was not prepared to walk away. At 31 she was facing a determined, much younger woman who knew exactly what she wanted. Anne won the day. François made her the Duchesse d’Etampes and their affair lasted until François’ death 21 years later.
Not surprisingly, the Duchesse d’Etampes’ bedroom at Fontainebleau was situated close to François’.
It was the custom for the King to visit the mistress in her bed chamber, never the other way around.
The room was decorated by Primaticcio with large statues and frescoes representing the love stories of Alexander the Great.
Two hundred years later, King Louis XV transformed the bedroom into a staircase. However, a large section of the original décor remains, as incongruous as that may seem to visitors today.
