Louis XIV's Mistresses

foreign [Music] mistresses [Music] Louis XIV King of France from 1638 to 1715 ruled over the court at Versailles with the sheer magnetism of his personality the Great and Mighty of France were desperate to be in the light of the Sun King His Image was Paramount to maintaining his place at the center of the universe the five foot four Monarch wore high heels and voluminous wigs and he made sure the world knew he was a virile man with plenty of Mistresses while at least 20 women came and went from his Majesty's bed he was emotionally devoted to only three women in succession Luis De La valiere Madame du montespon and finally Madame de montenor whom he secretly married after the death of his Queen let's meet the many mistresses of King Louis XIV Catherine bellier was Mistress of the bed chamber to Louie's mother Anne of Austria and enjoyed the privilege of giving the Queen Mother her regular enemas though described as ugly she was intelligent and cunning and had many lovers when the young king was a teenager his mother worried that he might suffer from the same sexual dysfunction as his father I.E be gay so she asked her 38 year old friend to deflower her 15 year old son once the deed was done the queen rewarded Catherine with an estate and a pension as it was customary to imitate the king Catherine's sexual favors were in high demand and she had even more rich and Powerful lovers she lived the high life for several years but by the time of her death at 75 she was in poverty Louise chief minister was Italian Cardinal mazarene his sister brought her five teenage daughters to Paris in the hopes that their Uncle might find them wealthy husbands the beautiful girls were collectively known as the mazarinets king Louis had love affairs with at least two of them Marie was the third Mancini sister her mother was told by a fortune teller that she would cause Scandal and she tried to shut her daughter up in a Convent sure enough 19 year old King Louis became so besotted with Marie that he wanted to marry her but a king needed to marry a foreign princess Cardinal mazarene broke the couple up Louis was wed to Maria Theresa of Spain and Marie was sent back to Italy to Wed Prince Lorenzo Colona on their wedding night he was surprised to discover that his bride was still a virgin Marie gave birth to Three Sons but her husband was abusive and she feared he would murder her she left Italy with her sister hortens who had become a lover of King Charles II of England hortens and Marie traveled Europe extensively and became two of the first women to publish memoirs Marie died at the age of 75. Luis De La valiere was the daughter of a military officer when her father died her mother married the butler to the Duke of orleon Louise became a companion to the Duke's daughters and shared in their aristocratic education gaining sophistication Beyond her humble birth Louise had an Exquisite complexion blonde hair blue eyes and a sweet smile she walked with a limp because one of her legs was shorter than the other but she wore custom shoes and was a graceful dancer she earned a coveted place as a maid of honor to King Louie's new sister-in-law on rietta of England the king's younger brother Philippe had far more interest in his male companions than in his young wife neglected onriet instead formed a close relationship with King Louis the queen mother was disturbed by the potentially incestuous situation too divert Court gossip she insisted that Louis make it appear as though he was hanging around on riyette because he was actually having an affair with one of her ladies so the king flirted shamelessly with Louise she was an innocent 16 year old and thought the King was genuinely in love with her Louis overheard her telling a friend ah if he was not the king and like a real-life Royal rom-com ruse became reality and he fell in love with her in church a bishop delivered a sermon condemning the king's adultery which troubled Pius Louise's conscience she ran away to a Convent and Louis followed her and begged her to return to him during her first pregnancy Louise was secreted away from Court her son Charles was sent to be raised by trusted servants but the news of the King's first illegitimate child soon spread dad and Louise was the focus of public scorn to honor his devout mother Louie kept his many Affairs secret but when she died in 1666 the king wanted to flaunt his adultery and virility he ordered Louise to attend Mass on his left side while his wife was on his right Louise was ashamed and once again fled to a Convent this time Louis sent a servant to retrieve her princess Henriette had a new lady in waiting the Marquis De montespon she was ambitious to become the King's new mistress and Drew his attention away from Louise who was pregnant with her fifth child Louis was ready to move on but he was unable to break up with Louise he moved Madame on to spawn into the apartments next to Louise and often walked through his old Lover's quarters to get to his new Lover's bedroom montespawn further humiliated Louise by insisting that she assist her in her toilette like a servant Louise took the abuse in the hopes that Louis would return to her he did not the king did legitimize their two surviving children and created Louise Duchess of valiere but she said they felt like retirement gifts after three years of playing the Third Wheel she gave up and decided to retire to a Convent montespond did not want Louise to leave as this would make her the object of public scorn instead she tried to frighten Louise with tales of the Stark life of anon Louise replied I shall only have to remember what you made me suffer here and all the pain shall seem light before Louise laughed she threw herself at the feet of Queen Marie Teresa and begged for her forgiveness she left for the convent and this time Louis did not ask her to return she spent the next 36 years as a nun filled with shame for the sins of her Youth and died at 65. Olympia was the second eldest Mancini sister she was vivacious with black eyes a brilliant complexion and a plum figure she was close friends with princess onriet she tried to win the king from Louise de la valiere and though he enjoyed Olympia's charms he remained in love with Louise Olympia was stung and saw Louise as an enemy she married Prince ushen Maurice of Savoy and had eight children princess onriet died mysteriously at the age of 26. there were Whispers that she had been poisoned ujen Maurice died at 38 and again poison was suspected in 1679 Marie Madeline dombre the Marquis De bronvillier was found to have poisoned her father and brothers in order to inherit their Fortune the Scandal rocked the French aristocracy and suddenly everyone was suspicious that their nearest and dearest were purchasing poisons or inheritance powders to do away with them the resulting Witch Hunt was known as The Affair of the poisons Olympia was accused of having poisoned princess onrieta and her husband and plotting to kill Luis De La valiere she was even said to have threatened the king saying come back to me or you will be sorry she was probably innocent as both Henriette and her husband likely died of illness she escaped a rest by fleeing the country Olympia became a lady in waiting to honriette's daughter Maria Louisa who had just married King Carlos II to Spain she died at 26th of appendicitis but the tragedy cast suspicion on Olympia who was once again forced to flee she died in Brussels on her 70th birthday born to pass de Decor was born into a Protestant Huguenot family but she and her sister converted to Catholicism in the hopes of winning Rich husbands because of her beauty bone was selected as a maid of honor to Queen Maria Theresa she had a brief affair with the king during his relationship with Luis De La valiere upon learning of Bond's Royal romance her uncle took her away from Court there were rumors that he had forced his niece to become his own mistress at 22 she wed the Marquis De Decor the pair moved back to court where he served as the king's master of hunting dogs and Bonn was known as the grand she-wolf she lived at court until her death at 65. katarine Charlotte Doug Ramon was from a prominent aristocratic family her brother guy Armand conducted simultaneous affairs with Philippe Duke of Orlean and his wife princess Henriette katarine fell in love with her cousin Antonin nonpar the pair were not allowed to marry but they had an affair anyway katarine was wed two Louis de Grimaldi heir to the Prince of Monaco a tiny Nation on the French Riviera katarine had little interest in the vivacious Italian and was horrified when he inherited his throne two years later and she was forced to leave the French court she found Monaco a deadly doll but was somewhat cheered by her lover Antonin who followed her there in Disguise the princess gave birth to seven children all claimed by the Prince of Monaco but how he could be sure they were his is anyone's guess after much chiding Louis agreed to take his wife back to Paris where she became a lady in waiting to princess onriet the women began a lesbian love affair katarine's Beauty and wit attracted many lovers including King Louis himself she was described as greedy for pleasure and was nicknamed katarine the torrent her jilted husband nearly got into a duel with one of her lovers katarines amors finally led to her downfall she slept with an enemy of princess onriet and was exiled from court to compound her misery her longtime lover Antonin finally married katarine reluctantly returned to Monaco for four years but she managed to secure herself a new position as a lady in waiting to Madame Dumont to spawn and she was thrilled to return to Paris and her many lovers katarine died of cancer at the age of 39. her eldest son Antoine became Prince of Monaco and through him katarine is an ancestor of the current Prince Albert II Gabrielle de Rocha schwa de motimar had a brief affair with the king before her younger sister Francoise ateneis took over his Majesty's affections Gabrielle supported her sister and was at her bedside when she gave birth to her first child Gabrielle married the Marquis De chance and had four children she lived to the age of 60 and is also an ancestor of Prince Albert II of Monaco through his paternal grandfather Prince Pierre Duke of valentinois Francois atenais duration Marquis De montispon was the Scion of two of France's oldest noble families she had large Blue Eyes thick curly corn colored hair a curvaceous figure and was considered a great Beauty at 20 she became a maid of honor to princess onriet she fell in love with a courtier but he killed a man in a duel and had to flee France so instead she married Louis Henri the Marquis De Montes ball two weeks after giving birth to her first child she danced in a court ballet Francoise was the reigning Beauty at court she was cultured stylish and amusing conversationalist and possessed a biting wit which she used to mock others many men courted her but she had her sights set higher she cultivated friendships with both the queen and Louise de la valiere until she became a frequent guest at the king's table both women left court at the same time to give birth that's when Francoise struck she arranged for the king to see her bathing and she accidentally dropped her towel it was all over for Louis Francois became the king's official mistress or mitres on titre she also in enjoyed humiliating Louise until she finally gave up and left court to become a nun Francoise gave birth to seven children by the king sadly only four survived to adulthood they were all legitimized by their father and given Grand titles their governess Francoise dubignier raised them and they rarely saw their mother who was immersed in her affair with the king and the social world of court she had extravagant taste her rooms were filled with exotic pets and flowers and she had a private Art Gallery the king showered costly Jewels upon her but she sent back gems that did not meet her standards Louis ordered a giant Pink marble bathtub for their trysts and had it installed in the new Palace he was building at Versailles by 1677 Francoise had been at the king's primary mistress for 10 years nine pregnancies and her love of rich foods had caused her to lose her figure she was also losing his Majesty's attention to the many young ladies at court eager to advance themselves through a royal Romance when the affair of the poisons broke out Francoise was accused of having conspired with fortune teller La boison it was said that the women performed black masses over Francois naked body and that they sacrificed babies no evidence against her was found she was shielded from prosecution but her reputation was ruined and Louis no longer trusted her he dismissed her from court but granted her a pension of half a million francs she gave generously to chair Charities and hospitals and patronized artists and writers she died at 66. and the Ruan shambol was the daughter of a princess who eloped with a nobleman at 15 she married a military officer whom she loved dearly and was a great Beauty with red hair fair skin and almond eyes she maintained her figure with a strict diet of chicken salad fruit dairy products and watered wine while the King was in the midst of the drama between his old mistress Luis De La valiere and his new mistress Madame de montespawn he escaped Court to visit the Chateau duchampor there he met Anne and they began an affair he appointed her a lady in waiting to his Queen and gave birth to a son Armand who strongly resembled the king Louis granted large sums of money to Anne's husband for looking the other way Anne and the King had an on off Affair for six years but when he became devoted to Madame de montane on and bowed away from court and retired to an estate with her husband Isabel deluda was the daughter of a minor Noble when she was 15 the 58 year old Duke of Lorraine fell in lust with her he had already left his first wife bigamistly married a baroness then abandoned her and their child but before he wed Isabel he left her for a 14 year old when she complained the Duke threatened to send her to prison for slandering a Noble at 17 Isabel became a maid of honor to princess onriet when she died Isabel served Queen Maria Theresa Isabelle's Beauty and accent attracted many men at court but she rejected them all while the King was in a fight with Madame de montespawn he turned to Isabel she couldn't reject the king and they began an affair montespawn was Furious she mocked Isabelle's accent and spread rumor Earth that she had leprosy multispawn and Louis made up and the King pretended to end things with Isabel but when montespawn left to give birth Louis diverted himself with Isabel once more she bragged that she would be replacing a montespawn as the new official mistress and soon the ladies at court were curtsying to her but the King was irritated with her boldness and when montespawn returned he sent Isabelle away Louis did offer her a pension but in her Fury she refused when her debts piled up she came back asking for the pension after all Isabelle never married and lived to 79. her cook and chambermaid were the grandparents of Madame duberry the Mistress of King Louis XV was the daughter of a famous actress she became a trusted lady's companion to Madame de montespawn who asked her to sleep with the King while she was away giving birth so that no other Rivals would take her place Claude gave birth to one child by the king during the affair of the poisons she was said to have made over 50 visits to the poisoners and was alleged to have been involved with black masses along with Madame de montespawn Claude may have wanted to kill the king for refusing to legitimize her daughter she was shielded from prosecution but banished from court she retired to a comfortable life in Paris and at her country estate was the daughter of a poor Noble family her parents realized that her remarkable Beauty could be an asset so they raised funds to Center to court as a maid of honor to the king's sister-in-law Elizabeth Charlotte Duchess of orleol Elizabeth described Angelique as lovely as an angel but stupid as a basket at the time Louis was falling out of love with Madame Dumont to spawn and was often in the company of his children's governess but when 17 year old Angelique walked on the scene Louis forgot both of the other women and their Fierce rivalry was rendered moot in her company the 41 year old King felt young again he dressed splendidly and presented her with a pearl gray carriage and eight horses while the couple were out hunting angelique's cap was caught in a branch so she hide the top of her hair with a ribbon Louis liked The Rustic style and the next day all the ladies of Court were imitating it Angelique became pregnant infuriating Madame de multiple to spawn somehow her two pet Bears escaped their Menagerie and managed to find and destroy angelique's Apartments she gave birth prematurely to a stillborn son the king grew tired of her and he created her at Duchess Al fontage as a Parting Gift Angelique retired to a Convent where she gave birth to a second stillborn child knowing she would die she begged to see the king one last time some say he came and wept at her bedside though it is more likely that he had already forgotten about her she died at just 19. there were rumors that Madame de want to spawn had poisoned her but she more likely died of tuberculosis and complications of childbirth the hairstyle she inspired now called a fontage grew to Preposterous Heights and became popular throughout Europe Francoise to Benin Marquis De montenon was born outside of a prison in Paris her father was a Huguenot who had been jailed for conspiring against Cardinal Richelieu he seduced the daughter of his Jailer resulting in Francoise birth when her father's sentence was up he took his family to a French Caribbean Colony Martinique for a few years and then abandoned them Francois mother was able to get her children back to France where she promptly died orphaned Francoise was taken in by her paternal Aunt who gave her a few happy years she thrived in a Protestant education rich in literature and science but when her godmother learned of this she insisted Francoise be sent to a Convent she resented her now limited education but she became a devout Catholic when she was 17 her godmother entered introduced her to Paris High Society she met poet Paul scaron 25 years her senior who suffered from crippling pain but they cared for each other and married she was more a nurse than a wife to Paul who encouraged her to further her education after eight years together Paul died his Royal patronage stopped and Francoise was left penniless she planned to move to Lisbon to serve Queen Marie Francoise but before she left she had a fateful meeting with Madame de Montes born she liked Francoise so much that she asked her to be the governess to her own children Francoise raised and cared for them at Chateau de San Germaine she also saw the king frequently and was one of the few people permitted to speak to him as an equal Louis was drawn to her steady nature in contrast to Madame de montespawn's temper and theatrics he spent much of his time in her company discussing politics economics and religion Louis rewarded her with 200 000 Libra which she used to purchase an estate at multinon the King created her Marquis De montanon after the estate montespawn grew jealous and fought with wanton frequently over the children but in the 1680s the affair of the poisons saw montespawn banished from the palace and Montana took her place at the king's side Francoise was 45 three years older than King Louis Queen Maria Theresa had been treated rudely by Montes Ball but Francoise treated her with respect the queen died at the age of 44. on her deathbed she gave Francoise a ring from her finger as a token of her esteem a few months later Francois was and the King were married in a secret midnight ceremony by the Archbishop of Paris the union was Morgan attic meaning that Francoise did not become Queen and any children they might have had would not have been included in the succession she was given at Grand Apartments opposite the king he did not take any more Mistresses at least publicly Francois was the most politically important person in France after the king and was an unofficial prime minister she founded Maison Royale de San Luis a school for impoverished Noble girls she was a second mother to her students and provided them with an enlightened education far beyond what she had received in 1715 King Louis XIV died of gangrene four days before his 77th birthday Francoise had been the old King's companion for three decade AIDS she lived another four years at the sansare monastery there she was visited by Tsar Peter the Great of Russia he remarked that she had done a great service to the king and the nation Francoise died at 83 and was buried beneath the choir at sancier in the next episode we'll meet King Louie's 16 illegitimate children some were granted Grand titles Estates and marriages while some were ignored by their deadbeat Royal dad don't want to wait to see the next episode patrons get exclusive Early Access to almost all of my multi-part series on patreon early if you would like to become a patron and help me make more fascinating history videos check out the link in the description thank you for watching

Channel: History Tea Time with Lindsay Holiday

Views: 577,502

Keywords: history, documentary, royal family, royalty, historic costumes, queen, queens of the world, european royalty, womens history, Royal history, Lindsay Holiday, Lindsay Holliday, History tea time, History tea time with Lindsay Holiday, royal mistresses, mistresses of Louis XIV, louis xiv, versailles, palace of versailles, louis xiv mistresses, madame de montespan, madame de maintenon, madame de montespan versailles, madame de montespan documentary, french history, france history

Id: e44_Q5N2i_I

Length: 27min 57sec (1677 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 15 2022