The Commoner Who Became Royal Mistress Of ALL Versailles? | Madame de Pompadour

one of the most well-known Mistresses in French history Madame de pomidor is best known for her role as Louis the 15th lover but how did she get there how did an ordinary girl from a common family rise to become not only a royal mistress but one of the king's most trusted political advisers even after their Affair ended Madame dep pomidor started out life in Paris born on the 29th of December 1721 with the name Jean antoanet plon her parents were franois Pon A supplier for the Army and his wife Louise madaline damot a perfectly ordinary middleclass family who were doing well for themselves and she would have a baby brother come along in 1725 by the name of Abel franois however there were persistent rumors that Jean's father father was actually a man called sha franois paulon a finance here and tax collector for the king however many of these rumors about Jean's mother came later when her enemies wished to Blacken her name and we have no reliable way of knowing if they are actually true or not these rumors worsened when Jan was around four or 5 years old when her father Francois was caught up in a scandal regarding fraud and debts at the time he was food commissioner and Paris was going through the Famine of 1725 and it's likely the two events were linked as the crime was punishable with death Francois fled the country in 1726 and would not return until 10 years later when he was cleared of all charges during this time tahim became Jean's legal guardian Louise madin had to leave the comfortable Family Home and move into more modest accommodation on the rud de bonon Fon but she was a strong woman with good connections her example was no doubt a show to her young daughter of how a woman could be resilient and ambitious even in the 18th century both parents however were certain their daughter should be settled it was decided Jan should be sent to a Convent the the one at the Dominican prior at py with the nuns dedicated to sa Ursula one of franois cousins was there sister Elizabeth and one of Madeline's sisters sister perpetua to keep an eye on her hassi was also the birthplace of Louis the 9th of France and as such it became one of the centers for his cult in the 14th century the castle had been demolished to make way for the prior to be built and there were even Royal quarters built on so that there was somewhere for the king to stay when coming through many of the nuns were also Daughters of nobility who could claim descent from Louis V 9th So Not only was Jean about to receive one of the best educations young French girls could only dream of but she was also in a place surrounded by Royal propaganda and pom but when she was around 9 years old Jean was taken ill with whooping cough and sent home to her mother who nursed her back to health she had by all accounts enjoyed her time at the convent and letters from her aunts reveal she was often taken out to visit the surrounding town with her cousin and she seems to her felt settled but things were about to change there is a story that around this time Louise meline took her daughter to a then famous fortune teller Madame Lebon the fortune teller looking into her crystal ball or perhaps Jean's Palm or perhaps even the tea leaves saw something that would change young Jean's Destiny forever the fortune teller stated that Yang xan would one day rule over the heart of a king this led to Jen earning the nickname ranet meaning Little Queen from that moment forwards Louise Madeline now decided to raise her daughter to become a Royal mistress once again tonim came financially into the picture and paid for Jean to have private tutors at home Not only was he reputed to be her natural father but he was also a childless widower so it's not hard to imagine he was Charmed by little Jean and the possibilities for her sparkling future ahead however by the time Jen was 15 her father franois Pon had returned from Exile in Germany she must have barely known him and he probably didn't quite fit in the new cultured World her mother was creating for her but Jan nevertheless wholeheartedly embraced her father once more into her heart always calling him her dear father whether or not Jen had some doubts over her parentage she never showed them while her brother Abel franois was educated at Lou Lon by the Jesuit Jean was taught singing by the operatic tenor Pierre gelot the actor Jean Baptist lenu taught her elocution and she learned dancing conversation and to play the harps Accord this was a young girl being groomed for a very particular future at the age of 19 now a Charming accomplished cultivated beautiful young woman with soft brown hair eyes somewhere between blue and gray in a spelt figure Jean was ready for marriage and while she had worthwhile traits for a member of the nobility to attract a dukee or even a prince Jean had to cast her net a little lower as it turned out ton already had the perfect man for her husband and it was a move that makes it even more possible Jean was indeed his daughter Char gam Lon was tonah him's only nephew the son of his far less successful brother erve Guam antonim had been arranging his future for some time he was made a junior partner following his uncle in also becoming a tax farmer in December 1740 tahim then made Char his sole Heir disregarding all other nieces and nephews and then he suggested him as a husband for Jean on the 4th of March 1741 the marriage contract was signed between them but Sha's father refused to attend only too aware of how his son was being used poor sha was obliging but shy and very hopelessly in love with his new wife Anon also gifted them his estate of ETO when they were officially married a few days later on the 9th moving in with tham at the forest side estate it was wasn't long after her marriage that Jean fell pregnant with her first child however her health ever fragile became a cause for concern once more in September she wrote a letter to her father asking him not to worry about her but also stating that she had had two fevers during her pregnancy in December 1741 she gave birth to a little boy but he had died by the early part of the following year in 1742 Jean also began to involve herself in the salons of Paris creating her own at EOL a salon at that time was a gathering held by a host with the aim to both educate and entertain many wealthier or more connected women held their own salons amongst them Madame Jin who Jan was smart enough to flatter the daughter of in conversation Madame dupon who help an opulent court at the otel lambel but it was Madame deel who she saw as her real rival a woman who was lover to the Duke duu and hosted voler and the artists van luu and L amongst many others Jean could not compete with the sophisticated Elegance of the Parisian salons just yet instead having to be content with the countryside beauty of etole Jean had not only learned well in music and dancing but also reportedly had a beautiful singing voice and she understood how to put these talents to good use she requested a theat to be built at etolle which was of course immediately put in place no one ever able to say no to her in the Summers crowds of young duchesses elderly artists and writers and young dashing men would gather to etol to watch plays and comedies performed almost always with Jean in the lead role they would read aloud to one another in the summer evenings but the real excitement came in August when the king arrived at his nearby estate of shazi the king liked to hunt in the nearby Forest of senat and it's highly likely he had already heard of the vivacious young Jean and her salons by 1742 volter later wrote that Jean had always been assured of her Destiny in meeting the king and she took advantage of his closeness in the Summer she would ride through the forest in a sporty little carriage known as a faton wearing her most striking un lovely gowns trying to catch his eye it worked and Louie often sent her a present of wild venison he had caught while out on a hunt for his part Louis the 15th was in his prime a handsome and cultured King at the age of 32 but he was also shy and awkward in social situations often choosing to duck out of difficult talks even when it involved political or military duty he had been married at 15 to the Polish princess Maria linsa 7 years his senior and at first had been devoted to her he had 10 children with her by this point seven of whom would survive to adulthood not that he was a particularly good father barely noticing when his four younger daughters were sent to a Convent at extremely young ages or when one of his older daughters Elizabeth left for Madrid to marry Philipe Duke of Palmer a son of the Spanish King Philipe V he wasn't really very interested in family life but now he turned to Mistresses seeming to enjoy the secretive diversions of them from more important courtly matters in 1744 on the 10th of August Jean would give birth to her second child a daughter named alexandrin Jan the little girl would be doed on by her family but especially her grandfather franois as noted in a later letter by Jean who jokingly lamented at how grandparents spoil their grandchildren the little girl was given the affectionate nickname fanfan on the 8th of December 1744 the king's current mistress who had been briefly sent from Court Maran deay died in her bed at the age of just 27 it was suspected poisoning by her enemies highlighting the dangers of annoying the wrong people as a royal mistress but it nonetheless left a vacancy after May's death the the king who had also within a few years lost one of his daughters his mother figure Governor from his childhood and Cardinal defluri his father figure who had ruled with royal Ascent for many years was lonely and despondent France was involved with Charles Edward Stewart The jackaby Pretender otherwise known to history as Bonnie Prince Charlie and they were gearing up for another attempted Landing in Scotland everyone needed did Louie to cheer up and want Victory and the only way they knew how to achieve that from him was to get him a pretty woman who would help get him back to normal while we're not completely sure when the first time the King was fully introduced to Janis there were reports in early 1745 that Louie had been seen at two masquerade balls dancing with an unknown beautiful woman on the 24th of February Jean received a formal invitation to a ball the following night at versailes which was to celebrate the marriage of the Doan Louie to infanta Maria terasa of Spain the young couple came through to the crowd in the Hall of Mirrors the Doan dressed as a gardener and Maria as a flower seller followed by eight large and moving U trees made of papia mashe these UT trees were in fact disguised courtiers and the King was amongst them as soon as they entered the ladies of the Court descended on them knowing one of them was a royal but it was Jean who caught the king's eye and the two never left each other's side that night it was their first public sighting together more sightings of them followed over the next two months at more balls and seen together at the ballet and theater in separate boxes but still in view of each other other while much of the nobility accepted the King was enjoying a diance with one of paris's most attractive women none of them could accept the idea she would become something more the idea of the king taking a mistress from the Bourgeois was simply Unthinkable but by March 1745 Jean had been installed in the small Suite of rooms at versailes that Madame deay had once occupied a bedroom a small sitting room and a reception room all close to the king's Petty cabinet his studies libraries and drawing rooms where Jan would also meet his inner circle at dinner parties on the 7th of May the official separation of xan and her poor husband sha was announced one can only hope he found happiness elsewhere by June she was declared as one of Louis's official Mistresses as his met onra it went down like a lead balloon with most of the courtiers but it was obvious that the pair were actually in love xan having won her shot made sure she threw everything at flirting and seducing the king and Louie would no doubt have been bowled over by the elegant entertaining woman who was now so familiar and publicly romantic towards him but there was a rule that no Mistress of the king could be without a title something that would be repeated many years later with Madame duari on the 24th of June Louie gave Jean the title coat of arms and estate of the marquisette of pomidor making her the Maris she was now officially the title known to most people the Maris D pomidor or Madame d pomidor a few months later on the four 14th of September jeanan was formally presented to the king at court she wore the customary black robe Decor an elaborate gown with her Jewels face rouged up as all Court ladies should be and looking as elegant as ever she curtsied before the king murmured a few words the king nodded at her with unhidden embarrassment at the whole spectacle and she did the requisite three curtsies before walking out backwards carefully xan was then taken through to the Queen's rooms and everyone held their breath for what would be said but Queen Maria was not daunted and she spoke to Jan about a mutual acquaintance of theirs without batting an eyelid understanding how important it was to keep the queen on side Xian immediately responded with how much he respected Maria and a assuring her of her loyalty to please her majesty Maria seemed pleased enough with this and in future years she would often favor Jean over the king's other Mistresses but one person would not be present to see Jean's rising star at court her mother Louise meline at the age of just 46 Louise meline fell ill and on Christmas Eve 1745 she passed away at home xan went deeply into mourning secluding herself for the few days allowed before she was required back at court xan quickly understood that Louie a shy introvert at heart preferred the secretive and cozy Petty cabinet near her rooms and set about making these a Haven for him she realized that if it was she that created an amusing warm and happy place where he could relax with a small group of friends or indeed just with Jean during their intimate moments she would become indispensable without her the Haven would vanish by May 1746 Louie had to once again disappear on military campaign but he ensured Jean would have a luxurious place to wait for him buying her the chatau de cresi Southwest of Vera she was also pregnant with her first first child by the king but just a few weeks later after his return Jean miscarried it was a multiple tragedy as just a short while later on the 22nd of July the doine Maria had also died while giving birth to her daughter Marie terz of France who would herself die as an infant in 1748 after leaving his family in morning at try Louie went to CI to mourning peace with his mistress and a small trusted Entourage shortly after attention was turned to obtaining a second wife of the Doan this time a Saxon princess Maria josepher of Saxony suggested by none less than Jan herself Madame de pomidor would waste no time in cozying up to the new wife making friends with her and ensuring an ally against her enemies at court including the prince du Conti Lou amond du Bon knowing the king's attention could easily quickly move elsewhere by January 1747 Xian had constructed another theater in the petty cabinet performing comedies and plays with other ladies of the court to keep the king and his friends amused the audiences for these were very small only around 14 at most at a time those who wish to be invited into this intimate space with Louie were often left hanging and it became a matter of importance to be invited into Madame de pomidor little Society gatherings in one move Jean both kept Louie interested and elevated her position at court when the wedding ball was being arranged for the Doan's second marriage it was Jean whom the king entrusted to make a list of all the ladies of Paris who needed to attend as well as being in charge of the decor and other guest list no one recorded what the queen thought about all of this but it was true that Jean had her finger on the pulse of who was hot and who was not at the time but she also did not forget her family her father franois became the Senor De vandier and her brother Abel became monsu deander and would later become the director general of the king's buildings as well as Mar de Marin by 1748 Not only was Jean the most intimate companion of Loui but his most trusted advisor she had made allies at court amongst many influential people to the point that others wanting to be in on the action had to decide to be with her or against her even when Louie was away on campaigns he would often send a courier to Jean and awaited her advice on almost everything she was often attended at her tolet by courtiers both eager for her influence on the king and embarrassed at groeling to her she always appeared sweet and eager to help all people around her no doubt while actually feeding out who was an ally where the weaknesses of someone might be and ultimately how to place herself above all others xan was nothing if not clever at playing courtiers at their own game she also set to work winning over the royal family she commissioned natier a famous painter of the day to create a portrait of the king and queen's three youngest daughters still away at the convent the queen was overwhelmed of the wonderful painting and Arrangements began to be made for the return of the eldest daughter to versailes off the back of this event but Jean's work Whirlwind life of parties late nights theater Productions and meetings with the King took their toll on her health and sometime around 1748 she suffered yet another miscarriage many courtiers muttered about Jan seeming to keep Louie away from more important matters of state and that she barely allowed him any time to himself Jean however truly believed Louie was better when away from his work and that it was her life's work to amuse and entertain him but both became exhausted by this punishing regime by 1749 xan was once again pregnant which didn't help but a few months later she miscarried for the last time this time with rumors of possibly being poisoned by the comp de Mora the minister of the Navy a poem began doing the rounds at court alluding to Jean's inability to maintain a heal healthy pregnancy and Mora was thought to be the author Jean feared for her life and she spoke about this with Louie who dismissed the comp from Court the nobility was stunned and it only fueled rumors that the King was enthral to his mistress but their affair would eventually end in 1750 Jean's sexual relationship with Louie came to an end largely in part due to her ill health suffering from the effects on her lungs of bronchitis and whooping cough her three miscarriages and a lowered liido it went hand inand with Louie in 1751 being forced to renounce his Mistresses and repent his sins as it was a jubilee year however Jean's position at court remained high and she simply moved to being the king's friend despite not being able to have sex anymore she was still one of the most trusted people Louie had around him especially as he preferred familiar faces and Jean could be relied upon to not only tell the truth but also to offer Sound Advice she backed this up with a commission from the sculptor Jean Baptist BAL of herself as friendship or Amity offering herself humbly to a sculpture of Louie her hand over her heart she would continue to be a prominent person at court and in October 1752 Jean would be raised to a duchess and by this point she had also been moved to large palacial rooms on the ground floor at Versailles but her personal life also took blows starting with torm's death in 1751 this was followed on the 4th of June 1754 by the death of her only living child alexandr Jan of the convent of the the Assumption where she was receiving an education Jean was unable to get to her daughter in time and despite Louie himself sending two of his own doctors the little girl was already dead when they arrived it devastated pomidor and her father franois he also died 11 days later of a broken heart on the 25th of June 1754 Jean was now left with just her brother Abel franois still living and she retreated into mourning with him events around Jean as well as her previous duties meant that she took on an increasing amount of political duties such as appointing advancements offering favors and contributing advice to both foreign and domestic policy essentially Jean played at being prime minister this gave the impression once again that she was in charge and was being despotic with her favorites but in fact Louie still had final say over everything in 1755 she was approached by venzel Anton Prince of Kit reberg an Austrian Diplomat he wanted her to take part in the negotiations which would eventually lead to the Treaty of Vera and the alliance between France and Austria this Alliance would lead to France's involvement in the Seven Years War and loss for France of their American colonies and defeat at the hands of the prussians despite this pomidor continued with her support even though this war would leave France bankrupt and struggling politically in Europe xan was also responsible for bringing ettien franois dzul juko shul into office as foreign minister as he allied with her supporting his policy of suppressing the Jesuits and the 1763 Treaty of Paris which did formerly end the Seven Years War in her personal life with the King it was rumored Jean took part in setting up a harim in a small house within the parel in actual fact there was no harim but it was a place the king would meet with a single woman at a time still presumably in love with the King she was jealous of any time he spent with a lover but hidden away on the grounds of her son was better than having to compete with a pretty and clever Court favorite she once stated it is his heart I want all these little girls with no education will not take it from me I would not be so calm if I saw some pretty woman of the court or the capital trying to conquer it xan also became a great patron of the Arts she paid for the construction of a porcelain Factory at seev in 1 1959 later buying it outright and it became one of the most famous porcelain manufacturers in Europe she also patronized several artists including Jean Mark natier Francois buer Jean bapti Ron and Francois Huber dur Jean was also responsible through her building projects and Decor at versailes for encouraging the Roco style that became synonymous with France at this time with the help of busher Jean even dabbled in print making creating her own prin Engravings she also had a huge Library filled with books in both English and French and she even had some of her own copies of books printed on her own press as well as collecting others Louie remained devoted to his former mistress and this would be proven in 1764 when she fell ill ill with tuberculosis the king stayed by her side and helped nurse her himself Jean was only 42 years old but after a lifetime of hard and fast living coupled with poor health it was too much on the 15th of April at around 7:30 in the evening Jean passed away with a sto ISM towards her death as she had in life towards most encounters her body was taken away on the 17th as Louis watched From A Balcony with one of his valet and remarked voila or behold the only respects I can pay her he turned back into his study with tears on his cheeks and the body of Madame de pomidor disappeared into the rain she was buried at the kuantu capucine in Paris which was destroyed in 1806 xan certainly did everything the fortune teller predicted and a lot more than that she came from a normal middleclass family and there was no reason to assume she would be little more than the wife of a banker financier or Merchant but her charm good looks and sheer force of will transformed her into a woman who felt her Destiny with such short that she pushed herself not only into the courtly life of Vera but made herself the Mistress of it all her intelligence and political understanding would Aid her in winning over the king and while her advice could be good later it would also brush a lot of her enemies up the wrong way but much as with a later Mistress of Louis the 15th Madame duari many of the nobility were set against pomidor from the outset Jean wasn't perfect she had many flaws but she also had many good points she was a loving mother a kind soul who helped reunite the royal family and a romantic Who Loved A man deeply and loved the Arts but she was also cold when needed calculated and able to spot weakness in someone and exploit it but in the world in which Jan lived she did what any woman could aim as high as possible and prove proved she was capable of being in that place and no one could argue Madame de pomidor did not aim high and she certainly earned her place both as the king's mistress and friend and as the Undisputed Mistress of all thei if you enjoyed this video don't forget to like And subscribe so you don't miss any new documentaries [Music]

Channel: History's Forgotten People

Views: 15,808

Keywords: louis xv, palace of versailles, madame de pompadour, french royal mistresses, french history, 18th century french history, louis xv's mistresses, jeanne poisson, history of versailles, french history documentary

Id: L1Ihd7XW4qM

Length: 33min 10sec (1990 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 12 2024