Mistresses and Lovers of Historical Figures Who Left Their Mark on History

Mistresses and Lovers of Historical Figures Who Left Their Mark on History

Sarah January - December 17, 2019

Mistresses and Lovers of Historical Figures Who Left Their Mark on History

Madame de Montespan- Wikipedia

9. Madame de Montespan

A daughter of the House of Rouchechouart, one of the oldest noble families in France, Françoise-Athénaïs became the main mistress of the most famous kings in French history. She met and married Louis Henri de Pardaillan de Gondrin, the Marquis de Montespan in 1663. Upon marrying him, she took the title of Madame de Montespan and gave her husband two children. Due to her family name and title, she procured a position at the palace as a lady in waiting, thus giving her access to her future lover, Louis XIV.

The Madame de Montespan set her sights on Louis almost as soon as she saw him. The king’s marriage to his queen was not going to stop her from becoming his head mistress. Using her charming personality and beautiful body, she managed to seduce the king. Françoise-Athénaïs held onto Louis’s affections for a decade and bore him seven children. Unfortunately, her status as the king’s favorite mistress fell apart in 1680 when she was suspected of being involved with a series of murders known as the Affaire des Poisons. Her relationship with Louis never recovered and she lived out the rest of her life in exile before passing away at the age of 67.

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