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Louise de La Vallière

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For the 1922 film, see Louise de Lavallière (film).

Louise de La Vallière
O.C.D.
Portrait by Pierre Mignard I
Born
Françoise-Louise de La Blaume Le Blanc

(1644-08-06)6 August 1644
Tours, Kingdom of France
Died6 June 1710(1710-06-06) (aged 65)
Paris, Kingdom of France
Burial placeCemetery of the Carmelite convent in Notre-Dame-des-Champs, Paris
Other namesMademoiselle de La Vallière
Sœur Louise de la Miséricorde
Known forMistress of Louis XIV
TitleDuchess de La Vallière, Duchess of Vaujours
SuccessorMarie Anne de Bourbon
Children5, including
Marie Anne de Bourbon
Louis, Count of Vermandois
Parent(s)Laurent de la Blaume Le Blanc de La Vallière
Marie-Françoise Le Provost de la Coutelaye

Françoise-Louise de La Baume Le Blanc, Duchess of La Vallière and Vaujours (6 August 1644 – 6 June 1710) was a French noblewoman and a mistress of King Louis XIV of France from 1661 to 1667.

La Vallière joined the royal court in 1661 as maid-of-honour to Henrietta of England. She soon became King Louis XIV's mistress. She was an important participant in the court's intellectual life, interested in the arts, literature, and philosophy. In 1666, she was replaced by Madame de Montespan but also created a suo jure duchess and invested with lands. Two of her five children by the King, Marie-Anne, Mademoiselle de Blois (Princess of Conti by marriage) and Louis, Count of Vermandois, survived infancy and were legitimised.

After an illness in 1670, La Vallière turned to religion, and wrote a popular devotional book. In 1674, she entered a Carmelite convent in Paris, where she died in 1710.

Ancestry and early life[edit]

Family[edit]

Françoise-Louise de La Baume Le Blanc [fr], Mademoiselle de La Vallière was born on 6 August 1644[1] at the Hôtel de la Crouzille [fr] (also known as Hôtel de la Vallière) in Tours as the daughter of Laurent de La Baume Le Blanc,[2] Seigneur of La Vallière (1611–1651) and his wife, Marie-Françoise Le Provost de La Coutelaye (died 1686).[3] Her father, a knight, was captain lieutenant of the mestre de campe of the light cavalry.[4] She had an older brother, Jean-François, later Marquess of La Vallière (1642–.[5]

For La Vallière’s paternal family, their Catholic faith and loyalty to the king were important values.[6][7][8] Many of them chose an ecclesiastical career[6] and many attained high ranks in the military.[3][9] Her maternal family, the Le Provosts, belonged to the noblesse de robe.[6] Her father was governor of the Castle of Amboise[2][3] where she occasionally visited him.[10] He was a devout Catholic who practiced various acts of penance.[8] During the Fronde, in March 1651, he held Amboise against the forces of the revolt, protecting Tours, which would have been crucial for them to win. He remained loyal to King Louis XIV despite Anne-Marie-Louise of Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier (known as ‘la Grande Mademoiselle’) trying to persuade him to join the revolt.[11]

Childhood[edit]

Black-and-white bust portrait of a middle-aged-man in an oval frame. He is wearing a cassock (buttoned-up clerical coat) and a large cross in his neck on a band. On his head, he has a black zucchetto, the small, hemispherical, form-fitting skullcap of Catholic clerics. Under him, the coat of arms (depicting a leopard) of his family is displayed.
Gilles de La Baume Le Blanc de La Vallière later in life, as bishop.

La Vallière and her brother was raised at the family seat, the Castle of La Vallière.[8] Their uncle, Gilles de La Vallière (born 1616) was responsible for their education. Louise was raised by the Ursuline nuns in Tours [fr], where her two of her aunts lived.[3][12] She was instructed in reading, grammar, musical composition, and public speaking.[6] Her father had a library of forty-four folios, extensive for the time.[13] The family also owned horses, and she may have gained her love of equitation then. It is possible that her limping in later life was caused by an injury she suffered at this time.[14]

Laurent de La Baume Le Blanc died in the summer of 1651,[5] leaving more debt than money. His wife decided to reclaim her substantial dowry together with her dower so that she could remarry. This would have also meant relinquishing guardianship of her children and depriving them of their maternal inheritance. After negotiations with her husband’s family, she agreed to settle the debts and accepted the furnishings of the family home at an increased value in place of her dower. She then rented the furniture back to her children with an interest.[15][16] What happened to La Vallière at this time is unknown, but she may have been sent to the her aunts’ convent.[17]

Life in the household of Gaston, Duke of Orléans[edit]

In March 1655, Françoise Le Provost married Jacques de Courtavel, Marquess of Saint-Rémy, maître d’hôtel (butler) of the exiled Gaston, Duke of Orléans (uncle of Louis XIV).[18] He had a daughter, Catherine, who was La Vallière’s age,[19] and the couple had a daughter from their union.[20] The family moved to the Duke’s household in Blois[2][21][22] La Vallière and her stepsister became demoiselles de compagnie (lady's companions) to the Duke’s daughters.[11] They also met the Grande Mademoiselle, paternal half-sister of the princesses, exiled, like her father, for her participation in the Fronde.[23]

The three daughters of Gaston, Duke of Orléans from his second marriage
Bust portrait of a young woman in an ornate frame. She has dark, curly hair, pinned up, with some strands in her forehead. Her face is oval-shaped, with narrow eyes, a small mouth, thin eyebrows, a long nose, a low forehead, and a round chin. She is wearing pearls around her neck and in her hair. The dress is made of a heavy material, with large sleeve that leave the shoulders visible. The excessive material of the sleeves are pinned up with large broches, with a third one at the middle of the neckline, which is also embellished with three lines of perls. There are two more vertical lines of pearls visible on her upper body. Behind her is a heavy curtain, pulled away to reveal and a background scene of a hunt, with men on horses, leading dogs. The engraving is inscribed in French: ‘Marguerite de Vallois, Fille de Gaston Fils de France Duc D’orleans, et de Marguerite de Lorraine, grande Princesse de Toscane, nasquit a Paris le 13e d'octobre mil six cent quarante et huiet’ (Marguerite of Valois, daughter of Gaston, fils de France, Duke of Orléans and of Marguerite of Lorraine, Grand Princess of Tuscany, born in Paris the 13th of October 1648).
Engraved portrait of Marguerite-Louise, Mademoiselle d’Orléans by Jean Frosne from the 1660s.
Bust portrait of a young woman, seated. She is wearing a yellow dress with puffy sleeves extending just below her elbow, where it is established with little, faint blue ribbons. Its upper body is embellished with pearls and small black gems. She has her hands crossed in her lap. She is wearing a pearl necklace; her shoulders are relieved by the cut of her dress, on which there is piece of see-through material, arranged in the shape of a shall in the middle, with a small faint blue ribbon on it Her dark, curly hair blends into the black background; she is wearing pearls in it as well as in her ear. She has a low forehead, small eyes, a larger nose, a small mouth, a round chin, and an ova-shaped face.
Élisabeth-Marguerite (or Isabelle), Mademoiselle d’Alençon around 1670 on a portrait by Henri and Charles Beaubrun.
Black-and-white bust portrait of a young woman or girl. She has a small, oval face, with a prominent nose, almond-shaped eyes, thin, dark eyebrows, a small mouth, a high forehead, and a round chin. Her curly hair is pinned up, with some strands over her forehead and a line of pearls on top. She also has pearls around her neck and in her ear. The neckline of her dress is embellished with pearls and gemstones.
Miniature portrait of Françoise-Madeleine, Mademoiselle de Valois by Giuseppe Lavy, from between 1758 and 1766.

There were five or six companion girls in the household, including Anne-Constance de Montalais, who would remain La Vallière’s friend. Lair says their education was neglected, while Conley claims that they were taught painting, music, etiquette, and equitation, as well as literature and philosophy by the Duke’s almoner, Armand-Jean le Bouthillier de Rancé. La Vallière may have been introduced to neo-Aristotelian thought by Rancé.[6] Huertas argues that La Vallière had to receive a good education based on her exceptional spelling.[24] Petitfils sees her education as more rudimentary, being only in ‘reading, prayer, [...] sewing, and embroidery’, but agrees that she was well-trained in the necessary skills for a career at court (such as dancing and horse riding).[22] King Louis XIV was an important topic of conversation among the girls due to plans that the eldest Orléans princess would marry him.[17] In August 1659, the King visited Blois; this was the first time La Vallière saw him.[25] Around the same time, Jacques de Bragenlonge, son of the Duke’s intendant, fell in love with her. They exchanged letters which were discovered by her mother, who forbade her from writing to him.[26] She had a ‘good reputation’; the Duke once said that La Vallière certainly did not take part in mischief, as ‘she [was] too sensible for that’. Later in life, she attributed the ‘beginning of [her] fall’ to the self-assurance she gained from this praise.[24]

In February 1660, the Duke died. His widow, Marguerite of Lorraine, moved to the Luxembourg Palace.[26][27] The Orléans daughters and their friends spent their time with balls and feasts organised by the Grande Mademoiselle.[28] In August 1660, La Vallière was present at the joyeuse entrée of Louis and his new wife, Maria Theresa of Spain, into Paris.[29]

Secret lover of Louis XIV[edit]

Background[edit]

Black-and-white engraving, face of a young woman. She is wearing large pearls on her neck and a gown with a deep cleavage. Her hair is fashioned into curls.
Madame on an anonymous engraving from around 1662.

In April 1661, the King’s younger brother, Philippe, Duke of Orléans, married Henrietta of England (they were known as ‘Monsieur’ and ‘Madame’). Madame’s household was organised by Madame de Choisy, Jeanne de Bélesbat de Hurault,[30] a distant relative of La Vallière and wife of the chancellor of the late Duke of Orléans.[26][27][31] She placed La Vallière and Montalais in the new Orléans household as filles d'honneur.[32] La Vallière and her brother (who was embarking on a military career) needed loans, but nobody was willing to lend to minors. A judge instructed their mother and stepfather to borrow money for them.[20] La Vallière joined the Orléans household in the Tuileries Palace after the wedding.[33][34] On 19 April, they went to the court in Fontainebleau.[2][35] The King’s attendants courted to the maids-of-honour of Madame; La Vallière’s suitor was Armand de Gramont, Count of Guiche.[36]

A young woman seated outside, by a large gray marble column, under a heavy red curtain that is pulled to the side. She is sitting on a red velvet chair. She is wearing a heavy dress and mantle made of blue velvet, embroidered everywhere with large golden fleurs-de-lis. Her shoulder is left partly visible, but is partly covered by white lace. She is wering a large golden broche with a black stone, and a long white pearl hanging from it. Her dress is lined with ermine. On one hand, she is wearing an off-white glove embellished with small red feathers at the elbow, holding the other glove. She has an oval face with a small double chin, round eyes, and small lips. She has light blonde hair, curled.
Queen Maria Theresa in her regalia, on a painting by Jean Nocret from around 1660.

The King and Madame grew close; Louis’ wife Maria Theresa, his mother, Anne of Austria, and his brother Monsieur disapproved.[37][38] Rumours spread that the King and his sister-in-law were in love.[6] The King may have been advised to pretend to be in love with others,[2][6] or they may have decided so with Madame.[39] Huertas and Petitfils suggest that the ploy was Henrietta’s idea to deceive the Queen Mother.[40][41] Olympia Mancini, Countess of Soissons, assisted them.[41] Henrietta may have chosen the young ladies who would serve as decoys herself, including La Vallière and Bonne de Pons d’Heudicourt.[41]

The King fell in love with La Vallière. She probably believed his feelings to have been sincere from the beginning and reciprocated them.[2][6] They exchanged letters through Jacques-Louis de Beringhen [fr; de], the King's premier écuyer (‘first squire’).[41] Biographers agree that around the end of July 1661, after six weeks of courtship, La Vallière became the King’s lover.[39][41][42] The Queen Mother noticed that her son neglected religious practice, and around mid-July learnt about La Vallière. She asked Louis to think of his duty to his country and to God, and told her to hide his feelings for La Vallière from his wife. Louis did not end his relationship but promised to conduct it secretly.[43]

Middle-aged woman with gray hair in front of a dark brown background. She is wearing a simple black gown, her shoulder covered with white cloth. She is wearing a few large pearls in her ear, on a broche, and around her neck. Her hair is curled and under a simple, long blck veil that extends in a triangle onto her tall forehead. She has a prominent nose, grayish blue eyes, small lips, and a doble chin.
Portrait of Anne of Austria from around 1660 from the workshop of Henri and Charles Beaubrun, after an original by Pierre Mignard.

La Vallière seems to have been an ‘innocent’,[2] ‘submissive’, ‘natural[ly] modest’,[44] ‘sincere’, even ‘naïve’ girl, different from the women Louis had known,[45] but corresponding to contemporary feminine ideals.[44] She was not flirtatious and did not act out of self-interest,[2] but exhibited ‘absolute loyalty’ to the King.[46] She was described as tall, slim, and graceful despite her limp. She had blue eyes, fine,[46] silver-blond hair, and a beautiful voice.[47] Fraser suggests that La Vallière refrained from pursuing material benefits from her relationship because she needed to conceptualise it as ‘pure’ or ‘holy’ to fit it into her religious worldview.[44]

In his memoirs, Louis-Henri de Loménie de Brienne [fr], claimed to have been in love with La Vallière, not knowing about her affair. He asked her to sit as model for a painting of Mary Magdalene; the King discovered them, and Brienne complimented La Vallière’s appearance to him, embarrassing her. Later, when he saw Louis and La Vallière talk, he understood that the King was in with her. The King then questioned him about his feelings and asked for his painting of La Vallière; he promised never to talk to her again.[48] However, by the time this story supposedly happened, Brienne had probably already heard about the King’s affair from the Queen Mother.[49]

First years of the relationship[edit]

Engraved portrait of Louis XIV by Abraham van Diepenbeeck and Adriaen Millaert from 1660, commemorating his wedding with Maria Theresa of Spain.

Nicolas Fouquet, superintendent of finances noticed that the King was neglecting his religious and administrative duties. He learnt La Vallière’s identity by 27 June[50] through his extensive network of spies. He decided to establish a relationship with the new favourite[51] and sent her a letter complimenting her appearance and offering her a bribe,[42] which she refused. He then attempted to talk to her. La Vallière informed the King, who seems to have believed that Fouquet wanted to sleep with her. This probably added to his resentment against Fouquet, whose vast fortune, probably embezzled, he envied.[51] In September, Fouquet was arrested and accused of embezzlement and lèse-majesté; he remained imprisoned until his death in 1680.[52][53]

La Vallière became isolated because of her relationship, as Madame resented her for it.[51] The devotion of the King for La Vallière was strenghtened when, in October, he had a conflict with his wife who supported his father, Philip IV of Spain in a diplomatic conflict.[51][54] When the Orléans household was briefly established at Saint-Cloud, the King regularly dined there, making the long journey from Fontaineblau (around 70 km or 43 miles) daily, probably to see La Vallière.[51][55] Monsieur and Madame joined the court at Saint-Cloud before, on 4 November, the Queen gave birth to the Dauphin, Louis. On 25 November, Madame (and La Vallière) left court.[56] The King went on a pilgrimage, but on 10 December, he visited Madame. In the following weeks he did so regularly, perhaps continuing his affair with La Vallière.[57] La Vallière grew closer with Montalais. According to Madame de La Fayette, a contemporary who later wrote a fictionalised biography of Madame, the King disapproved, considering Montalais to be a ‘schemer’.[58] He seems to have been jealous of any close relationships La Vallière may have had.[59] He did not like her mother and she was rarely permitted to see La Vallière.[60]

Engraved portrait of Louis XIV from 1664 by Robert Nanteuil, after a painting by Pierre Mignard.

For Lent 1662, the court invited a guest preacher, Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet. He delivered a series of sermons criticising the King’s behaviour through biblical examples.[61] In late February, Louis questioned La Vallière about an alleged affair between Madame and the Count of Guiche but she refused to answer.[2][59][62] After their argument, troubled by Bossuet’s sermons,[63] she fled the Tuileries for the Augustinian Convent of Sainte-Pélerine in Chaillot.[59][64] The King was informed during an audience with Spanish envoys, rushed the talks, and went to search for her personally. He gained entrance to the convent and took her back amid fears that his wife would learn of his affair because of La Vallière’s disappearance.[59][65] La Fayette claims that Madame and Monsieur were reluctant to admit La Vallière back into their household; eventually, she was permitted to stay.[66] The King’s affair became public when he failed to take communion on Easter. His failure to participate in the Eucharist had already been noted, but when he did not receive the sacrament on Easter (all Catholics were commanded to do so then), it caused a ‘scandal’. Since people who were ‘living in sin’, such as committing adultery, could not receive the Eucharist, all courtiers became aware that Louis was conducting a sexual affair.[67]

Bust portrait of a younger middle-aged woman. She has her greyish-blonde, possibly powdered, hair curled up on top of her hair, with pearls braided into it. She has a high forhead and long, narrow, brown eyes. She has a slight double chin, small, red lips, a long, prominent nose. She is wearing pearls around her neck. Her gown is made of a heavy, silvery-white material, mebroidered with golden floral motifs. It also has some lace at its low neckline and a small broche with pearls.
Undated contmporary portrait of Olympia Mancini, Countess of Soissons by Pierre Mignard.

In March 1662, Olympia Mancini, Countess of Soissons conspired with the Count of Guiche and François-René Crespin du Bec, Marquis of Vardes [fr; de][68] for La Vallière’s downfall to replace her with someone she could control. She was jealous as she had previously also attracted Louis.[69] She sent an anonymous letter in Spanish to the Queen, informing her of her husband’s adultery and accusing La Vallière of trying to undermine her position.[2][70] The message was intercepted and given to the King, who exiled Guiche.[71] In the summer of 1662, while he was in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Soissons drew the King’s attention to Anne-Lucie de La Mothe-Houdancourt.[72][73] She was famous for her beauty and for not granting favours to any of her numerous admirers; the King pursued her for some time, but the attempt failed.[73]

In 1663, Louis gave a pension to La Vallière’s brother, the Marquess of La Vallière, and married him to a wealthy heiress.[74] He put him in charge of a cavalry unit despite his lack of experience.[75] After this public show of favour, in July 1663, Soissons and Madame informed the Queen of the King’s affair;[76] Maria Theresa was devastated and the King furious.[77] Fraser and Petitfils argue that Maria Theresa had to have already suspected her husband’s infidelity;[77][78] in 1662, while giving birth to her second child, she saw La Vallière pass through the room, and said in Spanish, ‘this maiden […] is the one the King wants’.[78][79]

First pregnancy and aftermath[edit]

In the summer of 1663, La Vallière became pregnant.[80] The Queen Mother was suspicious and organised a game of jeu de volant for the maids-of-honour of Madame, which pregnant women usually avoided as a safety precaution. La Vallière played, which silenced rumours.[77] In late August, the King left on a military campaign. His chief minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, transmitted letters between the couple. When Louis returned in October, La Vallière left Madame's service; the King bought her the small Palais Brion near the Palais-Royal. She never left the house and received guests in bed.[81] She suffered from headaches and sometimes could not see.[82] Colbert planned for the child to be raised by his servants, Guy Focart, known as Beauchamp, and his wife, Clémence Pré;[82] they were told that it was an illegitimate child of Colbert’s brother. On 19 December 1663, at around three in the morning, La Vallière gave birth to a son. At six, the physician, Dr Boucher (who also delivered the Queen’s children)[51] took him to a carriage with the Beauchamps who transported him to Saint-Leu. He was christened Charles, registered as the son of ‘Monsieur de Lincourt’ and ‘Élisabeth de Beux’, with Beauchamp and his wife as godparents.[83][84] He died in infancy.[85]

Despite precautions, the story spread. People speculated about La Vallière’s disappearance and a talk the King had with Dr Boucher. La Vallière attended midnight mass on 24 December to counter the rumours, but scorn was so great that she escaped from the church. Courtiers observed that she was ‘very pale’ and ‘much changed’, taking this as proof that she had given birth.[86] The situation was worsened by a story invented by Boucher: at the same time as he was helping La Vallière, another lady called for him. To explain his absence, he told her that he had been blindfolded and taken to deliver the child of a masked woman. Courtiers said that the woman was La Vallière.[82] After the birth, with the Queen aware of the affair, it was impossible to hide the relationship. La Vallière became isolated, as ladies who wanted to retain the favour of the queens did not associate with her. She continued living in the Palais Brion, where only a few male courtiers visited her. As companion, she was assigned Claude-Marie du Guast d’Artigny[87] who spied on her for the King.[88]

The theatre installed for the premiere of The Princess of Elid on a contemporary engraving by Israel Silvestre.[89]

Les Plaisirs de l'île enchantée[edit]

Between 5 and 14 May 1664, Louis XIV hosted and personally planned a feast called Les Plaisirs de l’île enchantée (‘The Pleasures of the Enchanted Isle’) in Versailles (this was the first major event there).[90] The event was officially dedicated to Queen Maria Theresa and the Queen Mother, but was secretly addressed to La Vallière.[91] She was present and seated at the royal table,[92] even though she was no longer a member of the Orléans household.[91] In June, Louis and his mother had an argument; the Queen Mother reminded her son of the ‘peril to his salvation’. Crying, he told his mother that he was ‘sometimes’ ashamed but that his ‘passions had become stronger than his reason’ and he no longer even wanted to end his affair.[93][94]

Maîtresse-en-titre[edit]

Louis moved La Vallière back to court. His relationship with his mother deteriorated, and they briefly stopped talking.[93][95] In September, he took La Vallière to a reunion with his brother and sister-in-law in Villers-Cotterêts. The Queen, who was pregnant, could not attend and was distraught by his behaviour. According to the memoir of a contemporary, Françoise Bertaut de Motteville, the King promised her wife that after the age of thirty (he was then twenty-six), he would be an ‘examplary husband’, but left with La Vallière.[93][94][96]

La Vallière as Flora on a portrait by Pierre Mignard.

Lair considers La Vallière as official favourite from the time of the festivities at Villers-Cotterêts, where she was presented into the company of Madame. Courtiers now sought to be close to her. When they returned to Vincennes, the King took his mistress to the Queen Mother’s salon and led her to play cards with Monsieur and Madame. Neither queen was present,[97] but they were enraged to learn of his behaviour.[93] Petitfils argues that the King made the decision to declare La Vallière maîtresse-en-titre out of love, despite his desire to avoid offending either public morals or his wife and mother. Seeing La Vallière’s isolation, he wanted to legtimate her position as far as possible. Whether La Vallière asked him to do so, or whether she even wanted the position herself, is unknown. A contemporary observer noted that La Vallière had ‘never shown any pride’ when she received the monarch’s visits. The King lived with her openly, going on walks, hunts, and carriage rides in public.[93]

On 8 December 1664, Armand-Charles de La Porte, Duke of La Meilleraye, husband of Hortense Mancini and an extremely jealous person, publicly rebuked the King for ‘scandalising the nation’ and urged him to ‘correct himself’, claiming to be ‘speaking from God’. The King ridiculed him by touching his forehead and saying, ‘I have always suspected that you have some injury there’ (the exact words have been recorded differently in separate primary sources).[93] The Duke retired from court and public life.[96] Many courtiers were offended by the King’s open adultery,[93] but one diplomat reported that the common people were singing songs about the affair and considered the King’s choice a mark of good taste, as La Vallière was seen as more attractive than the Queen.[93]

Second pregnancy and marriage plans[edit]

On 7 January 1665 at noon, La Vallière gave birth to a second son,[93][98] in the Palais Brion with Dr Boucher.[99] At nine in the evening, the physician gave the newborn to Colbert who delivered him to Monsieur Bernard, his servant; he was baptised Philippe, registered as the son of ‘François Derssy, bourgeois’ and his wife, ‘Marguerite Bernard’.[85] La Vallière’s firstborn, Charles, died within two years of his birth,[84] probably of influenza.[100] Philippe was raised in the Tuileries by Colbert’s wife, Marie Charron. The King visited him often and grew to love him. The child, who was ‘robust’ and ‘promised much’ was said to resemble him.[100] He died unexpectedly of a cardiac arrest at the end of July 1666.[101]

Queen Maria Theresa, still gravely ill, asked her husband to arrange La Vallière’s marriage; he agreed that she could wed if the queens found a match.[102] Arranging a marriage for their extramarital partners was a common way for monarchs to provide for them, but marrying would have defeated La Vallière’s idea of a ‘holy devotion’ to her sovereign.[103] According to diplomatic records from early 1665, there was a proposed match between her and the Marquess of Vardes. Both refused the marriage.[104] The same dispatch mentions that the Palais Brion was attacked but the perpetrators fled and were never identified; the King assigned guards to the house.[105] The first book about La Vallière’s affair, by Roger de Rabutin, Count of Bussy, a disgraced courtier who was imprisoned for his work, was written around 1665 and published in 1666, titled Les Amours du Palais-Royal (‘Loves of the Palais-Royal’). It depicted La Vallière as a ‘gentle, kind, [and] selfless’ person who loved the King ‘for himself’, concluding that she would ‘always be the King's great love’. She was becoming known around the country as Louis’ mistress.[106][93]

Diary entry of a middle-class contemporary about the affair

[The Countess of Soissons], the viper of the late lord Cardinal de Mazarin, as she is known to the people of France, [wanted to] babble and even wrote the Queen some supposed letter about a little love affair between the King and a lady called La Vallier. [...] This Lady Vallier is pleasant, obliging, and beautiful and cheerful. The Queen is of a rather heavy nature, not very talkative: it is said that she does not speak French very well. This is what causes these little jealousies and distractions that the King takes. [...] But it is not for the people to speak ill of their king, touching on such frivolous [things].

Oudart Coquault, [107][108]

In October 1665, the King had a short affair with Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, Princess of Monaco.[87][106] He also developed a ‘flirtatious friendship’ with Anne de Rohan-Chabot, Princess of Soubise. He had at least ‘occasional’ encounters with Madame de Soissons and probably with other women put forward by factions hoping to replace La Vallière.[109] Their relationship, however, remained strong and La Vallière was reportedly happier than ever. They shared a love of hunting, in which La Vallière was regarded as a talent. A diplomat reported that he had seen her ride a Barb horse bareback, using only a silk string to guide it, standing up and sitting down while it was moving; she handled the pistol and the lance professionally. She was trained by a squire of Moorish origins.[87] During her time as royal mistress, La Vallière played an important role in the intellectual life of the court. She belonged to the circles of libertines such as Isaac de Benserade and Antonin Nompar de Caumont, Duke of Lauzun. She read the popular books of the age[6] and took painting and sculpture classes at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. She was interested in philosophy, reading and discussing Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle and Discourse on Method by René Descartes.[6]

Death of Anne of Austria and birth of third child[edit]

La Vallière as Venus, painting probably by Pierre Mignard from 1666 or 1667.

By the end of 1665, the Queen Mother was dying. Louis did not abandon his entertainments, for which his wife, who remained with Anne of Austria, blamed the bad influence of La Vallière.[110] He, however, often slept in Anne’s bedroom on a mattress.[111] Queen Anne died on 20 January 1666, and Louis was relieved of the only person who could exercise control over him. He no longer saw a reason to act against his wishes in his personal life.[112] On the 27th, the Queen Consort invited La Vallière to stand next to her at mass to display her complacency to her husband.[87][113] However, there were signs that the King’s love was diminishing. Courtiers, sensing the change, derided her for not being beautiful or witty enough.[114] On 2 October 1666, La Vallière gave birth to her daughter Marie-Anne at Vincennes. Her pregnancy had been kept secret, but during the delivery, Madame passed through her room on her way to church. La Vallière told her that she was suffering from colic, and urged Dr Boucher to ensure that the birth was over by the end of mass. She hid the smell of blood with flowers to receive visitors.[100] She was present at the medianoche (midnight meal) of the court.[115][116] The Grande Mademoiselle claimed that even though she tried to keep her pregnancies and children hidden, courtiers were aware of them.[117]

End of relationship with Louis XIV[edit]

Madame de Montespan in 1670.

By the end of 1666, the King seems to have become bored with the La Vallière.[118] Athénaïs, Marquise of Montespan started strategically working to replace her. She was ‘high-spirited and amusing’, and courtiers considered her to be an extraordinary beauty; with her full figure, she was more in line with contemporary beauty ideals than the thinner Louise.[119] She was a member of the salons from which the précieuses movement emerged.[120] At the time, her husband decided to embark on a military career, which gave Montespan the opportunity to get close to the King. Every day, she visited the salon of La Vallière then that of the Queen, and befriended both.[100] She recounted the compliments of her male admirers to demonstrate her ‘good will’ to Maria Theresa and show the King that she did not reciprocate the feelings of anyone else. Soon, La Vallière’s detractors agreed that she could not ‘amuse’ the King without Montespan’s witty conversation.[121] Louis started a sexual relationship with her between November 1666 and July 1667.[122]

It is unclear when sexual relations between La Vallière and the King ended.[123] Plans to arrange her marriage or give her a suo jure title were renewed, seen as a sign of her retirement.[101] That year, Louis XIV started to pursue his personal ‘glory’ through military conquests and magnificient feasts.[124] La Vallière participated in courtly ballet performances, as did Montespan.[125] The King decided to march on Flanders, starting the War of Devolution. On Easter 1667, he took communion again in preparation for the war.[126] In a dispatch from 29 April 1666, a diplomat reported that La Vallière was ‘losing much of her beauty’, becoming ‘very thin’. ‘[A]lmost nobody’ visited her anymore. He found that she was behaving ‘arrogantly’ with courtiers and ‘boldly’ towards the King; people believed that she would soon be replaced if she continued this. On 4 May, Louis and Madame de Montespan went on a carriage ride alone.[127]

Legitimisation of her daughter[edit]

Portrait of La Vallière from around 1667.

On 13 May, the King published a letter patent to legitimise his only living child with La Vallière, Marie-Anne. He purchased for her Chasteau in the north of Touraine, including the ruins of a fortress on Lake Val Joyeux (Vaujours).[127] The King conferred this on La Vallière and created a duchy ‘to be enjoyed by the said damoiselle Louise-Françoise de La Vallière, and, after her death, by Marie-Anne, […] [and] her [legitimate] heirs and descendants’.[128] She was authorised to use her mother’s surname, and soon afterwards given the courtesy title of Mademoiselle de Blois.[127] Legitimising the ‘natural’ children of French kings was a regular practice,[129] yet devout courtiers and those anxious for their privileges as ‘lawful’ descendants of aristocratic houses scorned the decision.[130] Louis later explained in his Mémoirs that he wanted to provide for his mistress and child in case he died in war. He considered it ‘just’ to grant Marie-Anne ‘the honour of her birth’ and reward La Vallière in a way ‘suited to the affection’ he had had for her.[131] Her brother was promoted in the army and her uncle made a bishop.[127][132] It seems that La Vallière was not aware that her lover’s actions signalled the end of the relationship. She was pregnant again, but her unborn child (as any later offspring) was barred from succeeding to the duchy.[129] A contemporary commented that the duchy ‘seem[ed] to be the reward for her services’, a parting gift.[127] The King gave a speech to his advisors lamenting his mistake and promising that ‘he shall never return to it’; he promised the same to his wife.[127]

Journey to Flanders[edit]

The military camp left for Compiègne on 24 May; from the ladies of the court, only the Queen and her ladies-in-waiting (including Montespan) were permitted to go.[127] La Vallière remained in Versailles for a few weeks, then travelled to the camp without permission, accompanied by her sister-in-law. She arrived at the Queen’s household at La Fère on 20 June.[133][134] Maria Theresa was upset by her coming, cried, did not sleep, felt ill, and had violent outbursts. She forbade her staff from giving food to La Vallière (they did so anyways). When she went to church, she had the door of the royal gallery closed so that La Vallière could not go near her; when she greeted Maria Theresa in front of the church, the Queen ignored her. During the following carriage ride, Montespan told Maria Theresa, ‘I admire [La Vallière’s] boldness in daring to appear before the Queen’, adding, ‘God forbid that I should be the King’s mistress! Yet if I were, I should be quite ashamed in front of the Queen’.[134] Maria Theresa cried.[135]

Excerpt from the letter patent ennobling La Vallière and legitimising her daughter

We believe that we can no better express to the public the most particular esteem in which we hold the person of our dear and beloved and most loyal Louise de La Vallière than by conferring upon her the highest titles of honour which a most singular affection, aroused in our hearts by an abundance of rare perfections, has for some years inspired in us in her favour. [...] The affection we have for [La Vallière] and justice not allowing us [...] to deny to nature any longer the effects of our tenderness for Marie-Anne, our natural daughter, in the person of her mother we have provided her with the land of Vaujours, situated in Touraine, and the barony of Saint-Christophe in Anjou.

Louis XIV, [136]

In Guise, La Vallière did not attend the Queen’s coucher, probably sensing the hostility that surrounded her. On 22 June, the Queen reached the camp at Avesnes. When the approach of the King was announced, La Vallière commanded her carriage to cut the path through the fields at full speed. Upon reaching the sovereign, La Vallière threw herself at his feet, but he received her coldly.[137][134] He only paid her a formal visit to satisfy customs. She did not attend the cercle (royal reception) at night, probably to avoid rebukes[135][134] By this time, Montespan was certainly Louis’ lover, but he insisted on following etiquette: as a duchess, La Vallière attended mass with the Queen, travelled in her carriage, and dined at the royal table.[138][134] Maria Theresa remained angry with her, although she did as her husband asked;[134] neither of them were aware that she had already been supplanted. Montespan showed herself La Vallière’s friend. Many of La Valliére’s early biographers, such as Charles Dreyss or Pierre Clément judged La Vallière harshly for this episode, describing her behaviour as ‘foolish haughtiness and cruel vanity’.[139] She was openly mocked by the ladies of the court.[134]

Later life at court[edit]

La Vallière returned to Paris, while the court stayed at Compiègne.[140] The Queen received a letter telling her that the King had taken Montespan as his mistress, but she did not believe it.[141] When the King ended his campaign and returned to Compiègne, La Vallière went there; Louis was noted to sometimes visit her.[134] He then went on a tour of conquered towns, while La Vallière was in Versailles.[134] She re-joined the court in Saint-Germaine-en-Laye, where the King visited her thrice a day.[134] On 2 October, she gave birth to Louis,[142] who was taken away in secrecy. The King (who loved his older children by her) showed no care for him. Later, Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Monsieur’s second wife claimed that this was because the King was ‘led to believe’ by Montespan and her supporters that La Vallière’s youngest child had been fathered by the Duke of Lauzun.[143]

Portrait painting of Madame de Montespan from the 1670s.

Montespan’s husband returned and became extremely jealous, complaining about the relationship between his wife and the King. He publicly lectured Louis on biblical morality[144] and threatened to take revenge by contracting a sexually transmitted infection so that his wife would infect the King.[145] After he insulted and threatened Julie d’Angennes, Duchess of Montausier (whom he blamed for his wife’s adultery), the King imprisoned him.[146] He was freed on the condition that he exiled himself to his country estate. There, he announced the death of his wife, organised a funeral, wore mourning, and forbid his children to contact their mother.[147] In order to contain the scandal, La Vallière remained the official mistress and had to share an apartment with Montespan so that the King could visit her.[148] ‘Double adultery’, an extramarital affair in which both parties are married to others, was considered a grave sin by the church, and adulterous women could be imprisoned in a convent for life.[149] Providing a cover for Madame de Montespan was necessary to protect her from the legal and personal attacks of her husband (who was known to be physically violent).[145] Lair argues that La Vallière endured these humiliations to protect the interests of his son and because her lands produced little income. Her son was acknowledged by the King in February 1669, created count of Vermandois, and made admiral of France, which ensured Louis’ personal control of the navy.[150] In March 1669, Montespan gave birth to her first child by the King.[145]

During her time at court, La Vallière lived in several places, first in the Palais Brion, until, in July 1665, the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture moved there.[151] Then, the King gave her an hôtel particulière near the Tuileries,[87] in the rue de l’Échelle [fr]. She owned it until her entry into the convent, when her brother inherited it.[152] Around 1668, she owned a pavilion near in the rue de la Pompe in Versailles; in 1672, the King bought its land to build new stables.[153] In 1669, she was had a pavilion in the Tuileries;[154] she owned a house in Saint-Germaine-en-Laye from March 1669 to December 1674,[155] and had her own apartment in the palace there.[154]

Religious turn and Réflexions sur la miséricorde de Dieu[edit]

Peter Lely’s Mademoiselle de La Vallière et ses enfants (‘Mademoiselle de La Vallière and Her Children’), contemporary painting.

After the end of her affair with Louis XIV, La Vallière settled into a quiet life at court.[156] She continued studying, reading historical, theological, and philosophical works.[157] In 1670 (certainly before May),[157] during a near-fatal, long illness (perhaps smallpox), she had a vision of her soul at the gates of hell, from which the ‘thunder of God’ awakened her. She turned to religion and abanoned her previous, libertine friends. She read the spiritual works of the Counter-Reformation, being most influenced by Teresa of Ávila’s The Way of Perfection. Bossuet became her spiritual guide. With his help, she wrote her Réflexions sur la miséricorde de Dieu (‘Reflections on the Mercy of God’) in 1671, which was published anonymously in 1680. It became a popular devotional book among French Catholics, reprinted at least ten times, often under her name.[6]

1675 portrait painting of Madame Palatine by Pierre Mignard.

Her authorship of Réflexions was later contested. In 1853, Jean-Joseph-Stanislas-Albert Damas-Hinard [fr; es] argued that the book had been conceived by Bossuet and merely written down by La Vallière. However, the style of Réflexions differs from that of Bossuet’s own work and contains a woman's autobiographical notes. In 1928, Marcel Langlois, a literary critic claimed that La Vallière could not have written the book as its ‘rationalist tone’ cannot belong to a woman. He argued that no women of La Vallière's time had the knowledge of philosophy and theology demonstrated in the book, or read the Bible in Latin as its author had. However, La Vallière was known in salons for her understanding of Aristotle and Descartes, and many women of her circles read religious texts in Latin, as Jean-Baptiste Ériau [fr] defended. Her authorship has been asserted through textual analyses by Jean-Christian Petitfils and Monique de Huertas.[6]

After her conversion, a confessor wanted to allow her to take communion immediately, but she refused, finding herself ‘unworthy’.[157] The second wife of Monsieur, Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate recounts questioning La Vallière about why she remained a ‘suivante’ (a servant or companion) of Montespan. She replied that she wished to ‘do penance […] suffer[ing] what was most painful for her, to share the King’s heart [with another woman] and see herself despised by him [...], offer[ing] all her pains to God as atonement for her past sins; for, since her sins had been public, her penance had to be public too’.[158] Courtiers considered her new religiousness to be a hypocritical ploy to achieve material gains from the King.[159] Her potential marriage was mentioned again, possibly to Lauzun. In late June 1670, Madame died. She agonised for a long time and believed that she had been poisoned.[160] La Vallière was present at her deathbed.[161] In her last hours, she was told by a canon, Nicolas Feuillet [fr], that ‘all [her] life had been but sin’, and she repented publicly. When she complained of excruciating pain, Feuillet told her to embrace the suffering and think of God.[162] Courtiers remained under the impression of Madame’s sudden death and her repentance for a long time.[163]

Second flight to Chaillot[edit]

Contemporaneous painting of Madame de Montespan with four of her children by the King: (from left to right) Louis-César, Count of Vexin, Louise-Françoise, Mademoiselle de Nantes, Louise-Marie-Anne, Mademoiselle de Tours, and Louis-Auguste, Duke of Maine.

In early spring 1671, La Vallière fled to the Visitation convent of the Filles de Sainte-Marie (‘Daughters of the Virgin Mary’) in Chaillot. She took with her none of her belongings and only left a letter to the King.[164] Whereas he had personally pursued La Vallière in 1662, this time Louis continued his planned activities; however, he was noted to have cried during a carriage ride.[165] He sent Lauzun to persuade La Vallière to return, but he failed, as did Bernardin Gigault de Bellefonds, Marquess of Bellefonds,[166] a good friend of La Vallière.[167] To Bellefonds, La Vallière said that she ‘would have left the court sooner’ but she had felt unable to never see the King again. She added that her ‘weakness’ for Louis remained, but she wanted to dedicate the ‘rest of her life’ to ensuring her own salvation. When hearing this, the King cried but sent Colbert to retrieve La Vallière, by force if necessary.[166] Montespan opposed her potential return and quarrelled with the King.[168]

Colbert asked La Vallière to return so that the King ‘could speak to her further’. She agreed on the condition that Louis would permit her to enter a convent ‘if she persevered’. She had spent around twelve hours in Chaillot. Montespan ran to receive her with open arms and tearful eyes; the King talked with her for an hour, crying. Some faulted La Vallière for being ‘inconstant [in her] resolution’ to live a religious life, while others thought that she had acted ‘foolishly’ by returning without exploiting her stronger bargaining position. The Grande Mademoiselle believed that the King would have secretly been happy to ‘get rid of’ La Vallière.[166] Lair argues that Louis still needed La Vallière as a cover for her affair with Montespan[169] as because his suit for her separation from her husband lodged did not progress.[170]

The King decided to march on Flanders again and invited La Vallière, who declined. Since her presence was necessary for Montespan, the King commanded her to go. Even her detractors considered her behaviour after her return from Chaillot ‘dignified and reserved’.[169] Onlookers were scandalised to see the King ride in carriage sitting between her two mistresses.[171] During these years, La Vallière practiced charity, especially towards the poor of Vaujours.[172] She grew close to the Queen who pitied her for her humiliations and appreciated her repentance. Religious practice gained importance in La Vallière’s life: she prayed and meditated often, avoided events and company that could have ‘distracted’ her, and wore a cilice under her robe.[173]

Background of retirement[edit]

19th century copy of the last painting of La Vallière with her children.

La Vallière’s children were raised by Colbert and his wife; she only saw them occasionally. Her eight-year-old daughter, Marie-Anne, Mademoiselle de Blois, a child of ‘lively and precocious intelligence’ was permitted to attend balls for the first time in January 1664, in her mother’s presence[174] Bellefonds worried that La Vallière’s attachment to her daughter would prevent her from entering the convent. She admitted that she had ‘sensitivity’, but her feelings for her children were conflicted because of their ‘sinful’ birth: ‘I confess that I was delighted to see her […] But, at the same time, I had scruples about it […] These are rather opposite emotions, yet I feel them as I tell you’.[175] She commissioned a painting of her and her children, probably as a remembrance for them.[176]

Madame de Maintenon with two of the children of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan, the Duke of Maine and the Count of Vexin.

Many noblewomen retired as pensionnaires (boarders) to the Visitation convent of the Filles de Sainte-Marie (‘Daughters of the Virgin Mary’) in Chaillot. They lead relatively unrestricted lives, maintainting their social networks and not bound by a vow; they could leave or marry at any time. However, when it was suggested to her, La Vallière felt that this would not be enough for her as penitence.[177] She considered both the Couvent des Capucines (‘Convent of Capuchin Sisters’) and the Grand Couvent (‘Great Convent’) of Discalced Carmelites, choosing the latter.[177] However, there were strich requirements for women who sought to enter: they had to have led a ‘regular’ life, demonstrated a ‘good character’, and never been the cause of scandal. The nuns hesitated to accept her, so she sought the help of the aunt of her friend Bellefonds, Judith de Bellefonds, a member of the convent.[178] In late October 1673, the Marquess informed her that she would be accepted as a postulant; however, she was unwell and advised to rest.[179] When she returned to court from her retreat to the convent, her impending retirement became public. She was supported in her decision by Bellefonds, Bossuet, and Paul de Beauvilliers, Duke of Saint-Aignan.[180]

Bossuet helped convince Madame de Montespan to support La Vallière’s departure. While she did not oppose it, she ridiculed it publicly.[181] She sent her confidante, Françoise d’Aubigné, Madame Scarron to dissuade her. Scarron warned La Vallière that it might be too difficult to live the life of a Carmelite after the comforts of the royal court, advising her that she should enter as a secular benefactress and see whether she could tolerate the rules. La Vallière answered that this would not be proper penitence.[182] By December 1673, as a result of Montespan’s campaign, courtiers thought that La Vallière had changed her mind and mocked her.[183] In the same month, she stood as godmother to the third child of the King and Montespan, named Louise-Françoise after her.[184] She and her two brothers were then legitimised;[185] this was perhaps a way for the King to protect them from Madame de Montespan’s husband after La Vallière’s retirement.[180] With the collaboration of the husband, the separation of the Montespans was also pronounced, rendering the use of La Vallière as a front unnecessary.[186] In March 1674, she wrote to Bellefonds that she was ‘leaving the world’ with no ‘regrets’, ‘but not without pain’. [187]

La Vallière’s was in debt because of her expenditure (especially on charity); she had to declare herself debt-free to enter the convent. With Colbert’s intervention, the King permitted her son, Vermandois, to lend the necessary funds to her. By March 1674, La Vallière had arranged her finances; on 18 April, she gave her jewels to her children and petitioned the King to establish pensions for her mother and step-sister,[60] as well as for her servants. She renounced her paternal inheritance to her brother, the Marquess of La Vallière.[188]

Carmelite sister[edit]

Postulancy and novitiate[edit]

La Vallière asking the Queen for forgiveness on Louise Adélaïde Desnos’ painting from 1838.

La Vallière paid her visits of goodbye on 18 April, giving pieces of jewellery to her friends as remembrances. When she said farewell to the King, he cried.[189] She decided to apologise to the Queen publicly. When Louise de Prie, Madame de la Mothe-Houdancourt asked her to not do so ‘in front of everyone’, La Vallière replied, ‘As my crimes were public, my penitence must be [public], too’. She kneeled before Maria Theresa, who lifted and embraced her, assuring her that she was forgiven.[190] Then, Montespan, who was worried by the sympathy aroused by La Vallière (perhaps fearing that it would rekindle the King’s love), invited her to supper in her apartment, where the Grande Mademoiselle (who had never liked La Vallière) appeared to say goodbye. The next day, she attended mass; the King cried again and his eyes were red for hours. Then, dressed in her ceremonial robes,[191] she went to the convent accompanied by her children, friends, and family.[192] The court gathered along her path to see her leave.[191] She was permitted to wear the habit of the nuns immediately, and she cut her hair (as nuns who have pronounced their vows do) that night.[193]

La Vallière followed the regulations of the Carmelites from her first day in their convent. To Bellefonds, she reported that she felt ‘calm’, ‘content’, and in ‘safety’.[194] The King developed doubts about her decision, as this public conversion highlighted his adultery. Courtiers still did not believe that La Vallière would stay in the convent. She asked the Carmelites to shorten her postulancy, and[195] less than three months after her entry, she had her vêture (ceremonial donning of a nun’s habit). As date, she chose the eighth Sunday after Pentecost, when the Parable of the Lost Sheep was read in churches. As neither Bossuet nor Louis Bourdaloue could be present, he asked the bishop-designate of Aire, Jean-Louis de Fromentières [fr] to preach. Many courtiers attended the event.[196] After the ceremony of admission, Fromentières preached the sermon, highlighting La Vallière as an ‘example to all her century’ and warning her of the difficulties of cloistered life. She then received a blessed habit from the Archbishop of Paris, François de Harlay de Champvallon.[197]

In the Holy Week of 1675, she received gratefully the news that the King had separated from Madame de Montespan and took communion; she prayed for the conversion of ‘one [she] had so loved’.[198] After a year of novitiate, she took her perpetual vows on 3 June 1675, in the presence of the Queen, Monsieur, Madame Palatine (his second wife), Mademoiselle (Marie-Louise of Orléans, daughter of Monsieur and the late Henrietta of England), and the Grande Mademoiselle.[198] The mass was conducted by Abbot Pirot, with a sermon by Bossuet who celebrated the ‘renewal’ of La Vallière, contrasting it with the attitude of those seeking glory and fame.[199] The sermon thus focused more on the King than on La Vallière.[200] The black veil was blessed by Bossuet and handed to the Queen, who gave it to the Prioress, Mère Claire de Saint-Sacrement (‘Mother Claire of the Holy Sacrament’) to cover La Vallière’s head.[201]

Life as a nun[edit]

Contemporary allegorical depiction of La Vallière renouncing the world for Jesus.

As a Carmelite sister, she used the name Louise de la Miséricorde (‘Louise of Mercy’).[202] She was reputed to seek the most humbling tasks, despite her frequent headaches.[203] She believed that ‘nothing was too base for her’ and asked to become a lay sister, but was not allowed to do so.[204] She was permitted to help novices complete their tasks, as they were given the most humbling chores.[205] She was visited by Rancé who had been almoner in the household of Gaston, Duke of Orléans when she had lived there as a child,[206] by Queen Maria Theresa (who brought along Madame de Montespan twice),[207] and by her childhood friend, Marguerite of Orléans, Grand Duchess of Tuscany.[203]

Multiple stories preserved by the Carmelites recount her discipline. One or two years after her entry, Madame Palatine brought her son, Vermandois, to visit his mother. When the eight- or nine-year-old wanted to kiss his mother, La Vallière refused. Even though she would have been allowed to embrace her child because of his age, and despite the entreaties of Madame Palatine and her son’ distress, La Vallière did not relent. Both guests left in tears.[188] She then resolved to never see her children again, which the King opposed as he believed that they needed the advice of their mother. The Carmelites considered it their duty to maintain family ties if it was not for pleasure but to be useful to others.[208]

La Vallière’s daughter Marie-Anne as princess of Conti on a portrait fro betwee 1680 and 1700.

La Vallière’s brother died in October 1676, aged thirty-four, followed by a Carmelite nun whom she had known from the Orléans household. She envied them but eventually decided to ‘submit’ to God’s will that she would stay alive, which she saw as a sacrifice.[209] The Marquess only left debts, and her creditors approached La Vallière. She petitioned the King to allow her nephew to inherit the position of governor of Bourbonnais from his father, which he granted. Louis added in his reply that he would go in person to offer his condolences if he were a ‘good enough man to see a Carmelite nun as holy as’ she.[209]

Her daughter, Mademoiselle de Blois continued to be raised by Madame Colbert. In 1680, she married Louis-Armand, Prince of Conti. The Prince and his cousin Henri-Jules, Prince of Condé visited La Vallière, and the Prince treated his mother-in-law with reverence;[210] she became her spiritual advisor.[211] Her Réflexions was also published for the first time that year. Despite being anonymous, the book alluded heavily to La Vallière’s person. Its preface covertly attacked the King and Montespan (who was still his mistress) by saying, ‘[m]ay Heaven grant that those who followed her in her sins may imitate her in her penance and make good use of the time that the mercy of God gives them to think seriously about their salvation’.[212] The book became a success and was soon translated to German.[213]

Vermandois on a contemporary portrait.

Death of her son[edit]

Aged thirteen, Vermandois joined the libertine circles of Philippe, Chevalier de Lorraine. After numerous scandals, the King exiled him[214] and briefly imprisoned him in Normandy. La Vallière was distressed by his son’s fate.[215] Vermandois then asked to participate in a military operation and was deployed to the Spanish Netherlands. Being only sixteen, combat took a toll on him; he developed a fever and died on 18 November 1683. In the 18th century, people speculated that Vermandois was the Man in the Iron Mask, declared dead but imprisoned for life. At the time, no one doubted that he had died, and he was mourned publicly for his great potential.[216]

The Prioress, who was going to inform La Vallière of his death, met her before she could think of the right phrasing. Seeing her sadness and hesitation, La Vallière figured out what had happened and replied, ‘I understand well’. Then, she went to the chapel for her prayers. She was never seen to cry for her son or talk about her grief. A friend advised her that tears could relieve her and that God did not forbid nuns to grieve. ‘One must sacrifice everything; it is for myself that I must weep’, she answered, referring to her sin of having children out of wedlock.[217] In November 1685, her daughter and son-in-law caught smallpox; the Princess recovered but her husband died.[218] La Vallière was again ‘firm and resigned’. Lair argues that this was another form of penance: she refused the usual comforts of mourning people to increase the pain caused by her losses.[219] The next year, her mother died; it is unknown how this affected her.[220]

Later life[edit]

La Vallière continued to look after her family. Her niece, Louise-Gabrielle, was repudiated by her husband, César-Auguste de Choiseul de Plessis-Praslin [fr], Duke of Choiseul for her ‘misconduct’.[221] To protect her sister, Marie-Yolande, from bad influence, La Vallière placed her as pensionnaire in Faremoutiers Abbey and forbade her to contact Madame de Choiseul. Marie-Yolande threatened to kill herself; La Vallière advised the family to let her leave. When she married in 1697, La Vallière’s daughter, Madame de Conti, wanted to invite Madame de Choiseul to the wedding and asked her father the King for permission. Louis answered that whatever La Vallière advised should happen; she allowed Madame de Choiseul to attend.[222] Madame de Conti paid the pensions her mother had requested for relatives and old servant. If the Carmelites wanted to support poor people, La Vallière always turned to her daughter. She often reprimanded her for her conduct, considered too ‘light’.[223]

Early 19th century painting by Sophie Lemire of a fictional scene in which La Vallière ‘instruct[s] her daughter in piety’.

In 1685, with Bellefonds, she unsuccessfully attempted to convert to Catholicism Gilbert Burnett during his visit to France.[224] Clément claimed that she participated in the theological debates of the century concerning Jansenism, which Lair considers doubtful. Foreign dignitiaries often visited her, as well as Madame de Montespan after her disgrace in the Affair of the Poisons.[225] She was regularly visited by the Queen, the Dauphine, (Maria Anna of Bavaria), and Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy.[226] In the community, was appointed sacristine (carer of the oratory).[227] She often fasted on bread and water; after experiencing a memory of the refreshments served at the royal court, she only drank half a glass of water for three years. Her physical health was damaged and her superiors urged her to moderate her penance.[228] She suffered from erysipelas but did not seek treatment.[229] She asked to be transferred to ‘one of the poorest [and] most distant’ Carmelite convent, which was refused as the nuns appreciated her company and ‘example’.[227]

Multiple works published during her lifetime discussed La Vallière. A 1678 book by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras declared that her conversion had reasons other than ‘spite’. In 1695, pamphlets written around 1665 were organised into a book titled La Vie de la duchesse de La Vallière (‘The Life of the Duchess of La Vallière’).[229] She became popular among the French; her name was used to sell books to interpret dreams, positioning her as a seer.[226]

Death[edit]

Louise de La Vallière on her catafalque.

At the end of her life, La Vallière suffered from headaches, sciatica, rheumatism, stomach problems, and other internal ailments. She tried to hide her pain and only complained of having to still live.[230] She obtained permission to rise two hours earlier than the others. She did so on 6 June 1710; at three in the morning, she was going to the chapel when pain overcame her. She leaned against a wall, unable to speak and was found two hours later. The doctors performed bloodletting but said that she was dying. She refused to use linen instead of her usual coarse bedding. She seemed happy about her imminent death, and repeated the words, ‘expiring in the most severe pain, that is what befits a sinner’. At the night, she asked for Extreme Unction.[231] She confessed and took communion; Abbot Pirot administered the Extreme Unction around eleven in the morning. Madame de Conti arrived, but her mother could no longer speak. She died at noon on 6 June 1710.[232] When the King was informed of La Vallière’s death, he did not seem moved, saying that she had died for him the day she entered the convent.[233]

According to the convent’s customs, La Vallière’s body was displayed in the church behind the grille separating the enclosure. Crowds came to see her; four nuns were necessary to handle the relics, religious medals, books, and images that people wanted to touch to her body for a blessing.[234] When clergymen arrived to inter the corpse, the laypeople present prayed for La Vallière’s intercession with God on their behalf. [233] She was buried in the cemetery of the Carmelite nuns, a small headstone inscribed with her religious name marking the place. The cemetery, including her grave, was desecrated during the French Revolution.[235]

Issue[edit]

Louise de la Vallière had five children by Louis XIV, two of whom survived infancy. The first two were registered under false surnames.

  • Charles ‘de Lincourt’ (19 December 1663 – circa 1665 or 1666), died in infancy and was never legitimised;[84][83]
  • Philippe ‘Derssy’ (7 January 1665 – July 1666), died in infancy and was never legitimised;[98][85]
  • Louis de La Baume Le Blanc (27 December 1665 – 1666), died in infancy and was never legitimised;
  • Marie-Anne de Bourbon, Légitimée de France (2 October 1666 – 3 May 1739); known as Mademoiselle de Blois after her legitimation. She married Louis Armand I, Prince of Conti and had no issue. She inherited the title of duchess of La Vallière from her mother;
  • Louis, Count of Vermandois (2 October 1667 – 18 November 1683); died at the age of sixteen during his first military campaign, and had no issue.[236][237]

Legacy and appearances in popular culture[edit]

  • The term lavalier, meaning a jeweled pendant necklace, comes from her name (or possibly from that of Ève Lavallière). In French, a lavallière is a neck tie tied to form a bow at the front of the neck (reminiscent of a pussy bow), which was popular in the 19th century;[238]
  • La Vallière's book Réflexions sur la miséricorde de Dieu ("Reflections on the Mercy of God) were printed in 1767, and in again in 1860 as Réflexions, lettres et sermons, by M. P. Clement;[citation needed]
  • Letitia Elizabeth Landon's poetical illustration, Louise, Duchess of La Valliere, to an engraving of a painting by Edmund Thomas Parris, was published in 1838.[239]
  • Louise de la Vallière by Maria McIntosh (1854) is her earliest known fictionalised portrayal in English; [citation needed]
  • She is one of the main characters in Alexandre Dumas's novel The Vicomte de Bragelonne, the second sequel to The Three Musketeers. Dumas makes her the fiancée of the fictional titular character, son of the musketeer Athos. Some editions break the novel up in several books, one of which is titled Louise de la Vallière.[citation needed]
  • In 1922, a German silent film titled Louise de Lavallière was made about her life;[citation needed]
  • Marcelle Vioux wrote a 1938 novel about her titled Louise de La Valliere;[240]
  • Sandra Gulland wrote a historical novel featuring her, titled Mistress of the Sun, published in 2008;
  • Karleen Koen's 2011 novel Before Versailles is told from Louise de la Vallière's point of view;
  • Joan Sanders published a biography of Louise in 1959 titled La Petite : Louise de la Vallière ("The Little: Louise de la Vallière");
  • Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière, the main female character of The Familiar of Zero, was named after her;
  • Christina Rossetti's poem Sœur Louise de la Miséricorde is presumed to be about the Duchess of La Vallière.

See also[edit]

Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Louise de La Vallière.

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ Fraser 2006, p. 71.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "La Vallière, Louise Françoise de" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 290–291.
  3. ^ a b c d Le Brun, Eugène (1903). Les Ancêtres de Louise de La Vallière. Généalogie de la maison de La Baume Le Blanc [The Ancestors of Louise de La Vallière: Genealogy of the House of La Blaume Le Blanc] (in French). Paris: H. Champion. pp. 88–94. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  4. ^ Petitfils 2011, p. 2.
  5. ^ a b Lair 1907, p. 8.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Conley, John J. "Louise-Françoise de la Baume Le Blanc, marquise de La Vallière (1644—1710)". Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  7. ^ Lair 1907, p. 2.
  8. ^ a b c Petitfils 2011, Chapter 1.
  9. ^ Lair 1907, p. 4.
  10. ^ Huertas 1998, p. 18.
  11. ^ a b Lair 1907, pp. 18–19.
  12. ^ Huertas 1998, p. 14.
  13. ^ Petitfils 2011, p. 10.
  14. ^ Huertas 1998, pp. 14–15.
  15. ^ Lair 1907, p. 9.
  16. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 9, 20.
  17. ^ a b Petitfils 2011, Chapter 2.
  18. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 17, 20.
  19. ^ Lair 1907, p. 20.
  20. ^ a b Lair 1907, p. 51.
  21. ^ Lair 1907, p. 17.
  22. ^ a b Petitfils 2011, Chapter 3.
  23. ^ Huertas 1998, p. 22.
  24. ^ a b Huertas 1998, p. 27.
  25. ^ Huertas 1998, p. 25.
  26. ^ a b c Huertas 1998, pp. 26–27.
  27. ^ a b Lair 1907, p. 41.
  28. ^ Huertas 1998, p. 33.
  29. ^ Petitfils 2011, Chapter 6.
  30. ^ Petitfils 2011, Chapter 7.
  31. ^ Huertas 1998, pp. 35–36.
  32. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 48–49.
  33. ^ Lair 1907, p. 52, 54.
  34. ^ Huertas 1998, p. 36.
  35. ^ Lair 1907, p. 54.
  36. ^ Lair 1907, p. 62.
  37. ^ Hillemand, P. (15 March 1975). À propos de la mort d'Henriette d'Angleterre Madame, Duchesse d'Orléans [On the Subject of the Death of Henrietta of England, Madame, Duchess of Orléans] (PDF) (in French). Société Française d'Histoire de la Médecine. p. 117.
  38. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 55–58.
  39. ^ a b Lair 1907, p. 59.
  40. ^ Huertas 1998, p. 40.
  41. ^ a b c d e Petitfils 2011, Chapter 9.
  42. ^ a b Fraser 2006, p. 74.
  43. ^ Lair 1907, p. 67.
  44. ^ a b c Fraser 2006, p. 73.
  45. ^ Lair 1907, p. 61.
  46. ^ a b Lair 1907, p. 42.
  47. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 60–61.
  48. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 43–45.
  49. ^ Lair 1907, p. 68.
  50. ^ Fraser 2006, p. 72.
  51. ^ a b c d e f Petitfils 2011, Chapter 10.
  52. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 72–75.
  53. ^ Fraser 2010, pp. 70–75.
  54. ^ Fraser 2010, p. 78.
  55. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 76–77.
  56. ^ Lair 1907, p. 82.
  57. ^ Lair 1907, p. 81.
  58. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 83.
  59. ^ a b c d Petitfils 2011, Chapter 11.
  60. ^ a b Lair 1907, pp. 310–311.
  61. ^ Fraser 2006, pp. 85–96.
  62. ^ Lair 1907, p. 84.
  63. ^ Fraser 2006, p. 81.
  64. ^ Lair 1907, p. 76.
  65. ^ Lair 1907, p. 85.
  66. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 86.
  67. ^ Fraser 2006, p. 79.
  68. ^ Fraser 2010, p. 89.
  69. ^ Petitfils 2011, Chapter 12.
  70. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 88–90.
  71. ^ Fraser 2010, p. 96.
  72. ^ Lair 1907, p. 102.
  73. ^ a b Petitfils 2011, Chapter 13.
  74. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 117–118.
  75. ^ Petitfils 2011, Chapter 20.
  76. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 121–122.
  77. ^ a b c Petitfils 2011, Chapter 14.
  78. ^ a b Fraser 2006, p. 78.
  79. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 119–120.
  80. ^ Lair 1907, p. 27.
  81. ^ Lair 1907, p. 125.
  82. ^ a b c Petitfils 2011, Chapter 15.
  83. ^ a b Lair 1907, pp. 125–126.
  84. ^ a b c Fraser 2006, p. 87.
  85. ^ a b c Lair 1907, p. 142.
  86. ^ Lair 1907, p. 127.
  87. ^ a b c d e Petitfils 2011, Chapter 19.
  88. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 129–130.
  89. ^ "Réunion des Musées Nationaux-Grand Palais". www.photo.rmn.fr. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  90. ^ Fraser 2006, pp. 88–89.
  91. ^ a b Petitfils 2011, Chapter 16.
  92. ^ Lair 1907, p. 132.
  93. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Petitfils 2011, Chapter 17.
  94. ^ a b Fraser 2006, p. 92.
  95. ^ Lair 1907, p. 135.
  96. ^ a b Lair 1907, p. 141.
  97. ^ Lair 1907, p. 138.
  98. ^ a b Fraser 2006, p. 94.
  99. ^ Lair 1907, p. 417.
  100. ^ a b c d Petitfils 2011, Chapter 21.
  101. ^ a b Lair 1907, p. 178.
  102. ^ Lair 1907, p. 139.
  103. ^ Fraser 2006, p. 88.
  104. ^ Lair 1907, p. 140.
  105. ^ Lair 1907, p. 147.
  106. ^ a b Lair 1907, p. 150.
  107. ^ Lair 1907, p. 151.
  108. ^ Petitfils 2011, Chapter 18.
  109. ^ Fraser 2006, p. 96.
  110. ^ Lair 1907, p. 156.
  111. ^ Fraser 2006, p. 93.
  112. ^ Lair 1907, p. 157.
  113. ^ Lair 1907, p. 158.
  114. ^ Lair 1907, p. 159.
  115. ^ Fraser 2006, pp. 94–95.
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  117. ^ Lair 1907, p. 205.
  118. ^ Petitfils, Jean (2006). "Louis XIV Intime 1661–1679". Louis XIV : La Gloire et les épreuves [Louis XIV: The Glory and the Hardships]. Tallandier. pp. 100–103. Retrieved 13 June 2024 – via Internet Archive.
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  122. ^ Fraser 2006, pp. 108–109.
  123. ^ Fraser 2006, p. 146.
  124. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 181–182.
  125. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 183–184.
  126. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 185–186.
  127. ^ a b c d e f g Petitfils 2011, Chapter 22.
  128. ^ Lair 1907, p. 187.
  129. ^ a b Lair 1907, p. 188.
  130. ^ Fraser 2006, p. 112.
  131. ^ Lair 1907, p. 189.
  132. ^ Lair 1907, p. 191.
  133. ^ Lair 1907, pp. 197–198.
  134. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Petitfils 2011, Chapter 23.
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  236. ^ François Bluche: "Dictionnaire du Grand Siècle".
  237. ^ Jean-Christian Petitfils: "Louise de la Vallière".
  238. ^ Calon, Oliver (2017). "Ah! s'il n'était pas le roi – Louise de la Vallière". Les petites phrases qui ont fait la grande histoire. Vuibert. pp. 84–85. ISBN 978-2311-10216-1
  239. ^ Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1838). "poetical illustration". Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1839. Fisher, Son & Co.Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1838). "picture". Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1839. Fisher, Son & Co.
  240. ^ Marcelle Vioux: Louise de La Valliere, Fasquelle 1938, 263 p.

References[edit]

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