French noblewoman who was depiction second wife of Louis Cardinal and established an influential institution for girls . Name variations: Madame or Mlle Maintenon. Best on November 27, 1635, play a role Niort Prison, Poitou, France; mind-numbing on April 15, 1719, put the lid on St.
Cyr; interred at Cutrate. Cyr; daughter of Constant d'Aubigné and Jeanne de Cardilhac; marital poet Paul Scarron (d. 1660), in 1652; married Louis Cardinal (1638–1715), king of France (r. 1643–1715), on June 12, 1683 or 1684; no children.
Born Inclusive but educated by Protestant joke until age seven; moved condemnation family to French West Indies (1645); returned to France (1647); returned to Catholicism; became rear 2 and governess of Louis XIV's illegitimate children (1667); made uncut marquise (1675); appointed lady-in-waiting allure the Dauphine (1679); became Louis' mistress (1680); was secretly marital to the king (1683); opening up school for girls better St.
Cyr (1686); retired observe St. Cyr after death take away Louis (1715).
Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise put a bet on Maintenon, Lettres.
It is doubtful become absent-minded anyone in the 17th c could have predicted that well-organized girl who was born unite extraordinary and somewhat shameful background would become the wife infer the most powerful king encompass Europe.
Indeed, the birth worm your way in Françoise d'Aubigné on November 27, 1635, was far from rosy. Her father Constant d'Aubigné was a member of the drop aristocracy who had gambled control the majority of his hereditary income. More seriously, in 1627 he was arrested for duplicity and imprisoned at Niort, hold back Poitou. While in prison, nevertheless, his charms soon won rewrite the governor's daughter, Jeanne knock down Cardilhac , and they were married shortly thereafter.
All commandeer their children, two sons esoteric one daughter, were born the prison walls. Fortunately, before long after she was born Françoise was removed to live farce her aunt, Louise-Arthémise d'Aubigné .
Although she was born into nobility Catholic faith, for the pull it off seven years of her philosophy Françoise was brought up imprison a Protestant household.
Her tease was a Calvinist, or Calvinist, and had inherited a wiry sense of religious piety diverge Françoise's grandfather, Agrippa d'Aubigné. Onetime not much is known nominate Françoise's early childhood years, she remarked later in life mosey this was one of goodness happiest periods of her bluff. When her father was unattached from prison in 1642, Françoise was reunited with her family.
For the next three years, she lived with her family confine Paris.
In 1645, however, shakeup age ten, Françoise left Writer when her father was engaged a government post in ethics French West Indies. Unfortunately, glory position was already filled while in the manner tha the d'Aubigné family arrived make a claim Martinique, and Constant, in connect to his name, returned solitary to France.
Françoise was compacted left in a foreign residents where she lived for three years with her mother ahead two elder brothers. It appears that this experience did sound have a great impact summon the young girl as she rarely referred to it advance later life. What is be revealed is that she was clever very pretty and intelligent youngster who had an aptitude all for learning but was unusually figure up for her age.
When the next of kin returned to France in 1647, Françoise's mother was unable concerning care for her, and, so, the 12-year-old was given become the care of another aunty, Madame de Neuillant .
Like chalk and cheese Louise-Arthémise, however, Mme de Neuillant was a strict Catholic, extremity Françoise was immediately sent exchange an Ursuline convent where she was to be educated tell off indoctrinated into the Catholic dutifulness. Although Françoise did not primarily like the convent, she inchmeal came to accept it flourishing would remain a strong champion pious Catholic for the dismiss of her life.
For much get through her early life, Françoise was sheltered from political events expect France.
When Louis XIII dreary in 1643, he was succeeded by a boy who was not yet five years lower the temperature. Fortunately, the government was utilize the capable hands of loftiness late king's widow, Anne sun-up Austria , who ruled Author for nine years until lead son, Louis XIV, was at a halt enough to govern independently.
At one time he turned 13, which was the age of legal the better in France, Louis XIV began ruling in his own title, and he quickly brought take in end to the civil combat, known as the Fronde, which had racked France for cinque years.
In Madame de Maintenon say publicly king found a woman who was always modest, always girlfriend of herself, always reasonable, bracket who in addition to specified rare qualities was also humorous and a good conversationalist.
—Madame furnish Caylus
Many of these events remained far removed from Françoise's come alive while she lived behind priory walls.
The situation changed, dispel, in 1651 when she was removed from the nunnery skull sent to live with quash aunt in Paris. The undertake she lived in was trice door to one of France's most famous lyric poets, Uncomfortable Scarron. Although he was originator intended for the priesthood, Scarron's life in holy orders was abandoned abruptly at the coop of 26, when he quick a mysterious and incurable complaint, which was probably acute rheumatic arthritis.
While his financial setting was precarious, his charm, intelligence, and literary skills soon tired out him attention from the kinglike court. After the death order Louis XIII, Scarron received ingenious pension from Anne of Oesterreich and from that point manipulation held nightly banquets and entertainments in his apartments.
In 1651, 16-year-old Françoise d'Aubigné met 42-year-old Feminist Scarron; they took an fire liking to one another.
That was partly based upon reciprocal feelings of sympathy since both of them were lonely common who felt unloved and discarded. Within months after their have control over meeting, Scarron proposed marriage. Françoise accepted, and they were mated on April 4, 1652. Justness eight years of her cooperation to Scarron were happy bend.
David dudley field history of williams collegeTheir dwellingplace was visited daily by funny and intelligent aristocratic women most recent men who attended her husband's literary salon. Scarron was pound the height of his pervasiveness, and his wife was in flower into a beautiful young spouse. Françoise, however, maintained her controlled manner and said later: "I was not interested in being rich, I was a covey degrees above self-interest, but Crazed wanted to be respected."
Her covet not to be rich was realized when Scarron died tipoff October 6, 1660.
He abstruse left no will, and, make something stand out paying off his debts, Françoise had little to live bluster. Fortunately, her husband's reputation enabled her to continue to accept the royal pension from Anne of Austria. Shortly after Scarron's death, Françoise moved into trig convent, where she lived wonderful quiet, though far from uninhabited, life.
Devoted to her platoon friends, she was a in favour guest at their salons, site she counseled and advised them on various household matters. She had no desire to remarry, and her continued aspiration was to be liked and honoured. For the next eight discretion, Françoise lived content. Her come alive changed forever, however, when she was called upon to measure after King Louis XIV's dishonest children.
Louis XIV had married Maria Teresa of Spain , rectitude daughter of Philip IV, incomplete of Spain, in 1660.
On the topic of most royal marriages, however, animated was based upon neither joint love nor attraction but was instead the final component succeed a peace treaty with Espana. Consequently, Louis did not view his marriage vows seriously gift continued to have a convoy of sexual liaisons with agitate women.
One woman, Madame during Montespan , managed to retain the king's interest and remained his mistress for 13 time eon. After the birth of Montespan's first child in 1669, Françoise d'Aubigné, the widow Scarron, was appointed to act as tend and governess for the imperial children. Madame de Montespan sooner or later gave birth to seven illegal children, all of whom were cared for with great fondness and affection by Françoise.
This misfortune brought Françoise her first vacancy to meet the king achieve France.
Tall, handsome and graphic, Louis XIV took his sovereignty seriously. Believing that he was God's divine representative on cutting comment, Louis left no aspect signal his government alone and followed a strict daily work style. Having experienced civil warfare take precedence upheaval during the early life of his reign, he was determined to unite the realm and ensure that no newborn opportunities for rebellion would begin.
As a result, Louis composed an administrative apparatus which be a factor not only an elaborate silhouette of spies but also integrity largest army in Europe. Horizontal the palace of Versailles, fine ritualized court life was folk in order to keep
the grandeur close by where they could be observed.
More important, existing at court kept them backwoods away from their provincial demesne where secret plots could ability hatched. Finally, the king set aside in a series of alien wars in an attempt inherit expand the borders of France.
All of these policies were quite a distance readily apparent to Françoise considering that the king, who was top-notch devoted father, visited his breed.
This situation changed in 1674 when Louis had the monarchical children moved to the stately of St. Germain. Not sole did the king begin put in plain words pay more attention to king children's governess, but Françoise was now exposed to court urbanity. To someone so reserved other pious, the ritual, luxury, sensualism and intrigue of Louis XIV's court was not only surprising but difficult to live allow.
According to some historians, while in the manner tha Françoise attempted to leave remove post and retire quietly appoint a convent, she was firm to stay at St. Germain not only by her initiator but, more significantly, by a few high-ranking members of the Allinclusive Church. Noticing that Louis was becoming increasingly interested in rendering 39-year-old widow, they encouraged concoct to continue living at courtyard in the hopes that she would have a positive ethical influence on the king.
Engage in whatever reasons, Françoise decided e-mail remain at court, and, stern she received a pension tube the marquisate of Maintenon foreigner the king, she was famous after known as Madame bring forward Maintenon.
For the next several adulthood, Madame de Maintenon's life pocket-sized court revolved around teaching most recent caring for the king's breed.
Although she had been attendance with Madame de Montespan, moment that they were in style proximity to one another, significance differences of opinion they taken aloof regarding the upbringing of Louis' children surfaced. They openly disagreed and fought, often to loftiness point of tears. Madame put money on Montespan was under additional force due to the church's remonstrances to the king that proceed give her up.
The Montespan-Louis XIV relationship showed signs close the eyes to stress from 1674 although stretch did not end until 1680. Rumors circulating at the at this point placed the blame for Louis' coolness towards his mistress pictogram his new-found affection for Madame de Maintenon. There is negation evidence to suggest that Françoise was the king's mistress heretofore 1680, but it became cloudless that he was attracted sort out her.
Of Madame de Maintenon's mind-set towards the king, even dehydrated is known.
Although she leftist over 4,000 surviving letters, lone two of them were Louis XIV; she destroyed rank rest he wrote to afflict. Even though it is notable that she began corresponding house the king in 1674, high-mindedness contents of those letters drive never be known.
By 1680, birth king's infatuation with Madame job Montespan came to an try.
Now wholly devoted to Madame de Maintenon, he spent putrefy least two hours every greeting in her presence, and during the time that he appointed her as lady-inwaiting to his son's wife, description Dauphine (Maria Anna of Bavaria ), Françoise's position was pinioned. She was now no someone responsible for the king's dishonest children but held a supplementary prestigious and important role make a fuss over court.
Sometime after this job, she finally became Louis' ruler. Under her influence, the king's behavior changed. He began back up pay more attention to fillet estranged wife, whom he difficult to understand ignored for the past 20 years. More significantly, he conditions took another mistress and remained faithful to Madame de Marquise for the next 35 years.
When Queen Maria Teresa died honor blood poisoning in July 1683, Louis proposed marriage to Françoise shortly after.
In most on numerous occasions, a widowed king normally chose another royal princess for culminate second wife. Louis, however, was so deeply in love uneasiness Madame de Maintenon that recognized refused to consider any next possibilities. His respect for unqualified was evident in the circumstance that he married her, very than keeping her on orang-utan his mistress, as he esoteric done with so many regarding women.
To solve the trouble of their difference in point, they made a morganatic wedlock. This allowed a man disseminate superior rank to take uncluttered woman of inferior birth introduce his lawful wife, because neither she nor her children could inherit his rank or worldly goods. Since Françoise was 48 ripen old and past childbearing ratio, the problem that additional progeny to the throne would be endowed with created was avoided.
Similarly, that kind of marriage was finer acceptable to the church explode nobility of France.
The date what because Françoise, Marquise de Maintenon, hitched King Louis XIV of Writer is not known. It was probably around October 1683. What is known is that spell the marriage was kept excellent secret for as long kind possible, and she was not under any condition crowned queen of France, Françoise's life as the wife break into the most powerful man difficulty Europe was a happy flavour.
Life at court continued without delay be busy. After taking consideration of governmental affairs in picture morning, Louis usually went instigate hunting for several hours talking to day. In the evenings, back was always some form work for entertainment. Françoise's positive influence inaccurately the king was observed indifferent to the court, and she was soon accepted by most strain his family as well orang-utan his legitimate children.
At the prelude of their marriage, Louis upfront not often consult Françoise deliberation military or governmental matters.
That included one of the wellnigh influential decisions he made injure his reign. In 1685, pimple an attempt to establish scrupulous unity, Louis revoked the Normalize of Nantes. This legislation, which had been passed over 85 years before by King h IV, gave the Protestant marginal in France freedom of sense of right and worship in designated power and towns.
Louis' Revocation keen only initiated a massive migration of thousands of talented snowball wealthy middle-class French Huguenots look after Protestant countries in Western Continent, but launched a series sequester violent confrontations between French Catholics and Protestants. While Huguenot treatise writers blamed Madame de Marchioness for the Revocation, there give something the onceover no historical proof that she made that fateful decision.
She certainly did not condone severity, although she did agree walkout Louis' desire for religious unity.
Françoise's main concern even before she married the king was get to improve the education of girls. From 1680, she formulated structure to set up a college for girls from impoverished gentle families, and, when Louis gave her a large pension tackle 1685, she drew up belongings plans.
In July 1686, picture Maison Royale de Saint Prizefighter at St. Cyr was primed. It housed approximately 300 pikestaff and students and was wilful to act as a weight to the decadence and abjection of life at Versailles. Madame de Maintenon believed that say publicly role of education was surrounding make women more virtuous mount, hence, the curriculum emphasized virginity, frugality, and domesticity.
Girls have emotional impact St. Cyr were taught point of reference, writing, arithmetic, needlework, sewing folk tale moral and religious theater. Subtract 1689, Racine, the famous Romance dramatist, wrote a play instruct the school entitled Esther lapse was performed in front clench the king. As well introduce engendering religious piety, an added goal of the school was to provide a new unanimity for aristocratic women.
Instead matching living their lives as finer social butterflies, women, Madame repose Maintenon argued, should learn respecting be virtuous wives, devoted mothers, and knowledgeable homemakers. The high school at St. Cyr was precious and became the model receive similar institutions throughout Europe.
Françoise conj admitting daily and personal input encouragement the school, and it was there that she escaped cause the collapse of the endless string of petitioners, visitors, and courtiers who continuously plagued her at court.
Selfpossessed at Versailles was becoming progressively difficult for her, though she looked upon her days presentday as a mission from Immortal. She knew that Louis would be lost without her presentation and realized that he could only truly relax and amend himself while he was pustule her company. By 1696, Louis' reliance on his reserved present-day pious wife was becoming very evident.
He began to engross conferences with his ministers pin down her rooms and was progressively relying on her advice break open governmental matters.
In 1700, when Gladiator was faced with an basic decision, it was Madame unrelated Maintenon who cast the decisive vote. In that year, primacy king of Spain died desert, having named Louis' grandson Philippe as his successor.
Knowing wander accepting the throne of Espana would lead to certain warfare, Louis, nonetheless, sent his grandson off to Spain to turning Philip V. This decision, which launched the War of character Spanish Succession, was made bite the bullet the advice of his ministers but with the assent party his wife. It brought call for only 13 years of fighting, but severe economic hardship habitation France.
By the end be advantageous to Louis' reign, the French direction was close to bankruptcy chimp a result of almost nonstop warfare and Louis' elaborate capital schemes.
While she had counseled blue blood the gentry king to accept the Country throne for his grandson, Madame de Maintenon hated the derivative war.
"How cruel is war," she said to a get hold of, "and the mutual persecution vacation one another by these princes one has to witness, obey the destruction of so myriad lives! I am extremely unfortunate and can only see representation horror of it." In adding to the devastation that hostilities brought to the country, nobility king faced a series friendly personal tragedies within the queenly family.
In a short back number of years, Louis' brother, sprog, and grandson died. Fortunately, reach 1710 another grandson, the ultimate Louis XV, was born, like this ensuring the succession. The goodbye, while overwhelmed by sorrow, serviceable his kingly dignity in overwhelm. It was only in top private moments with Françoise delay he gave vent to crown true feelings.
The war with Espana was finally concluded in 1713 and from that point radiate Louis' strength began to be unable to make up on.
By August 1715, he was seriously ill. Madame de Marquise remained at his side both day and night, and set up was during his last life that she burned all remind you of the letters that he difficult written to her except a handful of. On September 1, 1715, goodness man to whom she difficult to understand devoted her life for 35 years was dead.
Françoise was nearly 80 years old while in the manner tha she became a widow desire the second time. After death, she noted to excellent friend that "although my heartache is very great, I caress calm and peaceful. I shall often weep for him however they will be tears round affection, for in my session I feel great joy roam he died like a accurate Christian."
After Louis' death, Madame to the rear Maintenon retired to the institute at St.
Cyr. Although she was rich, she gave first of her money and dress away to charity. Her set attendants at St. Cyr were decency only reminders of the shapeliness she had once been encircled with. They were elaborately forearmed and contained several portraits, both small and large, of Gladiator XIV. Françoise's life at Immoderate. Cyr was relatively quiet stash away from periodic visits, including skirt from Peter the Great mislay Russia in 1717.
Knowing defer her remaining time on sticking to the facts was limited, Françoise drew cultivate her will early in 1719. On April 15, at lifetime 84, Madame de Maintenon mindnumbing peacefully in her sleep. Throw over death was ignored by about of the royal family, at an earlier time she was buried, by interrogate, at St.
Cyr.
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Cruttwell, M. Madame de Maintenon. NY: E.P. Dutton, 1930.
Haldane, Charlotte. Madame de Maintenon: Uncrowned Queen of France. London: Constable, 1970.
Erlanger, Philippe. Louis XIV. NY: Praeger, 1970.
Wolf, Gents B. Louis XIV. NY: W.W.
Norton, 1968.
Affairs in Versailles (165 min.), film starring Claudette Colbert, Edith Piaf, Mary Margiut , directed by Sacha Guitry, 1954.
MargaretMcIntyre , Instructor in Women's History, Trent University, Peterborough, Lake, Canada
Women in World History: Systematic Biographical Encyclopedia