-
Lydie de Rochefort-Théobon, Comtesse de Beuvron
Born in the same year as Louis XIV, Lydie, although in favour of the Sun King for quite a while, is one of his lesser known mistresses. She was the daughter of Jean de Rochefort-Theobon and his wife Anne de Chaussade de La Mothe. The couple also had a son, Charles Bordeaux de Rochefort, as well as two more…
-
Jeanne de Rouvroy de Chevrièvres, Comtesse de Saint-Vallier
Born in 1650, Jeanne was the daughter of Pierre de Rouvroy, Seigneur du Puy (Also called Marquis de Rouvroy, although he didn’t actually held that title.) and Marie Ursule de Gonteri. The name Rouvroy hints a connection to the Duc de Saint-Simon, but this Rouvroy was not part of the Rouvroy de Saint-Simon family. Jeanne, said to be very…
-
Marie-Charlotte de Castelnau, Duchesse de Gramont
Marie-Charlotte was the last born child of Jacques de Castelnau-Mauvissiere, who became a Maréchal de France, and his wife Marie de Girard. In 1667, during a ball at court, Mare-Charlotte spotted the very dashing Antoine-Charles de Gramont and was at once taken with him. He was a very gallant young gentleman and rather handsome to behold, someone whose vices…
-
Elizabeth Hamilton, Comtesse de Gramont
Elizabeth Hamilton, one of Peter Lely’s Windsor Beauties, was born in 1640 in the Irish town Strabane. Her father Sir George Hamilton upheld the Royalist cause in Ireland as ally of the Stuarts and married Mary Butler, with whom he had nine children. Elizabeth being the third child and first daughter of the couple. To escape the political tension…
-
Marie-Rosalie de Brouilly de Piennes, Marquise de Châtillon
Born around 1665 to Antoine de Brouilly, Marquis de Piennes, and Françoise Godet, Marie-Rosalie was known as Mademoiselle de Brouilly before her marriage. Not too much is known about the time before her marriage, but it appears that Mademoiselle de Brouilly became a short-time mistress of Louis XIV in 1682. He was in his early forties, she probably around…
-
Julie de Guenani, Marquise de Lassay
Julie, born between 1665 and 1668, was the natural daughter of Henri-Jules de Bourbon, at that time Duc d’Enghien, and Françoise-Charlotte de Montalais, Comtesse de Marans. She is known under various names: Julie de Bourbon, Julie de Gheneni, an anagram of Enghien, or in a slightly different spelling as Julie de Guenani. At court, as Mademoiselle de Châteaubriant. Her…
-
Anne-Lucie de la Mothe-Houdancourt, Marquise de La Vieuville
Born in 1647 to Antoine de La Mothe, Marquis d’Houdancourt, and Catherine de Beaujeu, Anne-Lucie lost her mother shortly after her birth. In care of her father, she grew up well-educated. Aged fifteen, Madame de Créquy called her a blonde beauty, sharp, bold, a bit cheeky and an expert in coquetry. At the beginning on 1662, as Louis XIV was…
-
Marie-Louise de Montmorency-Laval, Duchesse de Roquelaure
Born around 1657, Marie-Louise de Montmorency-Laval was a daughter of Guy Urbain de Laval, Marquis de Laval-Lezay, and his wife Françoise de Sesmaisons. She was granted a position as fille d’honneur to the Dauphine some-when before 1683 and had to give her position up the very year. A pregnant woman could not serve as fille d’honneur and Marie-Louise was in such a…
-
Marie-Elisabeth de Ludres, Marquise de Bayon
A canoness, an almost-Duchesse, a mistress. Born in Lorraine in 1647 to Jean de Ludres and his wife Claude des Salles, Marie-Elisabeth came from a family related to the first Ducs de Bourgogne. Due to her high-birth, she was admitted to the Chapitre des dames nobles de Poussay, a abbey of women, as child to be educated and raised virtuous. Isabelle,…
-
Anne de Rohan-Chabot, Princesse de Soubise
Anne-Julie de Rohan-Chabot was born in 1648 to Marguerite de Rohan and Henri Chabot. She was the third child born in a marriage that was a proper scandal. Her mother was the only child of Henri de Rohan, Duc de Rohan, and her family held the rank of Prince étranger. As Henri de Rohan died, Marguerite became Duchesse de…
-
Françoise-Thérèse de Voyer de Dorée, dite Mademoiselle de Dorée
Coming from a less prestigious and younger branch of the Voyer family, Françoise-Thérèse’s date of birth is unfortunately not known. She was a daughter of René de Voyer, Chevalier et Seigneur de Dorée, who was known as the Comte de Dorée and served as councillor to Louis XIV, while his wife acted as governess to the children Louis XIV had with Madame…
-
Marie-Antoinette de Rouvroy, Comtesse d’Oisy
Born around 1660 to Pierre de Rouvroy, Seigneur de Puys and Ursule de Gontery, Marie-Antoinette was known as Mademoiselle de Rouvroy before her marriage. With beauty and wit, she managed to wake Louis XIV’s interest in 1681. Unfortunately for her, she did not become the new Madame de Montespan and the affair did not last long. Mademoiselle de Rouvroy served…
-
Louise-Elisabeth de Rouxel, dite Madame de Grancey
Born in 1653 to Jacques de Rouxel, Comte de Grancey and Médavy as well as Marshal of France, and his second wife Charlotte de Mornay-Villarceaux, Louise-Elisabeth (sometimes also called Isabelle) had twenty-one siblings. Called Mademoiselle de Grancey, after her father’s property, Louise-Elisabeth found her way into the Household of the King’s brother with the help of her mother and one…
-
Marie-Madeleine Agnès de Gontaut Biron, Marquise de Nogaret
Born in 1653, and known as Mademoiselle de Biron before her marriage, Marie-Madeleine managed to wake the interest of Louis XIV in the 1680’s. Her father, François de Gontaut, Marquis de Biron et Baron de Saint Blancard, served as lieutenant-general of the King’s armies. Her mother Elisabeth de Cossé-Brissac, a daughter of the Duc de Brissac, Grand Panetier de France.…
-
Marie-Angélique de Scorraille de Roussille, Duchesse de Fontanges
Born in July 1661, a few months before Louis XIV’s heir was born, Marie-Angélique was to become the last great love of the Sun King and suffered an early and mysterious death aged only twenty. Marie-Angélique was born at the at the Château de Cropières in Upper Auvergne to Jean-Rigal de Scoraille, serving as Lieutenant to the King in…
-
Catherine Charlotte de Gramont, Princesse de Monaco
Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont was born in either 1638 or 1639 as second child and first daughter of Antoine III de Gramont and his wife Françoise-Marguerite du Plessis de Chivré. Her father being a great military commander, her mother a great beauty and her older brother the infamous Comte de Guiche. Mademoiselle de Gramont spent much of her youth with the…
-
Marie-Anne de Wurtemberg, Princesse de Wurtemberg
Anna-Maria-Ignacia von Württemberg, sometimes also Maria-Anna, or in French Marie-Anne-Ignace de Wurtemberg, was the daughter of Ulrich von Württemberg-Neuenbürg, younger brother of the reigning Herzog von Württemberg, and his second wife. His first wife Gräfin Sophia Dorothea von Solms, which he married in 1647, had died in child-bed and the child two days later. Ulrich married again in 1651, this…
-
Gabrielle de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Thianges
Born in 1633 at Lussac-Les-Châteaux into the illustrious de Rochechouart de Mortemart family, Gabrielle was the older sister of the famous Madame de Montespan and just like her little sister, Gabrielle was celebrated for her great beauty, sharp mind and wit. Gabrielle was the first-born child of Gabriel de Rochechouart de Mortemart and his wife Diane de Grandseigne. Her childhood…
-
Françoise Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan
Françoise de Rochechouart de Mortemart was born on October 5 in 1640 into the ancient house of House of Rochechouart. Dating back to the days of Charles the Bald, who ruled as King of the Franks from 840 to 877, the House of Rochechouart teamed up with the House of Montemart, a Montemart is first mentioned in 1094, by marriage in 1205. Making them…
-
Anne-Madeleine de Conty d’Argencourt
Before Marie Mancini and Louise de La Vallière, Louis XIV, aged tender sixteen, had a fling for a certain Mademoiselle de la Motte-Argencourt. Born in 1637 or 1638 to Pierre de Conty d’Argencourt and Madeleine de Chaumont de Bertichères, Anne-Madeleine de Conty d’Argencourt was around the same age as Louis XIV. She was baptised on September 20 in 1641 and entered the household of Anne d’Autriche later…
