The Marquise de Pompadour died from. Women's secrets of the Marquise de Pompadour or the uncrowned queen of France

Today we will talk about the fate of such interesting woman like Madame de Pompadour. Her biography is unique, like Zhanna herself (that was the name of this woman). The story of the birth of Jeanne Antoinette Poisson is shrouded in darkness. The girl was born in 1721, on December 29, into the family of Francois Poisson. This man rose to become the horsemaster of the court of the Duke of Orleans himself from ordinary lackeys. However, François soon became theft and, in order to avoid the gallows, decided to escape. Although he was, apparently, only a nominal father for Jeanne. According to rumors, Jeanne Antoinette's real father was Le Normand de Tournehem (Tournham), a wealthy nobleman. Be that as it may, it was he who took care of the education and upbringing of the girl, and after she grew up, he married Zhanna to his own nephew. However, this was not enough for Madame de Pompadour. Her personal life was not limited to her relationship with her husband. Zhanna wanted much more...

Fortune teller's prediction

From childhood, the future Madame de Pompadour stood out for her extraordinary abilities and beauty. The photos below prove that she was truly beautiful. Zhanna, in addition, sang well and played various musical instruments, knew how and loved to draw, and had undeniable acting qualities. According to legend, a fortune teller predicted an amazing fate for a girl at the age of 9, as well as a long love affair with the king himself. Jeanne, having become the monarch's favorite, found this fortune teller and began paying her a small pension. However, the path to the royal bedroom was not at all easy for the future favorite. Her life is similar in the memories of contemporaries to a fairy tale. It is difficult to determine where is fiction and where is reality. And is it worth doing this? The main thing is that Zhanna herself created the fairy tale.

The plan that matured in Jeanne's head

Having become Madame d'Etiol after her marriage, she stubbornly rushed towards her goal, which the fortune teller planted in her soul. Thanks to her husband's wealth and name, the girl got the opportunity to visit high society. Here she absorbed with great zeal everything concerning the court and the king. Soon Zhanna already knew many of his details. intimate life, knew how he behaved with his favorites and mistresses. And then the girl came up with a plan. Zhanna began to implement it with all seriousness.

Implementation of the plan

She did not have the opportunity to meet Louis XV at court ceremonies. The Duchess de Chateauroux, the then favorite, skillfully cut off all possible contenders from him. However, there was a place where the king would certainly pay attention to the charming woman. This is the Senar Forest, where the monarch loved to hunt. But the girl was unlucky: Jeanne caught the eye of the Duchess de Chateauroux, and not the king. The favorite intuitively understood why she was taking forest walks. After that, they had to stop, so as not to get Madame de Pompadour into big trouble.

Her short biography, however, continues with the fact that fate soon smiled on Jeanne. The Duchess de Chateauroux died of pneumonia, and the path to the king's heart was open. At a masked ball held at the Paris Town Hall in 1745, on February 28, the king was intrigued by a girl who interfered with his desire to see her face. After the monarch's curiosity reached its limit, Jeanne took off her mask. The king became convinced that it was not in vain that he showed signs of attention to this mysterious stranger.

It should be noted that Louis XV, who was 35 years old by this time, was considered a sophisticated connoisseur of women. He had long been bored with his insipid family life with Maria Leszczynska, his pious wife, daughter of Stanislav, the Polish king. Therefore, the monarch loved to have fun with his next favorite or simply with a pretty woman. Thus, the new acquaintance came in handy.

Jeanne agreed to have dinner with the king. Louis decided in the morning that he could end the affair there. The woman, to his surprise, resignedly left. She did not let anyone know more about herself, which was not typical for his other former lovers. It turned out that she rejected him too, and this hurt the man’s pride. And Louis XV could not resist.

Zhanna becomes the official favorite

Jeanne, reappearing in the palace, acted out a scene of her sincere love, not only touching the king, but also engendering in him something similar to a mutual feeling. Thus, Louis XV had a new official favorite. A lucrative position was provided to Madame d’Etoile’s husband, and they also offered him tempting prospects for further career growth. The king gave Jeanne, whose origins were not impeccable, the Margraviate of Pompadour and, consequently, the title of Marquise.

Two Queens

It was easier to win the king than to gain recognition from high society. For a long time, the newly-minted marquise was just an ordinary grisette for the aristocracy - this nickname was given to Jeanne in high society salons. It is noteworthy that I established almost friendly relations Marquise de Pompadour. The photo below is a portrait of Maria Leszczynska, the king's wife.

At that time, on the streets of Paris one could often hear common people shouting: “The queens are coming!” The two main women of the state not only peacefully shared the royal bed for some time, but also divided official duties: one of them reigned on the throne, the other ruled.

For more than 20 years, Jeanne remained next to the king - an amazing period for an ordinary favorite. In Russia a little later, Grigory Potemkin was the favorite for an equally long time. His fate, by the way, is somewhat similar to the fate of Jeanne de Pompadour. Having ceased to share his bed with the monarch, for another 15 years she remained an adviser and close friend to him.

Salon of Madame de Pompadour

The king cannot be kept for a long time by love pleasures alone. Therefore, the marquise began to delve into the affairs of the state. She turned her salon into a meeting place for the scientific and artistic elite of France. Louis XV greeted this intellectual society, new to him, with curiosity. It not only entertained the king, but more importantly, it gave food to his mind. New circle The monarch's communications in society were also perceived with great interest. The opportunity to communicate with Louis XV in an informal setting was extremely important for the Marquise's guests. This provided significant support and increased their status in society.

What did Jeanne do for France?

In France, with the light hand of Jeanne, significant funds began to be spent on art, literature and science. For example, with the help of this marquise, the Encyclopedia of Denis Diderot appeared, as well as the Chamber Theater in Palace of Versailles, which opened with a performance of Molière's Tartuffe. Jeanne often shone on the stage of this prestigious, albeit small, French theater, amazing with the art of impersonating the king himself.

The range of interests of this woman was extensive. In France, with her assistance, for example, a Military School for war veterans and sons of nobles appeared, which Napoleon Bonaparte himself graduated after some time. Madame de Pompadour established porcelain production in the country, establishing a model factory on her Sèvres estate. The soft pink porcelain from Sèvres was called Rose Pompadour in her memory. It should be noted that the name of this woman was also associated with the appearance of many accessories and little things dear to a woman’s heart: high heels, a reticule handbag, intricate updos, champagne glasses called “tulips,” as well as a special style of diamond cutting called “tulips.” marquise."

Madame de Pompadour boldly intervened in the affairs of the state, often pushing the king to make radical political decisions. France, which had always been in allied relations with Prussia, thanks to her, reoriented itself towards an alliance with Austria. Louis, at the insistence of Jeanne, banned the activities of the Jesuit Order in the state. The Marquise showed in politics, as well as in love, wisdom and feminine intuition, which never failed her.

New entertainment in Europe

Do not assume that this woman’s life was cloudless. She had plenty of enemies. Each new favorite tried to displace Jeanne, but no one managed to shake the position of the Marquise de Pompadour. In Europe, a new entertainment even arose - bets were made on when Madame de Pompadour would lose influence on Louis XV. All such bets were lost.

Death of Jeanne

This woman received the highest honor even in death. She passed away in the presence of the king himself. In the royal chronicle in 1764, on April 15, an entry appeared that the Marquise de Pompadour died at about 7 pm. This happened in the personal chambers of Louis XV. Madame de Pompadour died at the age of 43. The story of her life is of great interest today.

“No one can fully appreciate what women have done for France,” argued the writer and philosopher-enlightenment Bernard Le Beauvier de Fontenelle. And someone who has lived in the world for exactly 100 years and witnessed the transformation of this state into the most authoritative and enlightened in Europe can be trusted. There is no doubt that, paying tribute to the weak half of France, de Fontenelle also had in mind the famous marquise, who forced politicians to seriously talk about the era of Pompadour.

Only the power concentrated in the hands of the most influential favorite of Louis XV forced her too zealous opponents not to delve into the details of her origin. And this extremely irritated a woman striving for perfection in everything. Although we have received information that Jeanne Antoinette Poisson’s father was a lackey who became a quartermaster, stole and abandoned his family.

The proud marquise could easily disown such a parent, but then she would have to admit that she was an illegitimate child. The fact is that her father was also called the noble financier Norman de Thurnham. It was assumed that it was he who gave the girl, born in 1721, an excellent education and took part in her fate in every possible way. And not in vain...

Zhanna was clearly gifted with extraordinary abilities: she drew beautifully, played music, had a small but clear voice and a real passion for poetry, which she was excellent at reciting. Those around her invariably expressed delight, giving Mademoiselle Poisson the necessary self-confidence. The fortune teller, who predicted a love affair with the king for a 9-year-old girl, only confirmed her chosenness and exclusivity. The future marquise paid this kind woman a pension until the end of her days.

At the age of 19, Jeanne walked down the aisle with the nephew of her patron, and possibly her father. The groom was short and completely ugly, but rich and passionately in love with the bride. So the maiden Poisson parted with her unenviable surname and became Madame d'Etiol. Her family life flowed serenely, two years later she gave birth to a daughter, Alexandra, which, however, could not overshadow in her mind the dreams of a king that were lodged like a nail in her pretty head.

Jeanne used her every appearance in the boudoirs of numerous friends, as well as in the living rooms of high society, where her husband’s name and wealth opened the way for her. Rumors, gossip, and sometimes true information - everything went into her ideas about the life of the king and his court.

She already knew that at that time the king was busy with the Duchess de Chateauroux. And then the main traits of her character began to appear - perseverance and determination. She began to regularly travel to the Senar Forest, where the king used to hunt. However, it was not the king who caught the eye of her, but the ambitious Duchess de Chateauroux, who quickly declassified the purpose of her forest walks. And Zhanna was forbidden to appear in these places. Such a click on the nose sobered up the applicant for a while, but the cards, it seemed, didn’t lie after all. The Duchess de Chateauroux, being twenty-seven years old, died suddenly of pneumonia, and Madame d'Etiol took this as a signal to action.

On February 28, 1745, at the Paris City Hall, which still stands in the same place, during a masquerade ball, Jeanne met the king face to face for the first time. However, at first she was wearing a mask, but the monarch, intrigued by the stranger’s behavior, asked her to reveal her face. Probably the impression was more than favorable...

Louis XV was called a man with an “extremely complex and mysterious character” and a “early tired” king. It was said about him that his “modesty was a quality that turned into a flaw in him.”

And since Louis felt most relaxed in the company of women, in France the king was considered a “lustful sinner.”

Louis XV was born in 1710. At the age of five, after the death of his great-grandfather, King Louis XIV, inherited the throne. When he was 9, he came to Paris Russian Emperor Peter to conduct negotiations “about wooing the king from our daughters, and especially the middle one,” Elizabeth. Versailles was not delighted with the prospect of Louis marrying the daughter of a portomoi. The origins of the wife of the Russian Emperor Catherine were well known. And the marriage did not take place. The beautiful and lively Lizetka, as Peter called his middle daughter, stayed at home and clearly made the right decision in becoming the Russian Empress.

At the age of 11, Louis was found a suitable bride - Maria Leszczynska, daughter of the Polish king Stanislaus. When the king turned 15, they got married. His wife was seven years older than him, extremely pious, boring and unattractive. According to some reports, during the first 12 years of marriage, she gave birth to ten children to Louis. The king, who had been an exemplary husband all these years, became so fed up with politics, economics, and his own family that he began to focus mainly on what gave him true pleasure - the fine arts and no less graceful women.

By the time he met Jeanne d’Etiol at the masquerade ball, this “ to the most beautiful man in his kingdom,” nicknamed Louis the Fair, turned 35 years old.

Although it is hardly possible to unambiguously characterize the appearance of this woman, so artistically gifted. Here, as the classic rightly noted, “everything is not what it is, but what it seems.” That is why the descriptions of the appearance of the future Marquise de Pompadour varied so much. Much here, of course, depended on the attitude towards her. One of her detractors did not find anything special in her: “She was blonde with a too pale face, somewhat plump and rather poorly built, although endowed with grace and talents.”

But the chief huntsman of the forests and parks of Versailles, Monsieur Leroy, who described the king’s girlfriend as a real beauty, noted a beautiful complexion, thick, lush hair with a chestnut tint, perfect form a nose and mouth literally “made for kissing.” Particularly admired were his large, incomprehensible-colored eyes, which left the impression of “some kind of vague point in a restless soul.” Poetic. And it completely coincides with the portraits of Francois Boucher, to whom the future marquise provided constant patronage.

It is possible that it was the Marquise’s patronage that influenced the fact that in the portraits by Boucher she appears as a goddess of beauty, and at the same time of fertility, with a fresh, ruddy and rather well-fed face of a peasant girl, while history has brought to us facts indicating that , what poor health this woman was and what incredible efforts it required of her to maintain the illusory glory of a blooming beauty.

One way or another, her “eyes of incomprehensible color” turned out to be opposite the royal ones not only at the masquerade ball, but also at the performance of the Italian comedy that followed. Jeanne had to work hard to get a seat next to his box. As a result, the king invited Madame d'Etiol to dinner, which was the beginning of their relationship.

Although after the meeting the king told his confidant, bribed by the prudent Jeanne, that Madame d'Etiol was, of course, very sweet, it seemed to him that she was not entirely sincere and clearly not disinterested, and it was also noted that the crown prince, who saw “this lady "in the theater, found her vulgar...

From all this it became clear that Jeanne’s progress towards her cherished goal would not be problem-free. She managed to get her next date with great difficulty. She played her part in this last attempt with the gusto of desperation. The king was offered a simply melodramatic plot: the unfortunate woman made her way into the palace apartments, risking death by hand jealous husband, only then to look at the person you adore. And then - “let me die...”

The king did not shout “bravo”; he did better, promising Jeanne that upon returning from the theater of military operations in Flanders, he would make the victim of jealousy an official favorite.

Royal messages were delivered to Madame d'Etiolles, meaningfully signed: "Loving and devoted." Aware of Louis's minute habits and preferences, she answered him in a light, piquant style. The Abbé de Bernis, a connoisseur of belles-lettres, was entrusted to read her letters and bring final shine to them. And then one day she received a royal dispatch addressed to the Marquise de Pompadour. Jeanne finally received the title of an old and respectable noble family, albeit extinct.

On September 14, 1745, the king introduced the newly-made marquise to those close to him as his girlfriend. One may be surprised, but the one who treated her most loyally was... the king’s wife, who by that time was accustomed to literally everything. The courtiers were quietly indignant. Since the time of Gabrielle d'Estrée, who became the first official favorite of the monarch, Henry IV of Navarre, in the history of France, this place of honor has been occupied by a lady of a good family name. They were also offered to love and favor almost a plebeian. The Marquise was immediately given the nickname Grisette with a clear hint that in their eyes she was not much different from the people who earn their living by sewing cheap clothes and walking the evening streets of Paris.

Jeanne understood that until the king was entirely in her power, the title of favorite could hardly be retained for long. And she could become indispensable for him only if she was able to change the very quality of his life, relieve him of the melancholy and boredom that had recently become Louis’s constant companions. This means that Jeanne had to become a kind of Versailles Scheherazade.

This transformation happened quickly. The Marquise de Pompadour relied on the fine arts, so beloved by Louis. Now every evening in her living room the king found an interesting guest. Bouchardon, Montesquieu, Fragonard, Boucher, Vanloo, Rameau, the famous naturalist Buffon - this is not a complete list of representatives of the artistic and intellectual elite who surrounded the marquise. Voltaire had a special place. Zhanna met him in her youth and considered herself his student. Along with the works of Corneille, the Marquise was involved in the publication of his works.

It was with the assistance of the Marquise of Pompadour that Voltaire gained fame and a worthy place as an academician and the main historian of France, also receiving the title of court chamberlain.

Voltaire dedicated “Tancreda” to the Marquise, one of his most famous works. In addition, he wrote “The Princess of Navarre” and “Temple of Glory” especially for her palace holidays, thus glorifying his patroness both in poetry and prose.

When the Marquise died, Voltaire, one of the few, found kind words to the deceased: “I am deeply shocked by the death of Madame de Pompadour. I owe her a lot, I mourn her. What an irony of fate that an old man who... can barely walk is still alive, and a lovely woman dies at the age of 40 in the prime of the most wonderful fame in the world.”

Such an elegant society entertained the king, revealing to him more and more new facets of life. In turn, the guests of the marquise - undeniably talented people - in the eyes of society increased their social status, thereby gaining significant support. From the very beginning of her favor, the marquise felt a taste for philanthropy and did not change this passion all her life.

In 1751, the first volume of the French Encyclopedia, or “Explanatory Dictionary of Sciences, Arts and Crafts,” saw the light of day, opening a new era in the knowledge and interpretation of nature and society. The author of the idea and editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia, Denis Diderot, a staunch opponent of absolutism and clergy, did not become an outcast in the eyes of the Marquise of Pompadour, she helped him publish his works. At the same time, she repeatedly tried to protect him from persecution, calling on Diderot to be more careful, although her efforts in this direction were completely unsuccessful.

She helped another representative of the glorious galaxy of figures of the French Enlightenment, Jean Leron d'Alembert, financially, and shortly before her death she managed to secure a lifelong pension for him. Among Madame Pompadour's wards, according to some contemporaries, was the famous creator of the monument to Peter I in St. Petersburg, the sculptor Falconet.

The famous freethinker Jean-Jacques Rousseau, although he was offended by the marquise for not introducing him to the king, was still grateful to her for her help in staging his “The Siberian Soothsayer” on stage, where the marquise performed with great success in the male role of Collin.

In general, theater is the sphere that would have turned out to be her true calling if fate had turned out differently. A great and extremely versatile actress, both comedic, dramatic, and grotesque, who was also capable of singing and dancing, clearly perished in it.

A passion for transforming beyond recognition and creating stunning toilets that defined the style of an entire era, endless search and innovations in the field of hairdressing and makeup - in all this one sees not only the desire to keep the fickle king, but also the urgent need of the richly gifted nature of the marquise.

She used every suitable opportunity to gain viewers and listeners. As contemporaries testified, she played both in well-equipped theaters and on small stages in the mansions of the French nobility.

The next estate purchased by the marquise was called Sevres. Having no sympathy for anything German and outraged by the dominance of Saxon porcelain, she decided to create her own porcelain production there.

In 1756, two magnificent buildings were built here: one for workers, the other for the enterprise itself. The Marquise, who often visited there, supported and encouraged the workers, and found experienced craftsmen, artists, and sculptors. The experiments went on day and night - the marquise was impatient and did not like delays. She herself participated in solving all problems and helped in choosing shapes and colors for future products. Rare pink The resulting porcelain was named in her honor - "Rose Pompadour". In Versailles, the marquise arranged a large exhibition of the first batch of products, sold it herself, declaring publicly: “If someone who has money does not buy this porcelain, he is a bad citizen of his country.”

The Marquise conceived and implemented the Chamber Theater in the Palace of Versailles. In January 1747, its opening took place: Moliere’s “Tartuffe” was shown. There were almost fewer actors on stage along with the marquise involved in the play than there were spectators in the hall: only 14 people were invited. Each entrance ticket was obtained at the cost of incredible effort and even intrigue. The success of the performance exceeded all expectations. The king was delighted with Jeanne's performance. “You are the most charming woman in France,” he told her after the end of the performance.

Those who had the pleasure of attending the marquise’s singing performances argued that “she has a great sense of music, sings very expressively and with inspiration, and probably knows at least a hundred songs.”

The obvious superiority of the Marquise of Pompadour over the king's past favorites and ladies of high society in every possible way strengthened her position both at court and under Louis. And she took advantage of this, without fear of being branded immodest. However, this quality was not a strong side of her nature anyway. Both in the external and in the private life, hidden from prying eyes, Madame Pompadour ruled the roost.

She was very scrupulous in matters of etiquette and ceremony. Important visitors - courtiers and ambassadors - were received by her in the luxurious state hall of Versailles, where there was only one chair - the rest of those present were supposed to stand.

She ensured that her daughter was addressed as a person of royal blood - by name. The marquise reburied the ashes of her mother with great honors in the very center of Paris - in the Capuchin monastery on Place Vendôme. On this site, specially purchased by the marquise, a luxurious mausoleum was built. The marquise's relatives, as well as all those whom she favored, were biding their time: some of them were married to a high-born groom, others were matched with a rich bride, and were given positions, life annuities, titles, and awards.

And the result is undisguised and sometimes public condemnation of her extravagance. It was estimated that she spent 4 million on her entertainment ventures, and her “boastful philanthropy” cost the treasury 8 million livres.

Construction was the marquise's second passion, after the theater. She owned so much real estate that any other royal favorite could hardly even dream of. Each of her new acquisitions implied a thorough reconstruction, if not demolition, and always to the taste of the owner. Often the marquise herself sketched out the outlines of the future building on paper. Moreover, in these projects, the attraction to Rococo architectural forms was invariably combined with common sense and practicality.

If the marquise did not have enough money for another construction project, she would sell the already erected building and enthusiastically set about bringing a new idea to life. Her last acquisition was the Menard castle, which she never managed to use in its converted version.

The principle of elegant simplicity and maximum proximity to the living world of nature was put into the planning of the parks by the Marquise. She did not like large, unregulated spaces and excessive pomp. Thickets of jasmine, entire edges of daffodils, violets, carnations, islands with gazebos in the core of shallow lakes, rose bushes of the marquise’s favorite “hue of dawn” - these are her preferences in landscape art.

Louis's royal palaces and country residences were also modified to suit her tastes. Versailles did not escape this either, where the marquise, not far from the royal park, ordered the construction of a small cozy house with a park and a temple with a white marble statue of Adonis.

A visit to the famous Institute of Noble Maidens, located in Saint-Cyr, gave the marquis the idea of ​​​​creating a Military School in Paris for the sons of war veterans and impoverished nobles, for which permission was received from the king, who did not show much enthusiasm for this venture.

Construction began in one of the most prestigious areas of the capital - near the Campus Martius.

The building project was commissioned from the first-class architect Jacques-Ange Gabriel, creator of the famous Place de la Concorde. Construction, which began in 1751, was interrupted due to insufficient government subsidies. Then the marquise invested the missing amount from her own savings. And already in 1753, classes began in the partially rebuilt premises of the school. In the future, the tax that Louis imposed on card game lovers helped, which went entirely towards completing the construction.

From 1777 to this educational institution began to accept the best students of provincial military schools, among whom 19-year-old cadet Napoleon Bonaparte arrived for training in October 1781.

Already on her 30th birthday, the Marquise de Pompadour felt that Louis’ love fervor was drying up. She herself understood that the long-standing lung disease was doing its destructive work. Her former beauty had faded, and it was hardly possible to return her.

The cooling of the august person at all times meant the irrevocable departure of the former favorite into the shadows and further oblivion, if not disgrace.

The Marquise de Pompadour was the king's mistress for only 5 years, and for another 15 years she was a friend and closest adviser on many issues, sometimes of national importance.

The Marquise's cold reason and her iron will told her a way out of the situation. In the silence of two unremarkable Parisian streets, she rented a house with five rooms, hidden by a dense crown of trees. This house, called “Deer Park,” became the meeting place of the king with the ladies invited... by the marquise.

The king appeared here incognito, the girls took him for some important gentleman. After the king’s fleeting passion for another beauty had evaporated and remained without consequences, the girl, provided with a dowry, was married off. If the matter ended with the appearance of a child, then after his birth the baby, together with his mother, received a very significant annuity. The Marquise continued to remain the official favorite of His Majesty.

But in 1751, a real danger appeared in the person of a very young Irish woman, Marie-Louise o'Murphy, who shamelessly encroached on the laurels of the Marquise of Pompadour.

Half of Europe watched the development of this intrigue. The papal ambassador reported to Rome that Pompadour's days were numbered: “Apparently, the main sultana is losing her position.” He was wrong. Louis left the Marquise all her privileges. And more than once she emerged victorious in single combats with young beauties, as well as with her very experienced political opponents. Although the situation worsened significantly after diplomatic negotiations between the Marquise de Pompadour and the Austrian Archduchess Maria Theresa, which led to a change in the allied relations between the two countries. In 1756, France, a traditional ally of Prussia, sided with Austria. In addition, Louis, under pressure from his favorite, who vehemently hated the Jesuits, banned the activities of their order in France.

This kind of change too clearly affected the interests of high-ranking officials for the marquise to feel invulnerable. And she understood this. The food prepared for her was carefully checked - of all the ways to eliminate unwanted items, poisoning remained difficult to prove.

The unexpected death of her only daughter, whom the marquise had hoped to marry to the king's illegitimate son, brought her, who had rare self-control, to the brink of madness. Suspecting the machinations of enemies, the Marquise demanded an autopsy, but it did not yield any results.

Having a hard time experiencing this grief, the Marquise felt her loneliness more acutely than ever before. Her closest friend turned out to be a spy for her opponents. The king increasingly turned into a forgiving friend.

A mental crisis forced the marquise to think about a possible distance from the court. She even wrote a letter to her husband, asking for forgiveness for the offense she had caused him and clearly groping for a way to return to the long-abandoned family shelter. D'Etiolle immediately replied that he readily forgives her, but there was no talk of more...

By 1760, the amounts allocated by the royal treasury for the maintenance of the marquise decreased by 8 times. She sold jewelry and played cards - she was usually lucky. But the treatment required a lot of money, and they had to borrow it. Already being seriously ill, she even acquired a lover. But what is the Marquis of Choiseul compared to the king!

The marquise, who still accompanied Louis everywhere, suddenly lost consciousness on one of his trips. Soon everyone realized that the end was near. And although only royalty had the right to die in Versailles, Louis ordered her to be moved to the palace apartments.

On April 15, 1764, the royal chronicler recorded: "The Marquise de Pompadour, lady-in-waiting of the Queen, died about 7 o'clock in the evening in the King's private apartments, aged 43 years."

As the funeral procession turned towards Paris, Louis, standing on the palace balcony in the pouring rain, said: “What disgusting weather you chose for your last walk, madame!” Behind this seemingly completely inappropriate joke was hidden true sadness.

The Marquise de Pompadour was buried next to her mother and daughter in the tomb of the Capuchin monastery. Now at the site of her burial there is Rue de la Paix, which runs through the territory of the monastery that was demolished at the beginning of the 19th century.

Marquise de Pompadour

Heart of a King

They said that the country was ruled not by a king, but by the Marquise de Pompadour. She behaved as if she herself were of royal blood: in her chambers, which once belonged to Madame de Montespan, the all-powerful favorite of Louis XIV, she received ministers, ambassadors and royalty. Even Louis' relatives had to ask for an audience with her...

She had neither a brilliant pedigree, nor special talents, was neither an outstanding beauty nor a political genius, but her name had long become a household name, denoting both an entire era and the phenomenon of favoritism. The life of the nee Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson clearly proves that anyone can go down in history - if only they put enough effort into it.

The parents of the future marquise are considered to be François Poisson, a former footman who rose to the rank of intendant, and Louise-Madeleine de la Motte. They are considered because the very free behavior of the beautiful Louise gives historians reason to doubt the paternity of her husband: in their opinion, Jeanne’s father was most likely the financier, former ambassador to Sweden Lenormand de Tournhem. It was he who took care of Louise and her children when Francois Poisson, having stolen, fled the country.

Jeanne Antoinette was born on December 29, 1721 in Paris. The girl grew up surrounded by universal love: she was charming, flexible, smart and very pretty. Thanks to the funds of de Tournhem, Jeanne was brought up in the Ursuline convent in Poissy: they remember that young Zhanna she sang wonderfully - later court musicians would admire her beautiful clear voice - and she recited magnificently, showing considerable dramatic talent. Perhaps, if the circumstances had been different, Jeanne would have made an excellent actress, but she was destined for a different fate: once the famous fortune teller Madame Le Bon predicted nine-year-old Jeanne that someday she would win the heart of the king himself.

The prediction made an indelible impression on both Jeanne and her mother, who decided at all costs to raise her daughter as a worthy companion to the monarch. She hired the best teachers for the girl, who taught her singing, playing the clavichord, drawing, dancing, etiquette, botany, rhetoric and performing arts, as well as the ability to dress and conduct small talk. De Tournham paid for everything - he had his own plans for the girl.

As soon as Jeanne was nineteen years old, de Tournelle arranged her wedding with his own nephew: Charles-Guillaume Lenormand d'Etiol was five years older than his bride, ugly and shy, but Jeanne agreed to the marriage without hesitation: de Tournelle promised the newlyweds to make a will in their favor, part of which he gave them as a wedding gift.

Family life turned out to be unexpectedly happy: the husband was completely enchanted by his pretty wife, and she enjoyed a quiet life on the Etiol estate, located on the border of the Senard forest, the favorite royal hunting grounds. Her husband was happy to fulfill her every whim: Jeanne had no shortage of clothes and jewelry, she had wonderful carriages and even a home theater, which her loving husband organized so that his adored wife could have fun playing on stage. Jeanne loved her husband in her own way: they remember that she told him more than once that she would never leave him - except for the sake of the king himself. She bore her husband two children: a son, who died soon after birth, and a daughter, Alexandrina-Zhanna - her family name was Fanfan.

Young Madame d'Etiol was happy, but she was bored in a narrow family circle - and she, following the example of many society ladies, set up a salon in her own place. Soon people began to say in society that Madame d’Etiol was very courteous, witty, very pretty and, moreover, surprisingly smart. Socialites and actors, pundits and politicians began to frequent her salon: among the regular guests are the famous philosopher Charles de Montesquieu, the famous playwright Prosper Crebillon, the famous scientist Bernard de Fontenelle and even Voltaire, who greatly appreciated Madame d'Etiolle for her intelligence, charm and sincerity. The Chairman of the Parliament, Eno, a regular participant in the Queen’s evening receptions, said that Jeanne was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen: “She has a great sense of music, sings very expressively and with inspiration, and probably knows at least a hundred songs.”

A lot of evidence has been preserved about her appearance, but it is so contradictory that now it is not easy to figure out exactly what Jeanne looked like. The Marquis d'Argenson wrote: "She was blonde with a too pale face, somewhat plump and rather poorly built, although endowed with grace and talents." And the Chief Jägermeister of Versailles described her as elegant woman of medium height, slender, with soft, easy manners, an impeccable oval-shaped face, beautiful chestnut-colored hair, a pretty big eyes, beautiful long eyelashes, a straight, perfectly shaped nose, a sensual mouth, very beautiful teeth. According to him, Jeanne had a charming laugh, always a beautiful complexion, and eyes of an indefinite color: “They did not have the sparkling liveliness characteristic of black eyes, or the gentle languor characteristic of blue ones, or the nobility characteristic of gray ones. Their indefinite color seemed to promise you the bliss of passionate temptation and at the same time left the impression of some kind of vague melancholy in the restless soul ... "

Soon Madame d'Etiolle shone in the Parisian world, which was an incredible achievement for the daughter of a former footman, but Jeanne dreamed of more: she remembered very well that she was destined to win the heart of the king himself. In the hope of meeting him, Jeanne, dressed in her most elegant outfits, often went to the Senard forest, where King Louis XV loved to hunt - they say the young beauty attracted the attention of the king, and he deigned to send her husband a deer carcass. Monsieur d'Etiol was so pleased with the sign of royal attention that he ordered to keep the deer antlers - which his wife considered a good sign: soon her husband would wear antlers from the king himself. However, Jeanne was noticed not only by Louis, but also by his official favorite, the all-powerful Duchess de Chateauroux: she immediately demanded that Madame d’Etiol “relieve the king of her annoying attention.” Jeanne had to retreat.

In December 1744, the Duchess de Chateauroux died unexpectedly: they recall that the king was so grieved that, although he consoled himself with her sister for some time, he was in no hurry to choose a new favorite. The path to the king's heart was clear.

In February 1745, a masquerade ball was held at the Paris Town Hall in honor of the marriage of the Dauphin Louis-Ferdinand and the Spanish princess Maria Theresa: Madame d'Etiol arrived there dressed as Diana and entertained the king all night with witty conversation, refusing to take off her mask. Only before leaving, Jeanne showed her face to the king - and apparently, the king was impressed by her beauty. When Jeanne, like Cinderella, who lost her shoe on the palace stairs, dropped her scarf on the floor of the ballroom, the king picked it up and personally returned it to the lady: etiquette considered such a gesture as too intimate, so the courtiers had no doubt that Louis had chosen a new mistress.

But their next meeting took place only in April: an Italian comedy was presented at Versailles, and either through the efforts of the royal stewards, or through the machinations of the courtiers who supported Jeanne, she ended up in a box next to the royal one. Louis invited Jeanne to dinner - and for dessert, Jeanne served herself to the king.

This almost became her fatal mistake: the next morning the king informed his valet that Madame d’Etiol was very nice, but she was clearly driven by selfish interest and ambition. All this immediately became known to Jeanne, who spared no expense in bribing the royal servants. And she did the smartest thing she could: she disappeared from the royal eyes.

Usually, ladies who were awarded royal attention did not disappear after the first meeting - on the contrary, they did their best to crowd in for the second. The unusual behavior of Jeanne d'Etiol intrigued the king, and he did not stop thinking about her. When she appeared again, she performed a whole performance in front of Louis: she confessed to him her passionate and boundless love, complained about the persecution of her jealous and cruel husband... And the king, touched and enchanted, fell at her feet. He promised Jeanne that he would make her his official favorite as soon as he returned from his campaign in Flanders.

King Louis XV was thirty-five years old at the time. Having received the throne in early childhood, the king spent his entire youth in a variety of pleasures, preferring state affairs fine arts, hunting and women. He was married to Maria Leszczynska, an ugly woman and also seven years older than him, who, after the birth of ten children (of whom seven survived), refused to share his bed, condescendingly observing the succession of royal mistresses. By the age of thirty-five, the king had everything he could only want, and at the same time, having experienced everything and tried everything, he no longer wanted anything: satiety caused unbearable boredom, which the king no longer hoped to dispel.

However, Jeanne, well aware of Louis's problems, took upon herself the responsibility of entertaining him in every possible way. At first she wrote him elegant, witty letters (which she was helped to edit by the Abbé de Bernis, who also taught Jeanne court manners), then she did everything so that the king would not be bored for a minute in her company. Perhaps this is how Jeanne d’Etiol won the heart of the king, and this is how she remained his mistress until her death.

Already in May, Jeanne divorced her husband, and in June Louis granted his beloved the title of Marquise de Pompadour, which included an estate and a coat of arms, and already in September the newly-minted marquise was officially presented to the court as the royal favorite. Oddly enough, the queen reacted very favorably to Jeanne, noting her sincere affection for Louis, her intelligence and the respect with which the marquise invariably treated her majesty. It is known that she said more than once: “If the king really needs a mistress, then it would be better for Madame Pompadour than anyone else.” But the courtiers, offended by both Jeanne’s low origins and her still frequent violations of whimsical etiquette, nicknamed her Grisette - hinting with this unflattering nickname that for well-born aristocrats the marquise is essentially just a high-ranking courtesan.

However, Jeanne did not despair: she understood perfectly well that the cat who owns the king’s heart can also own his subjects, and she firmly took possession of Louis. The king, fascinated by Jeanne's beauty, her witty conversations and refined love pleasures, was truly in love. However, Zhanna understood that she couldn’t keep the king like that: there were a lot of beauties around, and Zhanna also had a cold temperament by nature, and sophisticated bed games were difficult for her. Madame de Pompadour constantly took various aphrodisiacs to inflame her passion - chocolate, celery soups, truffles, Spanish fly powder, oysters, spiced red wine and so on, but even these eventually ceased to have an effect. required action. But Jeanne did not rely on sex: she, like no one else, could entertain the king and dispel his boredom. Every day in her salon he was met by the best minds of his time - Voltaire, Boucher, Montesquieu, Fragonard, Buffon, Crebillon talked with His Majesty, and everyone invariably spoke with admiration about the Marquise. She showed extraordinary ingenuity in outfits and hairstyles, never appearing before the king twice in the same image, and spared no effort and expense in organizing numerous holidays, balls, parties, masquerades and concerts, which invariably amaze with the originality of the idea, the thoroughness of the organization, and the luxury and sophistication. She often organized theatrical performances for the king - the latest novelties by the best European playwrights were performed in front of the royal family, and always in leading role The charming marquise performed, brilliantly performing both comedic and dramatic roles. Over time, Jeanne even created her own theater in Versailles, in one of the galleries adjacent to the Medallion Office, called the “Chamber” Theatre.

Over time, Jeanne gained unlimited influence not only on the king himself, but also on state affairs: they said that the country was ruled not by the king, but by the Marquise de Pompadour. She behaved as if she herself were of royal blood: in her chambers, which once belonged to Madame de Montespan, the all-powerful favorite of Louis XIV, she received ministers, ambassadors and royalty. Even Louis's relatives had to ask for an audience with her. The receptions took place in a luxurious hall, where there was only one chair - for the marquise. Everyone else had to stand. She was so confident in her abilities that she even wanted to marry her daughter Alexandrina to the king’s son from the Countess de Ventimille, but the king, perhaps for the only time, decisively refused Jeanne: instead, Alexandrina was married to the Duke de Piquigny. However, at the age of thirteen, the girl suddenly died - they said that she was poisoned by the ill-wishers of the marquise, who became more and more numerous as her power increased.

The Marquise de Pompadour could indeed be considered omnipotent. All her relatives received titles, positions and cash gifts, all my friends had careers. She brought the Duke of Choiseul to power, changed ministers and commanders-in-chief at will, and even conducted foreign policy at her own discretion: it was on the initiative of the Marquise that France concluded an agreement in 1756 with its traditional enemy Austria, directed against Prussia, which historically had always been a French ally. According to a historical anecdote, Jeanne was inflamed with hatred towards the Prussian king Frederick II after she was informed that he had given his dog the name Pompadour. Although Voltaire welcomed this treaty, noting that it “united the two countries after two hundred years of bitter enmity,” it ultimately backfired on France: the outbreak of the Seven Years’ War could have ended in the defeat of Prussia, but in the end France was among the losers: having come to power in the distant Of Russia, Peter III abandoned all conquests, literally giving victory to Frederick. And if Empress Elizabeth had lived at least a month longer, everything would have been different, and Madame de Pompadour would have gone down in history as one of the most successful politicians of our time.

Jeanne's interests were not limited to political intrigue: she spent a lot of effort and money on supporting the arts, reviving the custom of royal patronage. She patronized philosophers and scientists, procured pensions for Jean d'Alembert and Crebillon, ensured the publication of the first volume of the famous Encyclopedia, paid for the education of talented students and published literary works, many of which were dedicated to her by grateful authors. In Paris, she created a military school for the sons of war veterans and impoverished nobles - the famous Saint-Cyr, the money for the construction of which the Marquise donated from her own pocket. In Sevres, she organized a porcelain production, where she invited the best chemists, sculptors and artists. Over time, Sèvres porcelain began to compete with the famous Saxon, and a special pink color was named “rose Pompadour” in honor of the Marquise. The marquise exhibited her first products in Versailles and personally sold them to the courtiers, proclaiming: “If someone who has money does not buy this porcelain, he is a bad citizen of his country.”

Thanks to the mercy and generosity of the king, Jeanne disposed of enormous sums: historians have calculated that her outfits cost 1 million 300 thousand livres, cosmetics - three and a half million, the theater cost four, horses and carriages - three, jewelry cost 2 million, and servant - one and a half. Four million were spent on entertainment, and eight on patronage. The real estate that Zhanna bought all over the country was worth a huge amount of money, each time rebuilding the purchase to her own taste, remodeling parks and furnishing new houses with elegant furniture and works of art. The style that the marquise created is still called by her name - just like clothing styles, hairstyles, and shades of lipstick. It is said that the cone-shaped champagne glasses were designed by her and are shaped like her breasts, and that it was she who invented the small drawstring handbag still known today as the pompadour. The Marquise introduced high hairstyles and heels into fashion because she herself was short, and the marquise cut diamond is shaped like her lips.

By 1750, the marquise realized that her power over the king was weakening: it was becoming more and more difficult for her to arouse his desire, more and more often Louis was looking at young beauties, of whom there were always many at court. And the marquise made the only right decision: she herself refused the royal bed, preferring to become his closest friend. And so that some grasping girl would not take her place, she took the selection of royal mistresses into her own hands. In the Parisian quarter of Parc aux Cerfs, the piquantly famous Deer Park, she equipped a real dating house for Louis: young girls lived there, who, after undergoing the necessary training, ended up in bed with the monarch, and then were married off, receiving a considerable dowry “for their service.” . The Marquise vigilantly ensured that the mistresses changed faster than they could tire of Louis, and before he could become attached to any of them - the Marquise still wanted to remain the only mistress of the royal heart. Meanwhile, Jeanne herself felt tired of the constant battle for the king, for her position at court, for influence. She had been ill for a long time - tuberculosis was literally devouring her from the inside - although she did not show it, and she was visited more and more often sad thoughts. “The older I get,” she wrote in one of her letters to her brother, “the more philosophical direction my thoughts take... With the exception of the happiness of being with the king, which, of course, pleases me most of all, everything else is just an interweaving of malice and baseness, leading to all sorts of misfortunes, which is common to people in general. A wonderful story to think about, especially for someone like me.”

The years passed, and the marquise realized with sadness that her beauty had faded and her youth had passed. The king was still next to her, but he was no longer held by love, but by habit: they said that he did not leave her out of pity, fearing that the sensitive marquise would commit suicide. However, he cut Jeanne’s allowance, so that she had to sell off her jewelry and houses in order to be able to continue to host His Majesty luxuriously.

In the spring of 1764, Jeanne, who still accompanied the king on all his trips, began to feel ill. At the Chateau Choiseul she fainted, and it became clear that her end was near. The king ordered to bring her to Versailles - and although etiquette strictly forbids everyone except the king from getting sick and dying within the walls of the royal residence, the Marquise de Pompadour breathed her last in the personal royal chambers. This happened on the evening of April 15, 1764. She was 43 years old.

Voltaire, her old and true friend, was one of the few who sincerely experienced her death: “I am deeply shocked by the death of Madame de Pompadour,” he wrote. “I owe her a lot, I mourn her.” What an irony of fate that an old man who can barely walk is still alive, and a lovely woman dies at the age of 40 in the prime of the most wonderful fame in the world.”

The Marquise's funeral took place on an unusually rainy and windy day. “What disgusting weather you chose for your last walk, madam!” - noted Louis, who was watching the funeral procession from the balcony of his palace. According to etiquette, he himself could not attend the funeral. The marquise was buried next to her mother and daughter in the tomb of the Capuchin monastery. According to legend, on her grave it was written: “Here lies the one who was a virgin for twenty years, a whore for ten years, and a pimp for thirteen years.” Half a century later, the monastery was destroyed, and the tomb of the marquise was lost forever.

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Marquise de Pompadour
marquise de pompadour
Birth name	Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson
Date of birth	December 29(1721-12-29 ) […]
Place of birth	Paris, France
Date of death	April 15(1764-04-15 ) […] (42 years old)
Place of death	Paris, France
Country
Occupation	owner of a literary salon, politician
Father	Francois Poisson
Mother	Madeleine de la Motte
Spouse	Charles Guillaume Le Normant d'Étiolles [d]
Children	Alexandrina-Jeanne d'Etiolles
Marquise de Pompadour at Wikimedia Commons

Childhood

She came from a family of financiers, actually from the third estate. Her father, François Poisson, speculated on the black market, but in 1725 he went bankrupt and fled France, leaving his wife and children in the care of the syndic Lenormand de Tournhem. Thanks to this man, the girl received an education befitting the wife of an aristocrat: she knew music, drew, sang, acted on stage, and recited.

On the night of February 25–26, 1745, a yew ball was given in the Gallery of Mirrors on the occasion of the marriage of the Dauphin. The courtiers put on yew tree costumes, the king himself appeared in a mask, Jeanne Antoinette arrived in the costume of the goddess of the hunt. Even then they noticed that the king did not want to communicate with anyone except the beautiful stranger. Three days later they met again at a ball in the capital's town hall.

Soon Madame d'Etiol took the vacant position as official favorite. At Versailles, several rooms were placed at her disposal, located directly above the royal chambers and connected to them by a secret staircase. In July, the king gave her the estate of Pompadour in the Limousin region, along with the title of marquise. After receiving a lucrative sinecure, her husband gave her a divorce.

A year later, the king presented his girlfriend with a 6-hectare plot of Versailles Park, where a modest “Hermitage” was erected. Another 2 years later, the marquise acquired the La Celle manor house nearby. She had a whole staff of maids of honor at her service. In relation to Queen Maria Leszczynska, she behaved with emphatic respect. The queen was 7 years old older than spouse, is deeply religious and after the birth of her 10th child she told the loving Louis that she no longer intended to share a bed with him.

Position at court

Historians of the 19th century, who denied talent to the Bourbons of the pre-revolutionary decades, described Louis as a depraved, lazy and worthless ruler, in whose place the energetic Madame Pompadour ruled the country. Around 1750, the marquise, on the advice of doctors, stopped spending nights in the king's bedroom. Since then, their relationship has been platonic in nature (similar to the relationship between the elderly Louis XIV and the Marquise de Maintenon). She moved from the attic apartments to more spacious ones and occupied the luxurious Hotel d'Evreux in the capital. Promotions still had to be addressed to her personally. The Marquise was in charge of all court receptions and amusements, and personally selected young mistresses for the king, for meetings with whom the so-called so-called court was allocated. Deer Park.

Entertainment, buildings, and Pompadour outfits were quite expensive. Over twenty years at court, she spent 350,035 livres on her toilets; she owned over three hundred pieces of jewelry, including a diamond necklace worth 9,359 francs. She loved champagne and regularly ordered truffle and celery soup soaked in flavored chocolate. Her name was given to her high hairstyle with a roller, the furnishings in the apartments (style “à la Reine”), buildings, and costumes. She set fashion throughout Europe with her ability to look luxurious and at the same time seem at ease.

Participation in government affairs

France's foreign policy in the mid-18th century led to a deterioration in its position in the international arena, but this should be blamed not so much on the Marquis as on the lack of state talent among the highest aristocracy. The Marquise removed Cardinal Berni from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, appointing instead her favorite, the Duke of Choiseul, and he persuaded the king to an alliance with Austria, which meant a revision of the centuries-old principles of European foreign policy.

The Seven Years' War, which flared up shortly afterwards, was unsuccessful for France, and public opinion It was not the rotten social system that was to blame for this, but the Marquise de Pompadour. It is known that she nominated the Duke of Richelieu as commander, despite his bad reputation. News of defeats on the battlefields intensified her melancholy. She died shortly after the end of the war, presumably from lung cancer. One of her last acts was a review of the case of Jean Calas, on which Voltaire insisted.

According to contemporaries, Louis eventually became so distant from Jeanne Antoinette that he accepted the news of the death of his “precious friend” quite indifferently. She was only 42 years old. Farewell to the marquise took place in her Versailles mansion. She was buried next to her mother and daughter in the crypt of the Capuchin monastery, which was located on the site of Place Vendôme.

Patronage of the arts

Madame de Pompadour's favorite style was Rococo. She patronized Francois Boucher and other representatives of this trend - painters, sculptors, cabinetmakers. Her brother, the Marquis de Marigny, was in charge of all construction work, which was carried out at public expense. Under his leadership, the ensembles of Place Louis XV and military school on the Champ de Mars, Petit Trianon, a new wing of the residence at Fontainebleau, almost the entire Compiegne Palace was rebuilt. The Marquise herself carried out large construction work on various estates and estates, including Bellevue Palace.

King Louis was indifferent to literature, but the Marquise herself knew a lot about it. Her inner circle included the writers Duclos and Marmontel. She saved old Crebillon from poverty by giving him the position of librarian. She stood up for encyclopedists and for the Encyclopedia.

Voltaire sincerely admired her, although at the same time he laughed at her bourgeois manners.

The reign of the French king Louis XV (1710-1774) is a whole era. It began on September 1, 1715, and ended on May 10, 1774. That is, it took most of the 18th century. This crowned personality became head of state at the age of 5 after the death of his great-grandfather Louis XIV. It is quite natural that the child was appointed a regent in the person of Philip of Orleans. Only in 1726 did the king declare that he would rule independently. But he still had to share power with Cardinal Fleury until he died in 1743.

Only after this did His Majesty try to lead the country single-handedly, without even appointing the first minister. However, such a responsible task did not work out very well for the king. But the fact was that Louis XV very easily fell under the influence of his mistresses, of whom he had a great many. And this despite the fact that he had been married since 1725 to Maria Leshchinskaya, who bore him 10 children.

Marquise de Pompadour

In 1745, the dominant place among the favorites was taken by the Marquise de Pompadour (1721-1764). This woman was considered His Majesty’s main mistress until 1751, but even after that she did not lose influence on the reigning person until her death and played a huge role in political life France. What kind of woman is this, and how did she manage to concentrate enormous power in her weak, gentle hands?

The life story of the Marquise de Pompadour

The real name of this woman is Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, but she went down in history as the Marquise de Pompadour. Born December 29, 1721 in Paris. Father - Francois Poisson (1684-1754) belonged to the third estate (first estate - the clergy, second estate - the nobility, third estate - all other layers of the population, including the bourgeoisie) and was engaged in commerce. Mother - Madeleine de La Motte (1699-1745).

It is assumed that the girl's biological father was either the financier Paris de Montmartle or the tax collector Le Normant Tournehem. In 1725, Francois Poisson fled the country because he could not pay several large debts, and at that time such a crime was punishable by death (only 8 years later the king canceled all his debts and allowed him to return to France). As a result of this, Le Normant Tournehem became Jeanne Antoinette's legal guardian.

When the girl was 5 years old, she was sent to the Ursuline convent in Poissy to receive an education. The child stayed there until January 1730 and returned home. The reason was poor health: the girl fell ill with whooping cough. After this, the guardian arranged private education for the child. He invited the best teachers of that time, and Jeanne Antoinette was taught dancing, drawing, painting, literature, and music. As a result, she received the education that was given to the children of aristocrats.

When Jeanne Antoinette turned 19 years old, her guardian married her to his nephew. This young man's name was Charles Guillaume (1717-1799). But even before the wedding, Le Normant Tournehem made his nephew his only heir. He also gave him a large estate in Etiol (28 km from Paris) as a wedding gift. This estate was located near the forest of Senart, where the royal hunting grounds were located.

The wedding took place in 1741 in the Church of St. Eustache in Paris. After this, Jeanne Antoinette began her family life. Her husband loved her passionately, and she assured her betrothed that she would never leave him unless the king wished it. The couple first had a son, who died in infancy, and in 1744 a daughter was born, who was named Alexandrina. She died in 1754. All other births ended in miscarriages for the future Marquise de Pompadour.

Our heroine had a high family status, and therefore could visit private Parisian salons, where people like Voltaire, Montesquieu, Charles Pinault Duclos, Bernard de Fontenelle gathered. Having become accustomed to the salons, Jeanne Antoinette created her own in Etiol. This salon soon became popular among the cultural elite, as the hostess captivated the guests with her subtle humor, wit and broad knowledge of the fine arts.

Everything was going well, but Jeanne Antoinette from childhood was accustomed to consider herself a high-flying bird. Therefore, she really wanted to meet the king, and ideally become his mistress, in order to fully experience the heady feeling of power and success. The husband was not a hindrance in this matter. He loved his wife passionately and obeyed her unquestioningly in everything.

And she visited Parisian salons and attracted men with her beauty and grace. Much began to be said about Jeanne Antoinette, and such talk reached the ears of His Majesty. It is quite understandable that the king was interested in a woman about whom all the men spoke with delight. But the head of state, unfortunately, was not free. He had a favorite, the Duchess de Chateauroux, and he could not immediately part with her for the sake of a mythical beauty.

Royal hunt

In 1744, Jeanne Antoinette tried to meet with the king. He was hunting in the Senart forest, and from there it was a stone's throw to the estate in Etiol. Our heroine put on a blue dress, got into a pink phaeton and ordered to drive along the road crossing Senart. As expected, the king saw both a bright phaeton and a beautiful lady sitting in it. He ordered to send a large piece of venison to the beautiful stranger.

This, however, was all there was to it. But on December 8, 1744, His Majesty’s mistress, the Duchess de Chateauroux, died. Louis XV became a free man, and nothing stopped Jeanne Antoinette from capturing his heart. But apparently the king already had designs on the woman who dreamed of becoming his mistress. A reason for a close acquaintance was found quite quickly.

On February 25, 1745, a masquerade ball was planned at the Palace of Versailles on the occasion of the marriage of the Dauphin of France Louis and the Spanish Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela. Many invitations were sent out for this occasion. It is quite natural that each such invitation was personally approved by the king. And he did not ignore the mysterious woman whom he saw sitting in a pink phaeton in a blue dress.

In a word, Jeanne Antoinette received an invitation to the royal masquerade ball. And everyone came to it in costumes depicting yew trees. But our heroine decided to show originality and dressed up as the goddess of the hunt, Diana. The king himself limited himself to only a mask. It was at this ball that they became intimately acquainted. The couple talked for a very long time in front of everyone, and after 3 days they met again at another ball.

At the beginning of March, the king and the future Marquise de Pompadour became lovers, and after that our heroine acquired the status of the official royal favorite. This situation at court radically changed family life young woman. Now it belonged only to the king and no one else. The new favorite was given an apartment in Versailles, directly above the king’s chambers, consisting of several rooms. The king got into them through a special secret staircase, hidden from prying eyes.

And what about poor Charles Guillaume, the legal husband of Jeanne Antoinette? His wife divorced him on May 7, 1745. But the man bravely endured the blow of fate. This is indicated by the fact that he died in 1799, when both his ex-wife and Louis XV had long since turned to dust.

Having become a divorced woman, our heroine lost all her privileges and needed a title. Already on June 24, the king gave his mistress the Pompadour estate in Limousin. And on September 14, 1745, she was given the noble title of Marquis, which in its status was between the Duchess and the Countess. From that moment on, Jeanne Antoinette disappeared, and the Marquise de Pompadour entered the historical arena.

After receiving the title and coat of arms, the woman became a full-fledged lady of the court. She tried to fix good relationship with the royal family, and for this she began to show all kinds of signs of respect to Maria Leshchinskaya (the king’s wife). And the latter, having given birth to her 10th child, refused His Majesty intimacy. The Queen devoted herself to raising her children and praying, asking God to save long-suffering France.

King Louis XV of France

The king's new favorite turned out to be an extremely intelligent, energetic and enterprising woman. In fact, she began to play the role of prime minister under Louis XV. It was by her will that people were appointed to important government positions, awards and favors were given out, and as you know, the one who gives orders and pensions has real power. But the most important thing in the activities of the new favorite was that she began to influence not only the domestic, but also the foreign policy of the country.

In 1755, the Austrians asked de Pompadour to intervene in the negotiations for diplomatic agreements between France and Austria. The Marquise intervened, and this led to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on May 1, 1756. Thanks to him, the Franco-Austrian alliance was created, which lasted 30 years.

At the same time, many of this woman’s political decisions were not only wrong, but also harmful to France. So the country was defeated in the Seven Years' War (1754-1763) in an alliance with Austria and Russia against England and Prussia and lost its American colonies. And after the Battle of Rossbach on November 5, 1757, in which the French army was completely defeated, the favorite reassured the king by saying the famous phrase: “After us there may be a flood.” France emerged from the Seven Years' War bankrupt, and its territories shrank.

Subsequently, historians blamed de Pompadour for the fact that England surpassed France in colonial policy. Is this fair or not? Yes, the favorite radically influenced the foreign and domestic policies of the country, but besides her, there were many other noble nobles in France dealing with similar issues. They also contributed to the weakening of the state. And in any case, Louis XV bore responsibility for everything, since he was the head of the power entrusted to him. All other people were appointed only by him, and the Marquise de Pompadour was no exception.

To more fully understand the image of the favorite, it should be noted that she did not shy away from taking money from the treasury for personal needs. With these funds she bought jewelry, clothes, organized receptions and entertainment. At the same time, she patronized painting, architecture, medicine, and commerce.

Under her protection was the school of physiocrats ( economic theory), which gave way to the theory of Adam Smith. It was de Pompadour who supported the creation of a general encyclopedia, although many authoritative church ministers opposed it. It was under her that such a style in interior design as Rococo began to enjoy the greatest popularity. Voltaire himself admired this woman, considering her an outstanding personality.

Our heroine had many enemies at court, who considered her an upstart from the common people. And the woman had a sensitive psyche and was very sensitive to such criticism. To stay at the pinnacle of power, she tried to completely bind the king to her, but, naturally, not through bed, but by becoming his devoted friend. She turned into a person necessary for Louis XV. The favorite never deceived the king, and in return he began to trust her limitlessly.

His Majesty was characterized by attacks of melancholy and boredom. And only de Pompadour could entertain and captivate crowned person something new and tempting. She was very creative, extremely witty, cheerful when necessary, and sad and thoughtful when circumstances required. Apparently she was sitting in it great actress, but she played her role only for one viewer - Louis XV.

At the end of 1750, our heroine and His Majesty stopped intimate relationships. The poor health of the favorite was also to blame for this. She often caught colds, was sick, and suffered from headaches. She suffered three miscarriages from the king, which also negatively affected her health. It is also necessary to take into account the enormous nervous tension that the woman was constantly under. She could not even be by herself for a minute, since there were always many eyes of enemies around her, and she had almost no friends.

De Pompadour once admitted that she had always been a woman with a cold temperament, and she was never interested in love pleasures. True, she tried to increase her libido with truffles, celery and vanilla, but everything was unsuccessful. Therefore, for many years she imitated ardent passion in bed, dreaming only about the bottom so that it would all end quickly.

This is how the Marquise de Pompadour is portrayed in cinema

Having ceased intimacy with His Majesty, the favorite took on the role of “friend of the king.” She announced this publicly so that no one would have any doubts about her high status. However, it was necessary to take care of your influence and cut off all possible competitors, because among the noble ladies there were many smart, well-educated, ambitious and beautiful women.

Possessing extraordinary intelligence and cunning, the Marquise de Pompadour organized a kind of harem in a mansion called “Deer Park,” which was located next to Versailles. They started taking young people there beautiful girls third estate aged 14 to 17 years. These beautiful creatures were virgins, and His Majesty plunged headlong into this young, immaculate beauty. It is quite natural that Louis XV stopped looking for favorites, which is what our heroine was counting on.

Thanks to more intelligence than female beauty, the marquise retained influence over the king and power at court until her death on April 15, 1764. She died of tuberculosis at the age of 42. The king tenderly cared for the dying woman, and her enemies admired her courage in the last weeks of her life.

When de Pompadour died, Voltaire wrote: “I am very sad that she died. I owed her a lot and sincerely mourn her. It seems absurd that this depraved wreck continues to live, while a beautiful woman is in the midst of great career dies at the age of 42."

During the funeral it began to rain, and the king, standing at the coffin, said: “The Marchioness went on a journey in bad weather.”

This outstanding personality was buried in Paris, in the Capuchin monastery next to his mother and daughter.