In the winter of 1666, signs of a new royal affair began to surface at the court of King Louis XIV. The woman at the center of it was Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, known to history as Madame de Montespan, a lady-in-waiting whose beauty, wit, and charm had captured the attention of the most powerful man in France. By May 1667, the two were seen alone together, and within two years, she would give birth to the king’s child. But the path that carried her to the heights of the French court would later drag her into the darkest scandal of the era, one that accused her of sorcery, black masses, and even conspiracy to murder the king himself.
Born on October 5, 1640, in the family château in western France, Françoise descended from two noble houses whose lineages stretched back centuries. Her father was Gabriel de Rochechouart, Duke of Mortemart and Prince of Tonnay-Charente, and her mother was Diane de Grandseigne, a lady-in-waiting to Anne of Austria, the queen consort of France. While her parents were occupied at court, Françoise remained at the family estate under the care of tutors. She occasionally accompanied her mother to court at the Louvre, but at the age of twelve, she was sent to a convent school where she spent the next five years.
There she learned to read, write, and study some mathematics, but above all, she was trained in religion and manners. By all accounts, she was a deeply religious young woman who continued to attend Mass and take communion regularly. In 1658, Françoise left school, and two years later, at the age of twenty, she became a maid of honor to Princess Henrietta Anne of England, wife of the king’s brother. The position came through her mother’s influence and the standing of her family name.
In 1661, she became engaged to Louis Alexandre de La Trémoille, but the marriage never took place. In a duel, Louis Alexandre seconded a friend who killed a man, forcing him to flee France to escape execution. Not long afterward, Françoise met the younger brother of the man who had been killed in that same duel, a man named Louis Henri de Montespan. They fell in love and married in January 1663 in Paris.
Now Madame de Montespan, she gave birth to a daughter, Christine, not long after the wedding, and in 1665, a son named Louis Antoine. But her husband proved to be a disastrous partner. He was addicted to gambling and impulsive in his spending, plunging the family into financial trouble. The couple lived near the Louvre, which allowed Madame de Montespan to attend court and carry out her duties as a lady-in-waiting to the Duchess of Orléans.
At court, she was known as a great beauty with excellent features, a brilliant conversationalist, and a woman of considerable wit and charm. Her way with words made her appealing to the men of the court, and many suitors tried to win her over despite her marriage. Her charm soon drew the attention of King Louis XIV, who began to court her. It is unclear which of the two was intent on conquering the other, but both appeared interested in beginning an intimate liaison.
At the time, the king’s official mistress was Louise de La Vallière, a position Madame de Montespan wished to take from her. Although the king had previously loved La Vallière, he slowly began to lose interest in her, wanting instead to pursue a relationship with Montespan. La Vallière knew of Montespan’s intentions but believed it was futile, even laughing at what she saw as miserable efforts. That attitude would cost her everything.
At this time, both La Vallière and Queen Maria Theresa were pregnant, and they asked Madame de Montespan to entertain the king during private dinners. She had won the friendship of both women, but they would soon regret allowing her so close to the king. In one famous incident, Madame de Montespan noticed the king spying on her while she washed and reportedly dropped her towel, allowing him to feast his eyes. After that, the king was no longer very interested in La Vallière, though he kept her around for a time to conceal his new relationship.
He even had both ladies moved into connected rooms they had to share. La Vallière remained at court for a few more years, but after losing her position, she eventually left to join a convent. Beauty and charm, however, may not have been the only reasons Madame de Montespan won the king so easily. Various accounts and testimonies during the affair of the poisons claimed that around 1665 she began visiting a medium called Catherine Monvoisin, known as La Voisin, a notorious underworld figure who provided services ranging from fortune-telling to abortions and poison.
According to these reports, Montespan was intent on winning the king’s heart and becoming his official mistress. It was claimed that she used aphrodisiacs on the king, seduced him, and participated in black masses to secure his love. During these rituals, La Voisin and Montespan were said to call on the devil and pray for the king’s affection. One account describes a black velvet cloth spread over an altar, upon which the royal mistress lay naked, six black candles lit, and a priest robed in vestments embroidered with silver characters.
A chalice was placed upon her body, and an infant was brought forward, its blood allowed to fall into the chalice and stream onto the woman beneath. The child’s body was then handed to La Voisin, who flung it into a white-hot oven. These black masses were supposedly used not only to win the king’s heart but to keep it, whenever he showed interest in another woman. Despite the extensive testimonies, there was never conclusive evidence linking Montespan to La Voisin or to these actions.
Whatever the truth, Madame de Montespan officially became the king’s new mistress in July 1667. Surprisingly, her husband remained ignorant of the affair, having been away serving in the army. It was not until June 1668 that he learned his wife was pregnant with the king’s child. Enraged, Louis Henri grew violent.
In one incident, he had his carriage painted black, saying he was mourning the disappearance of his wife. After a brief imprisonment, Louis XIV exiled him to the southwest of France. The following year he was permitted to rejoin the army, but after abducting a girl and attacking citizens with his men, he was forced to flee to Spain. It was not until 1674 that Madame de Montespan and her husband were officially separated.
In 1669, Montespan gave birth to her first child with the king. In time, the couple would have seven children in total. In 1673, the three living children were legitimized by Louis XIV and given the royal surname of Bourbon. Madame de Montespan was so busy at court that she had little time for her children, who spent most of their childhood with their governess, Madame Scarron, a close friend of Montespan’s.
Because she had committed adultery with the king, the Catholic Church began to view her as an enemy. In 1675, she asked a priest for penance so she could take Easter communion, but the priest, knowing her scandalous reputation, refused her absolution. He told her that she scandalized all of France and urged her to abandon her shocking life and throw herself at the feet of the ministers of Jesus Christ. Up until this point, Madame de Montespan had been called by some the true queen of France because of her influence at court and her long-standing relationship with Louis XIV.
But her reign came to a devastating end in 1677 when she was linked to the biggest scandal of the decade, the affair of the poisons. After an extensive investigation, La Voisin was caught and interrogated. It is possible she was tortured, but what is certain is that she was kept in a constant state of drunkenness to keep her talking. Eventually, she gave the name of her most notable client, Madame de Montespan.
La Voisin claimed that Montespan had bought aphrodisiacs and performed black masses with her to gain and keep the king’s favor over rival lovers. Although there was no evidence beyond her confessions, the accusation had a considerable negative impact on Montespan’s reputation. Many also believed that Madame de Montespan had conspired to kill the king. Her relationship with Louis XIV was no longer as strong as before, as the king had shown interest in the Duchess of Fontanges.
Some believed Montespan was ready to have the king poisoned if Fontanges replaced her. Fontanges died in 1681, before a liaison with the king could fully bloom, and some believed Montespan was responsible, though it is likely she died from natural causes. Further suspicion fell on Montespan because of her maid, who was frequently mentioned in connection with La Voisin. The lieutenant general of police, Gabriel Nicolas de La Reynie, who was responsible for handling the scandal, spotted many inconsistencies in the testimonies regarding Montespan’s supposed plot to poison the king.
It is likely she was innocent of those charges. The king, shocked by the accusations against the mother of his children, quickly had anything against her refuted and hidden away. He ordered that the testimony against Montespan be removed from the file, and her accusers were secretly imprisoned for life. Montespan herself was never interrogated nor confronted by her accusers.
In the years that followed, she became increasingly active in charitable works. She founded hospitals for the elderly and orphans, a boarding school for poor and orphaned girls, and a refuge for Paris’s most impoverished citizens. In 1691, she retired from court life and began a religious life in a convent in Paris. She was given a hefty pension of half a million francs, which she used for the good of others.
During her long retirement, she donated vast sums to hospitals and charities and was also a generous patron of the arts. Her final years were given up to severe penance. As an ultimate act, she asked her husband for forgiveness and to rejoin her, but he refused. Strangely, before he died, he proclaimed his love for Montespan and appointed her as the executor of his estate.
Madame de Montespan died on May 27, 1707, at the age of sixty-six, likely due to heart disease. In the days before her death, she passed in and out of consciousness and was very short of breath. Before she passed, she asked forgiveness of everyone.
Her last word was pardon.