Françoise was born on 27 November 1635. Her father was the Huguenot Constant d’Aubigné, who was incarcerated for conspiring against Cardinal Richelieu; her mother, Jeanne de Cardilhac, was the daughter of Constant’s jailer. Jeanne had her daughter baptised in her own Catholic faith.
In 1639, Françoise’s father was released from prison, and went with his family to the island of Martinique. Jeanne was a strict mother and gave her children a Protestant education. Constant returned to France, leaving behind his wife and children; Jeanne was forever trying to be “mother and father” to her children. In 1647, she returned to France to join her husband. Within months of the return, Constant died, and Françoise went to the care of Madame de Villette, her father’s sister. The de Villettes were wealthy and took good care of Françoise, but they were ardent Protestants and continued to school Françoise in their beliefs. When this became known, an order was issued that Françoise had to be educated in a convent. Françoise disliked the convent life, but grew to love one of the nuns there, Sister Céleste, who persuaded Françoise to take her First Communion.
Madame de Neuillant, mother of Françoise’s grandmother Suzanne, brought her to Paris and introduced her to sophisticated women and men, who became vital links that she would use in the future. In her excursion with Madame de Neuillant, Françoise met Paul Scarron (25 years older than her) and began to correspond with him. Scarron offered her marriage or to pay her dowry so that she might enter a convent. She accepted his proposal and became Madame Scarron in 1652. This match allowed her access to the highest levels of Paris society. For nine years, she was his wife and nurse and a fixture in his social circle.
On the death of Scarron in 1660, the Queen dowager, Anne of Austria, continued to pension Françoise, thus enabling her to remain in literary society. After Anne’s death in 1666, Louis XIV suspended the pension. Once again in straitened circumstances and having spent years living off the charity of her friends, Mme Scarron prepared to leave Paris for Lisbon, as a lady-in-waiting to the new Queen of Portugal, Marie-Françoise de Nemours. However, before setting off, she met Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart (Marquise de Montespan), who was the King’s lover. Mme de Montespan took such a fancy to Françoise that she had the King reinstate her pension, allowing Françoise to stay in Paris.
In 1669, when Mme de Montespan’s first child by Louis XIV was born, she placed the baby with Françoise in a house, and provided her with a large income and a staff of servants. Françoise kept the house well-guarded and discreet, doing the domestic duties herself. Her care for the infant Louis Auguste, Duke of Maine first brought her to the attention of the King, though initially he was put off by her strict religious practice. When Louis Auguste and his siblings were legitimised, she became the royal governess. As governess, she was one of the very few people permitted to speak with the king as an equal, something that charmed him.
Due to her hard work, the King rewarded her with 200000 livres, and she purchased a property at Maintenon in 1674. In 1675, the King gave her the title of Marquise de Maintenon after the name of her estate; at court, she was now known as Mme de Maintenon. Such favours incurred Mme de Montespan’s jealousy; she and Françoise sparred frequently over the children and their care.
Madame de Maintenon knows how to love. There would be great pleasure in being loved by her, said the King. He probably asked her to become his mistress at that time. Though Françoise claimed she did not yield to his advances (Nothing is so clever as to conduct one’s self irreproachably, she wrote), some historians doubt that she dared to refuse. By the late 1670s, the King spent much of his spare time with her, discussing politics, religion and economics.
In 1680, the King made Mme de Maintenon second Mistress of the Robes to his daughter-in-law, Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria, the Dauphine. Soon after, Mme de Montespan left the court.
After the death of the Queen, Maria Theresa of Spain, Françoise was married to Louis XIV in a private ceremony. Owing to the disparity in their social status, the marriage was morganatic, meaning that Mme de Maintenon was not openly acknowledged as the King’s wife and did not become Queen. No official documentation of the marriage exists, but that it took place is nevertheless accepted by historians.
Historians have often remarked upon the considerable political influence of Mme de Maintenon. She was regarded as the next most powerful person after the King. Without the official position as Queen, she was easily approached by those wishing to have influence with the King.
Madame de Neuillant, mother of Françoise’s grandmother Suzanne, brought her to Paris and introduced her to sophisticated women and men, who became vital links that she would use in the future. In her excursion with Madame de Neuillant, Françoise met Paul Scarron (25 years older than her) and began to correspond with him. Scarron offered her marriage or to pay her dowry so that she might enter a convent. She accepted his proposal and became Madame Scarron in 1652. This match allowed her access to the highest levels of Paris society. For nine years, she was his wife and nurse and a fixture in his social circle.
On the death of Scarron in 1660, the Queen dowager, Anne of Austria, continued to pension Françoise, thus enabling her to remain in literary society. After Anne’s death in 1666, Louis XIV suspended the pension. Once again in straitened circumstances and having spent years living off the charity of her friends, Mme Scarron prepared to leave Paris for Lisbon, as a lady-in-waiting to the new Queen of Portugal, Marie-Françoise de Nemours. However, before setting off, she met Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart (Marquise de Montespan), who was the King’s lover. Mme de Montespan took such a fancy to Françoise that she had the King reinstate her pension, allowing Françoise to stay in Paris.
In 1669, when Mme de Montespan’s first child by Louis XIV was born, she placed the baby with Françoise in a house, and provided her with a large income and a staff of servants. Françoise kept the house well-guarded and discreet, doing the domestic duties herself. Her care for the infant Louis Auguste, Duke of Maine first brought her to the attention of the King, though initially he was put off by her strict religious practice. When Louis Auguste and his siblings were legitimised, she became the royal governess. As governess, she was one of the very few people permitted to speak with the king as an equal, something that charmed him.
Due to her hard work, the King rewarded her with 200000 livres, and she purchased a property at Maintenon in 1674. In 1675, the King gave her the title of Marquise de Maintenon after the name of her estate; at court, she was now known as Mme de Maintenon. Such favours incurred Mme de Montespan’s jealousy; she and Françoise sparred frequently over the children and their care.
Madame de Maintenon knows how to love. There would be great pleasure in being loved by her, said the King. He probably asked her to become his mistress at that time. Though Françoise claimed she did not yield to his advances (Nothing is so clever as to conduct one’s self irreproachably, she wrote), some historians doubt that she dared to refuse. By the late 1670s, the King spent much of his spare time with her, discussing politics, religion and economics.
In 1680, the King made Mme de Maintenon second Mistress of the Robes to his daughter-in-law, Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria, the Dauphine. Soon after, Mme de Montespan left the court.
After the death of the Queen, Maria Theresa of Spain, Françoise was married to Louis XIV in a private ceremony. Owing to the disparity in their social status, the marriage was morganatic, meaning that Mme de Maintenon was not openly acknowledged as the King’s wife and did not become Queen. No official documentation of the marriage exists, but that it took place is nevertheless accepted by historians.
Historians have often remarked upon the considerable political influence of Mme de Maintenon. She was regarded as the next most powerful person after the King. Without the official position as Queen, she was easily approached by those wishing to have influence with the King.
As a strongly religious person, she had a strong influence on Louis, which was widely recognised at court. He no longer had open mistresses and banned operas and comedy performances during Lent. Some have accused her of responsibility for the revocation of the Edict of Nantes and the dragonnades, but recent investigations have shown that despite her ardent Catholicism, she opposed the cruelties of the dragonnades but was pleased with the conversions they procured.
Françoise founded the Maison Royale de Saint-Louis, a school for poor girls of noble families. She drew up the rules of the institution and attended to every detail. Her school is considered to have greatly influenced the demands of the Society of Revolutionary Republican Women, the first women political interest group founded in 1793. In the Revolutionary context, Mme de Maintenon’s ideas were used by local officials and philanthropist, who successfully established neighbourhood primary schools that accepted many poor girls. Her work also had a lasting impact on the original feminist movement, which gathered in Parisian salons and during the Age of Enlightenment, one aim of which was to promote educational equality to help lower-class women escape their condition and prostitution.
On the death of her husband in 1715, Françoise retired to Saint-Cyr. The Duke of Orléans, as Regent of France, honoured her with a pension of 48000 livres. Françoise died on 15 April 1719, aged 83.
Françoise founded the Maison Royale de Saint-Louis, a school for poor girls of noble families. She drew up the rules of the institution and attended to every detail. Her school is considered to have greatly influenced the demands of the Society of Revolutionary Republican Women, the first women political interest group founded in 1793. In the Revolutionary context, Mme de Maintenon’s ideas were used by local officials and philanthropist, who successfully established neighbourhood primary schools that accepted many poor girls. Her work also had a lasting impact on the original feminist movement, which gathered in Parisian salons and during the Age of Enlightenment, one aim of which was to promote educational equality to help lower-class women escape their condition and prostitution.
On the death of her husband in 1715, Françoise retired to Saint-Cyr. The Duke of Orléans, as Regent of France, honoured her with a pension of 48000 livres. Françoise died on 15 April 1719, aged 83.
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Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon
Pierre Mignard
1694
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It's always fascinating getting to know strong and just women through the course of History, and Françoise Daubigne is a great example of that! Very cool that she inspired generations to come :) And now, let's talk about your drawing... The way how you were able to pull off the hand holding her robe is just too cute :) Great job, as usual! :)
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