Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson (born December 29, 1721 - death April 15, 1764), who went down in history as the Marquise de Pompadour, is the official favorite of King Louis XV of France.
Strokes for a portrait
It was said that the state was ruled not by the king, but by the Marquis de Pompadour. She behaved as if she were royal herself: in her chambers, which once belonged to the Marquis de Montespan, the all-powerful favorite of Louis XIV, she received ministers, ambassadors and royalty. Even the king's relatives had to ask her for an audience …
She had neither a brilliant pedigree, nor special talents, was neither an outstanding beauty, nor a genius in politics, but her name has long become a household name, denoting both an entire era and the phenomenon of favoritism. The life of the nee Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson clearly testifies that everyone can go down in history - if only she makes enough effort to do so.
Parents
The parents of the future marquise are considered François Poisson, a former lackey who rose to the rank of intendant, and Louise-Madeleine de la Motte. They are considered because the rather free behavior of the beautiful Louise gives historians reason to doubt the paternity of her husband: in their opinion, Jeanne's father could most likely be a financier, former ambassador to Sweden Lenormand de Tournem. It was he who took care of Louise and her children when François Poisson, stealing, fled the country.
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Childhood and youth
Jeanne-Antoinette was born on December 29, 1721 in Paris. The girl grew up, surrounded by universal love: she was charming, flexible, intelligent and very pretty. Thanks to de Tournhem's money, Jeanne was brought up in the Ursuline convent in Poissy: they remember that young Jeanne sang beautifully - later the court musicians would admire her beautiful clear voice - and she recited magnificently, showing considerable dramatic talent. Maybe the circumstances were different, and a wonderful actress would have come out of Jeanne, but she had a different fate: once the famous fortune-teller Madame Le Bon predicted to 9-year-old Jeanne that someday she would be able to win the heart of the king himself.
The prophecy made an indelible impression on both Jeanne and her mother, who at all costs decided to raise from her daughter a worthy companion of the king. She hired the best teachers for the girl who taught her singing, playing the clavichord, painting, dancing, etiquette, botany, rhetoric and performing arts, as well as dressing and small talk. De Tournemme paid for everything - who had his own plans for the girl.
Marriage. Personal life
As soon as Jeanne was 19 years old, de Tournem arranged her wedding with his nephew: Charles-Guillaume Lenormand d'Etiolle was 5 years older than his bride, ugly and shy, but Jeanne did not hesitate to agree to the marriage: de Tourneille promised the newlyweds to make a will in their benefit, some of which he gave them as a wedding gift.
Family life turned out to be unexpectedly happy: the husband was completely fascinated by his pretty wife, and she enjoyed a quiet life on the Etiol estate, located on the border of the Senar Forest, the royal favorite hunting grounds. The husband was happy to fulfill any of her whims: Jeanne did not know the lack of dresses and jewelry, she had wonderful crews and even a home theater, which her loving husband organized so that his adored wife could have fun playing on stage. Jeanne, in her own way, loved her husband: they recall that she had told him more than once that she would never leave him, except for the sake of the king himself. She gave birth to her husband two children: a son who died shortly after birth, and a daughter Alexandrina-Jeanne - her family name was Fanfan.
Young Madame d'Etiolle was happy, but she was bored in a narrow family circle - and, following the example of many ladies of the world, she arranged a salon. Soon enough, people began to say in society that Madame d'Etiol is quite courteous, witty, very good-looking and, moreover, surprisingly smart.
Secular lions and actors, pundits and politicians began to visit her salon: among the regulars they call 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'Etiol for her intelligence, charm and sincerity … The Speaker of Parliament Hainaut himself, a regular participant in the Queen's evening receptions, said that Jeanne was the most charming of all the women he had ever seen: "She perfectly feels music, sings very expressively and with inspiration, probably knows at least a hundred songs." …
Appearance
A lot of evidence has come down to us about her appearance, but so contradictory that now it is not easy to figure out exactly how Jeanne looked. The Marquis d'Argenson wrote: "She was a blonde with a too pale face, somewhat plump and rather poorly built, although endowed with grace and talents."
Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson and her daughter Alexandra
And the Ober-Jägermeister of Versailles described her as an elegant woman of medium height, slender, with soft, casual manners, with a face of an impeccable oval shape, beautiful, with brown hair, very large eyes, beautiful long eyelashes, a straight, perfectly shaped nose, a sensual mouth, very beautiful teeth. According to him, Jeanne had an enchanting laugh, always a wonderful complexion, and her eyes of an indeterminate color: “They did not have the sparkling liveliness characteristic of black eyes, or the gentle languor characteristic of blue, or the nobility characteristic of gray. Their indefinite color seemed to promise you the bliss of passionate seduction and at the same time left the impression of some vague melancholy in the restless soul …"
Meet the King
Soon, Madame d'Etiol shone in Parisian light, which was an incredible achievement for the daughter of a former lackey, but Jeanne dreamed of more: she remembered well that she was destined to conquer the heart of the monarch himself. In the hope of meeting him, Jeanne, dressed in her most elegant outfits, often went to the Senar forest, where King Louis XV loved to hunt - they say that 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 antlers - that his wife considered it a good sign: soon her husband will wear horns from the king himself. But Jeanne was noticed not only by Louis, but also by his official favorite, the omnipotent duchess de Chateauroux: she immediately demanded from Madame d'Etiol "to save the king from her intrusive attention." Jeanne was forced to retreat.
1744, December - The Duchess de Chateauroux died suddenly: they recall that the monarch 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.
1745, February - a masquerade ball was given at the Paris City Hall in honor of the wedding of the Dauphin Louis Ferdinand and the Spanish princess Maria Theresa: Madame d'Etiol arrived there dressed as Diana and during this night entertained the king with witty conversation, refusing to take off her mask. Just before leaving, Jeanne showed the king her face - and, apparently, the king was impressed by her beauty. When Jeanne, like Cinderella, who lost her slipper on the stairs of the palace, dropped her kerchief on the ballroom floor, the king picked it up and personally returned it to the lady: etiquette considered such a gesture too intimate, so the courtiers did not doubt that Louis had chosen a new mistress.
However, 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 intrigues of the courtiers who supported Jeanne, she ended up in a box next to the royal. Louis invited Jeanne to dinner - and for dessert Jeanne served herself to the king.
This almost became her fatal mistake: in the morning the monarch informed his valet that Madame d'Etiol was very sweet, but she was clearly driven by selfish interest and ambition. All this immediately became known to Jeanne, who did not spare money to bribe the royal servants. And she did the smartest thing she could: she disappeared from the eyes of the king.
Life at court
As a rule, the ladies who received royal attention did not disappear after the first meeting - on the contrary, they in every possible way stuffed themselves into the second. The unusual behavior of Jeanne d'Etiol intrigued the monarch, and he did not stop thinking about her. When she reappeared, she played 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, moved and charmed, fell at her feet. He promised Jeanne that he would make her an official favorite as soon as he returned from a campaign in Flanders.
King Louis XV was then 35 years old. Having received the throne in early childhood, the king spent his entire youth in various pleasures, preferring fine arts, hunting and women to state affairs. He was married to Maria Leshchinskaya, an ugly woman and, moreover, 7 years older than him, who, after the birth of 10 children (of which 7 survived), refused to share a bed with him, condescendingly watching the succession of royal mistresses. By the age of 35, the king had everything that he could only wish for, and at the same time, having tasted everything and tried everything, he no longer wanted anything: satiety caused unbearable boredom, which the king no longer hoped to dispel.
But Jeanne, well aware of Louis' problems, took it upon herself to entertain him in every possible way. At first, she wrote him graceful witty letters (which she was helped by the Abbot de Berny, who also taught Joan of court manners), then she did everything so that the king in her company would not be bored for a minute. Perhaps it was with this that Jeanne d'Etiol was able to win the king's heart, and that is how she remained his mistress until her death.
Marquise de Pompadour and Louis XV
Already in May, Jeanne divorced her husband, and in June the king granted Jeanne the title of Marquise de Pompadour, to which the estate and coat of arms were attached, and in September the newly-made marquis was officially presented to the court as a royal mistress. Oddly enough, the queen reacted rather favorably to Joan, noting her sincere affection for the king, intelligence and the respect with which the Marquise Pompadour 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 Madame Pompadour than anyone else." But the courtiers, offended by the low origin of Jeanne, and her still frequent violations of whimsical etiquette, called her Grisette - hinting with this unflattering nickname that for the well-born aristocrats of the Marquis, in essence, is only a high-ranking courtesan.
But Jeanne did not despair: she knew well that the one who owns the heart of the king can also own his subjects, and she took possession of Louis firmly. The king, fascinated by the beauty of Joan, her witty conversations and refined love joys, was truly in love. But Jeanne understood that it was impossible to keep the king like that: there are many beauties around, and Jeanne, moreover, by nature had a cold temperament, and sophisticated bed games were not easy for her.
The Marquise de Pompadour constantly took various aphrodisiacs to inflame her passion - chocolate, celery soups, truffles, powder from spanish flies, oysters, red wine with spices, and so on, but even they eventually ceased to have the desired effect. But Jeanne did not bet on sex: she, like no one else, could entertain Louis, dispel his boredom. Every day in her salon he was greeted by the best minds of their time - Voltaire, Boucher, Montesquieu, Fragonard, Buffon, Crebillon talked with His Majesty, and everyone invariably spoke with admiration of the Marquis de Pompadour.
She showed extraordinary ingenuity in outfits and hairstyles, never appearing before the king twice in the same way, and spared no effort and money in organizing numerous holidays, balls, parties, masquerades and concerts, invariably striking with the originality of the idea, the thoroughness of the organization, the luxury and sophistication. Often she organized theatrical performances for Louis - the latest novelties of the best European playwrights were played in front of the royal family, and the charming Jeanne always played the leading role, brilliantly performing both comedic and dramatic roles. Over time, the Marquis even created in Versailles, in one of the galleries adjacent to the Medallion Cabinet, her own theater, called the "Chamber".
Participation in public affairs
Gradually, Jeanne gained unlimited influence not only on Louis himself, but also on state affairs: it was said that the country was ruled not by the king, but by the Marquis de Pompadour. She has received ministers, ambassadors and royalty. The receptions were held in a luxurious hall, where there was only one armchair - for the marquise. Everyone else had to stand. She was so confident in her abilities that she even wanted to marry her daughter Alexandrina for the son of Louis from the Countess de Ventimil, but the king, perhaps for the only time, decisively refused the marquis: instead, Alexandrina was married to the Duke de Piquigny. However, at the age of 13, the girl suddenly died - they said that she was poisoned by the Marquis's ill-wishers, who, as her power increased, became more and more.
The marquise really could be considered omnipotent. All of her relatives received titles, positions and monetary gifts, all friends made a career. It brought the Duke of Choiseul to power, changed ministers and commanders-in-chief at its discretion, and even pursued foreign policy of its own accord: it was on the initiative of the Marquise de Pompadour that France concluded in 1756 a treaty with its traditional enemy Austria, directed against Prussia, which historically had always been French ally.
According to a historical anecdote, Jeanne inflamed with hatred of the Prussian king Frederick II after she was informed that he had given his dog the nickname Pompadour. Although Voltaire welcomed this treaty, noting that he "united the two countries after 200 years of sworn enmity," as a result, he left France sideways: 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 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.
Marquise and art
The interests of the marquise were not limited to political intrigues: she spent a lot of effort and money to support the arts, reviving the custom of royal patronage. She patronized philosophers and scientists, secured a pension for Jean d'Alembert and Crebillon, secured the publication of the first volume of the famous Encyclopedia, paid for the tuition of talented students and published literary works, many of which grateful authors dedicated to her.
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 Jeanne donated from her own pocket. In Sevres, she organized a porcelain production, where she invited the best chemists, sculptors and artists. Gradually, Sevres porcelain began to compete with the renowned Saxon, and a special pink color in honor of the marquise was named "rose Pompadour". The first products of the Marquis de Pompadour were exhibited in Versailles and personally sold to courtiers, proclaiming: "If the one 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, the Marquis disposed of huge sums: historians calculated that her outfits cost 1.3 million livres, cosmetics - three and a half million, the theater cost 4, horses and carriages - 3, jewelry took 2 million, and servants - 1.5. Four million was spent on amusement, and eight million on patronage. Real estate, which Jeanne bought all over the country, cost a lot of money, each time rebuilding the purchase to her own taste, redoing parks and furnishing new houses with elegant furniture and works of art.
The style that Jeanne created is still named after her - just like clothing styles, hairstyles, lipstick shades. It is said that the cone-shaped champagne glasses were invented by her and are shaped like her breasts, and that it was she who came up with the little drawstring bag, still known today as the "pompadour". Jeanne brought into fashion high hairstyles and heels, because she herself was short, and the cut of the marquise diamond is shaped like her lips.
Last years
By 1750, the Marquis de Pompadour realized that her power over Louis was weakening: it was more and more difficult for her to excite his desire, more and more often the king looked at the young beauties, who were always many at court. And Jeanne made the only right decision: she herself refused the royal bed, preferring to become his closest friend. And so that her place was not taken by some grasping girl, she took over the selection of royal mistresses.
Madame de Pompadour
In the Parisian quarter of Park-aux-Cerfs, the spicy famous Deer Park, she equipped a real dating house for Louis: there lived young girls who, after undergoing the necessary training, went to bed with the king, and then were married, receiving a considerable dowry "for service" … Jeanne vigilantly watched that the mistresses changed faster than the monarch could get tired of, and before he had time to become attached to any of them, the Marquise de Pompadour still wanted to remain the only ruler of the king's heart.
Meanwhile, the Marquis herself felt tired of the constant battle for Louis, for position at court, for influence. She had been ill for a long time - tuberculosis literally devoured her from the inside - although she did not show it, and sad thoughts more often visited her. “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 the most, everything else is just an interweaving of malice and meanness, leading to all sorts of misfortunes, which is characteristic of people in general. An excellent subject for thought, especially for someone like me."
Years passed, and Jeanne with sadness realized that her beauty had faded, and her youth had passed. Louis, as before, was 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 marquis would lay hands on himself. Nevertheless, he cut Jeanne's content, so that she had to sell her jewelry and houses in order to be able to still luxuriously receive His Majesty.
Death of the Marquise de Pompadour
1764, spring - the marquise, who still accompanied the king on all his trips, felt unwell. At the Château de Choiseul she fainted, and it became clear that her end was near. The monarch ordered her to be brought to Versailles - and although etiquette strictly forbids everyone except the king to get sick and die within the walls of the royal residence, the Marquis 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 faithful friend, was one of the few who sincerely experienced her death: “I am deeply shocked by the passing of Madame de Pompadour,” he wrote. - I owe her a lot, I mourn her. What an irony of fate that the old man, who is barely able to move, is still alive, and the lovely woman dies at 40 in the prime of the world's most wonderful glory.
The funeral of the Marquis took place on an unusually rainy and windy day. "What disgusting weather you chose for your last walk, madam!" - noticed Louis, watching the funeral procession from the balcony of his palace. According to etiquette, he himself could not attend the funeral. The Marquis 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 20 years, a whore for 10 years, and a pimp for 13 years." Half a century later, the monastery was destroyed, and the grave of the Marquis was forever lost.
W. Wolfe