Madame pompadour biography personal life. Royal Games of the Marquise de Pompadour. Zhanna becomes the official favorite

17.06.2019

She swayed the king towards an alliance with Austria, contrary to traditional French policy. She removed Cardinal Burney from the Foreign Office, appointing her favorite, the Duke of Choiseul, in his place. At her request, commanders in chief were appointed in the armies; she nominated the Duke of Richelieu despite his disrepute, appointing him Marshal of France. Under her, Finance Minister Machaux tried to reform the distribution of taxes. Quesnay explained to her the foundations of his theory.

She was acquainted with many outstanding writers of her time. Her friends were Duclos and Marmontel. She rescued old Crebillon from poverty by giving him the position of librarian. Pompadour ardently supported the encyclopedists and the Encyclopedia. Voltaire admired her, although, at the same time, he laughed at her bourgeois manners. It is known that Rousseau was one of the few intellectuals of that time who were not part of her circle of acquaintances.

Spending at the expense of the royal treasury

Amusements, buildings, Pompadour outfits were expensive. For twenty years at court, she spent 350,035 livres on her toilets, she owned over three hundred jewelry, including a diamond necklace worth 9,359 francs. The furnishings in the apartments (“à la Reine” style), buildings, and costumes were named after her. She created fashion with her ability to dress luxuriously and at the same time "carelessly". Of all the royal mistresses, Pompadour is considered the most brilliant, talented and immoral. Nevertheless, according to contemporaries, Louis accepted the news of her death with indifference.

Notes

Literature

Malassis, Pompadour. Correspondance" (P., 1878);
"Lettres" (1753-62, P., 1814);
Memoirs of Maurep, Choiseul, Marmontel, d'Argenson, Duclos;
M-me du Hausset, "Mémoires History of the marchioness of Pompadour" (L., 1758);
Soulavie, "Mémoires historiques et anecdotes de la cour de France pendant la faveur de M-me P." (P., 1802);
Lessac de Meihan, "Portraits et caractères";
Capefigue, "M-me de Pompadour" (P., 1858);
Carné, "Le gouvernement de M-me de P." ("Revue de Deux Mondes", 1859, 16 Janvier);
E. et J. Concourt, "Les maîtresses de Louis XV" (Par., 1861);
Bonhomme, "Madame de Pompadour general d'armée" (Par., 1880);
Campardon, "M-me de P. et la cour de Louis XV" (Par., 1867);
Pawlowski, "La marquise de P." (1888);
Sainte-Beuve, "La marquise de P.".
Evelyn Lever, Madame de Pompadour. M .: "Terra-Book Club", "Palmpsest", 2009. Translated from French by V. E. Klimanov.
One of the episodes of the Doctor Who series is also dedicated to her.

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December 29
Born in 1721
Deceased April 15
Deceased in 1764
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See what "Marquise de Pompadour" is in other dictionaries:

Antoinette (Marquise de Pompadour, Pompadour; nee Poisson, Poisson; married Lenormand d Etiol) (December 29, 1721, Paris April 15, 1764, Versailles), mistress of the French king Louis XV Bourbon (see LOUIS XV Bourbon), who provided ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Francois Bush. Portrait of Madame de Pompadour. OK. 1750. National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh Marquise de Pompadour (Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, fr. Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, marquise de Pompadour, December 29, 1721 April 15, 1764) since 1745 ... ... Wikipedia

pompadour- self-righteous administrator. named after the Marquise Pompadour. The word first appeared in the work of M. E. Saltykov Shchedrin "Pompadours and Pompadours". Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, marquise de Pompadour Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, marquise de Pompadour (1721-1764) ... ... The fate of eponyms. Dictionary-reference

- (fr., from the name of the famous favorite of the French king Louis XV), 1) the satirical name of the governor and, in general, the tyrant administrator in Russia. The Pompadour is the governor's favorite. 2) a light, elegant work bag for ladies. Vocabulary… … Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

marquise- uh. marquise f. 1. Wife or daughter of the marquis. ALS 1. The seventeen-year-old Marchioness, Polina, was beautiful, kind, and virtuous. MM 4 118. The wife, Marquise Teresa, is in charge of the house, she is an intelligent and energetic woman. Grigorovich Ship Retvizan. || trans. In… … Historical dictionary gallicisms of the Russian language

On April 15, 1764, perhaps the most famous mistress in history died. Her name has long become a household name and means a synonym for female cunning and coquetry. How the Marquis de Pompadour seduced the king.

Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, whom the world would later recognize as the Marquise de Pompadour, was born on December 29, 1721 in Paris. Her father, Francois Poisson, was a modest financier. In the early 1720s, the quartermasters (those who were entrusted with any branch of government) the Pari brothers drew attention to him. They made Poisson one of the senior clerks.

The king's regent, Philippe d'Orleans, instructed him to provide grain to Marseille, affected by the plague. By 1725, Poisson "grew up the career ladder" to the point that he was entrusted with the supply of grain and Paris. As the historian Henri Castries points out in his book Marquise de Pompadour, such operations could not do without making money on them. As a result, an investigation began, which showed that Poisson entered into fictitious transactions. He was declared a debtor astronomical sum at 232,000 livres (in modern money - about 300 million rubles). Poisson went on the run, leaving behind his wife and three-year-old daughter.

The property was all sealed up, there was no money. Poisson's wife was not from a noble family; she could not count on the help of relatives.

He left his wife and children in the care of his acquaintance, the syndic (defender in court) Lenormand de Tournhem. And he continued to send letters to his relatives. In particular, it was on his advice that the five-year-old Jeanne Antoinette was sent to be raised in the Ursuline Monastery, where her mother's sister was a nun.

Mother came to the monastery very rarely, and even then mainly in order to convey to Jeanne-Antoinette the most necessary things.

fortune teller

Contrary to all the laws then in force, the nine-year-old Zhanna was taken to a fortuneteller. Already in adulthood, the marquise donated money to the monastery for the fact that "she was told to be the mistress of Louis XV."

Historians claim that even the relevant payment documents have been preserved. However, whether there was a fortune-teller, or whether it was a figment of the fantasy of the mysterious marquise, it is no longer possible to verify.

Soon the girl left the monastery and returned home, where her mother and stepfather (although then rumors persisted that it was de Tournay who was her biological father. The mother of Jeanne Antoinette had a dubious reputation) took up her education.

The girl was taught music, painting, recitation, stage acting, dancing. She sang and painted beautifully. She was taught with the money of de Turneghem, which she, having already become Louis's mistress, will not forget. In particular, she will knock out her stepfather as the head of the royal buildings.

"I will leave you only for the sake of the king"

When Jeanne Antoinette was 19 years old, she began to look for a husband. The girl, thanks to her stepfather's connections, was a member of the most famous city salons, she was young, charming and talented. But the dubious reputation of Jeanne's mother and the glory of her own father-schemer frightened off the suitors.

This question de Tournay also took upon himself. He married the girl to his own nephew, the son of the treasurer general, Charles-Guillaume Le Normand d "Ethiols. The wedding took place on March 9, 1741.

It was rumored that the loss of the status of a bachelor d "Etiol was more than compensated. In particular, de Tournay allegedly promised to divide his property into two halves and from one to cover all the expenses of his nephew while he was alive. And bequeath him the second.

Jeanne Antoinette became pregnant in the first two weeks after the wedding. At the end of December, she gave birth to a boy, but he died a few weeks later. Three years later, in August 1744, a daughter appeared in the family. She was named Alexandrine-Jeanne d'Etiol.

main "- Marie-Anne de Mailly-Nel. Their relationship with the king lasted about four years. But the girl died of illness at the age of 27. The king was very worried, and the whole of Versailles was aware of what.

This sorrow for Louis for Jeanne Antoinette meant that the road to his heart was open, the place of the "main favorite" was free.

Ah, the masquerade

"accidentally ran into" the king. Louis offered to take off the masks, and instead she ran away, waving a white handkerchief. At some point, the girl dropped it, the king picked it up and returned it. to another person.

A few days passed, and the 23-year-old coquette was taken to Versailles, to the 35-year-old king. And delivered again and again.

As a result, at the end of March, the new favorite of the king was transported to the palace, and she occupied the chambers of Louis's former mistress. Jeanne Antoinette, of course, divorced d'Etiol. According to the laws of that time, he was even forced to pay 30,000 livres to his ex-wife (about 70 million rubles in modern money). However, what does she need money now - she is the favorite of King Louis himself!

Mar-ki-za

To have a marquise as a favorite is much more prestigious than some girl from the bourgeoisie. Apparently, this is how the king reasoned when he bought his mistress the title of Marquise de Pompadour in August 1745. She also became the owner of the land, which annually brought in an income of 12,000 livres (about 7 million rubles in modern money).

And yet, in order to linger at the bedside of the king, it was necessary to somehow interest him. The marquise solved the problem this way: to invite really interesting guests to the king who are able to surprise him. So the sculptor Bouchardon, the philosopher-educator Montesquieu, the artists Carl Van Loo and many, many others began to appear in the royal living room. She was familiar with them even before marriage, while visiting salons.

In addition, the marquise learned to correctly find moments in which the king is weak. So, he lost his mother at the age of two, and Pompadour took on the “functions” of reassuring, supporting, and somewhere even protecting him. Verbally, of course, in front of the Versailles gossips. She could sharply answer the ministers. There is a story about how the Minister of Marine of France, Jean-Frederic Felippo, Comte de Morepa, tired the ruler with his report. He saw everything, but was in no hurry to interrupt.

Everything! Monsieur de Morepa, the king's face has already turned yellow because of you ... The reception is over! Goodbye, Monsieur de Morepa! - interrupted his mistress of Louis XV.

What about the wife?

seizing the throne" could there be any talk? Even if we assume that the Pompadour would have children from the king, they would have no right to the crown.

Beginning of the End

So, in amusements, support, bantering with the ministers, five years have passed. Meanwhile, the marchioness was stubbornly approaching 30, and it became more and more difficult to compete with the younger and more beautiful persons who surrounded the king.

In addition, she had very weak lungs since childhood, and by the early 1750s, the disease began to progress significantly. In addition, her eye twitched nervously, which was especially noticeable when she was worried. And if at the age of 23 it even gave a certain charm, now it only added problems. The Marquise, referring to the requirements of doctors, was able to convince the king: intimate relationships would have to be stopped. But she will always be glad to see him and happy to continue his friendship with him. After all, not only the bed bound them all this time. As for other women ... she was not at all against their presence, knowing full well that the king would no longer be able to communicate as closely with at least one of them. No, he just doesn't want to.

She moved from her mistress's apartment to a much larger territory - in the same Versailles she asked for a house, calling this place " deer park". The Marquise personally selected girls for the king for love pleasures, and everything happened just in one of the five rooms. Later, they even told about the Deer Park that the Marquise allegedly set up a whole harem there, where the king came and arranged orgies. By the way, if it turned out that one of the girls became pregnant by the king, she received a decent annuity.Most mistresses were quickly sent in marriage after parting.

The fame of the "Deer Park" and what "bonuses" girls get after leaving it quickly spread throughout France. The girls were ready to beat the thresholds just to get there.

Duchess, continuing to be called Marchioness

On October 17, 1752, de Pompadour received the title of Duchess. According to the French hierarchy, this meant that she had finally become an aristocrat. Moreover, according to the pedigree, she took a place "at the next step" behind the king.

She herself tactfully presented herself as a marquise. But you can't throw away the title.

The king did not forget his dear duchess and showered her with gifts. So, in 1752, she was given the land of Saint-Remy, adjacent to Crecy. It brought in 12,000 livres a year. The king was sure that this was too little, and added another 300,000 livres to build a palace on these lands.

Daughter's death

And where, all this time, was the daughter of Alexandrine Le Norman d'Etiol, who was affectionately nicknamed Fan-Fan at home. She was taken care of by de Tournay and Pompadour herself. They arranged for her to the best educational institutions of the kingdom, but she could not study there for a long time due to poor health.

Relatives did not despair: firstly, they were sure that if not to cure, then to maintain her condition, there would be a method. Secondly, they had plans for her coming of age: to marry her illegitimate son Louis.

On June 14, 1754, the girl began to feel pain in her stomach. The nine-year-old child died before her mother could visit her. As physicians and historians later assumed, Alexandrina had an attack of appendicitis and peritonitis.

Pompadour nearly went mad with grief. Diseases aggravated all at once - she long time I just couldn't get out of bed. And all this time the king was near.

The beginning of a political career

The recent laugher and "chief organizer of royal leisure" did not appear in the public for several months. By the middle of 1755, she drew up a plan for further action - to go into politics and limit the king as much as possible from worries about such hated state affairs. She wanted to become a political and economic adviser with the duties of the first minister.

She turned to her friends with a request to explain what was happening. Friends were, of course, difficult - Secretary of State for foreign affairs Antoine Rouyet and Abbé de Berny, ex-ambassador in Venice.

Later, she began to gather statesmen in one of her estates and ... talk with them about politics. The last step to power was the following: write a letter to the king about what she thinks about the decisions of almost every minister and why she thinks so.

Queen's lady-in-waiting

their own" to diplomatic and military posts.

Disease

In 1764, the Marquise became seriously ill and literally fell ill. When the king was informed about this, he did not believe at first - but how so, if they saw each other a couple of days ago. As it turned out, the Marquise simply hid the fact that because of the cough she did not sleep for more than one night, and her head hurt so much that sometimes there was disorientation in space.

She was feverish, the cough did not go away. It was impossible to fall asleep - she woke up with a cough. It was impossible to lie down due to the fact that it began to tickle in the throat. In the end, she just dozed off in the chair. The doctors fussed about, but could not do anything.

About a month literally in hell - and, it seems, a miracle happened. The sickness began to recede! The Marquise finally fell asleep in her own bed. The king was informed every day about the state of her health, but there were no particular worries - well, this is not the first time she is sick. Everyone catches a cold, what now.

However, after a couple of days it all started with new force. On April 15, the Marquise asked the priest to come. He sat from early morning until noon, and when he was about to leave back to church, Pompadour said the following.

Wait a little longer, holy father, she whispered. - We will go together.

The Marquise de Pompadour died at about seven o'clock in the evening at the age of forty. three years. In her will, she asked to be buried without ceremony. Her property amounted to more than 13 million livres (in modern money it is billions of rubles). She divided them in different shares between her friends and servants. She bequeathed all her movable and immovable property to her brother Abel.

Here lies the one who was a virgin for twenty years, a whore for ten years, and a procuress for thirteen years - historians write that this phrase was originally written on her grave.

“No one can fully appreciate what women have done for France,” said the writer and philosopher-educator Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle. And one 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, while 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 Pompadour era.

Only the power concentrated in the hands of the most influential mistress of Louis XV forced her too zealous opponents not to delve into the details of her origin. And this was extremely annoying for a woman striving for perfection in everything. Although information has come down to us that the father of Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson was a lackey, who had become a quartermaster, stealing and leaving his family.

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

Jeanne 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 perfectly knew how to recite. Surrounding invariably expressed delight, giving Mademoiselle Poisson the necessary self-confidence. The fortune-teller, who predicted a 9-year-old girl a love affair with the king, only confirmed her chosenness and exclusivity. The future marquise paid a pension to this kind woman until the end of her days.

At the age of 19, Jeanne went 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 obscure in her mind the dreams of the king, which were stuck in her pretty head like a nail.

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, Jeanne used to advantage. Rumors, gossip, and sometimes true information - everything went into the piggy bank of her ideas about the life of the king and his court.

She already knew that at that moment the king was busy with the Duchess de Châteauroux. And then the main features of her character began to appear - perseverance and determination. She began to travel regularly to the Senar forest, where the king used to hunt. However, it was by no means the king who had to catch the eye of her, but the ambitious Duchess de Château, who quickly declassified the purpose of her forest walks. And Jeanne was forbidden to appear in these places. Such a flick on the nose sobered the applicant for some time, but the cards did not seem to lie. The Duchess de Châteauroux, at the age of twenty-seven, died suddenly of pneumonia, and Madame d'Étiol took this as a call to action.

On February 28, 1745, in the Paris City Hall, which still stands in the same place to this day, 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 behavior of the stranger, 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 an "early tired" king. It was said of him that his "modesty was a quality that turned into a defect in him."

And since Louis felt most liberated 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 the king's great-grandfather Louis XIV, succeeded to the throne. When he was 9, he came to Paris Russian emperor Peter for negotiations "on wooing for the king of our daughters, and especially for the middle one", Elizabeth. Versailles was not delighted with the prospect of marrying Louis to the daughter of "portomoi". The origin of the wife of the Russian Emperor Catherine was well known. And the marriage did not take place. The beautiful and lively Lisetka, as Peter called his middle daughter, stayed at home and obviously did not lose, becoming the Russian Empress.

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

By the time of the meeting at the masquerade ball with Jeanne d'Etiol, this " the most beautiful man in his kingdom”, nicknamed Louis the Fair, turned 35 years old.

Although the appearance of this woman, so artistically gifted, is hardly possible to unequivocally characterize. 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. Here much, of course, depended on the attitude towards her. One of the detractors did not find anything special in her: "She was a blonde with a too pale face, somewhat overweight 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, a perfectly shaped nose and mouth, literally "created for kisses." He was especially admired by his large, incomprehensible color 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 precisely the patronage of the Marquise that influenced the fact that in the portraits by Boucher she appears as the goddess of beauty, and at the same time fertility, with a fresh, ruddy and rather well-fed face of a peysanka, while history brought to us the facts testifying to what poor health this woman was and what incredible efforts it required from her to maintain the illusory glory of a flowering beauty.

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

Although, after the meeting, the king declared to a confidant, bribed by the prudent Jeanne, that Madame d'Etiol, of course, was very nice, it seemed to him that she was not entirely sincere and clearly not disinterested, and it was also noticed that 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. next date she succeeded with great difficulty. She played her part in this last attempt with the excitement of desperation. The king was offered a simply melodramatic plot: the unfortunate woman made her way into the palace apartments, risking falling at the hands of a jealous husband, only to look at the adored person. And then - "let me die ..."

The king did not shout "bravo", he did better, promising Jeanne that upon his return from the theater of operations in Flanders he would make the victim of jealousy into official favorites.

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

On September 14, 1745, the king introduced the newly-made marquise to his confidants as his girlfriend. One may be surprised, but the most loyal attitude towards her was ... the wife of the king, accustomed by that time to literally everything. The courtiers were quietly indignant. Since the time of Gabrielle d'Estre, 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 good surname. They were also invited to love and favor almost a plebeian. The Marquise was immediately given the nickname Grisette, with a clear hint that in their eyes she is not much different from the persons who earn their living by tailoring cheap clothes and walking along the evening Parisian streets.

Jeanne understood that until the king was entirely in her power, the title of favorite could hardly be retained for a long time. And she could become irreplaceable for him only if she could change the very quality of his life, get rid of the melancholy and boredom that had recently become Louis' constant companions. So, Jeanne had to become a kind of Versailles Scheherazade.

This transformation took place quickly. The Marquise de Pompadour made a bet on the fine arts, so loved by Louis. Now every evening in her living room the king found 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 was on a special account. Jeanne met him in her youth and considered herself his student. Along with the works of Corneille, the Marquise was engaged in the publication of his works.

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

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

When the Marquise died, Voltaire, one of the few, found nice 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 the old man, who ... is barely able to move, is still alive, and the lovely woman dies at 40 years old in the prime of the most wonderful glory in the world.

Such an exquisite 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 raised their social status, thereby gaining significant support. From the very beginning of her favor, the marquise felt a taste for patronage and did not change this addiction all her life.

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

Another representative of the glorious galaxy of figures of the French Enlightenment - Jean Leron d'Alembert, she helped financially, and shortly before her death she managed to get him a lifetime pension. Among the wards of Madame Pompadour, according to some evidence of contemporaries, was the famous creator of the monument to Peter I in St. Petersburg - the sculptor Falcone.

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 Siberian Soothsayer on stage, where the marquise performed with great success in the male role of Collin.

In general, the theater is the area that would turn out to be her true vocation, if fate had turned differently. It obviously killed a large and extremely diverse - and comedic, and dramatic, and grotesque, capable of singing and dancing, too - an actress.

The passion for transformation beyond recognition and the creation of stunning toilets that determined the style of an entire era, endless searches and innovations in the field of hairdressing and makeup - all this is seen not only as a desire to keep the fickle king, but also as an urgent need for the marquise's richly gifted nature.

She used every opportunity that came her way 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 bought by the marquise was called Sevres. Having no sympathy for anything German and indignant at the dominance of Saxon porcelain, she decided to create her own porcelain production there.

In 1756, two magnificent buildings were built here: one for the workers, the other for the enterprise itself. The marquise, who often visited there, supported and encouraged the workers, 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, helped in choosing shapes and colors for future products. The resulting rare pink porcelain was named "Rose Pompadour" after her. In Versailles, the Marquise arranged a large exhibition of the first batch of products, she sold it herself, declaring publicly: "If someone who has money does not buy this porcelain, he is a bad citizen of his country."

In the Palace of Versailles, the Marquise conceived and implemented the Chamber Theater. In January 1747, its opening took place: Molière's "Tartuffe" was given. There were almost fewer actors on the stage, together with the marquise involved in the performance, than the audience in the hall: only 14 people were invited. Each entrance ticket was obtained at the cost of incredible efforts and even intrigues. The success of the performance exceeded all expectations. The king was delighted with Joan's game. "You are the most charming woman in France," he told her after the play ended.

Those who had the pleasure of attending the marquise's singing performances claimed that "she feels the music perfectly, sings very expressively and with inspiration, probably knows at least a hundred songs."

The obvious superiority of the Marquise Pompadour over the past favorites of the king and the ladies of high society in every way strengthened her position both at court and under Louis. And she took advantage of this, not being afraid to pass for immodest. However, this quality was not there anyway. strong point her nature. Both in the external and in the private, hidden from prying eyes, life, Madame Pompadour ruled her show.

She was very scrupulous in matters of etiquette and ceremonial. Important visitors - courtiers and ambassadors - were received by her in the luxurious front 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 her mother's ashes with great honors in the very center of Paris - in the Capuchin monastery on Place Vendôme. On this place, specially bought by the marquise, a luxurious mausoleum was built. The relatives of the marquise, as well as all those whom she favored, waited in the wings: some of them married a well-born groom, someone got married to a rich bride, were given positions, life annuities, titles, awards.

And in the end - undisguised, and sometimes public condemnation of her extravagance. It was estimated that she spent 4 million on her entertainment activities, and her "boastful patronage" cost the treasury 8 million livres.

Construction was the second, after the theater, the passion of the Marquise. She owned so much property that hardly any other royal favorite could even dream of. Each of her new acquisitions meant a thorough restructuring, if not demolition, and always in the taste of the hostess. Often, the marquise herself sketched the contours of the future building on paper. Moreover, in these projects, the attraction to the architectural forms of rococo was invariably combined with common sense and practicality.

If the Marquise did not have enough money for the next construction venture, she sold the already erected building and enthusiastically began to implement new idea. Her last acquisition was the Menard castle, which she never managed to use in its converted version.

The principle of elegant simplicity and maximum closeness to the living world of nature was put by the marquise into the planning of parks. She did not like large, irregular spaces and excessive pomposity. Thickets of jasmine, whole edges of daffodils, violets, carnations, islands with pavilions in the core of shallow lakes, rose bushes of the marquise's favorite “shade of dawn” - these are her landscape preferences.

The royal palaces and country residences of Louis also underwent changes in accordance with 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, led the marquis to create in Paris a Military School for the sons of war veterans and impoverished nobles, which was obtained from the king, who did not show much enthusiasm for this undertaking, permission.

Construction began in one of the most prestigious areas of the capital - near the Champ de Mars.

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

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

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

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

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

The cold mind of the Marquise and her iron will prompted her to find a way out. In the silence of two unremarkable Parisian streets, she rented a house with five rooms, hidden by a dense canopy 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 mistook him for some important gentleman. After the fleeting passion of the king for another beauty disappeared and remained without consequences, the girl, having provided a dowry, was given in marriage. If the case ended with the appearance of a child, then after his birth, the baby, together with the mother, received a very significant annuity. The Marquise continued to be the official favorite of His Majesty.

But in 1751, a real danger appeared in the face of a very young Irish woman, Marie-Louise o'Murphy, who shamelessly encroached on the laurels of the Marquise 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 made a mistake. Louis left the Marquise all her privileges. And more than once she emerged victorious in martial arts with young beauties, however, as well as with her very experienced political opponents. Although the situation escalated significantly after the diplomatic negotiations between the Marquise de Pompadour and the Austrian Archduchess Maria Theresa, which led to a change in allied relations between the two countries. In 1756, France, a traditional ally of Prussia, sided with Austria. In addition, Louis, under pressure from his mistress, who vehemently hated the Jesuits, banned the activities of their order in France.

Changes of this kind affected the interests of high-ranking officials too clearly for the Marquise to feel invulnerable. And she understood it. The food prepared for her was carefully checked - of all the ways to eliminate objectionable poisoning remained still difficult to prove.

The unexpected death of her only daughter, whom the marquise hoped to marry to the illegitimate son of the king, brought her, who had rare endurance, to the brink of insanity. Suspecting the intrigues of enemies, the Marquise demanded an autopsy, but it did not give any results.

Hardly experiencing this grief, the Marquise, as never before, acutely felt her loneliness. Her closest friend turned out to be a spy for her opponents. The king became more and more of a condescending friend.

A mental crisis forced the marquise to think about a possible removal from the court. She even wrote a letter to her husband, asking for forgiveness for the offense inflicted on him and clearly groping for ways to return to her long-abandoned family home. D'Etiol answered without delay that he readily forgave her, but there was no more to be said...

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 be borrowed. Already being seriously ill, she even got a lover. But what is the Marquis of Choiseul compared to a king!

The marquise, who was still accompanying Louis everywhere, suddenly lost consciousness on one of the 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 transferred to the palace apartments.

On April 15, 1764, the royal chronicler recorded: "The Marquise de Pompadour, the queen's lady-in-waiting, died about 7 p.m. in the king's private quarters at the age of 43."

When the funeral procession turned towards Paris, Louis, standing on the balcony of the palace in the pouring rain, said: “What disgusting weather you have chosen for your last walk, madam!” 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 place of her burial, there is Rue de la Paix, passing through the territory of the monastery demolished at the beginning of the 19th century.

Legend of the 18th century. Jeanne Antoinette Poisson

was born in 1721. Paris. France.

Francois Boucher. The Marquise de Pompadour, 1755.
When the girl was 9 years old, her mother decided to take her to one of the most famous fortune-tellers of that time - Mrs. Lebon. The fortune teller carefully looked at the fragile, ugly girl and uttered a prophecy: "This little one will one day become the king's favorite!"

So, Jeanne Antoinette is 19 years old, she is not beautiful, not rich, not distinguished by good health. What are her chances of making a decent match? Oddly enough, but the groom for Jeanne was found quickly enough - a certain Charles de Etiol, the nephew of Norman de Turnnam. Charles, of course, is not a fairy-tale prince, but he is from a good family, and besides, he is rich. Another would seize on such an offer with her hands and feet, another, but not Jeanne Antoinette. She pulls and pulls with the final answer. Cause? A prediction made by Madame Le Bon 10 years ago. Which Charles, if in the future there may be a king?

F. Bush. Marquise de Pompadour.
To become the mistress of the king, you first need to be seen by the king. Young Jeanne begins to travel regularly to the Senar forest, where the king used to hunt. The first time the king drove by, the second time he stopped and carefully looked at Mademoiselle Poisson ... After which a man came to her mother, conveying the "request" of the Marquise de Châteauroux (then favorite of Louis) "to save the king from the annoying attention of Mademoiselle Poisson."

Francois Boucher. Marquise de Pompadour 1750.
It was the collapse of her hopes. Jeanne marries Charles de Etiol, but does not strike the king off the lists. After all, the fortuneteller did not say that she would be a queen, she would be a favorite, which means that you need to be as close to the court as possible.

Nattier Jean-Marc. Portrait of Louis XV.
In 1744, the Marquis de Chateauroux died unexpectedly. The court begins to feverish, "parties" are formed in support of one or another candidate for the role of favorite.

In March 1745, at a ball, the attention of the king was attracted by a young lady dressed as Diana the Huntress. A charming mask intrigues him and ... hides in the crowd, after dropping a perfumed handkerchief. The king, being a gallant gentleman, picks up the handkerchief, but, unable to give it to the lady in person, throws it through the crowd. Competitors in mourning - a scarf thrown ...

Madame de Pompadour. Jean-Marc Nattier 1748.
A few words about the character of the man for whom so much stubborn struggle: Louis XV became king at the age of five. By the time he met Jeanne de Etiol, 35-year-old Ludovic had tried all possible pleasures and therefore ... was wildly bored. Jeanne Anouinette intuitively guessed how to hook the jaded king.

Oh, women who sit in the evenings waiting for a phone call from the "one and only", take the example of the Marquise de Pompadour: if circumstances do not favor you, create favorable circumstances yourself.
What it cost Jeanne to get a seat next to the royal box - history is silent. But no matter how much she paid for it, dividends were received almost instantly - the king invited her to dinner ... That evening, Jeanne made the only mistake, which, however, could be fatal. That evening she gave herself to the king.

Bonnet Louis Marin.
The next day, Louis, accustomed to a certain demeanor of the ladies "made happy" by him, prepared a few kind phrases in order to discourage the applicant once and for all. Naive, he didn't yet know who he was dealing with.

Madame de Pompadour as Diana. Jean-Marc Nattier 1752.
Prudent Jeanne bribed one of the king's confidants. The "face" told Madame that the king considered her "not entirely unselfish", in addition, the crown prince, who saw Jeanne in the theater, found her "somewhat vulgar".

Days passed, and Diana the huntress did not appear. Normal male doubts began to visit Ludovik - maybe she didn’t like him in bed?

M. C. de Latour. Madame de Pompadour.
Probably, if Jeanne Poisson had been born in another time, she would have become a great actress. The next meeting of the king and the future favorite took place in the tradition of strong melodrama. Jeanne secretly (with the help of bribed persons) made her way into the palace and fell at the feet of the king. Wringing her hands, she told His Majesty about the insane passion that she had long harbored for him, about the danger that awaits her in the face of a jealous husband (Ludovik would have looked at the stunted Charles de Etiol in the role of jealous Othello). And then - "let me die ..."

It was a brilliant move - in this situation, boredom was gone. The king promised Jeanne that after returning from Flanders, he would make her an official favorite.

F. Boucher 1759 Marquise de Pompadour.
On September 14, 1745, Louis officially introduced his new girlfriend to the court. The court took her with hostility: she was not of a noble family, so she received the nickname Grisette (by this, the king’s close associates clearly made it clear to Jeanne that they did not see the difference between her and street girls). To put an end to the rumors, the king assigns the title of Marquis de Pompadour to his favorite.

Madame Pompadour blue.
Oddly enough, but the best attitude to the new favorite was ... the wife of the king, nee Maria Leshchinskaya. Very pious, very correct and completely indifferent to sexual pleasures, the queen (not surprisingly - in the first 12 years of marriage she gave birth to 10 children to the king) felt a kindred spirit in Jeanne. She was not mistaken - the intimate side was the most difficult for Jeanne. What aphrodisiacs she tried to match the appetites of her lover.

The fact that the new favorite had “problems with temperament” very soon became known to everyone. Naturally, many ladies considered this a sign from above and tried to push the marquise away from the royal bed. But, even the most beautiful girl she cannot give more than she has.” And in the arsenal of the marquise there were a thousand and one ways to keep the king - it was enough to cheer him up.

Louis XV. Maurice Quentin de La Tour (1704-1788)
She begins to patronize talented people, in her living room the king gets acquainted with the outstanding minds of that time. Refined conversations, excellent company... His Majesty is never bored. The Marquise was a very cynical woman, all collections of aphorisms contain her famous: "After us? Though the flood."

Alexander Roslin. Portrait of Madame Pompadour.
But this is not limited to her "contribution" to the cultural heritage of mankind ... Diamonds, cut which is called "Marquis" (oval stones), their shape resembles the mouth of a favorite. Champagne is bottled either in narrow tulip glasses, or in cone-shaped glasses that appeared during the reign of Louis XV - this is exactly the shape of Madame de Pompadour's chest. A small reticule bag made of soft leather is also her invention. She brought high heels and high hair into fashion because she was small.

Boucher F. Portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour.
In 1751, the first volume of the French Encyclopedia, or Explanatory Dictionary of Sciences, Arts and Crafts, saw the light, 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 is Denis Diderot. Another representative of the glorious galaxy of figures of the French Enlightenment, Jean Leron d'Alembert, she helped financially, and shortly before her death she managed to get him a lifetime pension. Among the wards of Madame Pompadour, according to some contemporaries, was the famous creator of the monument to Peter I in St. Petersburg - the sculptor Falcone.

M. V. de Parédès Mozart by Madame de Pompadour, "Monde illustré" 1857.
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 Siberian Soothsayer on stage, where the marquise performed with great success in the male role of Collin. It was with the assistance of the Marquise Pompadour that Voltaire gained fame and a worthy place as an academician and chief historian of France, having also received the title of court chamberlain.

Francois Boucher. Madame de Pompadour.
It was at the suggestion of the Marquise that the Military School for the sons of war veterans and impoverished nobles was created in Paris. When the money allocated for the construction runs out, the marquise pays the missing amount. In October 1781, student Napoleon Bonaparte will arrive at the school to study.

Francois Boucher. Alleged portrait of Jeanne Poisson.
In 1756, the Marquis founded a porcelain factory on the estate of Sèvres. She took Active participation in work on the creation of Sèvres porcelain. A rare pink color, obtained as a result of numerous experiments, is named after her - Rose Pompadour. In Versailles, the Marquise arranged a large exhibition of the first batch of products, she sold it herself, declaring publicly: "If someone who has money does not buy this porcelain, he is a bad citizen of his country."

Construction was the second, after the theater, the passion of the Marquise. Her last acquisition was the Menard castle, which she never managed to use in its converted version. The principle of elegant simplicity and maximum closeness to the living world of nature was put by the marquise into the planning of parks. She did not like large, irregular spaces and excessive pomposity. Thickets of jasmine, whole edges of daffodils, violets, carnations, islands with gazebos in the core of shallow lakes, rose bushes of the marquise's favorite "shade of dawn" - these are her landscape preferences.

The most successful mistress of France aroused jealousy not only among hundreds of other contenders for a place in the royal bedroom. Recognized culinary masters secretly envied the "marquise-nurse" invading their territory. Others admired her. This is evidenced by dozens of culinary masterpieces dedicated to Pompadour. Here are the legendary lamb chops, and pheasant croquettes, and the tournedo of young lamb with Perigue sauce, and the aspic of chopped goose liver, and the aspic of tongues and mushrooms with truffles with Madeira sauce, and an apricot dessert, and small petit fours cakes ...

By 1751, the Marquise realized that she could not hold the attention of the king for long - sooner or later he would turn his eyes to younger women - Madame de Pompadour takes this matter into her own hands. The Marquise de Pompadour was only 5 years the mistress of the king, and another 15 - a friend and closest adviser on many issues, sometimes of national importance.

Francois Boucher.
The cold mind of the Marquise and her iron will prompted her to find a way out. In the silence of two unremarkable Parisian streets, she rented a house with five rooms, hidden by a dense canopy of trees. This house, called "Deer Park", became the meeting place of the king with the ladies invited ... by the marquise.

Jean Marc Nattier. Marquise de Pompadour (1722-1764).
The king appeared here incognito, the girls mistook him for some important gentleman. After the fleeting passion of the king for another beauty disappeared and remained without consequences, the girl, having provided a dowry, was given in marriage. If the case ended with the appearance of a child, then after his birth, the baby, together with the mother, received a very significant annuity. Numerous mistresses are selected under the personal guidance of the marquise. But none of them stay longer than a year. The Marquise continued to be the official favorite of His Majesty.

Marquise will introduce Louis to Louison Morphy. The connection will last two years, but one day, deciding that now she can do anything, Louison will ask His Majesty: "How is the old coquette doing there?" Three days later, Louison, together with her daughter, whom she gave birth to from Louis, leaves the famous house in Deer Park forever. By 1760, the amounts allocated by the royal treasury for the maintenance of the marquise decreased by 8 times. In the spring of 1764, the Marquise de Pompadour fell seriously ill. She sold jewelry and played cards - she was usually lucky. But the treatment required a lot of money, and they had to be borrowed. Already being seriously ill, she even got a lover. But what is the Marquis of Choiseul compared to a king!

Madame Pompadour as a Vestal by Fran. David M. Stewart 1763.
The marquise, who was still accompanying Louis everywhere, suddenly lost consciousness on one of the 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 transferred to the palace apartments.

Madame de Pompadour. DROUAIS François-Hubert 1763-64.
On April 15, 1764, the royal chronicler recorded: "The Marquise de Pompadour, the queen's lady-in-waiting, died about 7 p.m. in the king's private quarters at the age of 43." When the funeral procession turned towards Paris, Louis, standing on the balcony of the palace in the pouring rain, said: “What disgusting weather you have chosen for your last walk, madam!” 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 place of her burial, there is Rue de la Paix, passing through the territory of the monastery demolished at the beginning of the 19th century.

Paris Rue de la Paix.
She revealed the secret that all the women of the world puzzle over - how to keep a man around for 20 years, if he is not even a husband, and you have not had an intimate relationship for a long time.

Anything is possible if you have a goal and a strong desire to achieve it! The story of the uncrowned queen of France who lived during the time of Louis XV tells us about the unconditional female victory! No obstacles could stop this legendary marquise on her way to her success. But even her origin did not contribute to this at all.

fateful prediction

Jeanne Antoinette Poisson was born into a family whose status did not allow her to be on the lists of French high society. Her official father, a lackey who rose to the status of quartermaster, soon stole and fled France, leaving his wife and children. The mother's reputation was even worse.

Before her marriage, Madame Poisson was supported by men, and even after she married, her life was not distinguished by piety. Jeanne's mother continued to date Le Norman de Tournam's longtime lover. Who actually was the father of Jeanne, remained unknown.

When the girl was nine years old, her mother decided to take her to a fortuneteller known at that time, Madame Le Bon. It was imperative to find out if Jeanne could get married. After all, it is successful marriage could provide a comfortable life. Just looking at the angular girl, the fortune teller exclaimed: “It can’t be…! Before me is the future favorite of the king!

Indeed, the prediction was absolutely absurd. Little Jeanne could not become the king's favorite. And it wasn't about her looks or her age. The king by that time was already an adult man and had a wife and children. The most important condition that could make it possible to claim such an honorary role was to be given to a lady from birth.

Only aristocratic women could become favorites. The family of Jeanne Antoinette was far from an aristocratic society. Of course, the king could afford an affair with a woman of non-aristocratic blood, but the etiquette of the French court would not allow her to be given the status of favorite. In addition, King Louis XV loved his wife and was faithful to her. In general, there was so much to say - "Impossible because ...".

Faith gives rise to an idea. Idea begets action.

Another woman would not have paid attention to such an incredible prediction. But Madame Poisson believed the fortune-teller and inspired this belief in her daughter. And what about little Jeanne? How did she react to this prophecy?

Will the king love me? Jeanne asked. This question worried her the most.

“What nonsense is contained in the thoughts of my girl,” Madame Poisson thought, “Is love the main thing ?! Become the king's favorite! This is an honor, and an opportunity that many dream of. She did not answer her daughter, but decided to act.

At that time, Jeanne studied at the monastery of the Ursulines. Such an education would allow her to become an exemplary wife. But for the future favorite of the king, completely different knowledge is needed. Madame Poisson thought - where to get money for a better education? To be able to charm the king, the girl must be comprehensively developed.

Be able to dance, play music, keep up small talk and much more. How to be? Madame Poisson really wanted the fortuneteller's prediction to come true. And then she decided to convince her lover that it was he who was the father of Jeanne. Le Norman, who had no children before, was very pleased with the sudden appearance of his daughter and allocated the necessary funds for the education of his favorite.

And Zhanna in her youth, like probably any of us, dreamed ... She dreamed of a KING! I dreamed of meeting with HIM, of love! She confidently mastered all the wisdom of learning. She tried so hard!!! After all, this is what will lead her to her dream - to become the beloved of the king!

What naivete! Such an education at that time was received by aristocrats, but she was not such!

Jeanne grew up and gradually turned from an ugly duckling into a pretty girl. But far from beautiful. She was not tall, slightly plump, and only big eyes of an incomprehensible color distinguished her from others. Those eyes were neither blue nor gray nor green.

They seemed to hold some kind of secret. Jeanne Antoinette carried this secret through her whole life. The secret of how to charm the king and not just charm, but to be able to achieve such influence at the court that allowed her to take part in political affairs France, become a trendsetter, and the most influential favorite.

But that's all in the future. In the meantime, Jeanne was 19 years old, and she was very far not only from the king, but even from Parisian society. In the salons of Paris in those days, representatives of the bourgeoisie and the petty aristocracy met. Only those lucky ones who were allowed access to the walls of Versailles could classify themselves as high society. In order to get there, one had to be born into seven aristocrats.

What a woman wants, God wants! And if two women passionately go to the same goal? What is God to do?!

Madame Poisson and her lover decide to marry Jeanne to Le Norman's nephew. This marriage allowed the young girl to have prosperity and acquire a more worthy name - Madame D Etiol. Jeanne began to appear in Parisian salons. With her charm, sense of humor and tact, she managed to charm many.

Zhanna had a beautiful, though not deep, voice, knew how to passionately recite poetry, and besides, she was an interesting conversationalist. Soon, the gentlemen began to actively court Jeanne, offering her their love. But what about the husband? Then betrayal, both on the part of the husband and on the part of the wife, was a common phenomenon. BUT male attention in this matter only confirmed women's viability. O times! Oh manners! But Jeanne confidently declared to all admirers: “I will change my husband only with the king!”. Her phrase was perceived by everyone as a successful trick or a joke that allows you to remain faithful to your husband.

What was the king doing at that time? He was no longer so pious and managed to acquire more than one official favorite. Queen Maria Leszczynska miscalculated by denying closeness to the king more than once. Louis XV was a very temperamental man and could not do without carnal pleasures for a long time.

Oh those men! All the de Mailly-Nel sisters managed to visit his bed. The fourth - the Countess de Chateauroux was the most thoughtful. Having seen enough of the mistakes of the sisters, she abruptly took the king into circulation, not allowing any beauty to approach his majesty.

Jeanne learned about the details of the king's personal life from secular gossips. And she continued to hope and believe that someday she would become his lover. She had a lucky break. The king with his retinue, and his companion, Madame de Chateauroux, who invariably accompanied him everywhere, went to rest in the Choiseul castle, which was located not far from the estate of d'Etiol.

The Sinar forest, where the king hunted, became the stage for Madame d'Etiol. Every day, going hunting, the king invariably met a beautiful nymph on his way. The stranger was dressed in dresses of delicate shades of lilac, pink flowers and seated in an open carriage, she was carried away from the king's motorcade.

The king was intrigued. But Madame de Châteauroux noticed the interest of the king in time, and immediately sent a message forbidding her impudent rival to appear in front of the king.

It was impossible to disobey the king's favorite. Jeanne suffered, because now her dream was not just a fantasy, she saw the KING with her own eyes. He was tall and very handsome! No wonder they called him Louis the Handsome! Madame D'Etiol fell in love and began to dream of the king even more. Dreamed, suffered and hoped!

Who among us has not experienced such feelings? To see her beloved and another woman next to him ... Jealousy, the greatness of the king and the understanding of how unattainable her dream is - all this only strengthened her feelings.

Some time passed, and the king's heart became free again - his favorite, Madame de Chateauroux, died.

An actress or a woman in love with self-respect?

Madame d'Etiool understood - you need to act! While the king is mourning, he is surrounded by many beautiful ladies, each of whom only dreams of taking the vacant place of the favorite. And they are not idle! But how can she get the attention of her beloved? After all, Jeanne did not even have the opportunity to see the king!

Many sources report that the first meeting of the King and Madame d'Etiol took place at a masquerade ball in the Paris City Hall, where Jeanne appeared in the costume of Diana the huntress and managed to attract the attention of Louis. In the fiction book of Natalia Pavlishcheva, the events of the first meeting of the king and Madame d'Etiol are described in a slightly different interpretation.

How to know perhaps fiction is closer to real events… In any case, their meeting could not have taken place without the participation of influential people. Intrigues, intrigues of the Parisian court, I think, they could not do without them! Someone made a bet on Madame d'Etiol.

But getting to know the king and even sleeping with him is only the first step. In this step, perhaps someone helped Jeanne. But the rest of the performance was played by her! It was played so masterfully that the king simply had no chance of falling in love with this woman without memory!

Giving herself to the king, Jeanne disappears from his field of vision. Ludovic is at a loss - how is it - is it possible that HE is so beautiful and majestic, who has won more than one heart of a beauty, this Madame did not like? He thought that having enjoyed the affair, he himself would stop this fleeting hobby.

Prior to this, all the women who surrounded Louis, having only entered into a love affair with him, sought to protect the king from the attention of other women. Jeanne's unexpected behavior intrigued the king. What was Madame d'Etiol's explanation?

Ah, Sir - you won my heart! I didn't run from you! I ran from myself! Smart Jeanne!!! Now the king had to catch up. He felt like a hunter, not prey. Was it a virtuoso game or a sincere impulse of a woman in love? Who knows ... Maybe both.

This game allowed Zhana to keep Louis' interest, but did not bring her closer to the status of a favorite. To obtain this status, an official presentation to the court was necessary. Even the king in love could not imagine a woman of non-aristocratic blood as his favorite. Madame d'Etiol understood that the king would catch up with her sooner or later, and what next? Then the woman takes the next step:

Having bribed the courtiers, Jeanne sneaks into the king's chambers. Already intriguing! And he informs Louis that her husband, having learned about his wife's vicious connection, threatens with reprisal! He will exile Jeanne and deprive her of communication with her daughter. The only man who can save Madame d'Etiol from her husband's reprisal is the King!

Now Louis was offered the noble mission of a knight saving his beautiful lady hearts! How could he resist?! Louis performs an unheard-of act that goes against all the rules of etiquette of that time. Jeanne is given the title of "Marquise de Pompadour" and left to live in Versailles. And that is not all! The king intends, despite all the opponents of the "arrogant rootless girl", to present her to the court as his favorite.

Zhanna tries not to let her beloved down - she teaches the rules of etiquette. What to say, how to walk, who to smile and who not. This is a whole science that the Marquise masters brilliantly.

The Marquise de Pompadour was the king's mistress for 5 years. But her temperament did not meet the needs of Louis. What Jeanne did not do to be more sexy. A special menu with aphrodisiacs, various drugs. But nature took its toll. Soon, Jeanne did not begin to arrange the king as a mistress. Louis began to look at other women. And not just to look.

What follows the decline of the King's interest as a man? Usually the favorite is removed from the court, sent to hell. But the legendary marquise, even in this situation, was able to emerge victorious. She played the game in such a way that not only was she not expelled, but she also received a new title - the duchess.

For another 15 years, De Pompadour was next to the king already as his friend, mentor and adviser. The king could not do without the smart, always cheerful Pompadour. So that the king would not be bored, she organized a chamber theater, which could only be visited by those close to the royal person.

She herself played various roles in this theater. Pompadour even went so far as to pick up girls for the king's fun. On her advice, state affairs were managed, and more than one castle was built. She was engaged in the manufacture of porcelain and patronized the poets and philosophers of that time. The Marquise de Pompadour was the only favorite who managed to win over the queen - her rival!

Not crowned queen - so called De Pampadour. At that time, everyone understood who rules the French ball! Even last way the legendary marquise resembled a scene from a play she had thought out and staged.

Only kings and members of their families were allowed to die at Versailles. For Pompadour, Louis made an exception. She died in the royal chambers. And when her body was carried out, it was pouring rain. It seemed even nature mourned the loss of this mysterious and influential woman.

Marquise's Mystery

The influence and honors that the Marquise de Pompadour was awarded is an unconditional female victory! To remain always cheerful and interesting for a man is a titanic work. She managed to achieve high altitudes, not having for this either an exceptionally beautiful appearance, or the necessary origin, or passionate temperament which is so valued by men.

In addition, Jeanne was in very poor health. She suffered from consumption and died at the age of 43, while leaving an indelible mark on the history of France. And if you imagine the fact that when communicating with Louis, in addition to female charms, she also had to combine respectful communication with the king.

There was no question of any equality between women and men!

Was Pompadour a virtuoso actress or a loving woman ready to do anything in order to be able to communicate with her Louis?

Who knows ... She took this riddle with her.

The story of the Marquise de Pompadour tells us that for a woman there are no boundaries - everything is possible! What is needed for this?

Love and faith, or maybe acting talent?

Maybe in this story leading role played by a gypsy