The fact that women sometimes ruled France was noted by the philosopher and writer Bernard de Fontenelle, and he, who lived exactly 100 years and has seen a lot in his lifetime, can be trusted. The most striking ruler of the kingdom was Madame Pompadour (1721-1764), who at the same time caused a storm of indignation for her wastefulness, the dissatisfied murmur of the courtiers and the laudatory odes of the saints. Who was this amazing woman, and what allowed her to turn the fate of the inhabitants of the country?
Madame Pompadour tremblingly guarded the secret of her origin, so it is difficult for historians to get to the bottom of her genealogical roots. Jeanne Antoinette Poisson was born into the family of a former lackey who became a quartermaster. Later, the father stole and went on the run. However, a certain Norman de Turnnam, a nobleman and financier, was keenly interested in the fate of little Jeanne. Who was he - the owner, who served as a footman Jeanne's father, her godfather, or real father, as they claimedill-wishers, hinting that the king's favorite is the fruit of extramarital love? Documents do not give a clear answer to this.
However, the indisputable fact that Madame Pompadour herself loved to talk about was that a gypsy predicted a future relationship with the king for a 9-year-old girl. This divination gave Jeanne a lifelong setting. Having gone a long and thorny path to meeting Louis XV, eliminating all rivals and firmly establishing herself in Versailles, the favorite did not forget the gypsy and paid her rent until the end of her days. Having received an excellent education, Jeanne married the nephew of her patron. The groom was ugly, but rich, and most importantly, noble. Maiden Poisson happily transformed into Madame d'Etiol.
But Madame Pompadour aspired, of course, higher. Having gained access to high society, she learned all the gossip of the court, the habits and hobbies of the monarch. At that time, the ruler of France was infatuated with the Duchess de Chateauroux. Waiting for her untimely death, Madame d'Etiol began to act. At the masquerade ball, she was lucky enough to meet 35-year-old Ludovic. Her young beauty did not make the proper impression on him - love at first sight did not work out. Then the enterprising Jeanne bought a place in the theater opposite the royal box. But the night in the royal chambers that followed the performance did not "hook" the king.
Then Jeanne went for broke: sneaking into the king's bedchamber, she played a whole melodramatic story, they say, she risks her head to see her beloved and is ready to fall by handjealous spouse. But this act captivated the satiated monarch: instead of expelling the impudent one, he gave her the post of court lady of his wife, and a little later the title of marquise. Madame de Pompadour understood that her beauty alone was clearly not enough to bind Louis' heart to herself, so she hit the patronage, knowing the king's penchant for the fine arts. Moliere, Montesquieu, Bouchardon, Fragonard, and other figures of the Enlightenment were in her living room.
What was the Marquise de Pompadour like? Portraits of that era represent a peasant red-cheeked full blonde, although this is nothing more than a tribute to the then fashion. Verbal descriptions of contemporaries paint us an image of a woman of short stature with brown hair and incomprehensible eyes. It was not appearance that allowed her to ban the Jesuit order in France, remove the state from Prussia and bring it closer to Austria. She was the king's mistress for only 5 years, but she remained the favorite for 20!
