Legend of the 18th century. Jeanne Antoinette Poisson was born in 1721. Paris. France.

François 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 - Madame Le Bon. The fortune teller looked carefully at the fragile, ugly girl and made 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, and not in good health. What are her chances of making a decent match? Oddly enough, a groom for Jeanne was found quickly enough - a certain Charles de Etiol, nephew of Norman de Tournham. Charles, of course, is not a fairy-tale prince, but he is from a good family, and also rich. Another would have grabbed such a proposal with her hands and feet, someone else, but not Jeanne Antoinette. She drags on and on with a final answer. Cause? A prediction made by Madame Le Bon 10 years ago. What kind of Charles is there if there may be a king in the future?

F. Boucher. Marquise de Pompadour.

To become the king's mistress, you first need to be seen by the king. Young Jeanne begins to regularly travel to the Senard forest, where the king used to hunt. The first time the king drove past, the second time he stopped and looked carefully at Mademoiselle Poisson... After which a man came to her mother, conveying the “request” of the Marquise de Chateauroux (the then favorite of Louis) “to relieve the king from the annoying attention of Mademoiselle Poisson.”

François Boucher. Marquise de Pompadour 1750.

This was the collapse of her hopes. Jeanne marries Charles de Etiol, but does not cross the king off the list. After all, the fortune teller didn’t say that she would be a queen, she would be a favorite, which means she needs to be as close to the court as possible.

Nattier Jean-Marc. Portrait of Louis XV.

In 1744, the Marquise de Chateauroux unexpectedly died. The court begins to be in a fever, “parties” are formed in support of one or another candidate for the role of favorite.

In March 1745, at a ball, the king's attention is attracted by a young lady dressed as Diana the Huntress. The charming mask intrigues him and... disappears into the crowd, having previously dropped the scented 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 are in mourning - the scarf is thrown...

Madame de Pompadour. Jean-Marc Nattier 1748.

A few words about the character of the man for whom such a stubborn struggle was waged: Louis XV became king at the age of five. By the time he met Jeanne de Etiol, 35-year-old Louis had tried all possible pleasures and therefore... was wildly bored. Jeanne Annoinette 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 an example from 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, the dividends were received almost instantly - the king invited her to dinner... That evening Jeanne made her only mistake, which, however, could have been fatal. That evening she gave herself to the king.

Bonnet Louis Marine.

The next day, Louis, accustomed to a certain manner of behavior of the ladies “happy” with him, prepared several polite phrases to once and for all discourage the applicant. Naive, he did not yet know who he had contacted.

Madame de Pompadour as Diana. Jean-Marc Nattier, 1752.

The prudent Jeanne bribed one of the king's confidants. The “face” told Madame that the king considered her “not entirely disinterested,” and besides, the crown prince, who saw Jeanne in the theater, found her “somewhat vulgar.”

Days passed, and Diana the Huntress did not appear. Ludovic began to be visited by normal male doubts - maybe she didn’t like him in bed?

M.C. de Latour. Madame de Pompadour.

Probably, if Jeanne Poisson had been born at another time, she would have become a great actress. The next meeting between 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 person of her jealous husband (Louis would have looked at the stunted Charles de Etiol in the role of the jealous Othello). And then - “let me die...”

It was a brilliant move - in this situation there was no such thing as boredom. 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 received her with hostility: she was not of noble birth, so she received the nickname Grisette (by this, the king’s 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 gives his favorite the title of Marquise de Pompadour.

Madame Pompadour in blue.

Oddly enough, the one who reacted best to the new favorite was... the king's wife, nee Maria Leshchinskaya. The queen, very pious, very correct and completely indifferent to sexual pleasures (not surprising - 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 Zhanna. She tried all sorts of aphrodisiacs to suit her lover’s appetites.

The fact that the new favorite had “temperament problems” 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 cannot give more than what 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, and in her living room the king meets the outstanding minds of that time. Refined conversations, wonderful company... His Majesty is never bored. The Marquise was a very cynical woman; all collections of aphorisms contain her famous: “After us? Even a flood.”

Alexander Roslin. Portrait of Madame Pompadour.

But her “contribution” to the cultural heritage of mankind is not limited to this... Diamonds, the cut of which is called “marquise” (oval stones), in their shape resemble 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 breasts. A small reticule handbag made of soft leather is also her invention. She introduced high heels and high hairstyles into fashion because she was short.

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 of day, 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. She helped another representative of the glorious galaxy of figures of the French Enlightenment, Jean Leron d'Alembert, financially, and shortly before her death she managed to secure a lifelong pension for him. Among Madame Pompadour’s wards, according to some contemporaries, was the famous creator of the monument to Peter I in St. Petersburg, the sculptor Falconet.

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 of Pompadour that Voltaire gained fame and a worthy place as an academician and the main historian of France, also receiving the title of court chamberlain.

François Boucher. Madame de Pompadour.

It was at the instigation of the Marquise that a Military School was created in Paris for the sons of war veterans and impoverished nobles. When the money allocated for construction runs out, the marquise contributes the missing amount. In October 1781, student Napoleon Bonaparte arrived at the school to study.

François Boucher. Presumable portrait of Jeanne Poisson.

In 1756, the Marquise founded a porcelain factory on the Sevres estate. She took an active part in the creation of Sevres porcelain. The rare pink color, obtained as a result of numerous experiments, is named in her honor - Rose Pompadour. In Versailles, the marquise arranged a large exhibition of the first batch of products, 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 marquise's second passion, after the theater. Her last acquisition was the Menard castle, which she never managed to use in its converted version. The principle of elegant simplicity and maximum proximity to the living world of nature was put into the planning of the parks by the Marquise. She did not like large, unregulated spaces and excessive pomp. Thickets of jasmine, entire edges of daffodils, violets, carnations, islands with gazebos in the core of shallow lakes, rose bushes of the marquise’s favorite “hue of dawn” - these are her preferences in landscape art.

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” who had invaded their territory. Others admired her. Evidence of this is dozens of culinary masterpieces dedicated to Pompadour. There are legendary lamb chops, pheasant croquettes, young lamb tournedos with Perigue sauce, chopped goose liver aspic, tongue and mushroom aspic with truffles in Madeira sauce, apricot dessert, and small petit fours...

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

François Boucher.

The Marquise's cold reason and her iron will told her a way out of the situation. In the silence of two unremarkable Parisian streets, she rented a house with five rooms, hidden by a dense crown 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 took him for some important gentleman. After the king’s fleeting passion for the next beauty disappeared and remained without consequences, the girl, provided with a dowry, was married off. If the matter ended with the appearance of a child, then after his birth the baby, together with his mother, received a very significant annuity. Numerous mistresses are selected under the personal guidance of the Marquise. But none of them last longer than a year. The Marquise continued to remain the official favorite of His Majesty.

The Marquise will introduce Louis to Louison Morphy. The relationship will last two years, but one day, deciding that now she can do everything, Louison will ask His Majesty: “How is the old coquette doing?” Three days later, Louison, along with the daughter 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 became seriously ill. She sold jewelry and played cards - she was usually lucky. But the treatment required a lot of money, and they had to borrow it. Already being seriously ill, she even acquired a lover. But what is the Marquis of Choiseul compared to the king!

Madame Pompadour as a Vestal by Fran. David M. Stewart 1763.

The marquise, who still accompanied Louis everywhere, suddenly lost consciousness on one of his 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 moved to the palace apartments.

Madame de Pompadour. DROUAIS François-Hubert, 1763-64.

On April 5, 1764, the royal chronicler recorded: "The Marquise de Pompadour, lady-in-waiting of the Queen, died about 7 o'clock in the evening in the King's private apartments, aged 43 years." As the funeral procession turned towards Paris, Louis, standing on the palace balcony in the pouring rain, said: “What disgusting weather you chose for your last walk, madame!” 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 site of her burial there is Rue de la Paix, which runs through the territory of the monastery that was demolished at the beginning of the 19th century.

Paris Rue de la Paix.

She revealed a secret that all women in the world are puzzling over - how to keep a man near you for 20 years, if he is not even a husband, and you have not had an intimate relationship for a long time.

Unfortunately, she took this secret with her to the grave.

The life story of the Marquise de Pompadour

Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson (born December 29, 1721 - death April 15, 1764), who went down in history as the Marquise de Pompadour, was the official favorite of the King of France, Louis XV.

"Touches to the portrait"

They said that the state was ruled not by the king, but by the Marquise de Pompadour. She behaved as if she herself were of royal blood: in her chambers, which once belonged to the all-powerful favorite, she received ministers, ambassadors and royalty. Even the king's relatives had to ask for an audience with her...

She did not have a brilliant pedigree or special talents, she was neither an outstanding beauty nor a political genius, but her name had long become a household name, denoting both an entire era and the phenomenon of favoritism. The life of the nee Jeanne Antoinette Poisson can clearly demonstrate that anyone can go down in history - if only they put enough effort into it.

Parents

The parents of the future marquise are considered to be François Poisson, a former footman 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 most likely could have been the financier, former ambassador to Sweden Lenormand de Tournham. It was he who took care of Louise and her children when Francois Poisson, having stolen, fled the country.

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, smart and very pretty. Thanks to de Tournham's money, Jeanne was brought up in the Ursuline monastery in Poissy: they recall that young Jeanne sang beautifully - later court musicians would admire her beautiful clear voice - and declaimed superbly, showing considerable dramatic talent. Maybe if the circumstances had been different, Jeanne would have made a wonderful actress, but she was destined for 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 decided at all costs to raise her daughter as a worthy companion to the king. She hired the best teachers for the girl, who taught her singing, playing the clavichord, drawing, dancing, etiquette, botany, rhetoric and performing arts, as well as the ability to dress and conduct small talk. De Tournham paid for everything - he had his own plans for the girl.

Marriage. Personal life

As soon as Jeanne was 19 years old, de Tournelle arranged her wedding with his nephew: Charles-Guillaume Lenormand d'Etiol was 5 years older than his bride, ugly and shy, but Jeanne agreed to the marriage without hesitation: de Tournelle promised the newlyweds to make a will in their favor, 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 Senard forest - the favorite royal hunting grounds. Her husband was happy to fulfill her every whim: Jeanne had no shortage of clothes and jewelry, she had wonderful carriages and even a home theater, which her loving husband organized so that his adored wife could have fun playing on stage. Jeanne loved her husband in her own way: they remember that she told him more than once that she would never leave him - except for the sake of the king himself. She bore her husband two children: a son, who died soon after birth, and a daughter, Alexandrina-Zhanna - her family name was Fanfan.

Young Madame d'Etiol was happy, but she was bored in the narrow family circle - and, following the example of many society ladies, she set up a salon in her own place. Soon people began to say in society that Madame d’Etiol was quite courteous, witty, very pretty, and also surprisingly smart.

Socialites and actors, pundits and politicians began to frequent her salon: among the regulars are 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'Etiolle for her intelligence, charm and sincerity . The Chairman of the Parliament, Eno, a regular participant in the Queen’s evening receptions, said that Jeanne was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen: “She has a great sense of music, sings very expressively and with inspiration, and probably knows at least a hundred songs.” .

Appearance

Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson and her daughter Alexandra

A lot of evidence has reached us about her appearance, but it is so contradictory that now it is not easy to figure out exactly what Jeanne looked like. The Marquis d'Argenson wrote: "She was blonde with a too pale face, somewhat plump and rather poorly built, although endowed with grace and talents."

And the Chief Jägermeister of Versailles described her as an elegant woman of average height, slender, with soft, relaxed manners, with an impeccable oval-shaped face, beautiful hair with a chestnut tint, very large eyes, beautiful long eyelashes, a straight, perfectly shaped nose, a sensual mouth, very beautiful teeth. According to him, Jeanne had a charming laugh, always a wonderful complexion, and eyes of an indefinite color: “They did not have the sparkling liveliness characteristic of black eyes, or the gentle languor characteristic of blue ones, or the nobility characteristic of gray ones. Their indefinite color seemed to promise you the bliss of passionate temptation and at the same time left the impression of some kind of vague melancholy in the restless soul ... "

Meet the King

Soon Madame d'Etiol shone in the Parisian world, which was an incredible achievement for the daughter of a former footman, but Jeanne dreamed of more: she remembered well that she was destined to win 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 deer antlers - which his wife considered a good sign: soon her husband would wear antlers from the king himself. But Jeanne was noticed not only by Louis, but also by his official favorite, the all-powerful Duchess de Chateauroux: she immediately demanded that Madame d’Etiol “relieve the king of her annoying 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 held at the Paris Town Hall in honor of the marriage of the Dauphin Louis-Ferdinand and the Spanish princess Maria Theresa: Madame d'Etiol arrived there in a Diana costume and throughout the night entertained the king with a witty conversation, refusing to take off her mask. Only before leaving, Jeanne showed her face to the king - and apparently, the king was impressed by her beauty. When Jeanne, like Cinderella, who lost her shoe on the palace stairs, dropped her scarf on the floor of the ballroom, the king picked it up and personally returned it to the lady: etiquette considered such a gesture as too intimate, so the courtiers had no 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 machinations of the courtiers who supported Jeanne, she ended up in a box next to the royal one. 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 told his valet that Madame d’Etiol was very nice, but she was clearly driven by selfish interest and ambition. All this immediately became known to Jeanne, who spared no expense in bribing the royal servants. And she did the smartest thing she could: she disappeared from the king’s eyes.

Life at court

As a rule, ladies who received royal attention did not disappear after the first meeting - on the contrary, they did their best to crowd in for the second. The unusual behavior of Jeanne d'Etiol intrigued the monarch, and he did not stop thinking about her. When she appeared again, she performed 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, touched and enchanted, fell at her feet. He promised Jeanne that he would make her his official favorite as soon as he returned from his 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 the fine arts, hunting and women to state affairs. He was married to Maria Leshchinskaya - an ugly woman and also 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 he could wish for, and at the same time, having experienced 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’s problems, took upon herself the responsibility of entertaining him in every possible way. At first, she wrote him elegant, witty letters (which she was helped to edit by the Abbé de Bernis, who also taught Jeanne court manners), then she did everything so that the king would not be bored for a minute in her company. Perhaps this is how Jeanne d’Etiol was able to win the heart of the king, and this 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, which included an estate and a coat of arms, and already in September the newly-minted marquise was officially presented to the court as the royal favorite. Oddly enough, the queen reacted quite favorably to Jeanne, noting her sincere affection for the king, her intelligence and the respect with which the Marquise of 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 for Madame Pompadour than anyone else.” But the courtiers, offended by both Jeanne’s low origins and her still frequent violations of whimsical etiquette, nicknamed her Grisette - hinting with this unflattering nickname that for well-born aristocrats the marquise is essentially only a high-ranking courtesan.

But Jeanne did not despair: she knew well that the cat who owns the king’s heart can also own his subjects, and she firmly took possession of Louis. The king, fascinated by Jeanne's beauty, her witty conversations and refined love pleasures, was truly in love. But Zhanna understood that she couldn’t keep the king like that: there were a lot of beauties around, and Zhanna also had a cold temperament by nature, 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, Spanish fly powder, oysters, red wine with spices, and so on, but even these eventually ceased to have the desired effect. But Jeanne did not rely on sex: she, like no one else, could entertain Louis and dispel his boredom. Every day in her salon he was met by the best minds of his time - Voltaire, Boucher, Montesquieu, Fragonard, Buffon, Crebillon talked with His Majesty, and everyone invariably spoke with admiration about the Marquise de Pompadour.

She showed extraordinary ingenuity in outfits and hairstyles, never appearing before the king twice in the same image, and spared no effort and expense in organizing numerous holidays, balls, parties, masquerades and concerts, which invariably amaze with the originality of the idea, the thoroughness of the organization, and the luxury and sophistication. She often organized theatrical performances for Louis - the latest works by the best European playwrights were performed 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 Marquise even created her own theater in Versailles, in one of the galleries adjacent to the Medallion Office, called the “Chamber” Theatre.

Participation in government affairs

Gradually, Jeanne gained unlimited influence not only on Louis himself, but also on state affairs: it was rumored that the country was ruled not by the king, but by the Marquise de Pompadour. She received ministers, ambassadors and royalty. The receptions took place in a luxurious hall, where there was only one chair - for the marquise. Everyone else had to stand. She was so confident in her abilities that she even wanted to marry her daughter Alexandrina to the son of Louis from Countess de Ventimille, but the king, perhaps for the only time, decisively refused to the marquise: instead, Alexandrina was married to the Duke de Piquigny. However, at the age of 13, the girl unexpectedly died - they said that she was poisoned by the marquise’s ill-wishers, who became more and more numerous as her power grew.

The Marquise could indeed be considered omnipotent. All her relatives received titles, positions and monetary gifts, all her friends made careers. She brought the Duke of Choiseul to power, changed ministers and commanders-in-chief at her discretion, and even conducted foreign policy at her own request: it was on the initiative of the Marquise de Pompadour that France concluded an agreement in 1756 with its traditional enemy Austria, directed against Prussia, which historically had always been French ally.

According to a historical anecdote, Jeanne was inflamed with hatred towards the Prussian king Frederick II after she was informed that he had given his dog the name Pompadour. Although Voltaire welcomed this treaty, noting that it “united the two countries after 200 years of bitter enmity,” as a result it backfired on France: 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 Peter III of Russia renounced 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 Marquise's interests were not limited to political intrigue: she spent a lot of effort and money on supporting the arts, reviving the custom of royal patronage. She patronized philosophers and scientists, procured pensions for Jean d'Alembert and Crebillon, ensured the publication of the first volume of the famous Encyclopedia, paid for the education of talented students and published literary works, many of which were dedicated to her by grateful authors.

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 famous Saxon, and a special pink color was named “rose Pompadour” in honor of the Marquise. The Marquise de Pompadour exhibited her first products at Versailles and personally sold them to courtiers, proclaiming: “If someone 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 marquise disposed of enormous sums: historians have calculated that her outfits cost 1 million 300 thousand livres, cosmetics - three and a half million, the theater cost 4, horses and carriages - 3, jewelry cost 2 million, and servants - 1.5. Four million were spent on entertainment, and 8 million on patronage. The real estate that Zhanna bought all over the country was worth a huge amount of money, each time rebuilding the purchase to her own taste, remodeling parks and furnishing new houses with elegant furniture and works of art.

The style that Zhanna created is still called by her name - just like clothing styles, hairstyles, and shades of lipstick. It is said that the cone-shaped champagne glasses were designed by her and are shaped like her breasts, and that it was she who invented the small drawstring handbag still known today as the pompadour. Jeanne introduced high hairstyles and heels into fashion because she was short herself, and the marquise cut diamond was shaped like her lips.

Last years

By 1750, the Marquise de Pompadour realized that her power over Louis was weakening: it was becoming more and more difficult for her to arouse his desire, and more and more often the king was looking at young beauties, of whom there 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 would not be taken by some grasping girl, she took upon herself the selection of royal mistresses.

In the Parisian quarter of Parc aux Cerfs, the piquantly famous Deer Park, she equipped a real dating house for Louis: young girls lived there, who, after undergoing the necessary training, ended up in bed with the king, and then were married off, receiving a considerable dowry “for their service.” . Jeanne vigilantly ensured that mistresses changed faster than they could tire of the monarch, and before he could become attached to any of them, the Marquise de Pompadour still wanted to remain the only mistress of the king’s heart.

Meanwhile, the Marquise herself felt tired from the constant battle for Louis, for her position at court, for influence. She had been ill for a long time - tuberculosis was literally devouring her from the inside - although she did not show it, and sad thoughts visited her more and more often. “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 most of all, everything else is just an interweaving of malice and baseness, leading to all sorts of misfortunes, which is common to people in general. A wonderful story to think about, especially for someone like me.”

Years passed, and Zhanna realized with sadness that her beauty had faded and her youth had passed. Louis, as before, was next to her, but it was no longer love that held him, but habit: they said that he did not leave her out of pity, fearing that the sensitive marquise would commit suicide. Nevertheless, he cut Jeanne’s allowance, so that she had to sell off her jewelry and houses in order to be able to continue to luxuriously host 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 Chateau Choiseul she fainted, and it became clear that her end was near. The monarch ordered to bring her to Versailles - and although etiquette strictly forbids everyone except the king from getting sick and dying within the walls of the royal residence, the Marquise 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 death of Madame de Pompadour,” he wrote. “I owe her a lot, I mourn her.” What an irony of fate that an old man who can barely walk is still alive, and a lovely woman dies at the age of 40 in the prime of the most wonderful fame in the world.”

The Marquise's funeral took place on an unusually rainy and windy day. “What disgusting weather you chose for your last walk, madam!” - noted Louis, who was watching the funeral procession from the balcony of his palace. According to etiquette, he himself could not attend the funeral. The marquise 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 tomb of the marquise was lost forever.

Legend of the 18th century. Jeanne Antoinette Poisson

born in 1721. Paris. France.

François 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 - Madame Le Bon. The fortune teller looked carefully at the fragile, ugly girl and made 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, and not in good health. What are her chances of making a decent match? Oddly enough, a groom for Jeanne was found quickly enough - a certain Charles de Etiol, nephew of Norman de Tournham. Charles, of course, is not a fairy-tale prince, but he is from a good family, and also rich. Another would have grabbed such a proposal with her hands and feet, someone else, but not Jeanne Antoinette. She drags on and on with a final answer. Cause? A prediction made by Madame Le Bon 10 years ago. What kind of Charles is there if there may be a king in the future?


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


François Boucher. Marquise de Pompadour 1750.
This was the collapse of her hopes. Jeanne marries Charles de Etiol, but does not cross the king off the list. After all, the fortune teller didn’t say that she would be a queen, she would be a favorite, which means she needs to be as close to the court as possible.


Nattier Jean-Marc. Portrait of Louis XV.
In 1744, the Marquise de Chateauroux unexpectedly died. The court begins to be in a fever, “parties” are formed in support of one or another candidate for the role of favorite.

In March 1745, at a ball, the king's attention is attracted by a young lady dressed as Diana the Huntress. The charming mask intrigues him and... disappears into the crowd, having previously dropped the scented 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 are in mourning - the scarf is thrown...


Madame de Pompadour. Jean-Marc Nattier 1748.
A few words about the character of the man for whom such a stubborn struggle was waged: Louis XV became king at the age of five. By the time he met Jeanne de Etiol, 35-year-old Louis had tried all possible pleasures and therefore... was wildly bored. Jeanne Annoinette 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 an example from 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, the dividends were received almost instantly - the king invited her to dinner... That evening Jeanne made her only mistake, which, however, could have been fatal. That evening she gave herself to the king.


Bonnet Louis Marine.
The next day, Louis, accustomed to a certain manner of behavior of the ladies “happy” with him, prepared several polite phrases to once and for all discourage the applicant. Naive, he did not yet know who he had contacted.


Madame de Pompadour as Diana. Jean-Marc Nattier 1752.
The prudent Jeanne bribed one of the king's confidants. The “face” told Madame that the king considered her “not entirely disinterested,” and besides, the crown prince, who saw Jeanne in the theater, found her “somewhat vulgar.”

Days passed, and Diana the Huntress did not appear. Ludovic began to be visited by normal male doubts - maybe she didn’t like him in bed?


M.C. de Latour. Madame de Pompadour.
Probably, if Jeanne Poisson had been born at another time, she would have become a great actress. The next meeting between 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 person of her jealous husband (Louis would have looked at the stunted Charles de Etiol in the role of the jealous Othello). And then - “let me die...”

It was a brilliant move - in this situation there was no such thing as boredom. 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 received her with hostility: she was not of noble birth, so she received the nickname Grisette (by this, the king’s 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 gives his favorite the title of Marquise de Pompadour.


Madame Pompadour in blue.
Oddly enough, the one who reacted best to the new favorite was... the king's wife, nee Maria Leshchinskaya. The queen, very pious, very correct and completely indifferent to sexual pleasures (not surprising - 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 Zhanna. She tried all sorts of aphrodisiacs to suit her lover’s appetites.


The fact that the new favorite had “temperament problems” 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 cannot give more than what 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, and in her living room the king meets the outstanding minds of that time. Refined conversations, wonderful company... His Majesty is never bored. The Marquise was a very cynical woman; all collections of aphorisms contain her famous: “After us? Even a flood.”


Alexander Roslin. Portrait of Madame Pompadour.
But her “contribution” to the cultural heritage of mankind is not limited to this... Diamonds, the cut of which is called “marquise” (oval stones), in their shape resemble 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 breasts. A small reticule handbag made of soft leather is also her invention. She introduced high heels and high hairstyles into fashion because she was short.


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 of day, 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. She helped another representative of the glorious galaxy of figures of the French Enlightenment, Jean Leron d'Alembert, financially, and shortly before her death she managed to secure a lifelong pension for him. Among Madame Pompadour’s wards, according to some contemporaries, was the famous creator of the monument to Peter I in St. Petersburg, the sculptor Falconet.


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 of Pompadour that Voltaire gained fame and a worthy place as an academician and the main historian of France, also receiving the title of court chamberlain.


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


François Boucher. Presumable portrait of Jeanne Poisson.
In 1756, the Marquise founded a porcelain factory on the Sevres estate. She took an active part in the creation of Sevres porcelain. The rare pink color, obtained as a result of numerous experiments, is named in her honor - Rose Pompadour. In Versailles, the marquise arranged a large exhibition of the first batch of products, 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 marquise's second passion, after the theater. Her last acquisition was the Menard castle, which she never managed to use in its converted version. The principle of elegant simplicity and maximum proximity to the living world of nature was put into the planning of the parks by the Marquise. She did not like large, unregulated spaces and excessive pomp. Thickets of jasmine, entire edges of daffodils, violets, carnations, islands with gazebos in the core of shallow lakes, rose bushes of the marquise’s favorite “hue of dawn” - these are her preferences in landscape art.


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” who had invaded their territory. Others admired her. Evidence of this is dozens of culinary masterpieces dedicated to Pompadour. There are legendary lamb chops, pheasant croquettes, young lamb tournedos with Perigue sauce, chopped goose liver aspic, tongue and mushroom aspic with truffles in Madeira sauce, apricot dessert, and small petit fours...


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


François Boucher.
The Marquise's cold reason and her iron will told her a way out of the situation. In the silence of two unremarkable Parisian streets, she rented a house with five rooms, hidden by a dense crown 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 took him for some important gentleman. After the king’s fleeting passion for the next beauty disappeared and remained without consequences, the girl, provided with a dowry, was married off. If the matter ended with the appearance of a child, then after his birth the baby, together with his mother, received a very significant annuity. Numerous mistresses are selected under the personal guidance of the Marquise. But none of them last longer than a year. The Marquise continued to remain the official favorite of His Majesty.


The Marquise will introduce Louis to Louison Morphy. The relationship will last two years, but one day, deciding that now she can do everything, Louison will ask His Majesty: “How is the old coquette doing?” Three days later, Louison, along with the daughter 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 became seriously ill. She sold jewelry and played cards - she was usually lucky. But the treatment required a lot of money, and they had to borrow it. Already being seriously ill, she even acquired a lover. But what is the Marquis of Choiseul compared to the king!


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


Madame de Pompadour. DROUAIS François-Hubert 1763-64.
On April 15, 1764, the royal chronicler recorded: "The Marquise de Pompadour, lady-in-waiting of the Queen, died about 7 o'clock in the evening in the King's private apartments, aged 43 years." As the funeral procession turned towards Paris, Louis, standing on the palace balcony in the pouring rain, said: “What disgusting weather you chose for your last walk, madame!” 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 site of her burial there is Rue de la Paix, which runs through the territory of the monastery that was demolished at the beginning of the 19th century.


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

Baroque era... A majestic figure of a woman with a proud look of dark eyes, shrouded in regular folds of heavy silk.

She was born in the family castle, grew up breathing the aroma of monastery incense, lived in the austere halls and gardens of Louis XIV and died in the monastery chambers of Saint-Cyr.

And to replace her, from the sparkling foam of life, another figure emerged. Flirty, graceful, wearing a powdered wig on her small head and flecks. There is no law for her except her whim.

Somewhere people worked and suffered, somewhere world issues were being resolved and the future catastrophe of France was being prepared.

Silk curtains tightly closed the door to the elegant boudoir. And here, among the aromas and powder, reigned the always laughing, always capricious god of pleasures - Rococo.

And the queen of this kingdom was the Marquise of Pompadour.

The age of beauty... And everything beautiful in art, literature, craft bears the stamp of the Marquise of Pompadour.

On December 29, 1721, François Poisson, master of the horse at the court of the Duke of Orleans, gave birth to a daughter. They gave her the name Jeanne Antoinette.

Francois Poisson, involved in one very ugly case in the commissariat, was sentenced to hanging and was saved only by fleeing to Germany.

Little Zhanna remained in the arms of her mother, a very beautiful and intelligent woman, but apparently not of strict morals.

There is strong reason to believe that Jeanne's real father was not François Poisson, but General Lenor-mand-de-Tournehem. In any case, he took a very active part in the fate of Jeanne.

First of all, he took care to give her an excellent upbringing and education, and then decided to marry her to his nephew.

And so on March 9, 1741, and in Paris, in the church of St. Eutychia, fifteen-year-old Jeanne Poisson married Karl Lenormand d Etiol. A short, ugly groom, a slender bride with an interesting pale face.

For the wedding, the general gave his nephew half of his estates, and promised to leave the rest after his death.

Young d'Etiol married for love, Mademoiselle Poisson married for convenience.

She looked at her marriage as an inevitable stage of her life. When she was nine years old, a fortune teller predicted that she would be the king's favorite.

Mlle Poisson firmly believed in this prediction and spent her whole life preparing for it.

After getting married, Zhanna, despite her young age, managed to gather interesting people around her. At the castle of Etiol, where she settled, she visited many writers, artists, scientists - among them there were such major names as Abbe Berni, Voltaire, Fontenelle.

Through them she became acquainted with art, literature, and politics.

You couldn't say she was beautiful, but she was charming. A very pale, endlessly mobile face, beautiful eyes, the color of which could not be determined - sometimes they seemed black, sometimes blue, a charming smile, magnificent blond hair, beautiful hands, a slender figure of average height.

She knew her appearance very well and knew how to use it.

She had a lovely daughter, Alexandra, whom she loved dearly.

With a charming smile, fanning herself with a fan on which Gabrielle d'Estrée was painted, and at her feet Henry IV, she told her many fans: “Only with the king could I cheat on my husband.”

The most evil tongues at that time could not say anything bad about her - her life was impeccable.

However, she could often be found near Etiol, in the forests of Senard, where royal hunts took place.

She is in a blue and pink riding habit, with a falcon in her hand, like a medieval lady... Or she is in a blue chaise, all in pink. They noticed her, they started talking about her, they called her the nymph of the forests of Senar.

The king involuntarily drew attention to the Amazon dressed in the colors of the morning dawn. The king's curious gaze meets the gaze of Madame Etiol's unfaithful eyes.

Madame Chateauroux was near Louis XV at that time. She did not like the appearance of a young Amazon on his horizon. Madame Etiol was made to understand this.

She stopped appearing on royal hunts, but her goal in life was still the king.

In 1745, the city of Paris organized a large masquerade in honor of the Dauphin's engagement. Madame Etiol knew that the king would be there. Countess Chateauroux had suddenly died shortly before, and now the king was free.

At the ball, Louis XV was approached by an elegant mask dressed as Diana the Huntress. The king became interested in her witty conversation, but the mask disappeared, having, however, managed to drop the handkerchief scented with fine perfume.

A few days later, in Versailles, at a performance of the Italian Comedy, Madame Etiol's box was very close to the royal one. After some time, the king dined alone with Madame Etiol.

After this dinner, Louis seemed frightened of his new hobby and did not think about Madame Etiol for many days. His valet Binet, a distant relative of Madame Etiol, tried in vain to remind him of her.

Finally, the king finally talked about her with Binet. He admitted that he really liked her, but she seemed more ambitious and domineering than loving. Binet assured him, of course, that Madame Etiol was madly in love with him and now, having cheated on her husband who adored her with him, she was thinking only about death.

The king wished to see Madame Etiol again.

Now she was more careful. Deeply concealing her ambition and power, she was before the king only an infinitely loving woman. In response to her tenderness, she felt that she was now strong, but it was important for her not to leave Versailles. And so, still in the arms of the king, Madame Etiol began to despair of what awaited her at home, she assured the king that she was madly afraid of her husband, that he had been jealous of her before, but now his anger would be terrible. The king believed her fear and tears and invited her to temporarily take refuge from her husband’s wrath in the distant chambers of the Palace of Versailles.

To be honest, Madame Etiol's husband was more pathetic than terrible. He sincerely loved his wife, and when his uncle, General Lenormand, told him that she had left him, he lost consciousness, and when he came to his senses, he tried to take his own life many times. Expelled by the king from Paris, he was seriously ill for a long time in Avignon.

When Louis XV left to join his troops in Flanders, Madame Etiol did not go with him. She settled in Etiol and lived there very secluded, occupied almost exclusively with correspondence with the king. Meanwhile, the rooms at Versailles that had previously been occupied by the late Madame Chateauroux were being decorated for her. Madame Etiol knew that with the arrival of the king she would be declared the official favorite. One of the king's last letters was addressed to her no longer as Madame Etiol, but as the Marquise of Pompadour - the letter contained documents for this title.

A few days after the king's return from Flanders, the new marquise was presented to the court.

She was very worried, but she coped with her task smartly and tactfully. Only for one moment was she at a loss - it was with the queen.

Queen Maria Leszczynska had long ceased to be jealous of the king, and the Marquise of Pompadour was for her only a new name, and not a new grief. And now, when the marquise was preparing to hear from the queen a banal phrase prepared in advance about her toilet, Maria Leshchinskaya suddenly affectionately asked her about a lady she knew. The Marquise was confused, and an awkward but sincere exclamation escaped her:

“My most ardent desire is to please Your Majesty.”

The marquise's embarrassment quickly passed, and she remained grateful to the queen for a long time for her kind words.

The hallmark of the 18th century in France, the age of laughter and play, was boredom. Boredom reigned everywhere. It arose below, where it led to frequent suicides, increased with the levels of position and wealth, and its full embodiment seemed to be King Louis XV himself. Boredom was the only mistress to whom he was faithful all his life, boredom was that evil genius, obedient to whom Louis said: “After us there may be a flood.”

Handsome, charming, surrounded not only by courtiers, but also by sincere friends, the king was bored. And so, armed with her lively mind and taste, the marquise decided to make the king not get bored. And the whole secret of her influence on Louis was in her ability to achieve this. For this, she had the rare gift of never being monotonous in anything, starting with her appearance. Always unexpected, always smart and interesting in a new way, she quickly managed to completely capture the mind and soul of the lazy, apathetic king.

Not a single small cloud on the forehead of her royal lover can hide from her watchful eye. She knows how to drive him away with her affection, her gaiety. Sna plays the harpsichord, sings, and tells a new joke.

From her earliest youth, the marquise loved the arts and practiced them. Now, when by the will of fate she approached the French court, arts and literature approached with her.

Although Louis XV personally was indifferent to all this, she managed to interest him too.

Twice a week, artists, writers, philosophers gathered in her salon - Bouchardon, Boucher, Latour, Verna, the architect Gabriel, Voltaire... Interesting topics of conversation and heated debates arose. The marquise took a great part in this, and the king unwittingly began to take part in this.

In the Choisy Palace, according to the Marquise, a theater called “Theater of the Small Chambers” appears, an intimate, elegant theater for forty spectators.

Gabriel built this theater according to the marquise’s personal plan, and her favorite artist Boucher painted it inside. The entrance ticket was a small card on which a flirtatious Columbine was drawn, next to her was the loving Leander, and the deceived Pierrot peeked out from behind the curtain. The audience was almost always the royal family, headed by Louis XV, and relatives and friends of the marquises. Sitting on a simple chair, the king could watch the performance without tiring etiquette.

The troupe was not made up of professional actors, but courtiers who achieved it as a great honor to play here. The main actors were Moritz of Saxony, the Duke of Duras, Richelieu, D'Estrad, the director was the Duke de La Vallière. The Marquise of Pompadour was in charge and the first actress was

Back in Etiol, she staged performances and proved herself to be a good actress and a pleasant singer. Now she could turn around and show all the subtlety and grace of female coquetry, all the charm and tenderness of her flexible voice. Indeed, where, besides the theater, can one be so beautiful in so many ways, one can change so many captivating looks! A tender shepherdess, a passionate odalisque, a proud Roman... What scope there was for the marquise’s delicate taste. Not for nothing, after one of the performances, Louis told her: “You are the most charming woman in France.”

The theater's repertoire was also composed by the marquise herself. At the opening there was Moliere's comedy "Tartuffe", followed by plays by Voltaire, Rousseau, Crebillon.

After the performance, the king and those closest to him, no more than fourteen people, usually stayed for dinner. The invitees entered with him into the elegantly furnished salon, on the walls of which there were paintings by Latour, Watteau, and Boucher. The subject of this painting was luxurious feasts, but in the salon itself there was no hint of dinner.

When the king crossed the threshold, two pages approached him and asked for orders about the beginning. As soon as the king had time to make a sign that it could be served, the floor parted and, as in Armida’s palace, a luxuriously decorated table rose from below. The pages quickly brought in food and dinner began. There was no drunkenness or revelry here. They ate light, tasty dishes, drank fine wines, and had cheerful, elegant conversations, the slight piquancy of which never turned into obscenity.

The king should not be bored - that is the goal of the marquise. Therefore, during fasting, when various entertainments are prohibited, she organizes spiritual concerts in the palace, where she herself sings.

When she feels that the king is already tired of entertainment, she takes him on trips. He visits unfamiliar cities of his kingdom, receives greetings from his subjects who have never seen him before.

The influence of the Marquise on Louis could not please the courtiers. She came not from their circle, but from the bourgeoisie. Everything about her, from her manners to her language, shocked the strict etiquette of the court. The Dauphin and the king's daughters were against her, the queen was silent and was neither for nor against.

But the marquise was ambitious. Her influence on the king’s personality did not satisfy her - she wanted influence on the entire politics of France. And despite the protests of the court and Paris, which was restored against her by court circles, pouring out all its anger at her in a whole series of songs called “poissonades” after her maiden name, the marquise firmly moves towards her goal.

Among entertainment and travel, she gets acquainted with the affairs of the kingdom.

The marquise was never mistaken about her enemies and appreciated them. In contrast to them, she makes every effort to make friends. But she didn't do well with the latter. This was hampered by two of her major shortcomings - she was vindictive and vindictive. She never forgave anything, and her loved ones feared her more than they loved her.

Regarding the Dauphin, her revenge was powerless, but with her other enemies the Marquise was merciless. She sought the resignation of Orry, the Minister of Finance, who was very popular. The favorite of King Maurep was expelled from Paris for mocking couplets about her.

The marquise fights respectfully but firmly with the royal family, arrogantly with the courtiers, successfully with the Jesuits, patiently with parliament.

The power of the marquise becomes stronger every day. She becomes the unofficial ruler of France. Foreign powers are seeking her favor. Through her, Empress Maria Theresa seeks an alliance with France, thanks to which a seven-year war with Germany and England, unsuccessful for France, arises.

At her court, the marquise introduces strict etiquette. In her waiting room there is only one chair for her, everyone who comes must stand. Under the pretext of frequent ill health, she did not get up even in the presence of the princes of the blood. At the theater she sat in the royal box; in the chapel of Versailles a special dais was built for her. The staff of her house consisted of sixty people. Her traveling footman was from an impoverished but ancient noble family.

In her greatness, the marquise wanted to, as it were, erase her humble origins. The marquise turns her father, Monsieur Poisson, into a peer of France, the owner of the de Mareny estate, her brother into the Marquise de Védrier, later the Marquise de Mareny. She buys from the Crequi family their crypt in the Capuchin Church on Place Vendôme and transfers her body there mother.

But the main subject of her concerns and ambitious plans is her only and dearly beloved daughter Alexandra, similar to her mother in character and appearance. She was brought up in the aristocratic monastery d'Assomption, where she was called, like children of royal blood, by the name: Alexandra. The Marquise prepared a brilliant future for her. But fate shatters all her dreams. Ten years old, Alexandra unexpectedly died. They suspected poison, revenge of the Jesuits, but the autopsy revealed nothing.

In general, the marquise suspected poison everywhere and warned the king against it many times. She herself did not start eating anything first. True, she had an example before her eyes - the unexpected death of Madame Chateauroux, very similar to poisoning. The marquise could not even trust her loved ones. Her relative and best friend, Madame d'Estrad turned out to be a spy for her and the mistress of her enemy, Foreign Minister Arzhanson.

Among the splendor, at the height of her power, the marquise was very lonely. She had to expend a lot of strength, both mental and physical, to stay at a decent height. Having seized power over France, the marquise forever renounced a quiet life. And many times at home, left alone with her chambermaid Madame Jose, she complained about fate and the need to wage an “eternal battle” with the people and events around her, as she called her life.

In the weak and sickly body of the Marquise of Pompadour there lived an insane energy. It seemed that she never spent a single hour of her life in inactivity. She went into everything. An art exhibition, about which she listens to the opinions of others and expresses her own... Antique dealers, from whom she often buys beautiful things for her palaces - furniture, Saxon porcelain, Chinese porcelain... Conversations with architects, artists... Arranged by her in Versailles, a printing house, where Corneille’s “Rodo-gune” and some of Voltaire’s works were printed before her eyes... Discussion with Clairon of theatrical toilets... Her personal work on etching, engraving or gems... Some of her works have come down to us - - of course, they are weaker than the works of the artists surrounding the marquise, but they are still very interesting.

The Marquise conducted a huge correspondence with many wonderful people.

“I still need to write about twenty letters,” she says, saying goodbye to her father in the evening.

The Marquise loved books, and her colossal library was not just for show. There were books on history, civil law, political economy, philosophy - from them she drew knowledge for the role she wanted to occupy in France. And indeed, if the marquise was not always competent in any matter, she always knew enough not to seem ignorant in it... In addition, she had a magnificent collection of books on the theater and the arts in general.

But most of all the Marquise had books about love: Novels of Spanish, Italian, French writers, chivalric novels, heroic, historical, moralistic, political, satirical, comic, fantastic. Her library was the temple of the novel. Reading, the marquise experienced thousands of lives devoted to love, and, escaping from reality, took a break from it in another, created life.

According to the Marquise, a military school was founded. The Marquise herself supervises the construction of the building, and even she personally drew designs for some of its decorations.

French tapestries long ago defeated oriental carpets, French crystal was as beautiful as Venetian, but French porcelain could not compete with Saxon and Chinese.

The Marquise, who loved him and understood a lot about him, set out to create French porcelain that would be better than Saxon porcelain. In 1756, the state porcelain factory, formerly in Vincennes, was transferred to Sèvres.

Magnificent buildings are being built here for artists and factory workers. The buildings are surrounded by beautiful gardens with fountains and charming bosquets. In the distance you can see a dense forest where those living at the plant can hunt.

Under the supervision of a master who has the secret of making good porcelain paste and coloring it, there are five hundred people working, of whom sixty are experienced artists.

The Marquise chose Sèvres as the place of her usual walks. She encourages artists, gives them advice, helps them choose colors and shapes. The beautiful pink color invented during her time is named after her “Rose Pompadour”.

Very quickly, Sevres' works reach extraordinary heights, and they are not afraid of comparisons with Saxon and Chinese porcelain.

To distribute Sevres products, the Marquise arranges an exhibition of them in Versailles, where she sells them herself.

While trading, she praises them so convincingly that it is difficult not to buy from her.

One day, during a walk in Sèvres, the marquise was captivated by the landscape spread out before her. She stood on a charming green hill, from where she could see Versailles, Saint-Cloud and even further Saint-Germain. The Marquise decided to build a palace here.

On a beautiful summer day, she gathers architects, artists, gardeners here and, sitting on the green grass, discusses the construction plan with them.

And so, under the leadership of the architect Landureau, the artists Bush, Vanloo and the gardener Delisle, the Belle Vue Palace grew on a picturesque hill, as in a fairy tale.

In the first courtyard there were two buildings - one for stables, the other for theatrical performances. Next is the second courtyard, surrounded on three sides by the palace buildings, and on the fourth it is adjoined by a garden with a terrace, overlooking the Seine, the Bois de Boulogne, and the green islands and villages. From the terrace to the Seine a green staircase of blooming oranges and lemons descended, and in the park, under a dome of trees, stood a bust of the king and the marquise.

The interior of the palace was no less beautiful. Paintings, marble, porcelain... The Marquise understood and loved beauty.

On the day of the king's first visit to Belle Vue, the ballet Cupid the Architect, an elegant joke on the theme of the construction of Belle Vue, was performed in a theater decorated in Chinese style. In the evening, after the performance, the marquise took the king to the winter garden.

Many lights were burning, thousands of flowers were wafting their scent. The king was surprised that the marquise, as usual, did not pick flowers for him and decided to do it himself. But it was impossible to pick the flowers - they were made of Sèvres porcelain, and their cups were filled with perfume corresponding to each one.

The Marquise possessed not only the Belle Vue Palace. She often bought new lands and palaces and sometimes sold them at a great loss. Her domains were huge, and she visited many of them very rarely. The great Palace of Cressy, which cost a colossal sum, the small Palace of La Celle, a simple little pavilion near the Park of Versailles, decorated with Persian wallpaper and picturesque panels, surrounded by a garden, which was a bosquet of roses, in the greenery of which a white, marble Adonis took refuge; a small house in Fontainebleau with many chickens of different breeds, a house in Compiegne; luxurious palace in Paris.

In general, none of the ideas seems too expensive to the marquise, and she, without hesitation, buys everything that she would like to see as hers. But despite the fact that these purchases cost France very much, their total amount cannot be compared with another figure. What cost France the most was the entire galaxy of architects, artists, sculptors and gardeners whom the Marquise took with her to each of her possessions, where they remade everything from start to finish to her taste. It cost the state thirty million livres.

The Marquise did not limit herself to rebuilding her palaces and the houses she occupied. She also remodeled all the king's palaces in which he received her. In this, as in everything, the marquise tried to find entertainment for the bored king. She wanted none of his palaces to be similar to the other and to be interesting to him in a new way.

The life of the Marquise of Pompadour was not only an “eternal battle” with the intrigues of enemies, but also an “eternal battle” with herself, a battle with her soul, with her weak, painful body, even with her cold temperament.

They always see her cheerful, calm, with a smile and a song on her lips. Only from the notes of her chambermaid Madame Jose, which have reached us, do we learn her intimate life, her sleepless nights, full of anxiety and tears.

"My dear! I'm afraid of losing the king's heart, of no longer being pleasant to him. You know, men attach great importance to certain things, and unfortunately I have a very cold temperament. I decided to apply a somewhat stimulating regimen to myself in order to correct this shortcoming, and in these two days this elixir helped me. or at least that's what I thought."

This is what the Marquise says to her friend, the Duchess of Branca.

To excite her temperament, she also drinks chocolate with a lot of vanilla and eats a salad of celery and truffles.

But the king’s attitude towards her is no longer the same.

When Damien wounded him with a dagger in 1757, the marquise, locked in her chambers for eleven days, did not know what awaited her. She cried, fainted, came to her senses, cried again and fainted again. Doctor Kezne from the king's chambers constantly went to her and back, trying as best he could to calm her down. The king himself did not invite her and did not make himself known.

After eleven days of painful waiting, the king sent his minister Machaut, her protege, to the marquise with an order on behalf of the king to immediately leave the Palace of Versailles.

The Marquise had already decided to carry out this order, but one of her friends, the marshal's wife, Mirenois, dissuaded her. Pretending to leave the palace, the marquise actually remained there, waiting for events to happen. It was not in vain that the marquise followed Madame Mirenois’s advice; a few days later the king saw her, and she again took her position.

Minister Machaut resigned.X

The day came when the marquise had to give up hope of keeping the king-lover.

Exhausted by internal and external struggle, entertainment through force, under the eternal fear of her rivals, she could not bear it, and her poor health began to deteriorate.

She easily defeated the king's first betrayals.

The seductive Made Mauselle Choiseul-Romanet is eliminated and unexpectedly dies (there is a suspicion that she was poisoned on the orders of the Marquise). But now the marquise understood that it was no longer so simple. And so she decides to take an action that has branded her for centuries. With her permission, the so-called “Deer Park” arises, something like a small harem for the king, where there were no more than two girls at a time. The girls did not know who their lover was. They were hinted that this was a Polish prince, a relative of the queen. Modest, uneducated girls were not afraid of the marquise. “I need his heart,” she said about the king.

When one of the girls became pregnant, she was taken from there, the child was provided for, and the mother was married off to the provinces with a small dowry. All this was arranged by the marquise herself, and it is difficult to say whether she took on this ambiguous role in the name of love or in the name of ambition.

With a compressed heart and a cold mind, the Marquise of Pompadour became no longer a lover, but a friend and confidant of King Louis.

She leaves the upper intimate chambers of the Palace of Versailles and settles below, where only princes of the blood lived before her. And as if announcing to everyone a change in her position, she erects her statue in the form of the Goddess of Friendship in Belle Vue Park.

But now it was important for the marquise to have an official position at court, and the king asks the queen to accept her into his retinue.

But even the meek Maria Leshchinskaya was outraged by this request. Not having the courage to directly refuse the king, she says that she cannot accept a woman who abandoned her husband and was condemned by the church for this.

1 when the marquise writes to her husband, Monsieur Lenorman D Etiol, a letter full of repentance, where, realizing all her mistakes, all her guilt before him, she begs to forgive her and take her back to her.

At the same time as this letter, a trusted man is sent to tell him that if he does not wish to incur the king's displeasure, he is advised to refuse.

The marquise's husband had long since come to terms with his fate and lived, amusing himself with wine and light love affairs. The marquise received a polite answer from him to her letter, where he wrote to her that with all his heart he forgave her for her guilt before him, but did not want to accept her.

Having received the impatiently awaited answer, the marquise bursts into a stream of complaints. She is guilty, she has repented, what should she do if her husband is now pushing her away, only religion can console her.

Every day in the chapel of Versailles, but not at the top, not in her place of honor, but below, in the crowd, and for a long time after the end of the service she stands kneeling at the altar.

After much hesitation and indecision by the Jesuit Father de Sassi, after her letter to the Pope, she finally receives the forgiveness of the church. Maria Leshchinskaya now has no choice but to submit to the will of the king.

“Sovereign! I have one king in heaven, who gives me strength to endure my grief, and one king on earth, to whose will I am always submissive,” she says to the king, accepting the new lady into her retinue.

The marquise did not forget the hostile attitude of the Jesuits during her repentance. Twelve years later the Jesuits were expelled from France.

The king, connected with the marquise solely by the force of habit and her mind, was looking for new love. His short novels in Deer Park did not satisfy him. The marquise's enemies tried to nominate a new favorite.

A long line of women passes in front of the king, each of whom brings several days of anxiety and grief to the marquise.

When Mademoiselle Roman appears on the king's horizon, the marquise sees that the king is already truly in love.

Mademoiselle Roman had a son with Louis.

With a beating heart, the marquise goes to the Bois de Boulogne, where on the grass, having pinned her luxurious black hair with a diamond comb, Mademoiselle Roman breastfeeds her son, Louis of Bourbon. Covering her face with a handkerchief, as if from a severe toothache, the marquise watches her and even speaks to her.

Returning home, she sadly says to Madame Jose, “I must admit, both mother and child are very beautiful.”

But this romance of the king, more serious than others, did not break the chains with which he was chained to the Marquise of Pompadour. This victory calms the Marquise somewhat, but she, while still cheerful on the outside, is sad, disappointed and lonely.

“The older I get, my dear brother, the more philosophical my opinions become. I'm sure you think the same. Apart from the happiness of being with the king, which, of course, consoles me in everything, everything else is just a fabric of anger, vulgarity, - in general, of all the sins that poor humanity is capable of. Good material for reflection, especially for those who, like me, were born philosophizing over everything,” she writes to her brother

In another letter she says:

“Wherever there are people, you will find all the vices, lies, everything they are capable of. Living alone would be very boring, so you need to tolerate their shortcomings and pretend that you don’t notice them.”

But of all the marquise’s griefs, the greatest was that instead of the glory of France, with which her name would have been associated for centuries, her interference in the affairs of the state brought ruin and unhappy wars to the country.

She repeats, laughing: “After us there may be a flood.”

But in fact, she was very concerned about her name in posterity.

“You need to give up all thoughts of fame. This is a difficult necessity, but it is the only thing left for us. He may still need your zeal and devotion to the king,” she writes to the Duke of Etion during the Seven Years’ War.

When she saw that all her dreams of fame had failed, she really gave them up, and was forever dejected by it.

A person close to her, her favorite minister and, they say, even her lover, the Duke of Choiseul, says about her:

“I’m afraid that melancholy will take over her completely and she will die of grief.”

How strange this sounds. The all-powerful Marquise of Pompadour, dying of grief.

Already in 1756, the marquise began to feel very ill. But she strenuously hides her illnesses from the king. A cheerful smile and skillful makeup masked her sickly appearance from prying eyes.

Once upon a time, a fortune teller predicted the Marquise’s brilliant rise. And now, in disguise, with her nose glued on, the marquise makes her way to another fortune teller to find out how she will die. She receives the answer: “You will have time to repent.”

This prediction, like the first, came true.

The marquise had bleeding from her throat as a child. Her life completely ruined her health. But she did not want to give up until the last opportunity.

In 1764, after one pleasure walk in Choisy, she fell ill. Around her are several friends, the Duke of Choiseul, Mademoiselle Mirepoix and Prince Soubise, her most devoted person.

A few days before death there was an unexpected improvement. The Marquise was transported to the Palace of Versailles.

Here, in the palace, where, according to etiquette, only princes of the blood could die, the Marquise of Pompadour died. She died calm and still beautiful, despite her illness.

As her end approached, the king personally told her that it was time to take communion.

She could not lie down because of shortness of breath and sat covered with pillows in a chair, suffering greatly. Before her death, she sketches a drawing of the beautiful facade of the Church of St. Magdalene in Paris.

When the priest St. Magdalene was about to leave, she told him with a smile: “Wait a minute, Holy Father, we will leave together.”

A few minutes later she died.

She was 42 years old and ruled France for twenty years. Of these, only the first five she was the king's beloved.

Before her death, she ordered to put on a monastic dress, a large rosary of the Franciscan Order and a wooden cross on her chest. Now after her death, her body was taken out of Versailles.

It rained heavily on the day of the funeral. The king, together with his valet Champlost, stood on the balcony with his head uncovered, watching her funeral procession pass by the palace.

When she disappeared around the corner, his eyes were full of tears: “This is the only honor I can show her.”

The Marquise appointed Prince Soubise as her executor. Everything in the will was clearly thought out; she drew it up with love for objects of art, which she left behind in huge quantities. In this, as in all her life, she was more an esthete than a good Christian. She rewarded friendship, but at the same time protected her numerous collections for the future.

She was buried in a crypt on Place Vendôme, where her mother’s coffin already stood.

Diderot speaks cruelly about her: “So, what remains of this woman who has destroyed so many human lives, spent so much money, left us without honor and energy and destroyed the political system of Europe? The Treaty of Versailles, which will last for a certain time, the Cupid of Bouchardon, which will always be admired, a few engraved stones that will delight the antiquarians of the future, a pretty little painting by Vanloo, which will be looked at sometimes, and ... a handful of ashes.”

But the Marquise loved art, loved literature, and the names of Boucher, Fragonard, Latour, Vanloo, Grez, Montesquieu, Voltaire and many other important people of her era have surrounded her appearance for centuries with a halo.

History is against her, but art is for her.

From dok_zlo .

Marquise de Pompadour, birth name Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, legendary official mistress (since 1745) of the French king Louis XV...

The main success and secret of Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, whom King Louis XV of France made Marquise de Pompadour, was her amazing and at first glance inexplicable “longevity” at court.

After all, the favorite's lifespan is short-lived - a rapid rise was usually followed by an equally quick oblivion. And the Marquise de Pompadour did not leave Versailles for twenty years, remaining the king’s closest friend and adviser until her death. The favorite of Louis XV went down in history as the uncrowned queen of France.

The Marquise de Pompadour is rightfully considered one of the most famous women in history. What kept the fickle, flighty Louis near this woman?

Lessons of love from the Marquise de Pompadour

Believe in your dream

Jeanne knew from childhood that not just anyone would love her, but the King of France. This is what the fortune teller predicted for her. What was a girl whose relatives were just bourgeois supposed to think? With the surname Poisson, which means “fish” in French, and without the coveted prefix “de,” there was simply nothing to do in the royal environment. But Zhanna believed in the prediction. Having received an excellent education, having learned all the intricacies of secular treatment and having married a nobleman in love with her, Madame d'Etiol was ready to conquer the main peak in her life.

Therefore: believe in your star. Everything is in your hands, you can’t put them down.

First violin

In Europe it was no secret that King Louis was stupid. Jeanne d'Etiol, who had already received the title of Marquise de Pompadour, very quickly realized that Louis was not at all averse to putting the burden of government on her. He trusted his mistress more than himself. At the same time, the king was terribly proud. Those ministers who acted in defiance of the royal “will” quickly found themselves in disgrace. Pompadour was well aware of this, therefore, when making her decision, she always voiced precisely the “will of the king.” Well, she didn’t forget to whisper to Louis how brilliant and insightful he was.

Therefore: even if you are a great strategist and Napoleon in a skirt, do not forget to tell the man that it was he who made the fateful decision. There is a proverb: “A man is the head, and a woman is the neck,” but you should move your head wisely.

Charm is more important than beauty

Contemporaries unanimously said that Jeanne Pompadour’s appearance was the most ordinary. But Zhanna learned to charm from a young age. She knew how and what to say, how to present herself in conversation, in dance, even at the dinner table. She, like no one else, knew how to select fabrics for dresses, bows, ruffles and jewelry to decorate her appearance. She clearly knew what suited her and what didn’t.

Therefore: it is worth carefully studying your strengths and weaknesses in order to disguise your shortcomings and emphasize your strengths. To do this, you need to stop flattering yourself and reassuring yourself and try to be objective. Charm is elusive, but it is much more important than beauty.

“There are many of you - but Zhanna is alone”

It sounds paradoxical, but Madame de Pompadour was not a passionate lover.
Seeing that Jeanne was not too hot, Louis did not insist - she was dear to him already. True, he began to look for fleeting lovers - pretty, stupid women whose task was to entertain the monarch in bed, but nothing more. Some of them tried to oust Jeanne from the royal heart, but that was not the case.

Therefore: there are things that are no less important than sexual harmony. Trust, friendship, simple human communication and warmth in relationships - this is exactly what Jeanne gave to her king. One of Louis' mistresses once called Jeanne an "old woman" in a conversation with him. The king immediately turned away from her: “There are many of you, but Jeanne is alone.”

Always be different!

Pompadour, knowing that her friend was prone to melancholy, tried to entertain him - every day she told him something entertaining. As a rule, these were regular Parisian gossip or “crime chronicles.” She loved to treat him to interesting dishes - Pompadour had the most skillful cook. Every time she met the king, she dressed up in a new outfit, one more beautiful than the other. Moreover, she organized a real “one-man show” for Louis: she sang, danced, recited poetry - just so that the king would not fall into depression.

Nothing kills love like routine and monotony. The Marquise de Pompadour patronized artists, communicated on equal terms with Voltaire, conducted important negotiations and actually ruled France for eighteen years. To be different means to be multifaceted. Change, learn something new. Develop yourself and be interesting, first of all, to yourself - and then you will definitely never be left alone.

>Secrets of love of the Marquise de Pompadour

The secret is fragrant. During a meeting with Louis XV, Madame Pompadour's signature perfume, prepared by herself, did its job. She mixed a few drops of the king's sweat with all kinds of flower scents. Many years later, scientists have proven that the smell of one’s own body is the most pleasant for a person.
Culinary secret. The king's mistress invented a recipe for rissols - small, deep-fried donut-like pies filled with salpicon - minced meat cut into small pieces. To maintain the king's love fervor, Madame Pompadour herself prepared him a drink of chocolate with amber, and to awaken his imagination - fancy dishes from the delicate delights of lamb. And before her meeting with Louis XV, she drank a large cup of chocolate with celery.
The secret is strategic. She arranged the king's love affairs with young, but always stupid girls herself. They were needed for the night, no more, and the satisfied king returned again to Madame Pompadour. Only such a woman could talk to him about the most insignificant matters and give practical advice in the most difficult situations.

Sayings of the Marquise de Pompadour

Love is the passion of men...
Most women's ambitions are to please...
The death of one person often changes the fate of others...
A man's heart has great resources...
After us there might be a flood...
You need to be very capable to be able to fall in love with yourself...
Happy are those who don't love...
Politics is not good for women, because smart thoughts come only with age...
Love is a pleasure for one season, friendship is for a lifetime...
Sadness tires and contributes to aging...
It’s easier to pretend than to change your essence... A beautiful woman fears the end of her youth more than death...
You need to have virtues yourself in order to see them in others...
You need to have intelligence to do good, fools are not capable of this...
The art of a politician is to lie at the right moment...
If you want to have impeccable friends, look for them among the angels...
The hedgehog would give up his thorns if the wolf had no teeth...
The whole secret of politics is to know the time when to lie, and to know the time when to remain silent...
Politics and war are not for beautiful women...
Even women can be right and give good advice...
Great people shouldn't make small mistakes...
Don't feel sorry for the dead, feel sorry for those who are still alive...
Death is liberation...

Pompadour died at 43. However, one can only be surprised that with such a troubled life she lasted so long. In her early youth she was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis.

As the funeral procession turned towards Paris, Louis, standing on the palace balcony in the pouring rain, said: “What disgusting weather you chose for your last walk, madame!” Behind this seemingly completely inappropriate joke was hidden true sadness.