Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Madame
Françoise d'Aubigné
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| Marquise of Maintenon | |
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Portrait by Pierre Mignard, 1694
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| Known for | Secret wife of Louis XIV |
| Born | 27 November 1635 Niort, Kingdom of France |
| Died | 15 April 1719 (aged 83) Saint-Cyr-l'École, Kingdom of France |
| Noble family | d'Aubigné |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Father | Constant d'Aubigné |
| Mother | Jeanne de Cardilhac |
| Signature |  |
Françoise d'Aubigné (born November 27, 1635 – died April 15, 1719) was a French noblewoman. She was first known as Madame Scarron. Later, she became Madame de Maintenon. She secretly married King Louis XIV of France.
Even though she was never called Queen of France, she was a very close advisor to the King. She also worked as the governess for the royal children. In 1686, she started a special school called the Maison royale de Saint-Louis. This school was for girls from noble families who were not very rich.
Contents
Childhood and Early Life
Born in Niort
Françoise d'Aubigné was born on November 27, 1635, in Niort, France. Some people say she was born in a hotel. Others believe she was born near or inside a local prison. Her father, Constant d'Aubigné, was a Huguenot. This meant he was a French Protestant. He was in prison for working against King Louis XIII's chief minister, Cardinal Richelieu. Richelieu was a very powerful church leader and advisor to the King.
Françoise's mother, Jeanne de Cardilhac, was the daughter of the prison director. She was a strong Catholic. She made sure Françoise was baptized in the Catholic faith. Françoise's grandfather was Agrippa d'Aubigné. He was a Protestant general and writer. He had been a close friend of the late King Henry IV.
Growing Up Protestant
In 1639, Françoise's father was let out of prison. He went with his family to Martinique. This was a French island colony in the West Indies. Françoise's mother was very strict. She gave her children a Protestant education, even though they were baptized Catholic.
Her father later went back to France. He left his family behind in Martinique. Her mother tried to raise the children by herself. In 1647, the family returned to France. Soon after, both of Françoise's parents died. The children then went to live with their aunt, Madame de Villette.
Françoise had happy memories of her aunt and uncle's home, Mursay. The de Villettes were rich and took good care of the children. They were also strong Protestants. They continued to teach their nieces and nephews in their Protestant beliefs. When this was found out by her godmother's family, Françoise was sent to a convent for her education.
School Days
Françoise did not like life in the convent. She felt she did not get much education or freedom there. Her lessons included basic mathematics, French, Latin, and housework. The main focus was on religion and church services. There was not much learning about the outside world.
Even so, Françoise grew to like one of the nuns, Sister Céleste. Sister Céleste helped Françoise receive her first communion. Later in life, Madame de Maintenon said she loved Sister Céleste very much. Françoise's godmother's mother, Madame de Neuillant, brought her to Paris. She introduced Françoise to important people. These connections would help Françoise later in her life.
Life at Court
First Marriage
During her time with Madame de Neuillant, Françoise met Paul Scarron. He was a well-known poet. He was 25 years older than her. He offered her a choice: marry him or he would pay for her to join a convent. Scarron was very ill and in constant pain. But Françoise accepted his offer. They married in 1652.
This marriage allowed Françoise to meet important people in Parisian society. This would have been impossible for her otherwise, as she came from a poor background. For nine years, she was more like a nurse to Paul than a wife. In return, he helped her learn and become a teacher.
Becoming a Royal Governess
Paul Scarron died in 1660. The Queen Mother, Anne of Austria, continued to give Françoise money each year. This money was called a pension. It allowed Françoise to stay involved in literary society. After the Queen Mother died in 1666, King Louis XIV stopped the pension.
Françoise became poor again. She lived off the kindness of her friends for several years. She planned to leave Paris to become a lady-in-waiting in Portugal. But before she left, she met Madame de Montespan. Montespan was secretly the King's mistress. Montespan liked Françoise very much. She asked the King to start Françoise's pension again. This allowed Françoise to stay in Paris.
In 1669, Madame de Montespan placed her second child with King Louis XIV in Françoise's care. Françoise lived in a house on Rue de Vaugirard. She had a good income and many servants. She made sure the house was safe and private. She also worked as a secretary and caretaker.
Her good care of the infant Louis Auguste, Duke of Maine (born in 1670) caught the King's attention. At first, the King did not like her strong personality or strict religious ways. But after Louis Auguste and his brothers and sisters were officially recognized by the King in 1673, Françoise moved to the Château de Saint-Germain. She became the royal governess. She was one of the few people who could speak honestly with the King as an equal. People noticed that Louis XIV liked having someone who would talk to him this way.
The King rewarded Françoise for her hard work. He gave her a large sum of money. She used this money to buy land at Maintenon in 1674. In 1675, King Louis XIV gave her the title Marquise de Maintenon. This title came from the name of her new estate.
These favors made Madame de Montespan jealous. They often argued about the children and their care. In 1680, the King made Madame de Maintenon a lady-in-waiting to his daughter-in-law, the dauphine. Later, Madame de Montespan left the court. Madame de Maintenon unofficially took her place. She was a good influence on King Louis XIV. His wife, Queen Marie Thérèse, had been treated badly by Madame de Montespan for years. The Queen openly said she had never been treated so well as she was now.
The King's Secret Wife
Secret Marriage to Louis XIV
King Louis XIV admired Madame de Maintenon. He likely asked her to become his mistress. She later said she did not give in to his requests. But by the late 1670s, the King spent much of his free time with the royal governess. They talked about politics, money, and religion.
After Queen Marie-Thérèse died, Françoise married Louis XIV in a private ceremony. This happened in secret. The ceremony was performed by François de Harlay de Champvallon, the archbishop of Paris. It is believed that only a few close people were there. These included the King's confessor, Père la Chaise, and some trusted servants.
Because of the difference in their social status, the marriage was morganatic. This means Madame de Maintenon was not openly recognized as the King's wife. She did not become queen. There are no official papers of the marriage. But historians agree that it happened. Biographers believe the wedding took place in October 1683 or January 1684.
A duke named Saint-Simon wrote about the marriage in his memoirs. He said that Père de la Chaise, the King's confessor, held a mass late at night. The King and Madame de Maintenon were married there. He also mentioned that Madame de Maintenon was given grand apartments at Versailles, close to the King's. The King spent hours with her every day.
The Marquise of Montespan also wrote about the marriage. She said Madame de Maintenon agreed to marry the King. The ceremony was held in the chapel of the château. After the ceremony, Madame de Maintenon moved into a very fancy apartment. She rode in the King's main carriage, in the place where the Queen used to sit. Inside her home, people called her "Majesty."
Political Influence
Historians often talk about Madame de Maintenon's political influence. It was quite strong. She was seen as the most powerful person after the King, especially after 1700. Since she was not officially queen, it was easier for people to ask her to speak to the King.
Madame de Maintenon was a very religious person. She had a strong influence on her husband. The King no longer had other mistresses. He also banned operas during Lent, a religious period. Some people have blamed her for the King's decision to cancel the Edict of Nantes. This Edict had given rights to Protestants in France. They also blamed her for the dragonnades, which were harsh actions against Protestants. However, recent studies show she did not support the cruel parts of the dragonnades. She was happy about people converting to Catholicism, though. She told her confessor that she was afraid to speak up for Protestants. She worried her enemies would say she was still secretly Protestant.
In 1692, Pope Innocent XII gave her the right to visit all convents in France. Madame de Maintenon mostly used her power to help others. For example, she often gave money to her brother Charles. Later in her life, she encouraged her husband to give high positions to the King's children by Madame de Montespan.
Helping with Education
Madame de Maintenon started the Maison royale de Saint-Louis. This was a school for girls from noble families who had become poor. Many noblemen had died in wars or spent all their money serving the King. The school first started in Rueil. Then it moved to Noisy-le-Roi. Finally, the King gave money for a new school in Saint-Cyr. This was a village near Versailles.
Madame de Maintenon wanted the education to be different from traditional convents. In convents, education was basic and mostly about religion. Her students were taught to be noble ladies. Their education was strict but modern for the time. Madame de Maintenon was seen as a natural teacher. She was a kind, motherly figure to her students. One of her students was Dauphine Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy.
Madame de Maintenon wrote the rules for the school. She paid attention to every small detail. The school buildings could hold 250 students. There were 36 lay female teachers and 24 sisters who did housework. There were also some priests.
Students were aged 7 to 20. They were divided by the color of their uniform. Red was for ages 7 to 10. Green was for 11 to 14. Yellow was for 15–16. Blue was for 17–20. The most talented and well-behaved "blues" wore black. Each class had a schedule based on the students' age. The "reds" learned arithmetic, geometry, reading, and writing. They also learned basic Catechism, Latin, and religious history. The "greens" continued these subjects and added geography and history. The "yellows" also learned drawing and dancing. The "blues" learned about heraldry (family symbols), Catholic Church history, and more detailed morality. The "blacks" helped the teachers. They also helped with accounts, the hospital, the dining hall, and sewing clothes.
Free time was also important to Maintenon. She encouraged students to play thinking games like chess and checkers. But card games were not allowed. She asked the famous writer Jean Racine to write plays, Esther and Athalie, for the girls at Saint-Cyr.
Impact on Education
The Maison royale de Saint-Louis had a big impact on education. It influenced groups like the Society of Revolutionary Republican Women. This was the first women's political group, started in 1793. They wanted equal education for girls. They pushed for a royal rule from 1724 that made primary education required for everyone. This idea was inspired by Madame de Maintenon's work.
During the French Revolution, Madame de Maintenon's ideas were used by local leaders. They started primary schools in neighborhoods that took in many poor young girls. Her work had a lasting effect on the early feminist movement. This movement wanted to promote equal education for boys and girls. They believed this would make society better and help lower-class women improve their lives.
Later Life
After her husband, King Louis XIV, died in 1715, Françoise retired to Saint-Cyr. She received a yearly payment of 48,000 livres from the Duc d'Orléans, who was the regent of France.
She continued to have visitors at Saint-Cyr. One famous visitor was Tsar Peter the Great of Russia. He sat by her bed and asked about her illness. She replied, "Old age." She asked why he came to her room. He said, "I came to see everything worthy of note that France contains." He later told his helpers that she had done great service for the King and the country.
Françoise died on April 15, 1719, when she was 83 years old. In her will, she asked to be buried in the church choir at Saint-Cyr. She left her Château de Maintenon to her niece, Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné, the Duchess of Noailles. A small island off the coast of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, was named in her honor. This island is called Isle Madame.
Images for kids
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Françoise d'Aubigné's signature
See also
In Spanish: Madame de Maintenon para niños
