Steven Wood Collins's Blog: The Writing of Steven Wood Collins - Author of "Puramore - The Lute of Pythagoras" - The Patricians: Françoise Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart (1641 - 1707), Marquise de Montespan, Maîtresse-en-titre de Louis XIV - Author's 11th Cousin 12x Removed

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The Patricians: Françoise Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart (1641 - 1707), Marquise de Montespan, Maîtresse-en-titre de Louis XIV - Author's 11th Cousin 12x Removed

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Other than the royal family, the House of Rochechouart is the oldest baronage in French history. Françoise was a direct descendant of the lineage that began when Charles the Bald, grandson of Charlemagne, made Foucher de Limoges a vicomte in 876. Both the main lineage and the Mortemart cadet branch are viable today.

Louis XIV maintained more than a dozen maîtresses-en-titre. During the reign of Henry IV, the title was coined to denote an officially recognised mistress of the king. Quite often, as in Madame de Montespan's case, a maîtresses-en-titre held more suasion with the monarch than his consort. In fact, in addition to cultivating her father's career, she also later persuaded Louis to legitimize their children - something that's rarely, if ever done by a monarch perforce of his own volition. I'm at a loss to cite a similar occurence of a monarch being moved to recognize his illegimate children in a similar fashion. Amazing, especially considering Louis was perhaps the most powerful monarch in French history.

Françoise served as a lady-in-waiting for both Maria Theresa and Henrietta Stuart. Henrietta, sister of King James II of England, married Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, Louis' brother.

Princess Anne de Chabot-Rohan, maternal granddaughther of Duke Henri de Rohan, also attended Maria Theresa as a lady-in-waiting. She preceded Madame Montespan as maîtresses-en-titre, but both were amorously engaged to Louis around the same timeframe.

Françoise' eldest daughter, Louise Françoise de Bourbon, amassed a vast fortune investing in Système de Law. Afterward, she built the Palais Bourbon in Paris. Completed in 1728, the buildings and grounds of the estate became nationalised during the French Revolution. It has been the seat of the Assemblée Nationale since 1849.

The Codex Borbonicus, which was written by Aztec priests around the time of Spanish conquest of Mexico, is named after the Palais Bourbon. It is in the collection of the Bibliothèque de l'Assemblée Nationale.

Marie de Rochechouart, Françoise' aunt, married Louis Phélypeaux, seigneur de La Vrillière. He built the Hôtel de Toulouse complex that has housed the headquarters of Banque de France since 1811. Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, comte de Toulouse (son of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan), acquired the building complex in 1712. Like the Palais Bourbon, it was nationalised after the French Revolution.

Marguerite de Rochechouart (1665 - 1727) was the 43rd abbesse of Montmartre Abbey. She is the namesake of Boulevard de Rochechouart. The Paris Métro station Barbès – Rochechouart is located at the intersection of Boulevard Barbès and Boulevard de Rochechouart.

The Benedictine abbey was founded by King Louis VI during the early 12th century. Adélaïde de Savoie, his wife, was its first abbesse. The abbey was completely demolished by rioters during the French Revolution. Marie-Louise de Laval-Montmorency, the last abbesse, was guillotined at the Barrière du Trône in 1794. She was a direct descendant of Mathieu II "Grand Connétable" de Montmorency and Guy I of Montlhéry.

Madame Montespan was a distant cousin of Anna de Rochechouart, duchesse d'Uzès.

Françoise Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan, maîtresse en titre of King Louis XIV of France
Birth 25 Apr 1641 in Tonnay, Charente, Poitou-Charentes, France
Death 10 May 1707 in Bourbon, Allier, Auvergne, France

11th cousin 12x removed CHABOT-LANDRY-BOURG-CYR

14th cousin 9x removed POITIERS-D'AUVERGNE-CLERMONT-NESTLE-FLAVY-LE ROY-CYR

16th cousin 10x removed LIMOGES-DU PERCHE-NORMANDY-PLANTAGENET-HOWARD-WOOD

26th cousin 4x removed LIMOGES-HAUTEVILLE-PLANTAGENET-HOWARD-WOOD

31st cousin 7x removed LIMOGES-CHARLEMAGNE-CHAUMONT-SINCLAIR-PAINE-TRIPP-OUTWATER

FAB PEDIGREE

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