Madame de Pompadour More Than Just Mistress
Lynda Tidmore University of Montevallo
Tidmore 2
Throughout history, women have served many crucial roles and while they may not have been as influential as men, they certainly found their niche in some aspect of men’s worlds.
From Queen Regents such as Catherine and Marie de’ Medici, to England’s Queen Elizabeth, man’s complement has consistency advanced history. Male figureheads such as kings, philosophes (Voltaire, Rousseau, Locke), and scientists (Keppler, Bacon, Descartes) all characterized the Enlightenment, but women proved just as influential from their place backstage. Louis XV’s mistress, Madame de Pompadour, spread ideas of logic, reason, and rationality that so distinguished the Enlightenment and even influenced the French Revolution.
Among other feats, she helped establish the Théâtre des Petits Cabinets, the Ecole Militaire
(Napoleon’s future school), and commissioned countless works of art. She personified the
Enlightenment; as Kale says, “The Enlightenment did not appropriate the salons. It is probably more accurate to say that the salons appropriated the Enlightenment”1; indeed, the same can be said for the Marquise. One might even go so far to say she was the most influential female of the country in her time as Louis’ mistress, but she was more than that—a politician in mistress’ clothing during the various campaigns of Louis XV.
Madame de Pompadour wrote in an epistolary style, and “was helped in writing her replies by experienced professionals like Voltaire and the Abbè de Bernis,” therefore most of what historians know comes from contemporaries with whom she corresponded, such as the two aforementioned men.2 Crosland almost pessimistically declares the possibility of discovering
1 Kale, French Salons: High Society and Political Sociability from the Old Regime to the Revolution of 1848, (Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004), p. 35. 2 Crosland, Madame de Pompadour: Sex, Culture and Power, (England: Sutton Publishing Limited, 2000), p. 169. Tidmore 3 letters between the king and the marquise “unlikely.”3 However, historians well know how the king felt about his maîtresse en titre, and while these would prove entertaining, they would not give a significant glimpse into the shaping of the political monde in Pompadour’s time. Her most important letters come from the time of the Seven Years’ War, and have been “widely quoted after their inclusion in memoirs by the senior political figures with whom she was then in touch.”4 Excerpts of Pompadour’s letters are fascinating to read, and indeed, one finds many examples of her sense of humor and irony (which she probably refined with Voltaire).
Pompadour showed incredible honesty in her letters, one example of such being a reply to the
Duc d’Aiguillon—“‘I don’t know when I shall forgive you; you hardly deserve the interest I’ve been taking in you.’”5 Throughout the discussion of Pompadour’s life, one can see the glimmers of a strong and dominant personality permeating the court of Louis Quinze.
Born as Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson in December 1721 into a “world with powerful connections,”6 her situation quickly changed when her father fled the country for connections with the famine of 1726. Madame Poisson found a home in the rue des Bons-Enfants and by age five, the young Mademoiselle Poisson was “known as ‘Reinette’,”7 or “Little Queen.” She displayed enthusiastic ambition throughout her formative years, exemplified by a line in her will, which left “‘six hundred livres to Madame Lebon for having told her at the age of nine that she would one day be the mistress of Louis XV,’” a prophecy that she and her mother often referred to “not altogether in playful fashion.”8 She was none too young to begin her education this same year under the financial support of Charles Lenormand de Tournehem; in fact, when Monsieur
3 Ibid. 4 Ibid., p. 170. 5 Ibid., p. 173. 6 Algrant, Madame de Pompadour: Mistress of France, (New York: Grove Press, 2002), p. 7. 7 Ibid., p. 8. 8 Ibid., p. 9. Tidmore 4
Poisson returned in 1736, Jeanne-Antoinette must have struggled to connect with him, as de
Tournehem had been the primary father figure in her life until then. While she “welcomed him
into the bosom of the family with little difficulty…she would always, and unequivocally, refer to
him as her dear father, and she would in later years do her best to ensure him a distinguished way
of life.” 9
When her maternal grandparents died, her parents moved the family to 50, rue de
Richelieu, and it was there one can find evidence of her true Enlightenment upbringing, as
“Molière had lived close by; Voltaire still did.”10 As expected for a young, unwed woman, she found a husband by 9 March 1741, marrying into steady income and taking the name Madame d’Etioles after her estate-by-marriage. As she began advancing in Parisian social circles, she desired to hold salons of her own at Etioles. Coincidentally, Etioles was located along the forest of Sénart, a royal hunting area, and Louis XV passed Madame d’Etioles many times; yet, he never took any notice beyond her good looks. All sources depict Jeanne-Antoinette as ever ruthless in her pursuit for the king’s favour, continuing to bide her time for the opportune moment to ascend into the court of King Louis XV.
Her close family friends, including Tournehem, were involved in political war with the
Habsburgs and the succession of Maria-Theresa, and while Cardinal de Fleury was on the fringes
of his life at age eighty-seven (in 1740), France remained detached from the war until around
March 1741 and the violation of the Pragmatic Sanction. The only benefit this would have the
young Madame d’Etioles was the proximity of her friends to the king and Cardinal de Fleury. It
was in her position of Enlightened wife with ties to the various social circles of Paris that she
9 Ibid., p. 10. 10 Ibid., p. 11. Tidmore 5
was able to “frequent the salons of Paris, or at least those where the hostess did not fear
admitting a young and pretty woman to join the distinguished guests.” 11 This time in Madame
d’Etioles’ life is undeniably the most notable and influential on her later role as spreader of
education and hostess of salons of her own. She learned well from women such as Madame de
Tencin, and Algrant describes “the salons in the 1740s were, as has been well put, ‘un lieu de brassage social intense’ (places of intense social ferment)”. Of course, these salons became the means by which Madame d’Etioles met “the candidates for the Académie [Française]…also attended the opening of the Salon every year, held each August at the Louvre,”12 where she expanded not only her political wisdom, but discovered rising artists and cultural leaders.
Finally, in 1745, after years of war with Great Britain and Austria, and Louis’ loss of
Fleury, his governess, and last mistress, Madame d’Etioles found herself at an incredibly
favourable position. She felt confident enough to walk through the open door leading to the
King’s bedchamber and, essentially, to his court. Whenever Jeanne-Antoinette met King Louis
XV, sources do not know, but she established herself well by April 1745, at age twenty-two. It was there she “began to meet the king’s inner circle at little supper parties; the duc de Richelieu, the duc d’Ayen, the duc de Boufflers, and the duc de Luxemourg.”13 Though many did not like her and found her “unworthy of the King because of her birth, she was considered a loose woman,” she clearly exhibited a “dazzling success.”14 The mistress quickly gained knowledge of the court’s ways as the Abbé de Bernis became her mentor and “fulfilled his duties of adviser very conscientiously and gallantly.”15 However, the man who most influenced the future
Madame de Pompadour was Voltaire himself, who had recently been appointed Royal
11 Ibid., p. 16. 12 Ibid., p. 19. 13 Ibid., p. 37. 14 Lever, Madame de Pompadour: A Life, (New York, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000). 15 Ibid., p. 39. Tidmore 6
Historiographer and Ordinary Gentleman of the King’s Chamber.16 This was the most
influential move on the King’s part, whether intended or not. Bernis urged her to “protect men
of letters,” and she did so valiantly. Lever writes, “What greater writer could she dream of
having by her side than Voltaire, whose works were already held in the highest esteem
throughout Europe?” This, above all, signifies the position d’Etioles held as the highest a woman
could hold; July 11, 1745, Louis XV granted the title of Marquise de Pompadour. 17 So begins
the era of spreading Enlightenment ideals further, branching to all areas of the court.
Though Madame de Pompadour remained relatively hidden during the months following
her noble gift, her brightest day came on September 14, 1745, on which she was “officially
admitted into the monarchy’s inner sanctum.”18 Naturally, not everyone supported her, but she
looked only to secure her future, a feat of which she was certainly capable. She quickly took to
organizing the “King’s and the Court’s pleasures as Madame de Montespan had”19 and wanted to be not only a mistress, but also a companion in every sense of the word. It is because of this that she so easily succeeded. Though shortly hindered by her mother’s death at the end of 1745, she quickly returned to court in January 1746. De Pompadour did not hesitate in making her mark in
French court life; Lever writes, “In early 1746, Madame de Pompadour initiated the custom of inviting the monarch for supper in her own apartment with friends whose company he liked,”
which included people who were close to her as well (though her enemies were always
present).20
16 Ibid., p. 40. 17 Ibid., p. 42. 18 Ibid., p. 47. 19 Ibid., p. 60. 20 Ibid., p. 63. Tidmore 7
Madame de Pompadour was surprisingly adamant about her exalted position, and was
“vigilant about people observing protocol with her…regarded herself as something of a
queen…her court eclipsed that of the real Queen.”21 De Pompadour further spread culture and encouraged the arts by selecting her own acting troupe to perform plays for Louis; on 16
January, 1747, she and the troupe “inaugurated the theatre des petits cabinets with a performance
of Molière’s Tartuffe…the marquise had the leading role in each production, of course.”22
Though the activity was limited to only the court at the time, Madame de Pompadour’s support
for fine arts would make a lasting impression. She was friendly to the dauphin’s second wife,
and often served as a mentor to those new to court life—if, of course, she favored them.
Jeanne-Antoinette even had “her own librarian, the abbé Bridard de La Garde, author and
theatre critic…the marquise could recruit the nobility to serve her needs.”23 This statement
clearly demonstrates the span of the marquise’s power as the king’s favourite. She never forgot
her family, though, and in times of war visited Crécy or Choisy to see her father and daughter.
She found royal duties often exhausting, but carried on nonetheless, perhaps knowing the
importance of her role in the court, and possibly keeping the death of her dear mother in mind.
She began a building project in the autumn of 1747 at the king’s chateau at Compiègne to please
the king, and even “had the painter Nattier sent in secret to Fontevrault to paint the king and
queen’s three youngest daughters, Victoire, Sophie, and Louise…Marie was much moved at the
sight of these forgotten daughters…plans began to bring the eldest princess back to court.
Madame de Pompadour—that promoter of family values—was enthusiastic.”24 No doubt exists
21 Ibid., p. 65. 22 Ibid., p. 66. 23 Ibid., p. 70. 24 Ibid., p. 73-4. Tidmore 8
that no matter how much Jeanne-Antoinette’s actions were for her own gain as well, she kept herself busy the first few years—what else was to come?
All sources agree that de Pompadour and Louis were no longer tied sexually by 1752.
Ever physically restless, Louis XV took up other sexual affairs, such as that with Marie-Louise
O’Murphy, Charlotte-Rosalie de Choiseul-Beaupré, and of course, Madame du Barry; however,
his friendship with de Pompadour remained strong, and she never wavered from her position as
overseer of foreign affairs, the arts, and the king’s well-being—all these “qualities which Louis
XV found quite irresistible.”25 However, upon the death of her daughter from her marriage,
Alexandrine, her life took a downward turn, and she fell ill more often. Indeed, Jeanne-
Antoinette met a stagnant point in her life, one which Crosland sums up best: “[she] clearly felt
that an essential part of her early life had vanished, her family had left her, the king was no
longer a lover in the sexual sense, the protracted honeymoon of the late 1740s was over: how
could she go on living?”26 However, she regained her confidence shortly before the Seven
Years’ War, showing yet another remarkable side to the Marquise. She remained stubborn and
determined not to lose her position, but indeed her origin as mistress itself was a feat as she was
no noble, and remained for so long at the king’s side. Madame de Pompadour was truly a
courageous soul in a male-dominated world, and even died with courage.27
Even in her last year did de Pompadour remain the engineer behind Versailles, and
“orchestrated an elaborate winter season of balls, ballets, and operas in the Versailles theatre,”28 ever fulfilling the role she established for herself years before. The end of the Seven Years’ War in 1763 came only a year before de Pompadour’s death and devastated the French people.
25 Ibid., Shennan, The Bourbons: The History of a Dynasty, (London: Continuum Books, 2007), p. 146. 26 Crosland, Sex, Culture and Power, p. 134. 27 Algrant, Mme. de Pompadour, p. 286. 28 Ibid., p. 276. Tidmore 9
Financial problems between Bertin, the lit-de-justice on 31 May, and the following riots in
Rouen, Grenoble, and Toulouse all worked together to crush Madame de Pompadour’s spirit.
Her health rapidly deteriorated, though she was only forty-two, and while she showed “all the warmth and expression of a fine actress,” she also “seemed to [Madame de le Ferté-Imbault] mad and enraged.”29 It seemed Madame de Pompadour had lost the glimmer and drive in her soul to
continuously play the part of court organizer in Louis’ life, and no doubt the death of her family
members expedited this exhaustion. Luckily, it has not tarnished her reputation in present day;
though many traces of her at Versailles are lost, she restored art in the form of music, literature,
paintings, and porcelain, maintained diplomacy through foreign affairs, and captivated the heart of Louis Quinze.
Crosland, while vividly painting de Pompadour’s life from birth to death, has a style
which glorifies de Pompadour to the point of near-sainthood. While de Pompadour inarguably
worked hard not only to gain but to maintain her title, one must remember that she also had
innumerable critics. Crosland remains adamant that de Pompadour’s influence deserves more
credit than is given: “I regret that so often decoration and future are referred to as ‘le style Louis
Quinze’, whereas it would be fairer to describe them as ‘le style Pompadour’.”30 Indeed, one
must wonder why society remembers the names of the monarchs to which these ‘cornerstone’
mistresses are tied.
De Pompadour was truly a child of the Enlightenment and helped shape it to make it her
own in some sense; she balanced her life outside of the court (the visits with her father and
daughter, for instance), her desire to infuse the arts in court life, and her dedication to the king,
29 Ibid., p. 284. 30 Ibid., p. xii. Tidmore 10 even after their sexual relationship was over. This combination seems to be the key to her success. Consequently, she transformed the court of Louis XV from a court of dying embers from his great-grandfather, Louis XIV, a court weary with a queen who had many miscarriages and was a ‘foreigner’ as a Polish princess, Marie Leczinska, into a court of extravagance, new furniture stylings, a court that encouraged free thinking, supported Voltaire, Rousseau, and other philosophes, and bred the Enlightenment ideals that so shaped the French Revolution. The transformation from Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson to Madame la Marquise de Pompadour outshines previous mistresses of monarchs, and though many published negative propaganda against her— including members of the Versailles court writing satirically against her memory—she inarguably shines above other women of this time period as the mistress with the most influence, the mistress of foreign affairs and the patron saint of arts, embodying aspects of the
Enlightenment and spreading them in the dying court of Louis XV, culminating ultimately in the establishment of the Théâtre des Petits Cabinets and the Ecole Militaire. Indubitably, de
Pompadour, with aid from Voltaire and those who continued the traditions and institutions she started, helped shape the French Revolution itself. Tidmore 11
Bibliography
Algrant, Christine Pevitt. Madame de Pompadour: Mistress of France. New York: Grove Press,
2002.
Crosland, Margaret. Madame de Pompadour: Sex, Culture and Power. England: Sutton
Publishing Limited, 2000.
Kale, Steven. French Salons: High Society and Political Sociability from the Old Regime to the
Revolution of 1848. Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004.
Lever, Evelyne. Madame de Pompadour: A Life. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000.
Shennan, J.H. The Bourbons: The History of a Dynasty. London: Continuum Books, 2007.