13 Facts About Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV's Most Notorious Mistress

1. She was born Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson in Paris on December of 1721.

2. Her father was François Poisson, a financier, who fled the country a few years after her birth to escape capital punishment over a spate of unpaid debts. On the one hand, her mother, Madeleine de La Motte, was quite known for her beauty.

3. Tax collector Le Normant de Tournehem stood as Jeanne-Antoinnette’s legal guardian and paid for the young lady’s education during François’s absence.

4. Suffering from a whooping cough at age nine, her mother brought her to a fortuneteller, Madame De Lebon, who predicted Jeanne-Antoinette would one day capture the King’s heart. Thereafter, she became known as “Reinette” or the “little queen”, and was groomed to be Louis XV’s mistress.

5. She received the finest education. She attended Poissy’s Ursuline convent and was later given private tutoring at home by only the best teachers in fields such as engraving, drawing, painting, dancing, the arts, and theater. She was well-trained in elocution and voice, and was also taught to memorize entire plays.

6. At 19 years old, Tournehem arranged for Jeanne-Antoinette to marry his nephew, Charles Guillaume Le Normant d'Étiolles. The union produced two children—a son who died at infancy, and a daughter named Alexandrine, who also died at age nine.

7. Her marital status made it possible for her to attend various high-profile salons in Paris hosted by the likes of du Deffand, Mesdames de Tencin, and Geoffin, and which were graced by prominent figures of the Age of Enlightenment including Montesquieu, Charles Pinot Duclos, and Voltaire. Later on, she created her own salons, attended by the same important personalities. These social gatherings sharpened her wit and allowed her to master the art of conversation.

8. She was invited to the masked ball at the Palace of Versailles on February 25, 1745 to celebrate the marriage of Dauphin Louis de France and Infanta Maria Teresa of Spain. It was the night the King, disguised as a yew tree, professed his admiration for Jeanne-Antoinette, who was clothed as Diana the Huntress (a reference to the first time they met at the Sénart forest).

9. By March of 1745, she was already the official new mistress of Louis XV, who had an apartment installed for her at Versailles (above his own). Jeanne-Antoinette was given the title “Marquise de Pompadour” not long after.

10. Being the Court Favorite de Marquise had her wielding influence and power. In 1756, she became a lady-in-waiting to the queen, which at the time was the noblest position a lady in court could ever achieve. She took the role of the prime minister, and effectively at that, and also had massive contributions in both domestic and foreign politics.

11. Due to Madame de Pompadour’s deteriorating health—brought forth by three miscarriages, recurring bronchitis, whooping cough, and spitting blood to name a few—her sexual relationship with the king drew to a close in 1750. She tried increasing her libido through a diet consisting of celery, truffles and vanilla, yet to no avail.

12. In 1750, the Jubilee year when Louis XV was in too much pressure to repent for his sins and give up his mistress, Jeanne-Antoinette officially announced her new role as “friend of the King”.

13. She, 42 years young, died of tuberculosis in 1764. The king took care of her throughout her illness.