Armande Félice de La Porte Mazarin (1691–1729), was a French noblewoman, courtier and duelist. She is known for the famous duel she fought over her lover with another woman, for being a figure of scandal during the Regency period, and for being the mother of the Nesle sisters, mistresses to Louis XV.

Life

She was born to Paul Jules de La Porte, Duke de La Meilleraye, Duke de Mazarin, and Charlotte Félice Armande de Durfort-Duras, and the maternal granddaughter of Hortense Mancini, Duchess de Mazarin. In 1709, she married Louis de Mailly, Marquis de Nesle et de Mailly, Prince d'Orange (1689–1767). Her spouse reportedly "wasted his substance on actresses and the capacious requirements of Court life".Latour, Louis Therese,
Princesses Ladies And Salonnieres of The Reign of Louis XV
', 1927 She was a famous profile of the ''

Régence The ''Régence'' (, ''Regency'') was the period in French history between 1715 and 1723 when King Louis XV was considered a minor and the country was instead governed by Philippe d'Orléans (a nephew of Louis XIV of France) as prince regent ...

'' and belonged to the aristocrats associated with the debaucheries during the ill-reputed period. She was the lover of Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, Duke de Richelieu, who was also the lover of Vicomtesse de Polignac. Informed that she was not the only lover of Richelieu, she challenged her rival Vicomtesse de Polignac to a duel. On 10 September 1718, the famous duel took place, ending in Armande Félice being injured in the shoulder with a pistol. Richelieu commented the duel with the words that both ladies had fought well for him, and thus he refused to choose between them. She discontinued the relationship with Richelieu, and became the lover of

Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon (Louis Henri Joseph; 18 August 1692 – 27 January 1740), was a French nobleman and politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1723 to 1726. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon, he was a '' pr ...

, with whom she had a daughter, Henriette de Bourbon-Condé (1725–1780), who in 1740 was married to Jean Roger de Laguiche, marquis de Laguiche, comte de Sivignon. In 1725, she was one of the officials appointed to the Household of the new queen,

Marie Leszczyńska Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja Leszczyńska (; ; 23 June 1703 – 24 June 1768), also known as Marie Leczinska, was Queen of France as the wife of King Louis XV from their marriage on 4 September 1725 until her death in 1768. The daughter of Stanis ...

, due to her rank and her connections to

and

Madame de Prie Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * ''Madame'' ...

.Clarissa Campbell Orr: Queenship in Europe 1660-1815: The Role of the Consort. Cambridge University Press (2004) She served as

Dame du Palais The Dame du Palais, originally only Dame, was an historical office in the Royal Court of France. It was a title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a female member of the French Royal Family. The position w ...

to the queen until her death in 1729 and was succeeded in her office by her eldest daughter

Louise Julie de Mailly Louise Julie de Mailly-Nesle, comtesse de Mailly (; 1710–1751) was the eldest of the five famous ''de Nesle'' sisters, four of whom would become the mistress of King Louis XV of France. She was his mistress from 1732 until 1742, and his offici ...

Issue

With Louis de Mailly, marquis de Nesle et de Mailly, Prince d'Orange: *

, ''Mademoiselle de Mailly, comtesse de Mailly'' (1710–1751), *

Pauline Félicité de Mailly Pauline may refer to: Religion *An adjective referring to St Paul the Apostle or a follower of his doctrines *An adjective referring to St Paul of Thebes, also called St Paul the First Hermit *An adjective referring to the Paulines, various reli ...

, ''Mademoiselle de Nesle, marquise de Vintimille'' (1712–1741), *

Diane Adélaïde de Mailly Diane may refer to: People *Diane (given name) Film * ''Diane'' (1929 film), a German silent film * ''Diane'' (1956 film), a historical drama film starring Lana Turner * ''Diane'' (2017 film), a mystery film directed by Michael Mongillo * ''D ...

, ''Mademoiselle de Montcavrel, duchesse de Lauraguais'' (1714–1769), *

Hortense Félicité de Mailly Hortense is a French language, French feminine given name that comes from Latin meaning ''gardener''. It may refer to: Persons * Hortense Allart (1801–1879), Italian-French feminist writer and essayist * Hortense de Beauharnais (1783–1837), ...

, ''Mademoiselle de Chalon, marquise de Flavacourt'' (1715–1799). *

Marie Anne de Mailly Marie Anne de Mailly-Nesle, duchesse de Châteauroux (; 5 October 1717 – 8 December 1744) was the youngest of the five famous ''de Nesle'' sisters, four of whom would become the mistress of King Louis XV of France. She was his mistress from ...

, ''Mademoiselle de Monchy, marquise de La Tournelle, duchesse de Châteauroux'' (1717–1744). With

: * Henriette de Bourbon (1725–1780), ''Mademoiselle de Verneuil'', who married Jean, marquis de Laguiche, (1719–1770) in 1740.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazarin, Armande Félice de La Porte 1691 births 1727 deaths Female duellists French ladies-in-waiting French duellists