Julie d'Angennes by Claude Deruet (Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg)

Julie d'Angennes, Duchess of Montausier (1607 - 15 November 1671) was a French courtier. She served as royal governess of

Louis, Grand Dauphin Louis, Dauphin of France (1 November 1661 – 14 April 1711), commonly known as Grand Dauphin, was the eldest son and heir apparent of King Louis XIV and his spouse, Maria Theresa of Spain. He became known as the Grand Dauphin after the birth of h ...

in 1661–1664, and ''

Première dame d'honneur ''Première dame d'honneur'' ('first lady of honour'), or simply ''dame d'honneur'' ('lady of honour'), was an office at the royal court of France. It existed in nearly all French courts from the 16th-century onward. Though the tasks of the post ...

'' to the queen of France, Queen Marie Thérèse, from 1664 until 1671. She was the ''duchesse de Montausier'' by marriage.

Life

Julie d'Angennes was the daughter of Charles d'Angennes, Marquis of Rambouillet and Catherine de Vivonne, "''marquise de Rambouillet''". She played an important role in the famous

literary salon A salon is a gathering of people held by an inspiring host. During the gathering they amuse one another and increase their knowledge through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "e ...

of her mother, where she was referred to as ''Princess Julie'' and was celebrated as a muse to writers and poets for her beauty and wit. She married

Charles de Sainte-Maure, Duke of Montausier Charles de Sainte-Maure, duc de Montausier (6 October 161017 November 1690), was a French soldier and, from 1668 to 1680, the governor of the dauphin, the eldest son and heir of Louis XIV, King of France. Biography Charles was born on 6 October ...

in 1645.

Court career

In 1661–1664, she was governess to the dauphin. In 1664, she was appointed ''

'' to the queen. In this position, she is known for the complaisant role she played in assisting the king and his mistresses, though she officially stated her condemnation of the adultery. During the trip to Flanders, she officially stated her shock at the behavior of

Louise de La Vallière Françoise ''Louise'' de La Vallière, Duchess of La Vallière and Vaujours, born Françoise Louise de La Baume Le Blanc de La Vallière, Mademoiselle de La Vallière (6 August 1644 – 7 June 1710) was a French noblewoman and the first mistress ...

, when the affair between her and the king was exposed. A scandal arose when Julie d'Angennes was accused of acting as a go-between between the king and Madame de Montespan in order to secure the governorship of the Dauphin for her husband.Charles de Sainte-Maure, marquis de Montausier, was made ''duc et pair de France'' in 1664 and, in 1668, became the governor of the ''Dauphin''. See: Lenotre, G. ''Le Château de Rambouillet, six siècles d'histoire'', Chapter 2, ''Les précieuses'', p. 29, Calman-Lévy, Paris, 1930 Julie d'Angennes was a personal friend of

Madame de Montespan 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'' ( ...

, and as they were both ladies-in-waiting, often shared sleeping quarters with her as the followed the royal court between the royal palaces. She shared her chambers with Montespan in Avesnes, when the king was known to visit Montespan in her bed chamber, and the affair between the king and Montespan started. An anonymous letter, which was sent to the queen, stated that the king was no longer in love with Louise de La Vallière but had begun an affair with Madame de Montespan, and that duchesse de Montausier was their accomplice. de Montausier successfully expressed her denial and rage on being accused of such a thing, and the queen stated that she refused to believe the letter. She was blamed by Louis Henri de Pardaillan, Marquis of Montespan for assisting in the affair between the king and his wife, Madame de Montespan. In 1668, when her spouse was appointed governor to the dauphin, which was by some seen as payment for the role his wife played in the king's love life, the husband of Madame de Montespan stormed in to Julie d'Angennes and publicly blamed her for her role in the adultery of his wife. This scene deeply affected Julie d'Angennes, who was already suffering from nervous problems, and in late 1669, she announced her retirement from court service and left for the country, though an appointment for her replacement was not made until two years later.

References

* Gustave Vapereau, Dictionnaire universel des littératures, Paris, Hachette, 1876, p. 1430. * H. Noel Williams,
Madame de Montespan and Louis XIV
' {{DEFAULTSORT:dAngennes, Julie 1607 births 1671 deaths 17th-century French people French ladies-in-waiting Governesses to the Children of France Court of Louis XIV 17th-century French women Household of Maria Theresa of Spain