Louise de Maisonblanche (17 June 1676 – 12 September 1718), was a French noblewoman, the

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

daughter of

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

, King of France and his

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a ...

Claude de Vin des Œillets Claude de Vin des Œillets, known as Mademoiselle des Œillets (; Provence 1637 – Paris, 18 May 1687), was a mistress of King Louis XIV of France and the companion of the official royal mistress and favourite Madame de Montespan. She was known ...

. She became the

Baroness Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher th ...

of La Queue by her marriage to Bernard de Prez.

Life

Early life

Louise de Maisonblanche was born on 17 June 1676 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, Mademoiselle des Œillets (1637–1687), the

maid of honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Role Traditionally, a queen r ...

''(demoiselle de compagnie)'' or chambermaid ''(femme de chambre)'' of Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise of Montespan (1640 –1707). Madame de Montespan had been the ''maîtresse-en-titre'' (official mistress) of

, King of France (1638–1715) for 9 years, during which he had relationships with other women as well, including Mademoiselle des Œillets. She was officially recorded as the daughter of former

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Philippe de Maisonblanche and his wife, born Lady Gabrielle

de La Tour La Tour (as distinct from Latour) is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour (1593–1666), French Governor of Acadia * Georges de La Tour (1593–1652), French Baroque painter * Frances de la To ...

. As Maisonblanche's mother was known to have had several lovers, the king always doubted her paternity, even after she had reportedly grown up to closely resemble him. He never recognised or legitimised her, and treated her poorly as an adult. She was brought up in Paris by her mother and did not receive the same attention that the king's other illegitimate children (by

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 ...

and Madame de Montespan) did. For a while, she lived at the Castle of Suisnes, where her mother died in 1687. She was then placed in the care of siblings François and Catherine Le Signerre in Mulcent.

Marriage and later life

Maisonblanche remained in Mulcent with the Le Signerres until the age of 20. On 17 April 1696, she married Bernard de Prez,

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

of La Queue,

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

of the

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...

. The wedding's organisation was overseen by

Alexandre Bontemps Alexandre Bontemps (1626–1701) was the valet of King Louis XIV and a powerful figure at the court of Versailles, respected and feared for his exceptional access to the King. He was the second of a sequence of five Bontemps to hold the position o ...

(1626–1701), first

valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "vale ...

of the king's bedchamber (''premier valet de la chambre du roi''), who secured a

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...

of 40 000

livres The (; ; abbreviation: ₶.) was one of numerous currencies used in medieval France, and a unit of account (i.e., a monetary unit used in accounting) used in Early Modern France. The 1262 monetary reform established the as 20 , or 80.88 gr ...

, silver, and jewels for the bride. This was close to nothing compared to the dowries of her legitimised half-sisters: when Marie-Anne de Bourbon (1666–1739) married in 1680, she received 1 million livres. So did Louise-Françoise de Bourbon in 1685, while Françoise-Marie de Bourbon (1677–1749) received 2 million livres and the

Palais-Royal The Palais-Royal () is a former royal palace located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. The screened entrance court faces the Place du Palais-Royal, opposite the Louvre. Originally called the Palais-Cardinal, it was built for Cardinal ...

General view of Versailles in circa 1682 by Adam Perelle

Later,^{when?''.html" ;"title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers#Chronological%20items">when?''">Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers#Chronological%20items">when?''/sup> was appointed a member of the Gardes du Corps

A ''Garde du Corps'' (French for lifeguard) is a military unit, formed of guards. A ''Garde du Corps'' was first established in France in 1445. From the 17th century onwards, the term was used in several German states and also, for example, in ...
(Life Guards). As an adult, which allowed her to visit the Palace of Versailles

The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...
, but she never frequented the court. She only ever went outside veiled in order to avoid scandals. She had 11 children by her husband, 6 of whom survived infancy. On their birth certificates, she was recorded as ''Dame Louise de Bourbon-Maisonblanche, fille naturelle du Roi'' ("Lady Louise of Bourbon-Maisonblanche, natural daughter of the King"). Two of her daughters, Charlotte-Angélique (1703–1723) and Louise-Catherine (1709–1756) attended the Maison royale de Saint-Louis in Saint-Cyr, Madame de Maintenon's boarding school for daughters of the nobility. In their school records, they were called ''petite-filles du Roi'' ("granddaughters of the King").

She died of smallpox

Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
on 12 September 1718 at La Queue-les-Yvelines.

Issue

Louise de Maisonblanche had 11 children by her husband, Bernard de Prez, Baron

Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
of La Queue, 6 of whom survived to adulthood:
*Louise-Renée de Prez (Montfort l'Amaury

Montfort-l'Amaury () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region, north central France. It is located north of Rambouillet. The name comes from Amaury I de Montfort, the first ''seigneur'' (lord) of Montfort.
Geogra ...
, 27 October 1699 – 1705), died at the age of 6;
*Louis-Bernard de Prez (born and died Montfort l'Amaury, 17 March 1701), stillborn

Stillbirth is typically defined as fetal death at or after 20 or 28 weeks of pregnancy, depending on the source. It results in a baby born without signs of life. A stillbirth can result in the feeling of guilt or grief in the mother. The term i ...
;
*Charlotte-Angélique de Prez (Montfort l'Amaury, 11 October 1703 – 1723), died of hypothermia

Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe h ...
at the age of 19 or 20 after falling into a lake;
*Louis-Charles-Timothée de Prez (14 October 1704 – 1746), married Madeleine-Marguerite-Charlotte Soulaigre des Fossés and died after falling from a horse;
*A son, maybe Stanislas-Henri de Prez (born and died Montfort l'Amaury, 4 September 1706), stillborn

Stillbirth is typically defined as fetal death at or after 20 or 28 weeks of pregnancy, depending on the source. It results in a baby born without signs of life. A stillbirth can result in the feeling of guilt or grief in the mother. The term i ...
;
*Alexandre-Paul-Cyr de Prez (Montfort l'Amaury, 5 August 1708 – Neauphle le Vieux, 8 October 1777), first married Marie-Jeanne de Malebranche on 3 February 1755, then Claude-Marguerite Le Cousturier du Meny in 1763;
*Louise-Catherine de Prez ( La Queue-les-Yvelines, 16 June 1709 – 1756), married Timothée de Vaultier de Petitmont on 10 October 1745.
*Françoise de Prez (5 January 1711 – 1715), died of scarlet fever

Scarlet fever, also known as Scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'' a Group A streptococcus (GAS). The infection is a type of Group A streptococcal infection (Group A strep). It most commonly affects childr ...
at the age of 3 or 4;
*Guillaume-Jacques de Prez (Gallais, 15 November 1713 – La Queue les Yvelines, 5 October 1804), married Françoise Perrette Le Bœuf in 1754
*Marguerite-Françoise de Prez (Gallins-la-Queue, 15 May 1715 – Montfort l'Amaury, 1786);
*Philippe-Charles de Prez (Gallins-la-Queue, 8 August 1718 – February 1719), died at the age of 6 months

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maisonblanche, Louise De
1676 births
1718 deaths
People from Paris
Deaths from smallpox
17th-century French women
18th-century French women
French baronesses
Illegitimate children of French monarchs
Illegitimate children of Louis XIV
Daughters of kings}