Marie Louise Mignot (February 12, 1712 – August 10, 1790) was a French literary figure. She was the daughter of

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...

's sister, Catherine Arouet (1686–1726) and her husband Pierre-François Mignot (d. 1737). After the death of her widowed father in 1737, Voltaire provided her with a dowry and she married army supply officer Nicolas-Charles Denis, giving rise to her married name of Madame Denis. Pearson, Roger, 2005. ''Voltaire Almighty: a life in pursuit of freedom''. Bloomsbury. . p. 186 After her husband's premature death in 1744, she was taken in by her uncle Voltaire and became his housekeeper, hostess and companion. She also adopted his protégée

Reine Philiberte de Varicourt Reine Philiberte Rouph de Varicourt (1757–1822) was a French lady of letters. The sister of Pierre-Marin Rouph de Varicourt, she was spotted by Voltaire during his stay at Ferney – he made her his adoptive daughter, married her off to the ...

when the latter's marriage to the

Charles, marquis de Villette Charles Michel, Marquis de Villette (4 December 1736 – 7 July 1793) was a French writer and politician. Life Voltaire's ''protégé'' Charles was born in Paris as the heir of a financier who left him a large fortune and the nobility title of ...

foundered on his homosexuality. She did not follow Voltaire to the court of

Frederick II of Prussia Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

but moved with him to

Les Délices Les Délices ("The Delights") was from 1755 to 1760 the home of the French philosopher Voltaire (1694–1778) in Geneva, Switzerland. Since 1952 it has housed the Institut et Musée Voltaire, a museum dedicated to his life and works. Voltaire's ...

in Geneva and then to

Ferney Ferney-Voltaire () is a commune in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. It lies between the Jura Mountains and the Swiss border; it forms part of the metropolitan area of Geneva. History Ferney was first ...

, where they lived as a

couple Couple or couples may refer to : Basic meaning *Couple (app), a mobile app which provides a mobile messaging service for two people *Couple (mechanics), a system of forces with a resultant moment but no resultant force *Couple (relationship), tw ...

(though Voltaire was in love with her, they never married) until Voltaire's death in 1778, on which she inherited the majority of his estate. However, preferring Paris society, she sold off the

château A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. Nowaday ...

to move back to Paris.

Sources

visitvoltaire.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mignot 1712 births 1790 deaths 18th-century people from the Republic of Geneva Voltaire