Philippe Angélique de Froissy (16 November 1700 – 15 October 1785 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

) was an illegitimate daughter of

Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (Philippe Charles; 2 August 1674 – 2 December 1723), who was known as the Regent, was a French prince, soldier, and statesman who served as Regent of the Kingdom of France from 1715 to 1723. He is referred to i ...

, the nephew and son-in-law of

Louis XIV of France LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

. She was ''comtesse de Ségur'' by marriage, and a

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the officia ...

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

, her cousin.

Biography

Born c. 1700–1702, in

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

, Angélique was the illegitimate daughter of

and his mistress, Christine Antoinette ''Charlotte'' Desmares (1682–1753), a beautiful actress ('' tragedienne'') of the Théâtre-Français. Charlotte Desmares was a niece of

Marie Champmeslé Marie Champmeslé (; ''née'' Desmares ; 18 February 1642 – 15 May 1698) was a French stage actress. Biography She was born in Rouen of a wealthy family; her father's name was Desmares. She made her first appearance on the stage at Rouen wit ...

and one of the many

mistresses Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a female lover of a married man ** Royal mistress * Maîtresse-en-titre, official mistress of a ...

of the then Duke of Chartres, around the time their daughter was born. Born in 1702 was another illegitimate child of the duke,

Jean Philippe d'Orléans Jean Philippe, ''bâtard d'Orléans'' (28 August 1702 – 16 June 1748), called ''le chevalier d'Orléans'' or ''le Grand Prieur d'Orléans'', was an illegitimate son of Philippe d'Orléans, nephew and son-in-law of Louis XIV. Biography Born at ...

, by a lady-in-waiting, Madame d'Argenton. Angélique's half-brother was legitimised in 1706, whereas Angélique was neither acknowledged nor recognized, although Madame du Prat erroneously states in her memoirs that she was recognized on 22 April 1722, the same day as the Abbé de Saint-Albin, another illegitimate son of the Duke of Orléans by his mistress Florence Pellerin. Shortly upon her birth, Froissy was separated from her mother into the Duke of Chartres' care; she was raised at the

Palais-Royal The Palais-Royal () is a former French royal palace located on Rue Saint-Honoré in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. The screened entrance court faces the Place du Palais-Royal, opposite the Louvre Palace, Louvre. Originally called the Palais-Ca ...

and the

Abbey of Saint Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building is of singular importance historically and archite ...

. She married Henri François, comte de Ségur (1689–1751) at

Gagny Gagny () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Geography Gagny is located 10 km to the east of Paris. Until the law of 10 July 1964, the commune was part of the department of Sein ...

on 10 or 12 September 1718. He was the son Henri Joseph, comte de Ségur and Claude Élisabeth Binet. Called ''le beau Ségur'' ("the handsome Ségur"), her husband had been "master of the wardrobe" of the Regent (''maître de la garderobe du Régent''). He lived in an '' hôtel'' in

Passy Passy () is an area of Paris, France, located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, on the Rive Droite, Right Bank. It is adjacent to Auteuil, Paris, Auteuil to the southwest, and Chaillot to the northeast. It is home to many ...

on a beautiful ten-acre property, which later passed to the Duchess of Valentinois and was named ''Hôtel de Valentinois'' after her. (The property is famous for being the residence of

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

for nearly ten years.)Bulletin de la Société historique d'Auteuil et de Passy, Volume 4 Madame de Ségur belonged to the inner circle of Louis XV's intimates. She is described as "fresh, white, well made, strong and intoxicating".Le Carnet, Volume 19 Angélique died in Paris 1785 at 83 years of age, and was buried at the

Église Saint-Eustache, Paris The Church of St. Eustache, Paris (, ), is a church in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. The present building was built between 1532 and 1633. Situated near the site of Paris' medieval marketplace (Les Halles) and rue Montorgueil, Saint-Eustach ...

Issue

They had at least five children: * Philippine Charlotte de Ségur (Paris, 12 July 1719 – Paris, 12 July 1719) * Henriette Élisabeth de Ségur (Paris, 20 September 1722 – 1747?), unmarried and without issue * Philippe Henri, marquis de Ségur (Paris, 20 January 1724 – Paris, 3 October 1801),

marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

in 1783, twin with the below * Philippe Angélique de Ségur (Paris, 20 January 1724 – Paris, 20 January 1724), twin with the above * Henriette Césarine de Ségur (1726–1782), married Bertrand Gaich, baron de la Crozes, Knight of Saint-Louis.

Notes

References

Sources

* * *

External links

See her son Philippe Henri's descendants here
{{DEFAULTSORT:Froissy, Angelique de 1700 births 1785 deaths French countesses House of Orléans Nobility from Paris Daughters of dukes