Louise de la Béraudière, known as ''La belle Rouhet'' (1530–1611) was a French court official. She served as ''Fille d'honneur'' to queen

Catherine de Medici Catherine de' Medici (, ; , ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Italian Florentine noblewoman of the Medici family and Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King Henry II. She was the mother of French kings Fran ...

, and ''

dame d'atour ''Dame d'atour'' () was an office at the royal court of France. It existed in nearly all French courts from the 16th-century onward. The ''dame d'honneur'' was selected from the members of the highest French nobility. They were ranked between th ...

'' to the queen of France,

Louise of Lorraine Louise of Lorraine (; 30 April 1553 – 29 January 1601) was Queen of France as the wife of King Henry III from their marriage on 15 February 1575 until his death on 2 August 1589. During the first three months of their marriage, she was also ...

, from 1575 until 1590. She was known for her affair with king

Antoine of Navarre Antoine (, , 22 April 1518 – 17 November 1562), sometimes called Antoine of Bourbon, was King of Navarre from 1555 until his death in 1562 as the husband and co-ruler of Queen Jeanne III. He was the first monarch of the House of Bourbon, of whi ...

Life

She was the daughter of René de Béraudière and Madeleine du Fou. She became

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. Tudors and Stuarts Traditi ...

to queen

. She had an affair with king

, and it was believed that it was she who convinced Antoine to return to Catholicism on the mission of Catherine de Medici. She became the mother of

Charles III de Bourbon Charles III de Bourbon comte de Montpensier then duc de Bourbon (17 February 1490 – 6 May 1527) was a French military commander, governor, prince of the royal blood and rebel during the early Italian Wars. The son of Gilbert, Count of Montpens ...

(1554–1610) by Antoine. She left her employment as maid-of-honour and married. She is also known for her love affairs with

Michel de Montaigne Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne ( ; ; ; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), commonly known as Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularising the the essay ...

and Robert de Combault. She was rumored to have had affairs with both king

Charles IX of France Charles IX (Charles Maximilien; 27 June 1550 – 30 May 1574) was List of French monarchs, King of France from 1560 until his death in 1574. He ascended the French throne upon the death of his brother Francis II of France, Francis II in 1560, an ...

and king

Henry III of France Henry III (; ; ; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575. As the fourth son of King Henry II of France, he ...

, but this is unconfirmed. In 1575, she was appointed ''

Dame d'atour ''Dame d'atour'' () was an office at the royal court of France. It existed in nearly all French courts from the 16th-century onward. The ''dame d'honneur'' was selected from the members of the highest French nobility. They were ranked between th ...

'' to the new queen. As such it was her task to manage the queen's wardrobe and supervise her 10 chamber maids, but she had also been appointed because of her sense of fashion, and it was her task to advise the queen in how to dress, a task which was important for the fashion-interested king, which she is said to have performed with success.Jacqueline Boucher,
Deux épouses et reines à la fin du XVIe siècle: Louise de Lorraine et ...
'

References

* Michel Simonin, Charles IX, Paris, Fayard, 1995, p. 102.

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beraudiere, Louise de la 1530 births 1611 deaths 16th-century French people French ladies-in-waiting Mistresses of French royalty Court of Henry III of France Household of Catherine de' Medici