The ''maîtresse-en-titre'' () was the official

royal mistress A royal mistress is the historical position and sometimes unofficial title of the extramarital lover of a monarch or an heir apparent, who was expected to provide certain services, such as sexual or romantic intimacy, companionship, and advice ...

of the

King of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Fra ...

. The title was vaguely defined and used in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

but finally became an acknowledged, if informal, position during the reign of Henry IV (), and continued through the reign of

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 ...

(). It was a semi-official position which came with its own apartments, estates and a

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...

if the woman did not have any. Some individuals having this position acquired significant power and more influence than the Queen of France, as some mistresses were known to advise the King of France in state affairs if he was so infatuated, broker favors for clients, elevate others in

social mobility Social mobility is the movement of individuals, families, households or other categories of people within or between social strata in a society. It is a change in social status relative to one's current social location within a given socie ...

, forge alliances and negotiate with foreign diplomats. In contrast, the title ''Petite maîtresse'' was the title of a mistress who was not officially acknowledged.

French royal mistresses with the position of ''Maîtresse-en-titre''

While the king may have had many mistresses, there was normally only one official ''Maîtresse-en-titre''. Below are examples of those with this position. For a full list of all the mistresses of a French king, regardless of their position as official or not, please see List of French royal mistresses.

Charles V of France Charles V (21 January 1338 – 16 September 1380), called the Wise (; ), was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War as his armies recovered much of the terri ...

(1338 – 1380) * Biette de Cassinel (c. 1340 – c. 1380)

Charles VI of France Charles VI (3 December 136821 October 1422), nicknamed the Beloved () and in the 19th century, the Mad ( or ''le Fou''), was King of France from 1380 until his death in 1422. He is known for his mental illness and psychosis, psychotic episodes t ...

(1368 – 1422) * Odette de Champdivers (c. 1384–1424)

Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious () or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. His reign saw the end of the Hundred Years' War and a ''de facto'' end of the English claims to ...

(1403 – 1461) *

Agnès Sorel Agnès Sorel (; 1422 – 9 February 1450), known by the sobriquet ''Dame de beauté'' (Lady of Beauty), was a favourite and chief mistress of King Charles VII of France, by whom she bore four daughters. She is considered the first officially ...

(c. 1422–1450) * Antoinette de Maignelais (c. 1430 – c. 1461)

Louis XI of France Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revolt known as the ...

(1423 – 1483) * Phélise Regnard (1424–1474) * Marguerite de Sassenage (c. 1449–1471)

Francis I of France Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&nbs ...

(1494 – 1547) * Françoise de Foix (1495–1537), countess of Châteaubriant *

Anne de Pisseleu d'Heilly Anne de Pisseleu d'Heilly (), Duchess of Étampes, (15081580) was Maîtresse-en-titre, chief mistress of Francis I of France. She became Francis' mistress following his return from captivity in 1526. Anne enriched her family and friends through ...

(1508–1580), duchess of Étampes

Henry II of France Henry II (; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was List of French monarchs#House of Valois-Angoulême (1515–1589), King of France from 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I of France, Francis I and Claude of France, Claude, Du ...

(1519 – 1559) * Diane de Poitiers (1499–1566)

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 ...

(1551 – 1589) * Louise de La Béraudière du Rouhet (1530–1611) * Renée de Rieux de Châteauneuf (fl. 16th C.) * Marie of Cleves, Princess of Condé (1553–1574)

Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...

(1553 – 1610) * Diane d'Andoins "''La Belle Corisandre''" (1554–1621) * Françoise de Montmorency (1562–1614) * Esther Imbert (1570 – c. 1593) * Antoinette de Pons (1570–1632) *

Gabrielle d'Estrées Gabrielle d'Estrées, Duchess of Beaufort and Verneuil, Marchioness of Monceaux (; 157310 April 1599) was a mistress, confidante and adviser of Henry IV of France. She is noted for her role in ending the religious civil wars that plagued France ...

(c. 1571–1599) * Catherine Henriette de Balzac d'Entragues (1579–1633), marquise de Verneuil * Jacqueline de Bueil (c. 1580–1651) * Charlotte des Essarts (c. 1580–1651)

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 ...

(1638 – 1715) * Louise Françoise de la Baume le Blanc de la Vallière (1644–1710), duchesse de la Vallière and duchesse de Vaujours * Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, marquise de Montespan (1640–1707) *

Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon Françoise d'Aubigné (27 November 1635 – 15 April 1719), known first as Madame Scarron and subsequently as Madame de Maintenon (), was a French nobility, French noblewoman and the second wife of Louis XIV, Louis XIV of France from 1683 until ...

(1635–1719), married the King in 1683 * Isabelle de Ludres (1647–1722) * Marie Angélique de Scoraille de Roussille (1661–1681), duchess of Fontanges

Louis XV of France 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 ...

(1710 – 1774) * Louise Julie de Mailly (1710–1751), comtesse de Mailly * Pauline-Félicité de Mailly (1712–1741), marquise de Vintimille * Diane-Adélaïde de Mailly (1713–1760), duchess de Lauraguais * Marie-Anne de Mailly (1717–1744), duchess de Châteauroux * Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson (better known as Madame de Pompadour) (1721–1764), marquise de Pompadour * Marie-Jeanne Bécu (better known as Madame du Barry) (1743–1793), comtesse de Barry

Louis XVIII of France Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 ...

(1755 – 1824) * Zoé Talon, comtesse du Cayla (1785–1852)

References

External links

List of ''maîtresses du Roi-Soleil'' (French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maitresse-en-titre Maitresse 1340s establishments in France 1852 disestablishments in France Lists of royal mistresses Lists of French women

French royal mistresses with the position of ''Maîtresse-en-titre''

See also

References

External links