updated: 02/11/2007
Françoise d'Aubigné (1635—1719), marquise de Maintenon, was born in prison, grew up in poverty, and became the mistress and later the – undeclared – wife of a king: it’s really quite surprising she hasn’t featured in more movies. The daughter of a prominent Huguenot she was forcibly converted to Catholicism, but left in a penniless. She was introduced to Scarron, a famous comic writer, who offered either to pay for her admission to a convent, or, though he was deformed and an invalid, to marry her himself. She accepted his offer of marriage, and became Mme Scarron in 1651. In 1669 she was employed by the king's mistress, madame de Montespan, to bring up king’s children in secrecy. By 1674 she had managed to buy the estate of Maintenon, and had in 1678 king Louis XIV raised her estate at Maintenon raised to a marquisate and granted her the title madame de Maintenon. By 1980 she had completely replaced madame de Montespan in the king’s affection. In 1683 queen Maria Theresa died in her arms and two years later it is believed that Françoise was secretly married to the king. At that time upon her request Louis XIV created in Saint-Cyr a college for the filles pauvres de la noblesse (poor noble girls), to which she retired on his death in 1715. In 1692 pope Innocent XII granted her the right of visitation over all the convents in France.
Julie, chevalier de Maupin: coming soon. . .
Saint-Cyr: features Isabelle Huppert as king’s mistress, devoted to the education of young noble women fallen on hard times. Annick Legout and Thi Thanh Tu Nguyen were key makeup artists.
L’Allée du rois: coming soon. . .