Madame du Barry – the last royal mistress of France

Madame du Barry (Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry 1743-1793) is considered one of the most scandalous figures in French history thanks to a career that began in a brothel, continued at court, as the mistress of Louis XV, and ended on the guillotine in the Place de la Revolution (today Place de la Concorde). To all this must be added the fact that Madame du Barry was the last woman in France to hold the title of official royal mistress (maîtresse en titre), even though Louis XV was not the last king of France:

• Louis XVI didn't have a mistress (maybe that's why he lost his head).
• Louis XVII was not really a king and in any case died at the age of 17.
• Louis XVIII was homosexual.
• Charles X was a womanizer in his youth, but came to power at an age when even French kings tire of taking mistresses.
• Louis Philippe was an exemplary family man and never had an official mistress (perhaps this is why he was removed from power in 1848).

It's true, Napoleon I had quite a few mistresses, and you can read about them in the article. Napoleon and the women in his life And Napoleon III didn't bury his hand in the dish either, but they weren't kings and therefore didn't have a royal mistress. The same goes for the presidents of France, many of whom had a mistress or two. Love stories, like The one that killed President Felix Four.There are only stories of royal mistresses – no!

In this article, we will trace the fascinating life story of Madame du Barry. We will visit the brothel where she was discovered by the Count du Barry, the deer park where she auditioned for Louis XV, Palace of Versailles Where she lived a scandalous life, at the Château de Louveciennes, which became her home, and ending at the Place de la Concorde, where she ended her life while exposing her breasts to the executioner.

So we are in for a long, fascinating historical journey filled with intrigue and intrigue. So put on your powdered wig, grab your carved walking stick, and let's get going!

From childhood in the monastery straight to the meat market

In the beginning was Jeanne Bécu, who was born in the town of Vaucouleurs in the region Lorraine To a seamstress named Anne Bécu and an unknown father. At a young age she moved with her mother to Paris and although they were not well-off (to say the least), she received a not-so-bad education at the Saint Aure convent.

At the age of 15, Jeanne Boc's luck changed. Her studies at the monastery ended and she was forced to start earning a living. At first, she worked as a street vendor selling sweets. Paris, then as a book assistant (with whom she apparently had a brief affair that produced a child who did not survive long) and finally she became the companion of Madame La Garde. However, the beauty of the girl, with her lush blond hair and almond-shaped eyes, attracted the attention of Madame La Garde's two (married) sons, and when her mother heard about it, Jeanne was thrown out into the street.

After trying her luck at other jobs, where she earned a meager salary, Jeanne Boc decided to take advantage of her beauty to launch a career as a top prostitute and mistress of the French elite of her time.

At Madame Gordan's

The best place in 18th-century Paris to engage in prostitution was the area La God And especially the small streets between Saint Denis Street andMontreuil StreetThe reason for this is that, until the late 60s, there was a huge wholesale market in this area that attracted quite a few wholesalers. These people, after they finished selling their goods, had quite a bit of cash left in hand, and therefore became excellent clients at the “meat market” that took place not far away.

Today, there is no trace of the days when this area was the main prostitution center of Paris, everything is clean and nice, full of restaurants and cooking shops. The names of the streets in the area are also completely normal and do not suggest what was here. Take for example the Rue Dussoubs, named after a revolutionary who died on the barricade on Rue Montorgueil, or Saint Sauveur, named after Jesus, who according to Christian belief is the Savior (in French Sauveur).

However, anyone who is familiar with the history of the area knows that these names are not the original names of the aforementioned streets, and in Jean Cocteau’s day the street names were completely different. Take, for example, Rue Dussault, which I mentioned in the previous paragraph. In the 18th century, the street was called Gratte Cul or, translated into Hebrew, “Street of the Scratcher in the Ass.” Rue Saint-Sever also had another name, which hinted at the occupations that took place there, it was called Tire-Boudin, or in Hebrew “sausage pulling.” And no, the butcher shops of Le Hall were not located there…

This brothel specialized in Parisian high society clients, and its customers were mainly nobles and financiers. To avoid embarrassment for her customers, Madame Gordane allowed them to choose a costume and exit through a secret door, disguised as a wardrobe. This door led to a staircase from which one could go down to the ground floor and exit to 12 Rue Saint Sauveur. The last time I passed by, a fashion store was standing in the place. Is this an homage to Madame Gordane's dressing room? We will probably never know.

In any case, Jeanne Beaux began working for Madame Gordant and adopted the name Mademoiselle Lange. And so, one evening, Mademoiselle Lange met Jean-Baptiste Dubarry (1722-1794), and without knowing it, the encounter between these two people would lead her from the brothel straight to the Palace of Versailles.

Jeanne Beaux (or Mademoiselle Lange) becomes Madame du Barry

Jean-Baptiste du Barry was a scion of a noble family originating from the city of Toulouse. He quickly gained a reputation as a womanizer and swindler, which earned him the nickname Le Roué (the cunning one). From Toulouse, Monsieur du Barry moved to Paris, where he began frequenting the capital's famous brothels. One evening, he came to Madame Gordane and she told him about Mademoiselle Lange. After a stormy night, the count decided to make her his mistress and took her in.

The Duc de Richelieu did not enter the pages of history for his contribution to French cuisine, but because he was a well-known womanizer, whose achievements in this field could compete with those of his contemporary Giacomo Casanova. As someone who understood a thing or two about carnal desires, the Duke knew how to appreciate Mademoiselle Lange's abilities in the bedroom and, together with Monsieur du Barry, decided that it would be a shame to "waste" such talent on him, and that an attempt should be made to get her into the royal bed.

If he liked the girl, she would be taken to the Deer Park, a small palace outside the Palace of Versailles, where the king's mistresses resided (it is highly recommended to read about the place in the article Deer Park – Louis XV's harem).

After the girl was housed in the deer park, the king would come to her dressed as a Polish nobleman, in order to keep his identity a secret (even though everyone knew who he was) and spend a night, or sometimes several nights, with the girl. Eventually, when the king had had enough, the girl would be released from the deer park, not before receiving a large sum of money and sometimes even a good match.

Dozens of women passed through the king's bed, most of them remained unknown, but a few managed to enter history thanks to art. One of them is Marie-Louise O'Murphy (1741-1814), known as "La Morphy". This young girl, of Irish origin, became the mistress of Louis XV, between 15-1753 and entered history thanks to her famous portrait painted by François Boucher (1755-1703).

But let’s get back to our story. Richelieu told Lebel about Mademoiselle Lange and she went through the usual process that such lovers go through (dinner, lodging in the deer park and spending the night with the king), only here something went wrong. The morning after the first night with Mademoiselle Lange, the king met the Duc de Richelieu and the duke asked how the night had gone for him. The king replied “She made me feel like I was 20 again” (he was 58). Following this visit, the king fell in love with Mademoiselle Lange and very quickly the courtiers began to realize that this was not a temporary and anonymous lover.

The king continued to visit her day after day and eventually decided to make her the royal mistress, much to the dismay of his servant Bel, who died shortly afterwards (some say he committed suicide by drinking poison, when he realized he could not change his mind about the king). However, here the king encountered a problem.

As you may recall, Mademoiselle Lange was not a noblewoman, while a royal mistress must have a title of nobility. But don't worry, where there is a need, the solution will be found, and it came in the form of the brother of Jean-Baptiste du Barry, Mademoiselle Lange's pimp. That brother, named Charles, was not much better than his older brother, but while the former was a womanizer, the latter decided to invest all his time and fortune in gambling.

As Charles du Barry was a rather unsuccessful gambler, he had accumulated heavy debts, and in order to cover these debts, the count agreed to marry Mademoiselle Lange and make her a countess. The ceremony took place on September 1, 1768, and was accompanied by a forged birth certificate, which recorded that Jeanne Beaux was actually the scion of a noble family (as a bonus, it was recorded that she was three years younger than her real age).

After the wedding, Charles du Barry was sent as an honor guard to Toulouse, and Mademoiselle Lange began to star at the king's court as the Countess du Barry, the official royal mistress of Louis XV.

The Royal Mistress

Louis XV decided to house Madame du Barry in the Lebel residence, which was one floor above the king's own. This way, the king could reach his mistress, very quietly and without any disturbance. The problem was that Madame du Barry could not be seen in the company of the king because she had not yet been introduced to him, and as a result, she was effectively locked in a golden cage, unable to escape.

You may be asking yourself, what was the problem with presenting Madame du Barry to the king and his court? The truth is, it was not that simple, since the king had to find a long-time noblewoman who would agree to take on the role of “sponsor” during the presentation ceremony. Of course, this was an almost impossible task, given Madame du Barry’s “family”.

It's not easy being a royal mistress.

Now that du Barry had become Louis XV's official mistress, the real celebration began. The king showered her with valuable gifts, in the form of huge budgets for clothes, jewelry with especially precious stones, and even a Bengali slave named Zemour. The lady was no slouch in the real estate sector either, and in addition to her luxurious residences in the Palace of Versailles and the Petit Trianon, she also received a charming chateau in the town of Louveciennes.

The great wealth she accumulated and her success in winning the heart of the king earned her quite a few enemies at court. The first and most dangerous of these was the Duke of Choiseul (Étienne François, Marquis de Stainville, Duc de Choiseul 1719-1785).

As a result, de Choiseul declared war on du Barry and began to slander her at court through anonymous heralds, who spread malicious rumors (although some of them were true) about her past. This war lasted for about two years until the Duke made a mistake, when he decided to involve France in the Falklands War (no, I am not mistaken, it turns out that England had already fought over these islands in the 18th century against Spain. In the 80s, it would fight over the same islands against Argentina).

The king, badly burned by the Seven Years’ War, did not want any more wars and was furious with the Duke for entangling him in an unnecessary war. As a result, the Duke, along with his sister, was expelled from the king’s court at Christmas 7 and forced to live at his estate in Chanteloup. It seemed that Madame du Barry had won the battle and that she would now be able to enjoy her status. However, Choiseul made sure to leave her a “mine”, which would make her life miserable.

Later that evening, Marie Antoinette learned from the Count de Provence (future Louis XVIII), how Madame du Barry “causes the king’s happiness” and from that moment on, Marie Antoinette began to despise Madame du Barry. The disgust was so great that Marie Antoinette would not agree to speak to Madame du Barry under any circumstances, which created quite a diplomatic crisis.

Finally, after pressure from her mother, Empress Maria Theresa, and the Austrian ambassador to France, the Comte de Mercy, Marie Antoinette agreed to exchange a few words with the Countess du Barry. This historic event took place at a New Year’s ball in 1772. Madame du Barry passed in front of Marie Antoinette and the Dauphin’s wife said to her, “There are many people at Versailles today.” These were the only words the two women would exchange throughout their lives.

By the way, just as Choiseul left a “mine” for Madame du Barry in the form of Marie Antoinette, so Madame du Barry left a “time bomb” for the lady-in-waiting in the form of the diamond necklace, which the king had ordered in honor of his royal mistress.

This bomb would explode with great force during the 80s, causing great damage to Marie Antoinette. If you would like to know the story of this diamond necklace, you are welcome to read about it in the article Lupin – The Historical Truth Behind Netflix’s New Series, where she stars.

The life of Madame du Barry after the death of the king

Having managed to subdue both the Duc de Choiseul and Marie Antoinette, it seemed that Madame du Barry had finally come to her rest and inheritance. She lived in luxury and splendor, and the king did not stop loving her and seeking her companionship at every opportunity (a very impressive feat, considering that this is a king who had changed dozens of mistresses in his life).

However, this idyll came to an end in May 1774. While the two were spending time at the Petit Trianon, the king began to feel unwell. When the doctor examined him, he discovered to his surprise that the king had contracted rubella, although he was supposedly supposed to have been vaccinated against it, as he had contracted it as a child. As a result, the king was taken to the Palace of Versailles, where his condition deteriorated.

Despite the risk of infection, Madame du Barry did not leave the king's bedside until May 4, when the king, under pressure from his priest confessor, decided to send her out of Versailles. Six days later, King Louis XV died and was succeeded by his grandson, Louis XVI, husband of Marie Antoinette.

Now the new queen could take revenge on her rival. Madame du Barry was sent out of respect to a convent near the city of Meaux En Brie and was forced to stay there for about a year. After her release from the convent, Madame du Barry was forbidden to approach the Palace of Versailles and as a result she could not return to her castle in Louvain, located not far from the royal palace.

However, after a few years this restriction was lifted and she returned to the palace of Louvain which she loved so much. During these years, Madame du Barry took several lovers, the most famous of whom was the Duke de Brissac (Louis Hercule Timoléon de Cossé-Brissac 1734-1792), about whom you can read inArticle about Château de Brissac.

These were happy years in which Madame du Barry engaged in charity and entertained many friends from the days when she ruled Versailles. What is interesting is that she slowly began to reconcile even with her enemies at court, and towards the end of the 80s, more and more nobles who had previously despised her began to like her.

Just a moment, Mr. Executioner.

However, this idyll ended with the outbreak of French RevolutionThe Duc de Brissac, her lover for more than a decade and the king's governor of Versailles, was seized by a bloodthirsty mob in September 1792 and lynched. That evening, Madame du Barry was startled by the sound of shattering glass in the palace at Louvain. When she reached the room from which the noise came, she discovered the Duc de Brissac's head on the floor and lost consciousness.

Although she could have fled to England, Madame du Barry decided to stay in France, a mistake that would cost her her life. In late 1792, Zemour (the same slave she had received as a gift from Louis XV and who had become her paid personal servant) denounced her to the Revolutionary Tribunal. She was found guilty of providing financial assistance to nobles who had fled France and plotted against the revolution, and was sentenced to death.

As a last resort, she informed her guards that there was a treasure buried in the garden of the Armona and that she would be happy to give them a detailed explanation of how to find it, in exchange for her release. The guards promised to release her in exchange for the treasure, but after they found the treasure, they decided to renege on their promise and on December 8, Madame du Barry was taken to the guillotine, which was located in the Place de la Revolution (now the Place de la Révolution). Place de la Concorde).

Madame du Barry was in a panic and shouted all the way “You are going to hurt me! Why are you doing this?!” When she was put on the gallows, she exposed her breasts to the executioner and begged “Mercy! Mr. Executioner, let me live one more moment.” This gave her a few more seconds of life, but in the end the guillotine blade fell on her neck and she was buried inThe Madeleine Cemetery, not far from Marie Antoinette, her great enemy.

Thus ended the life of one of the most colorful figures of the 18th century and the last royal mistress in history. France.