Bedchamber of History: Madame de Pompadour vol.2

Dear Followers,

Let me, first of all, apologize for not posting anything for two weeks. I've been really busy, trying to finish some readings, prepare some notes, abstracts etc. for scientific research projects and conferences... Don't be mistaken by this blog's frivolous entries, in my semi-respectable academic life I have serious concerns and deadlines which make it harder to prepare a new entry for my blog...Anyway I am here now to complete my unfinished story about Madame de Pompadour.

Hmm...Where I have left? Ah yes...She was given a land together with an aristocratic title...So our Mme. d'Etoiles has become Madame de Pompadour now. As she acted really cleverly to meet the French King (remember that she was strolling around in the forest so charmingly where the king was hunting, then she met him at a masked ball in Paris...), she was also acting very wisely toward the French Queen. After she was invited to stay in Versailles and had become a lady-in-waiting for the Queen (so that she may spend time freely with Louix XV!) she was very respectful to Marie Leszczynska (her name is so difficult to write!!! so many consonants!!!so please forgive if I write a different name every time :) ). The French Queen liked this so much because former mistresses could be quite a nuisance since they were not respectful to the Queen. She was quite aware of the fact that Louis was not interested to get into bed with her (and believe me she was ok with it!) and if there has to be a mistress let it be a respectful one like Madame de Pompadour.

When they were introduced for the first time, everybody in the audience was expecting a spectacle of jealousy and uneasiness, but contrary to expectations they behaved very well with an understanding of their positions. So the courtiers were very disappointed seeing the Queen smiling and conversing with the mistress. Madame de Pompadour was given the apartments of the former mistress Mme. de Chateauroux in Versailles but she was free to redesign and redecorate it as she liked. In time other places (in fact little palaces or chateaux seem more correct!) were given at her disposal such as Fontainebleau, Choisy,Marly,Petit Trianon etc... What is more, Madame de Pompadour's uncle M. Tournehem (or possible paternal father) has received the important position of Intendant Général des Bâtiments du Roi (superintendent of the royal buildings) that gave her more freedom and privilege to redecorate as she liked. After his death the post was given to her brother once known as Abel-François Poisson then with King's grace, Marquis of Marigny. The Marquise de Pompadour brought her cousin Madame d'Estrades to Versailles to live with her. She became a natural part of her life (eventually also Louis' life so that he took a fancy to Madame d'Estrades). They dined and sit together for years in Versailles. Yet, we don't know for sure that there was something beyond admiration?!.. Madame de Pompadour's husband, the father of her only child Alexandrine remained civil and calm, he did not create a scandal but he did not speak to her again. (I guess he was right to do so!) But yet his sister Madame de Baschi paid visits to her former sister-in-law, now friend Madame de Pompadour (interesting family relations!).

Madame de Pompadour did not give up routine, her meetings with the philosophes, the great intellectuals of the time, Voltaire being certainly among them. They were even invited to dine together with the King. She had enormous libraries full of rare and precious books. She commissioned great artists and sculptors like Boucher and many others. She acted as the guardian angel, a protector of men of science or letters such as Diderot and D'Alembert (the authors of the famous Encyclopédie), the physiocrats (François Quesnay being the leader of this school). She was so powerful that she also played a role in appointing men to important positions such as Duc de Choiseul. He was brought into office by her support and remained there with her guidance and encouragement.

However, such power creates enemies as you may well expect. Although being on good terms with the royal family (except for the dauphin) and the Queen, she had enemies within the palace among the courtiers such as Duc de Richelieu ( not Cardinal de Richelieu of the time of Louis XIII!). She was also blamed for military defeats, France's bankruptcy and losses.
(France had lost her American colonies to the British and emerged banktrupt and weakened from the Seven Years War)

In the meantime, she had two miscarriages and she has lost her only living child Alexandrine. She never fully recovered from these events. It is known that she had arranged other women to "entertain" or "to give pleasure to" the king in her place. In her last years, she was more like a friend than a mistress to Louis. She was spending more time with her books and pet animals (crazy cat lady?) than with Louis. But he remained "loyal" to her. In other words, he let her keep the position, "the official mistress" and he did not replace her with other women. When she died in 1764, at the age of forty-two from tuberculosis, she was still holding the position...