Madame de Pompadour
Chief mistress of Louis XV (1721–1764) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (/ˈpɒmpədʊər/, French: [pɔ̃paduʁ] ⓘ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and remained influential as court favourite until her death.[1]
Madame de Pompadour | |
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Marquise of Pompadour | |
Coat of arms | |
Full name | Jeanne Antoinette Poisson |
Born | (1721-12-29)29 December 1721 Paris, Kingdom of France |
Died | 15 April 1764(1764-04-15) (aged 42) Paris, Kingdom of France |
Buried | Couvent des Capucines |
Spouse(s) | |
Issue |
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Father | François Poisson |
Mother | Madeleine de La Motte |
Signature | |
Occupation | Chief mistress of Louis XV |
Pompadour took charge of the king's schedule and was a valued aide and advisor, despite her frail health and many political enemies. She secured titles of nobility for herself and her relatives, and built a network of clients and supporters. She was particularly careful not to alienate the popular Queen, Marie Leszczyńska. On 8 February 1756, the Marquise de Pompadour was named as the thirteenth lady-in-waiting to the queen, a position considered the most prestigious at the court, which accorded her with honors.[2]
Pompadour was a major patron of architecture and decorative arts, especially porcelain. She was a patron of the philosophes of the Enlightenment, including Voltaire.
Hostile critics at the time generally tarred her as a malevolent political influence, but historians are more favorable, emphasizing her successes as a patron of the arts and a champion of French pride.[3] Modern historians suggest that the critics of Pompadour were driven by fears over the overturning of the existing hierarchies that Pompadour's power and influence, as a woman who was not born into the aristocracy, represented.[4][additional citation(s) needed]