When people say “favorite“, “mistress of the salon“ or “muse“, they often imagine a frivolous beauty, a coquette. But charm was not the only weapon of the muses and favorites of the 18th century. A sharp mind, excellent education, broad political views and flexible diplomacy were characteristic of them to no less extent.
The book by Cecil Burley “A Pen in Her Hand: Women's Letters - Women's Fates in the 18th Century“ tells about the secrets hidden in envelopes with wax seals of Marquise de Pompadour, long-time favorite of Louis XV.
Since the 18th century, she has been considered a symbol of indecent female behavior. At the very peak of power, this woman constantly interferes in matters that are not her business. She is ambitious and does not pay any attention to the absolute prohibition prescribed for women: never to get involved in politics, remaining within the narrow framework of personal life. The Marquise de Pompadour loves power and is not ashamed of it. For almost 20 years, she does everything to maintain her position under Louis XV, to the point that, like a brothel owner, she selects sexual partners for the king in order to preserve his health and influence. How many things have been said about her, starting from the 18th century!
Perverse, depraved, cold, prone to manipulation, she appears before us as nothing more than an insensitive woman, a monster in female guise, blamed for the degradation and then the collapse of the French Kingdom.
Even worse - Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, born in December 1721, belonged to the bourgeois class. Since in politics one deals with the enemy through hyperbole, it remains only to lay all the responsibility for the revolution of 1789 and then for the fall of the monarchy in 1792 on her.
The reputation of the Marquise de Pompadour is undoubtedly scandalous.
But this woman's ambition could not have developed with such force if she had not possessed various abilities. It was they who allowed her not only to become a favorite, but also to maintain this status even when her carnal relations with the king ended, which happened approximately five years after the official beginning of their relationship, in September 1745.
In addition to her artistic talents, she has a keen understanding of people and, despite the fact that nature did not give her good health, demonstrates extraordinary physical and moral endurance in the face of the countless traps that the courtiers at Versailles prepare for her. There she is omnipotent, as can be judged by the letters and notes that she writes with almost manic frequency. She writes to all those in power: ministers, ambassadors, marshals.
She writes a letter to Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, another to Chancellor Kaunitz and even a long message to the Pope! Every day, for almost 20 years, she writes without interruption. If we agree that the written text is a manifestation of power, then the degree of power of this woman can be compared to the scope of her epistolary activity.
All these letters and notes take up a lot of her time, and she really lacks it. In At Versailles she is almost constantly in plain sight, including during the famous intimate evenings in a narrow circle that the king loves so much. The favorite is always on the move - either on the stage of the political theater that is the court, or on the stage of her small amateur theater, where she acts, sings and dances, to the great delight of Louis XV. And yet she manages to write dozens of letters every day. She manages to withdraw, concentrate and express on paper her conclusions, thoughts, will or orders. She writes alone, without anyone's help, and most often does not put a date or signature on the letter. .
She flatters them and showers them with gentle words in order to more reliably win their favor
This is exactly the case with Richelieu: they both hate each other as much as they court each other. Her letters are full of corrections - the Marquise is not very good at spelling, and her handwriting is illegible, because must write a lot and at a furious pace. She often jumps from one topic to another, suddenly and without the slightest connection. For the most part, the favorite writes laconic messages of ten lines, but her letters become extremely long during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), which becomes a severe test for her. In the letters of the Marquise de Pompadour there are many places that are at least vague, which is quite typical of the epistolary genre, but at the same time speaks of her desire for caution.
In her personal correspondence, the favorite appears as a completely different woman than the rumors portray her.
There is no trace of frivolity in the letters. The one whom the king made a marquise in 1745, a duchess in 1752, and finally a lady-in-waiting to the queen in 1756, viewed politics as a matter of great, even exceptional, importance. meaning.
The important role she played in it - always with the king's consent - is the secret of her exceptional longevity at the court of Versailles and at the top of state power. Louis XV saw in her not only the beloved he had chosen of his own free will, unlike his "political" wife Marie Leszczynska, but also his faithful friend, the one he trusted completely and could not do without even when physical passion subsided.
This nervous and fickle man had great difficulty getting close to other people. After Cardinal de Fleury, his unofficial first minister, as well as mentor and friend, died in 1743, the king withdrew into seclusion. The Marquise de Pompadour managed to establish a relationship of trust with him that could only be destroyed by death. The king granted his dying favorite the incredible privilege of ending her life at the court of Versailles and would sincerely mourn the woman who had been his confidant.
The letters of the Marquise de Pompadour show that she was obsessed with state affairs. She was indignant that the discord between the Jansenists in parliament and the all-powerful representatives of the clergy challenged the king's authority. With the consent of Louis XV, she contributed in every way to the famous “reversal of alliances“ between France and Austria, who became allies in May 1756. Chancellor Kaunitz, who had long been the Austrian envoy to France, advised Empress Maria Theresa to act through the favorite, since it was she, and she alone, who enjoyed the attention and trust of Louis XV. With the outbreak of war, with the king's approval, she transformed her apartments into a real headquarters. She is said to have monitored the situation on various fronts, be it in Europe or America, by marking important points on maps with black taffeta spots – not without misogyny, this anecdote speaks volumes about the influence of the Marquise, who behaved almost like a commander-in-chief!
In her own words, she “has a natural tendency to think“. Despite her curiosity and great interest in everything beautiful and new, she does not at all seek to defend progressive ideas before the king. She does not want and cannot be the voice of the philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment. Is it possible, being completely dependent on the goodwill of the king, to criticize the arbitrariness of his absolute power and question the omnipotence of the Church in his state? She patronized philosophers, writers, scientists, artists and craftsmen primarily as an enlightened patroness of the arts, acting as a minister of culture in the modern sense of the word, and in no way can she be considered the patroness of philosophers or the “Mother of God of the Enlightenment“.
This woman acts as an aesthete, obsessed with the greatness of the reign – the reign of her king and her idol.
The Marquise de Pompadour managed not only to become an influential favorite, but also to take on the traditionally male role of royal advisor – it is not surprising that she has attracted such lively interest since the 18th century.
The favourite died in April 1764, and eight years later four volumes of her letters were published in London, none of which are authentic.
The publication was such a commercial success that Voltaire mentioned her in a letter to his friend Madame du Deffand on 6 July 1772:
“They are written in a light and natural manner, as if imitating the style of Madame de Sévigné. Many facts are true, some are false, a few expressions are in bad taste. Anyone who did not know this woman would easily believe that these are her letters. They are read with bated breath“.
The fact that they are forgeries is ultimately irrelevant. People are eager to read them to better understand the favorite and her inner world.
In the letters she actually wrote, she appears as a politician - the first female politician in French history.
The Marquise wrote the following note to her father, François Poisson; it is undated, like most of her letters. It refers to the Marquise's daughter, Alexandrine, whom her grandfather adored. The girl was born in August 1744; just a few months later, in the spring of 1745, her mother abandoned her father, Lenormand d'Etiol, to become the king's favorite. Alexandrine was raised as a princess. The girl showed great aptitude for learning, but died suddenly in June 1754. The Marquise de Pompadour will never recover from this loss.
"My dear father, I brought Alexandrine to me at La Muette and she was in good health. However, you must blame yourself for her poor digestion. And why must grandparents always pamper their grandchildren? I find her becoming ugly, but I am not at all sad; if she were even a little beautiful, I would be perfectly happy with that, because I do not want to see her the most beautiful. Beauty only turns the entire female sex against you, which, together with the friends of the aforementioned women, constitute two-thirds of the human race.
The official presentation to the court took place on 14 September 1745, and almost immediately the favorite began to exert an influence on the king, practically unprecedented in the history of the monarchy. By agreement with Louis XV, she distributed positions and pensions, guided by her own wishes and interests. After the death of Philibert Aury in November 1747, she appointed Lenormand de Tournai, her husband's uncle, who had always helped her, as superintendent of the royal buildings.
In addition, she persuaded the king to ensure the right of succession to this position for her younger brother Abel-François, who at that time had barely turned 18. However, she also acted as a far-sighted patron of the arts, obliging her brother to first receive a serious artistic education.
To this end, she organized a trip to Italy for him in the company of the engraver Cauchin, the architect Soufflot and the art historian Abbé Leblanc. This trip, which lasted from December 1749 to September 1751, would be of decisive importance for the history of French art in the 18th century.
The favorite's brother, who received the title of Marquis de Marigny, would play a key role in her cultural policy, which in its scale was comparable to the activities of the modern Ministry of Culture.
Source: lenta.ru