Louise Françoise, Princess of Condé

Common card · No. 272520

Louise Françoise, Duchess of Bourbon, Légitimée de France (French pronunciation: [lwiz fʁɑ̃swaz]; 1 June 1673 – 16 June 1743) was the eldest surviving legitimised daughter of Louis XIV of France and his maîtresse-en-titre Françoise-Athénaïs, Marquise de Montespan. She was said to have been named after her godmother, Louise de La Vallière, the woman her mother had replaced as the King's mistress. Before her marriage, she was known at court as Mademoiselle de Nantes. Married at the age of 11, Louise Françoise became known as Madame la Duchesse, a style she kept as a widow. She was Duchess of Bourbon and Princess of Condé by marriage. She was later a leading member of the cabale de Meudon, a group centered on her half-brother Louis, Grand Dauphin. While her son Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon, was Prime Minister of France, she tried to further her political influence, but to little avail. Considered attractive, Louise Françoise had a turbulent love life and was frequently part of scandals during...

Read on Wikipedia · Image François de Troy, Public domain