Jeanne du Barry, the king’s last official mistress Louis XV of France (1754-1793), was a prostitute.
Hated by the court of Versailles but adored by the king, for six years she managed to establish herself as the monarch’s favorite, ignoring all those who hated her for her shameful profession and for not belonging to the nobility. However, even the ill-fated Queen Marie Antoinette had to give in and accept it.
It has been portrayed for centuries as ordinary, ugly and dirty, but nothing like reality. As the expert Emmanuel de Waresquiel states in his biography of Du Barrywas cultured, beautiful, blonde, with exquisite features and bearing (nothing to do with her representation in movies like Marie Antoinette). I knew the ways of the elegance and protocol of the palace of Versailles thanks to her relationships with the high nobility and her training in a convent. In addition, her work as a hairdresser and as a seamstress in a women’s clothing workshop marked the personality and elegance of her refined and sophisticated style.
But yes, she was a prostitute. That was what dazzled the king. Jeanne du Barry was a professional privacy expert, there is even talk that I used aphrodisiac pills. In those years she was a faithful companion, who did not directly interfere in the affairs of the king’s government. This did not prevent her from being considered manipulative and ambitious.
The time of the Libertines
Jeanne Bécu, her maiden name, met the king through his pimp, Count Jean-Baptiste du Barry, who had contacts among the courtiers and got the king’s personal assistant to introduce her to his environment, or rather his bed.
This was easy and possible because in the French 18th century the morals of high society were influenced by libertines: intellectuals and aristocracy They mixed in relaxed environments, where eroticism, sexuality and freedom in intimacy had no limits. This is how he tells it Pierre Choderlos de Laclos in his novel dangerous friendships (1782), through 75 letters in which the customs of the time can be seen reflected. The novel has been several times carried to the cinema.
The kings of France had wives and, usually, an official mistress, a favorite. Louis XV’s official mistress for years, Madame de Pompadourdied in 1764, and in 1768 he became queen consort, Maria Leszczynska. The heir to the throne, Louis Ferdinand, and his wife, Maria Josepha of Saxony, parents of the future Louis XVI, had also died. So in 1768, when he met Jeanne, Luis was a sad, unpopular king, he felt alone, with little enthusiasm and art for government.
And found Jeanne
According to historians Emmanuel de Waresquiel (above-mentioned), Mark Fourny and Alexandre Maralonce Luis met Jeanne, he fell in love and had no more lovers until his death. He was 59 years old and she was 23. This relationship awakened his lost vitality and made him happy until the day he died: “Elle est très jolie, elle me plaît; cela doit suffire.” (She’s very pretty, I like her; that should be enough.)
To be the official mistress of the king, it was advisable for the woman to have a noble title and not remain single to show an image of decency. The monarch arranged a white marriage with his pimp’s brother, Gillaume du Barrywho received money and goods for it. After the wedding, he retired to Toulouse and never really served as a husband. In return, she became Countess du Barry.
It was then that Louis XV took Jeanne du Barry to live in Versailles, some private apartments right next to your roomsdecorated with great luxury and with plenty of space, compared to what was usual in the palace at that time. Today, they are considered the example of the elegance and refinement of 18th century art. He gave her an allowance of three million pounds a year, in addition to jewels and property. Not counting a black boy who acted as a page, called Zamorgift from an English captain.
During the time when Jeanne was the favorite, she became friendly with philosophers such as Voltaire, supported the decorative arts and encouraged its development. Great artists worked for her: musicians, sculptors and architects.
“There are many people today in Versailles”
According to historians, Jeanne was despised by everyone. A prostitute, the king’s favorite? It was an unbearable idea. That is why she was insulted throughout Paris, in songs, in pamphlets and by all social classes. Even so, the testimonies of the moment cannot fail to recognize his know-how. Jeanne was courteous even in the face of the most explicit humiliations. According to historian Evelyne Lever, she remained kind and respectful to everyone around her to the end.
The princess herself at the time, Marie Antoinette, married to the heir Louis XVI, caused a diplomatic incident by not even wanting to greet her. He considered her a whore and a scandalous intruder at court. In the end, he reluctantly gave in and one day he approached her and said: “Il ya bien de monde aujourd’ hui à Versaille.” (There are many people today in Versailles).
“Il ya bien de monde aujourd’ hui à Versaille” (There are many people today in Versailles) – Marie Antoinette, to Jeanne du Barry
That was it. Marie Antoinette continued to reject and despise Jeanne. She tried unsuccessfully to win her affection with gifts and deference that the princess unceremoniously returned. However, when the days of Revolution and the entire kingdom also detested the already queen Marie Antoinette, gave in and there was a approach.
Goodbye, Versailles; hello guillotine
In 1774 the king fell ill with smallpox. Jeanne took care of him even in the face of the risk of contagion. In May, after her death, the new kings Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI immediately expelled her from Versailles.
After living for a time in a convent, she settled in the palace of Louveciennes that the king had given her, away from the life of the city and the court. He led a bourgeois, quiet life, receiving visits from his few close friends. He had a new unconditional love, the Duke of Brissac.
His life could have continued peacefully until the end. However, he suffered the theft of some jewels that had been paid for by the royal coffers: diamonds and pearls with a current value of 60 million euros. She made a public denunciation throughout Paris and the news placed her once again in the public eye. Their properties, affections and friendships were considered state crimes.
She was arrested, tried by the revolutionary tribunal and sentenced to the guillotine. Jeanne du Barry died beheaded at the age of 50, on December 8, 1793. It is said that it was between screams, cries and begging for one more minute of life.
This article was originally published on The Conversation
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