Pauline Félicité de Mailly-Nesle
Pauline Félicité de Mailly-Nesle (1712–1741), marquise de Vintimille, was the second of the five famous de Nesle sisters, four of whom would become
Early life and family
Pauline Félicité was born the second daughter of
- Louise Julie de Mailly, Mademoiselle de Mailly, comtesse de Mailly (1710–1751),
- Diane Adélaïde de Mailly, Mademoiselle de Montcavrel, duchesse de Lauraguais (1714–1769),
- Hortense Félicité de Mailly, Mademoiselle de Chalon, marquise de Flavacourt (1715–1799).
- Marie Anne de Mailly, Mademoiselle de Monchy, marquise de La Tournelle, duchesse de Châteauroux (1717–1744).
The only one of the de Nesle sisters not to become one of Louis XV's mistresses was the marquise de Flavacourt. Louise Julie was the first sister to attract the king followed by Pauline Félicité, but it was Marie Anne who was the most successful in manipulating him and becoming politically powerful.
Pauline Félicité also had a younger half-sister, Henriette de Bourbon (1725–1780), Mademoiselle de Verneuil, from her mother's relationship with the duc de Bourbon, the chief minister of Louis XV from 1723 to 1726.
In her youth, Pauline Félicité was known as Mademoiselle de Nesle.
Mistress to Louis XV
In 1738, Pauline Félicité wrote to her elder sister, Louise Julie, the king's official mistress, asking to be invited to court. She received the invitation, and during her stay proceeded to seduce the king, who fell passionately in love with her.[1][2]
Pauline Félicité then became the second mistress of Louis XV, although her sister kept the official position of
Pauline Félicité was described as taller, louder and wittier than her older sister.[1] She was much more ambitious than her older sister and predecessor, and demonstrated a desire for money and political influence;[5] her arrogance quickly made her hated within the court and by the public.
Her period as royal mistress was cut short; she died of convulsions in 1741 while giving birth to a son.[1]
Her corpse was placed at
Both the king and her older sister, Louise Julie, were devastated by the death of their lover and sister,[1] and Louise Julie reportedly underwent a Catholic ritual of penitence by washing the feet of the poor out of mourning for her departed sister.
The son of the king and Madame de Ventimille was named Charles de Ventimille and given the title of duc de Luc. He so resembled his father[6] that he was called Demi-Louis. He was raised by his aunt, Louise Julie. The king took care of his financial needs but never paid him much attention. Later, Madame de Pompadour wanted to marry her daughter to him, but the king would not allow it.
Depiction in fiction
Pauline is one of the central characters in Sally Christie's The Sisters of Versailles (Simon&Schuster 2015), a novel about Louis XV and the notorious Mailly-Nesle sisters.
References
- ^ a b c d e Herman, Eleanor (2005). Sex With Kings. p. 115
- ISBN 0060585447.
- ^ Latour, Thérèse Louis (1928). Princesses, ladies & salonnières of the reign of Louis XV. Alfred A. Knopf. p. 44.
- ^ François Alexandre Aubert de la Chenaye Desbois, Dictionnaire de la noblesse ... de France
- ISBN 0802140351.
- ^ Albert Meyrac, H. S. Mingard, Mouffle d'Angerville (1924). The private life of Louis XV. John Lane. p. 77.