List of French royal mistresses

Marie Gaudin (1490 or 1495–1580), dame de La Bourdaisière, she was the ancestor of Gabrielle d'Estrées^[9]
Mary Boleyn (1499–1543) (disputed), eldest sister of Anne Boleyn and of George Boleyn, later mistress of Henry VIII of England
La Belle Ferronnière
Claude de Rohan-Gyé (1519–1579), countess of Tonnerre and of Thoury
La Châtelaine de Montfrault

Henry II

Official mistresses (maîtresse-en-titre)

Diane de Poitiers (1499–1566)

Unofficial mistresses (petite maîtresse)

Jane Fleming (or Jane Stewart) (c. 1508 – c. 1553)
Filippa Duci (c. 1520 –?)
Nicole de Savigny (1535–1590), baroness of Fontette

Charles IX

Unofficial mistresses (petite maîtresse)

Marie Touchet (c. 1553 – 1638)

Henry III

Unofficial mistresses (petite maîtresse)

Louise de La Béraudière du Rouhet^[10]
Renée de Rieux de Châteauneuf^[10]
Veronica Franco (1546–1591)
Marie of Cleves, Princess of Condé^[10]
Jeanne de Laval, dame de Senneterre (1549–1586)^[10]
Françoise Babou de La Bourdaisière, mother of Gabrielle d'Estrées

Henry IV

This list includes historically recognised and popularly attributed mistresses:^[11]

Official mistresses (maîtresse-en-titre)

Gabrielle d'Estrées (c. 1571–1599), mistress 1591–1599
Catherine Henriette de Balzac d'Entragues (1579–1633), marquise of Verneuil, mistress 1599–1609

Unofficial mistresses (petite maîtresse)

Fleurette de Nérac,^[12] vers 1571–1572, fille d’un jardinier de Nérac
Charlotte de Sauve (c. 1551–1617), mistress in 1572.^[13]
Bretine de Duras, mistress 1573–1574
Louise de la Béraudière, called « La belle Rouet », mistress in 1575, maid of honour of Queen Margaret
Louise Borré, mistress 1575–1576, daughter of a royal notary. She gave him a son, Hervé (1576–1643)^[14]
Jeanne de Tignonville, mistress 1577–1578
Victoire de Ayala, mistress in 1578, maid of honour of Catherine de' Medici
Mlle Rebours, mistress in 1579, maid of honour of Queen Margaret
Mlle de Montagu, mistress in 1579
Mme d’Allous, mistress in 1579
Aimée Le Grand, mistress in 1579
Arnaudine, mistress in 1579
La garce de Goliath », mistress in 1579
Catherine de Luc, mistress in 1579. She died of hunger when Henry abandoned her, leaving behind their child.^[15]
Anne de Cambefort, mistress in 1579. She committed suicide by jumping out of a window after Henry left her^[15]
Françoise de Montmorency (1566–6 December 1641), mistress 1579–1581, maid of honour of Queen Margaret. She had one stillborn daughter with the king in 1581.
Diane d'Andouins, called « la belle Corisande » (c. 1554 – c. 1584)
Esther Imbert (or Ysambert), mistress 1587–1588. She had two sons with Henry.
Martine, rochelaise, en 1587. She had one child with Henry.
Antoinette de Pons (1570–1632), marquess of Guercheville
Catherine de Verdun^[16]
Mme Quelin, mistress in 1598
Isabelle Potier, mistress 1598–1599
Mlle Clein, mistress in 1599
La Glandée, mistress in 1599
Marie-Françoise de La Bourdaisière, sister of Gabrielle d’Estrées, mistress in 1599
Jacqueline de Bueil (c. 1580–1651)
Charlotte des Essarts (c. 1580–1651), mistress 1607–1609
Angélique Paulet, mistress in 1610

Louis XIV

Official mistresses (maîtresse-en-titre)

1661–1667: Louise de La Vallière (1644–1710), duchess of Vaujours
1667–1681: Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart (1640–1707), marquise of Montespan
1678–1681: Marie Angélique de Scoraille de Roussille (1661–1681), duchess of Fontanges
1683–1715: Françoise d'Aubigné (1635–1719), marquise of Maintenon. Not really a mistress but a secret morganatic wife

Unofficial mistresses (petite maîtresse)

Catherine Bellier (1614–1689) baroness of Beauvais, between 1652–1654
Olympe Mancini (1638–1708) in 1654–1657 and 1660-1661
Anne-Madeleine de Conty d'Argencourt in 1658
Marie Mancini (1639–1715) in 1658–1659; not a mistress but a platonic love
Name unknown: a gardener's daughter who gave birth to a daughter in 1660
Henrietta Anne of England (1644–1670) his sister-in-law, probably platonic, in 1660–1661
Bonne de Pons d'Heudicourt (1641–1709) in 1665
Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont (1639–1678) princess of Monaco in 1665
Gabrielle de Rochechouart de Mortemart (1633–1693), marquise of Thianges; sister of madame de Montespan
Anne de Rohan-Chabot (1648–1709), princess of Soubise, on-and-off in 1669–1675
Claude de Vin des Œillets (c. 1637 – 1687) in 1670–1676
Diane-Gabrielle de Damas de Thianges (1656-1715) in 1670–1673; daughter of madame de Thianges and niece of madame de Montespan
Lydie de Rochefort-Théobon (1638-1708) in 1673–1677
Isabelle de Ludres (1647–1722) in 1675–1678
Marie-Charlotte de Castelnau, comtesse de Louvigny et duchesse de Gramont (c. 1648 – 1694) in 1676–1677
Marie-Madeleine Agnès de Gontaut Biron, marquise de Nogaret (1653–1724) in 1680–1683
Louise-Elisabeth Rouxel dite Mme de Grancey (1653–1711) in 1681
Jeanne de Rouvroy, marquise de Chevrières (1650–1689) in 1681
Françoise Thérèse de Voyer de Dorée, Mlle d’Oré, in 1681
Marie-Antoinette de Rouvroy, comtesse d’Oisy (1660–1721) in 1681
Marie-Rosalie de Piennes, future marquise de Châtillon (1665–1735) in 1681
Mme de Saint-Martin in 1682
Marie-Louise de Montmorency-Laval, duchesse de Roquelaure (1657–1735) in 1683
Julie de Guenami, dite Mlle de Châteaubriant (1668–1710) in 1683 (possibly only a rumour)

Louis XV

Official mistresses (maîtresse-en-titre)

1732–1742: Louise Julie, Comtesse de Mailly
1739–1741: Pauline-Félicité de Mailly
1742–1745: Diane-Adélaïde de Mailly
1742–1744: Marie Anne de Mailly-Nesle
1745–1764: Madame de Pompadour
1769–1774: Madame du Barry

Unofficial mistresses (petite maîtresse)

After 1755, unofficial lovers of the king who did not belong to the nobility were often kept at the Parc-aux-Cerfs.^[17]

1738: NN, a butcher's daughter in Versailles
1738: Thérèse-Eulalie de Beaupoil de Saint-Aulaire (1705–1739), marquise de Beuvron
1738: Marie-Anne de Vougny (1716–1783) Madame Amelot
1748: Anne-Marie de Montmorency-Luxembourg (1729–1760), princesse de Robecq.
1748: Marie-Anne-Françoise de Noailles, comtesse de La Marck (1719–1793).
1749: Elisabeth-Charlotte Huguet de Sémonville (1715–1784), comtesse d'Estrades.
1749: Marie-Françoise de Carbonnel de Canisy (1725–1796), marquise d’Antin puis comtesse de Forcalquier.
1750: Alexandrine Sublet d'Heudicourt, (1721–1800) marquise de Belsunce.
1750: Françoise de Chalus, duchesse de Narbonne-Lara, première femme de chambre de la duchesse de Parme (1734–1821).
1750–1750: Irène du Buisson de Longpré (d. 1767)
1750–1751: Marie Geneviève Radix de Sainte-Foy (1729–1809)
1752: Mlle Trusson, femme de chambre de la dauphine Marie-Josèphe de Saxe.
1752: Jeanne-Marguerite de Niquet (fl. 1732–1795) dite Mlle de Niquet.
1752: Mlle de Saint-André
1752–1755: Thérèse Guerbois
1752–1752: Charlotte Rosalie de Choiseul-Beaupré (1733–1753)
1752–1754: Marie-Louise O'Murphy (1737–1815)
1755–1755: Françoise de Chalus (1734–1821), duchess of Narbonne-Lara
1755–1757: Brigitte O'Murphy (1729–1793)
1755: Mlle Fouquet, daughter of a hairdresser
1755: Mlle Robert
1755–1759: Mlle David
1755–1759: Mlle Armory, « Mimi», daughter of a ballet dancer
1756: Gabrielle-Charlotte Françoise d‘Hénin-Liétard (1729–1809), vicomtesse de Cambis, née princesse de Chimay
1756: Dorothée, daughter of a water carrier in Strasbourg.
1756: Mlle Selin
1757–1757: Marie Anne de Coislin (1732–1817)
1758: Marie-Louise de Marny (fl. 1737 – fl. 1793), Madame de Giambone
1759: Marie-Madeleine Couppier de Romans, Madame Varnier
1759–1762: Marguerite-Catherine Haynault (1736–1823), marquise of Montmelas
1760–1763: Lucie Madeleine d'Estaing (1743–1826)
1760–1765: Anne Couppier de Romans (1737–1808), baroness of Meilly-Coulonge
1762–1765: Louise-Jeanne Tiercelin de La Colleterie (1746–1779), called Madame de Bonneval
1763–1765: Anne Thoinard de Jouy (1739–1825)
1763: Marie-Françoise-Marguerite de Talleyrand-Périgord (1727–1775), comtesse de Périgord
1764: Béatrix de Choiseul-Stainville, duchesse de Gramont (1730–1794)
1764: Louise Jeanne Marie de Courtarvel de Pezé (1733–1789), marquise de Dreux-Brézé
1763–1765: Anne Thoynard de Jouy, comtesse d’Esparbès de Lussan (1739–1825)
1765: Marie-Adélaïde de Bullioud (1743–1793), comtesse de Séran
1768–1768: Catherine Éléonore Bénard (1740–1769)
1768–1768: Marie Thérèse Françoise Boisselet (1731–1800)
1768: Jeanne-Marguerite Salvetat (1748–1838), actress
1771: "demoiselle de Smith"
1771: Madame Bèche, wife of a musician of the royal chapel
1771: Françoise-Marie-Antoinette de Saucerotte (1756–1815), Mademoiselle Raucourt, actress
1772: Madame d’Amerval
1773: Rose-Marie-Hélène de Tournon (1757–1782), vicomtesse du Barry
1774–1774: Albertine-Elisabeth Pater (1742–1817)
Date unknown: Marthe-Antoinette Aubry de Vatan (1720 – after 1777)
Date unknown: Mme de Grandis, Mme de Martinville, Mlle de Ville, courtesan
Date unknown: Mme de Beaunier, Mlle de Malignan, Mme de Salis

Napoleon I

1806–1808: Eléonore Denuelle
1809–1810: Marie Walewska

Louis XVIII

Official mistresses (maîtresse-en-titre)

Zoé Victoire Talon, comtesse du Cayla

Unofficial mistresses (petite maîtresse)

1780–1791: Anne Jacobée Nompar

Charles X

Rosalie Duthé; equally mistress of Philippe Égalité
Louise d'Esparbès de Lussan
Aglaé de Polignac

Napoleon III

1856–1857: Virginia Oldoini, Countess of Castiglione
1857–1861: Marie-Anne Walewska
1863–1870: Marguerite Bellanger

Notes

^ "Although Biette Cassinel has been attached occasionally to Charles V, no concrete evidence for a relationship exists."^[2]
^ "..concerning the relations which may have existed between Charles V and the mother[Biette Cassinel] of Jean de Montaigu, are not justified by any proof by any reference.."^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b Gaude-Ferragu 2016, p. 34.
^ Adams & Adams 2020, p. 27.
^ Delachenal 1909, p. 111.
^ Nicolle 2004, p. 18.
^ Chronique normande de Pierre Cochon, bailli de Rouen.
^ Wellman 2013, p. 25.
^ Wellman 2013, p. 61.
^ Kendall 1971, p. 71.
^ Wellman 2013, p. 327.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Knecht 2016, p. 137.
^ secrets, Histoire et. "Histoire et Secrets - découvrir l'histoire de France et du monde - Liste des maîtresses d'Henri IV le Vert-Galant". Archived from the original on 2010-12-08. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
^ Yves Cazaux, Henri IV: Les horizons du règne, Paris : A. Michel, 1986. ISBN 9782226026101, p. 189.
^ Anne Danclos, La vie tragique de la reine Margot, Fernand Lanore, 1996. ISBN 9782851570475, p. 102.
^ Histoire de Mésanger de Gilbert Chéron - Tome II, pp. 223–224
^ ^a ^b Source : André Castelot, Henri IV le passionné
^ "L'Artiste". Aux bureaux de L'Artiste. 1 January 1814 – via Google Books.
^ Patrick Wald Lasowski, L'Amour au temps des libertins, Editions First-Gründ, 2011

Sources

Adams, Tracy; Adams, Christine (2020). The Creation of the French Royal Mistress: From Agnès Sorel to Madame Du Barry. The Pennsylvania State University Press.
Delachenal, Roland (1909). Histoire de Charles V. Vol. I. Picard.
Gaude-Ferragu, Murielle (2016). Queenship in Medieval France, 1300-1500. Translated by Krieger, Angela. Palgrave Macmillan.
Kendall, Paul Murray (1971). Louis XI: The Universal Spider. Compton Printing Ltd.
Knecht, Robert J. (2016). Hero or Tyrant? Henry III, King of France, 1574-89. Routledge.
Nicolle, David (2004). Poitiers 1356:The Capture of a King. Osprey.
Wellman, Kathleen (2013). Queens and Mistresses of Renaissance France. Yale University Press.