Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth
Encyclopedia
Louise Renée de Penancoët de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth (September 1649 – 14 November 1734) was a mistress of Charles II of England
. Through her son by Charles II, Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond
, she is ancestress of both wives of The Prince of Wales
: the late Diana, Princess of Wales
, as well as The Duchess of Cornwall.
The family were nobles in Brittany
, and their name was so spelt by themselves. The form "Quérouaille" was commonly used in England, where it was corrupted into Carwell or Carewell, perhaps with an ironic reference to the care that the duchess took to fill her pocket. In France, it was variously spelt Quérouaille, Kérouaille and Kéroualle.
She had a sister, Henriette Mauricette de Penancoët de Kérouaille, who married firstly Jean-Timoléon Gouffier, marquis de Thais, ancestors among others of the Comtes de Bourbon-Busset, and secondly Philip Herbert, 7th Earl of Pembroke
. Her aunt Renée Mauricette de Ploeuc de Timeur married Donatien de Maillé, Marquis de Carman (d. 1652), and among others they were the great-grandparents in male line of the mother of the Marquis de Sade
.
. Saint-Simon asserts that her family threw her in the way of Louis in the hope that she would become a royal mistress
. In 1670, she accompanied the duchess of Orléans on a visit to Charles II at Dover
. The sudden death of the duchess, attributed on dubious evidence to poison
, left her unprovided for, but the king appointed her a lady-in-waiting
to his own queen, Catherine of Braganza
.
It was later said that she had been selected by the French court to fascinate the king of England, but for this there seems to be no evidence. Yet when there appeared a prospect that the king would show her favour, the intrigue was vigorously pushed by the French ambassador, Colbert de Croissy, aided by the secretary of state, Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington
, and his wife.
Louise, who concealed great cleverness and a strong will under an appearance of languor and a rather childish beauty (John Evelyn
, the diarist, speaks of her "baby face"), yielded only when she had already established a strong hold on the king's affections and character. Her son Charles
(1672–1723) was created Duke of Richmond
in 1675.
The support she received from the French envoy was given on the understanding that she should serve the interests of her native sovereign. The bargain was confirmed by gifts and honours from Louis XIV and was loyally carried out by Louise. However, she was much disliked by the people in England.
However, the hatred openly avowed for her in England was due as much to her own activity in the interest of France as to her notorious rapacity. Nell Gwynne, another of Charles's mistresses, called her "Squintabella", and when mistaken for her, replied, "Pray good people be civil, I am the Protestant whore." According to Gwynne, Louise's underclothing was unclean.
The titles of Baroness Petersfield
, Countess of Fareham
and Duchess of Portsmouth
were granted to her for life on 19 August 1673. Her pensions and money allowances of various kinds were enormous. In 1677 alone she received £27,300. The French court gave her frequent presents, and in December 1673 conferred upon her the fief Duchess of Aubigny
in the Peerage of France
at the request of Charles II.
At about this time she was instrumental in bringing to Charles' attention a young Frenchman who proposed a solution to the longitude problem
. While the Frenchman's proposal was ineffective, it led Charles to establish the Royal Observatory, Greenwich
, and appoint John Flamsteed
as Astronomer Royal.
The Duchess's thorough understanding of the king's character enabled her to retain her hold on him to the end. She contrived to escape uninjured during the crisis of the "Popish Plot
" in 1678. She was strong enough to maintain her position during a long illness in 1677, and a visit to France in 1682. One of the King's nicknames for her was 'Fubbs', meaning plump or chubby. This female form was much in vogue at the time, and in 1682 a new royal yacht
, HMY Fubbs
, was built, referring to the Duchess's nickname. In February 1685 she assisted in measures to see that the king, who was sympathetic to Roman Catholicism, did not die without Roman confession
and absolution.
, she remained. Her pensions and an outrageous grant on the Irish
revenue given her by Charles II were lost either in the reign of James II or at the Revolution of 1688
.
During her last years she lived at Aubigny, and was harassed by debt. The French king, Louis XIV, and after his death the regent Philippe d'Orléans
, gave her a pension, and protected her against her creditors. The Duchess died in Paris on 14 November 1734, aged 85.
, The Duchess of Cornwall and Sarah, Duchess of York
would eventually play major roles in the lives of later Princes of the United Kingdom, The Prince of Wales
and The Duke of York
.
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
. Through her son by Charles II, Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Duke of Aubigny was the illegitimate son of Charles II of England and his mistress Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth....
, she is ancestress of both wives of The Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
: the late Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
, as well as The Duchess of Cornwall.
Early life
She was the daughter of Guillaume de Penancoët, Seigneur de Kérouaille (d. 1690) and wife (married on February 27, 1645) Marie de Ploeuc de Timeur (d. January 1709), paternal granddaughter of René de Penancoët, Seigneur de Kérouaille et Villeneuve, and wife (married on October 12, 1602) Julienne Emery du Pont-l'Abbé, Dame du Chef du Bois, and maternal granddaughter of Sébastien de Ploeuc, Marquis de Timeur, and wife (married on January 8, 1617) Marie de Rieux (d. 1628). The name Kérouaille was derived from an heiress whom an ancestor François de Penhoët had married in 1330.The family were nobles in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, and their name was so spelt by themselves. The form "Quérouaille" was commonly used in England, where it was corrupted into Carwell or Carewell, perhaps with an ironic reference to the care that the duchess took to fill her pocket. In France, it was variously spelt Quérouaille, Kérouaille and Kéroualle.
She had a sister, Henriette Mauricette de Penancoët de Kérouaille, who married firstly Jean-Timoléon Gouffier, marquis de Thais, ancestors among others of the Comtes de Bourbon-Busset, and secondly Philip Herbert, 7th Earl of Pembroke
Philip Herbert, 7th Earl of Pembroke
Philip Herbert, 7th Earl of Pembroke, 4th Earl of Montgomery was an English nobleman who succeeded to the titles and estates of two earldoms on 8 July 1674 on the death of his brother William Herbert, 6th Earl of Pembroke...
. Her aunt Renée Mauricette de Ploeuc de Timeur married Donatien de Maillé, Marquis de Carman (d. 1652), and among others they were the great-grandparents in male line of the mother of the Marquis de Sade
Marquis de Sade
Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat, revolutionary politician, philosopher, and writer famous for his libertine sexuality and lifestyle...
.
Becoming mistress to royalty
Louise was placed early in her life in the household of Henrietta Anne Stuart, the Duchess of Orléans, sister of Charles II and sister-in-law of Louis XIV of FranceLouis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
. Saint-Simon asserts that her family threw her in the way of Louis in the hope that she would become a royal mistress
Royal mistress
A royal mistress is the historical position of a mistress to a monarch or senior Royal. Some mistresses have had considerable power. The prevalence of the institution can be attributed to the fact that royal marriages were until recent times conducted solely on the basis of political and dynastic...
. In 1670, she accompanied the duchess of Orléans on a visit to Charles II at Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
. The sudden death of the duchess, attributed on dubious evidence to poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
, left her unprovided for, but the king appointed her a lady-in-waiting
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
to his own queen, Catherine of Braganza
Catherine of Braganza
Catherine of Braganza was a Portuguese infanta and queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles II.She married the king in 1662...
.
Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington
Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington KG, PC was an English statesman.- Background and early life :He was the son of Sir John Bennet of Dawley, Middlesex, and of Dorothy Crofts. He was the younger brother of John Bennet, 1st Baron Ossulston; his sister was Elizabeth Bennet who married Robert Kerr,...
, and his wife.
Louise, who concealed great cleverness and a strong will under an appearance of languor and a rather childish beauty (John Evelyn
John Evelyn
John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time John Evelyn (31 October 1620 – 27 February...
, the diarist, speaks of her "baby face"), yielded only when she had already established a strong hold on the king's affections and character. Her son Charles
Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Duke of Aubigny was the illegitimate son of Charles II of England and his mistress Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth....
(1672–1723) was created Duke of Richmond
Duke of Richmond
The title Duke of Richmond is named after Richmond and its surrounding district of Richmondshire, and has been created several times in the Peerage of England for members of the royal Tudor and Stuart families...
in 1675.
The support she received from the French envoy was given on the understanding that she should serve the interests of her native sovereign. The bargain was confirmed by gifts and honours from Louis XIV and was loyally carried out by Louise. However, she was much disliked by the people in England.
However, the hatred openly avowed for her in England was due as much to her own activity in the interest of France as to her notorious rapacity. Nell Gwynne, another of Charles's mistresses, called her "Squintabella", and when mistaken for her, replied, "Pray good people be civil, I am the Protestant whore." According to Gwynne, Louise's underclothing was unclean.
The titles of Baroness Petersfield
Petersfield, Hampshire
Petersfield is a market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is north of Portsmouth, on the A3 road. The town has its own railway station on the Portsmouth Direct Line, the mainline rail link connecting Portsmouth and London. The town is situated on the...
, Countess of Fareham
Fareham
The market town of Fareham lies in the south east of Hampshire, England, between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, roughly in the centre of the South Hampshire conurbation.It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area...
and Duchess of Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
were granted to her for life on 19 August 1673. Her pensions and money allowances of various kinds were enormous. In 1677 alone she received £27,300. The French court gave her frequent presents, and in December 1673 conferred upon her the fief Duchess of Aubigny
Duke of Aubigny
The Scottish Dukes of Aubigny had their origins in Aubigny-sur-Nère, France, from the 15th century, which was an important honour throughout the Auld Alliance and Ancien Régime...
in the Peerage of France
Peerage of France
The Peerage of France was a distinction within the French nobility which appeared in the Middle Ages. It was abolished in 1789 during the French Revolution, but it reappeared in 1814 at the time of the Bourbon Restoration which followed the fall of the First French Empire...
at the request of Charles II.
At about this time she was instrumental in bringing to Charles' attention a young Frenchman who proposed a solution to the longitude problem
History of longitude
The history of longitude is a record of the effort, by navigators and scientists over several centuries, to discover a means of determining longitude....
. While the Frenchman's proposal was ineffective, it led Charles to establish the Royal Observatory, Greenwich
Royal Observatory, Greenwich
The Royal Observatory, Greenwich , in London, England played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation, and is best known as the location of the prime meridian...
, and appoint John Flamsteed
John Flamsteed
Sir John Flamsteed FRS was an English astronomer and the first Astronomer Royal. He catalogued over 3000 stars.- Life :Flamsteed was born in Denby, Derbyshire, England, the only son of Stephen Flamsteed...
as Astronomer Royal.
The Duchess's thorough understanding of the king's character enabled her to retain her hold on him to the end. She contrived to escape uninjured during the crisis of the "Popish Plot
Popish Plot
The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy concocted by Titus Oates that gripped England, Wales and Scotland in Anti-Catholic hysteria between 1678 and 1681. Oates alleged that there existed an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II, accusations that led to the execution of at...
" in 1678. She was strong enough to maintain her position during a long illness in 1677, and a visit to France in 1682. One of the King's nicknames for her was 'Fubbs', meaning plump or chubby. This female form was much in vogue at the time, and in 1682 a new royal yacht
Royal Yacht
A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head...
, HMY Fubbs
HMY Fubbs
HMY Fubbs was a Royal Yacht of the Royal Navy of Great Britain. She was scrapped towards the end of the eighteenth century after having been in service for 99 years....
, was built, referring to the Duchess's nickname. In February 1685 she assisted in measures to see that the king, who was sympathetic to Roman Catholicism, did not die without Roman confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
and absolution.
After the king's death, later life
Soon after the king's death, the Duchess quickly fell from favour, and retired to France, where, except for one short visit to England during the reign of James IIJames II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
, she remained. Her pensions and an outrageous grant on the Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
revenue given her by Charles II were lost either in the reign of James II or at the Revolution of 1688
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
.
During her last years she lived at Aubigny, and was harassed by debt. The French king, Louis XIV, and after his death the regent Philippe d'Orléans
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Philippe d'Orléans was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723. Born at his father's palace at Saint-Cloud, he was known from birth under the title of Duke of Chartres...
, gave her a pension, and protected her against her creditors. The Duchess died in Paris on 14 November 1734, aged 85.
Legacy
Some of Louise's descendants, Diana, Princess of WalesDiana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
, The Duchess of Cornwall and Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah, Duchess of York is a British charity patron, spokesperson, writer, film producer, television personality and former member of the British Royal Family. She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, whom she married from 1986 to 1996...
would eventually play major roles in the lives of later Princes of the United Kingdom, The Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
and The Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
.
In Film & Television
- In the 1911 film, Sweet Nell of Old DrurySweet Nell of Old DrurySweet Nell of Old Drury is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford about the relationship between Nell Gwynne and King Charles II. It is based on the 1900 play of the same name by Paul Kester...
, Louise is portrayed by Dorothy Clarke - In the 1934 film, Nell Gwyn, Louise is portrayed by Jeanne De Casalis
- In an episode in 1954 of the TV Series, BBC Sunday-Night Theatre, Louise is portrayed by Susan Lyall Grant
- In the 1969 mini-series, The First ChurchillsThe First ChurchillsThe First Churchills was a BBC serial from 1969 about the life of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough and his wife, Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough...
, Louise is portrayed by Consuela Chapman - In the 2003 mini-series, Charles II: The Power & The Passion, Louise is portrayed by Mélanie ThierryMélanie ThierryMélanie Thierry, is a French actress best known to international audiences for her role as Aurora in the 2008 film Babylon A.D.-Biography:...
- In the 2009 film, Broadside, Louise is portrayed by Selina MacDonald
In literature
- Louise figures, together with Barbara Villiers and Nell GwynNell GwynEleanor "Nell" Gwyn was a long-time mistress of King Charles II of England. Called "pretty, witty Nell" by Samuel Pepys, she has been regarded as a living embodiment of the spirit of Restoration England and has come to be considered a folk heroine, with a story echoing the rags-to-royalty tale of...
, in Bernard ShawGeorge Bernard ShawGeorge Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
's late play In Good King Charles's Golden DaysIn Good King Charles's Golden DaysIn Good King Charles's Golden Days is a play by George Bernard Shaw, subtitled A True History that Never Happened.It was written in 1938-39 as an "educational history film" for film director Gabriel Pascal in the aftermath of Pygmalions cinema triumph...
. - Louise is mentioned in the children's novel, Eliza Rose, by Mary HooperMary HooperMary S. Hooper is an American politician and civic leader from the state of Vermont. She is a second-term member of the Vermont House of Representatives representing the Washington-5 Representative District....
, as a minor role. - Louise appears in Dark Angels by Karleen Koen, although her character goes by Renee.
- Louise is the primary character in The French Mistress by Susan Holloway Scott
- Louise is a major character in The Empress of Ice Cream by Anthony Capella.
External links
- Portraits of Louise de Keroualle
- Her entry at thePeerage.com
- S. M. Wynne, ‘Kéroualle, Louise Renée de Penancoët de, suo jure duchess of Portsmouth and suo jure duchess of Aubigny in the French nobility (1649–1734)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 accessed 14 Nov 2010