Marie Françoise Catherine de Beauvau-Craon
Encyclopedia
Marie Françoise Catherine de Beauvau-Craon, marquise de Boufflers (1711–1787), commonly known as Madame de Boufflers, was a French noblewoman. She was the royal mistress
of Stanislas Leszczyński and mother of the poet Stanislas de Boufflers
.
, Prince of Beauvau-Craon
, and her mother was Anne Marguerite de Lignéville (1686-1772), mistress of Leopold, Duke of Lorraine
. She had nineteen siblings, including Charles Juste de Beauvau, through whom she was a sister-in-law of Marie Charlotte de La Tour d'Auvergne
. Marie Françoise Catherine married Louis François de Boufflers (1714–1752), marquis d'Amestranges, and bore him Stanislas de Boufflers
, later famous as a poet.
. At the court at Lunéville
, aged 34, she became the chief mistress to king Stanislas, then aged 64. This did not stop her also collecting other lovers; nicknamed la Dame de Volupté ("the lady of delight"), she was also the mistress of the poet Jean François de Saint-Lambert
, then of M. of Adhémar, of the intendant
de Lorraine Antoine-Martin Chaumont de La Galaizière
, of the lawyer and poet François-Antoine Devaux
, of the abbé
Porquet, and many others.
To try to make the marquise de Boufflers jealous and regain her affections, Saint-Lambert attempted to seduce the marquise du Châtelet
when the latter arrived in Lunéville in 1748. The marquise du Châtelet fell passionately in love with the poet and became best friends with the marquise de Boufflers, thus completely ruining the plans of Father Menou, Stanislas's confessor, who wanted to use her to dislodge the marquise de Boufflers as chief mistress to the king.
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...
of Stanislas Leszczyński and mother of the poet Stanislas de Boufflers
Stanislas de Boufflers
Stanislas Jean, chevalier de Boufflers was a French statesman and writer.-Biography:He was born near Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle, the son of Louis Franois, marquis de Boufflers. His mother, Marie Catherine de Beauveau Craon, was the mistress of Stanislas Leszczynski, and the boy was brought up at...
.
Family
Her father was Marc de BeauvauMarc de Beauvau-Craon (1679-1754)
Marc de Beauvau Prince of Craon, Beauvau and of the Holy Roman Empire, grandee of Spain was a French nobleman....
, Prince of Beauvau-Craon
Princes of Beauvau-Craon
The princely title of prince of Beauvau-Craon was created by Louis XV of France in 1722 and was inherited by male offsprings. It became extinct in 1982.-List of princes of Beauvau-Craon:...
, and her mother was Anne Marguerite de Lignéville (1686-1772), mistress of Leopold, Duke of Lorraine
Leopold, Duke of Lorraine
Leopold , surnamed the Good, was Duke of Lorraine and Bar from 1690 to his death.-Early life:Leopold Joseph Charles Dominique Agapet Hyacinthe was the son of Charles V, Duke of Lorraine, and his wife Eleonora Maria Josefa of Austria, a half-sister of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.At the time of...
. She had nineteen siblings, including Charles Juste de Beauvau, through whom she was a sister-in-law of Marie Charlotte de La Tour d'Auvergne
Marie Charlotte de La Tour d'Auvergne
Marie Charlotte de La Tour d'Auvergne was a French noblewoman and member of the House of La Tour d'Auvergne. Married into the House of Beauvau, a powerful family originating in Anjou, she had a daughter aged twenty and died of smallpox at the age of thirty three...
. Marie Françoise Catherine married Louis François de Boufflers (1714–1752), marquis d'Amestranges, and bore him Stanislas de Boufflers
Stanislas de Boufflers
Stanislas Jean, chevalier de Boufflers was a French statesman and writer.-Biography:He was born near Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle, the son of Louis Franois, marquis de Boufflers. His mother, Marie Catherine de Beauveau Craon, was the mistress of Stanislas Leszczynski, and the boy was brought up at...
, later famous as a poet.
Life
Witty, well-educated and beautiful, the marquise de Boufflers wrote verse and drew in pastelPastel
Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
. At the court at Lunéville
Lunéville
Lunéville is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department and lies on the Meurthe River.-History:...
, aged 34, she became the chief mistress to king Stanislas, then aged 64. This did not stop her also collecting other lovers; nicknamed la Dame de Volupté ("the lady of delight"), she was also the mistress of the poet Jean François de Saint-Lambert
Jean François de Saint-Lambert
Jean François de Saint-Lambert was a French poet and military officer, but he is most remembered for his involvement in two love affairs....
, then of M. of Adhémar, of the intendant
Intendant
The title of intendant has been used in several countries through history. Traditionally, it refers to the holder of a public administrative office...
de Lorraine Antoine-Martin Chaumont de La Galaizière
Antoine-Martin Chaumont de La Galaizière
Antoine-Martin Chaumont de La Galaizière, marquis de La Galaizière, chancellor of Lorraine was a French nobleman active at the court of Lorraine. He was one of the lovers of Marie Françoise Catherine de Beauvau-Craon.-Sources:* Pierre Boyé: Le chancelier Chaumont de La Galaizière et sa famille,...
, of the lawyer and poet François-Antoine Devaux
François-Antoine Devaux
François-Antoine Devaux was a Lorraine poet and man of letters. He was called Panpan by his friends.-Life:...
, of the abbé
Abbé
Abbé is the French word for abbot. It is the title for lower-ranking Catholic clergymen in France....
Porquet, and many others.
To try to make the marquise de Boufflers jealous and regain her affections, Saint-Lambert attempted to seduce the marquise du Châtelet
Émilie du Châtelet
-Early life:Du Châtelet was born on 17 December 1706 in Paris, the only daughter of six children. Three brothers lived to adulthood: René-Alexandre , Charles-Auguste , and Elisabeth-Théodore . Her eldest brother, René-Alexandre, died in 1720, and the next brother, Charles-Auguste, died in 1731...
when the latter arrived in Lunéville in 1748. The marquise du Châtelet fell passionately in love with the poet and became best friends with the marquise de Boufflers, thus completely ruining the plans of Father Menou, Stanislas's confessor, who wanted to use her to dislodge the marquise de Boufflers as chief mistress to the king.