page_title: Louise de La Vallière
section_title: Childhood
hierarchical_section_title: Louise de La Vallière / Life / Childhood
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Le château de la Vallière
context_page_description: Louise de La Vallière was a mistress of Louis XIV of France from 1661 to 1667. She later became the Duchess of La Vallière and Duchess of Vaujours in her own right. She has no known surviving descendants. Louise was also very religious and she led a religious penance for herself near the end of her life.
context_section_description: Born on 6 August 1644 at the Hôtel de la Crouzille in Tours, Françoise Louise de La Baume Le Blanc (who very quickly was called by her middle name), was the daughter of Laurent de La Baume Le Blanc, Marquis de La Vallière and officer in the royal army, by his wife Françoise Le Provost, already a widow of a councillor in the Parlement of Paris. She spent her early infancy in her birthplace, the Château d'Amboise (where her father was governor) and the Château de La Vallière in Reugny, a possession of her family.
  On the death of her father in 1651, Louise's mother married in 1655 in Blois for the third time to Jacques de Courtavel, marquis de Saint Rémy and butler of Gaston, Duke of Orléans, the uncle of King Louis XIV of France, then in exile in the Blésois. Louise served as a companion to the three younger daughters of the Duke of Orléans (the future Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Duchess of Alençon, and Duchess of Savoy), who were about her age, and was educated with them.
  Although she was neither a striking beauty nor naturally brilliant, Louise had qualities that attracted attention; she was discreet, modest and had blonde hair and soft blue eyes. Although she was afflicted with a limp, she was also an accomplished and graceful rider and dancer.
  After the death of the Duke of Orléans, his widow moved with her daughters to the Luxembourg Palace in Paris and took the sixteen-year-old Louise with them.
caption: The Château de la Vallière, where Louise spent her childhood.
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