Françoise Olympe Augustine de Blois

## Duchesse de Moncontour

François Olympe de Blois, maîtresse de Charles XI

Isabelle Laurène Victoire de Blois, Mademoiselle de Brie

Henriette Catherine Béatrice de Blois, Mademoiselle de Sancerre

Nicolas Frédéric Alexandre de Blois, Comte de Comte de Châteaudun

Signature used by the marquise d'Annonay

**Françoise Olympe Augustine de Blois, Duchesse de Moncontour** (Françoise Olympe; 17 June 1633 – present) was a Grandelumiérien noblewoman, courtier, and *maîtresse-en-titre* to Charles XI from 1652 to 1654 following his untimely demise. Born to Philippe III de Blois and Charlotte de La Trémoïlle, the comte and comtesse de Champagne, she was the wife of Charles-François de Lévis the marquis d’Annonay and sister to Philippe IV, comte de Champagne.

## Early Life

### Birth and Family

Françoise Olympe was born on the 17th of June 1633 at the Hôtel de Beauvais in Paris to Philippe III, comte de Champagne and Charlotte de La Trémoïlle. She was the fourth child, and second daughter to the comte and comtesse de Champagne and was subsequently styled as *la mademoiselle de Blois*. Three days after her birth on the 20th of June she was baptised by her uncle the archevêque de Sens at the Église de Saint Germain des Prés, her chosen godparents were Anne II Robèrt de Joyeuse and Jeanne Clémentine de Blois, the duc and duchesse de Joyeuse, her aunt and uncle. She was named Françoise after her great-grandmother, Françoise d'Orléans-Longueville.

Françoise Olympe was born to the ancient and esteemed House of Blois, founded in 906 making it one of the oldest houses of Grandelumière. The Blois additionally held the title of kings of England (disputedly), kings of Navarre, and counts of Champagne. Through her mother, a descendant from the princely and old house of La Trémoïlle who were known crusaders and claimants to the Neapolitan throne.

### Adolescence

Primarily raised in the Hôtel de Beauvais, Françoise Olympe enjoyed a relatively carefree upbringing. According to the request of her father, she and her sisters, Isabelle Laurène Victoire and Henriette Catherine Béatrice, were raised with a different governess from her brothers, that being Albertine Blanchet. She was commonly doted upon and spoiled by her parents, albeit they made infrequent visits to the young mademoiselles due to their courtly positions. In October of 1639, Françoise Olympe, aged 6, her elder sister Isabelle aged 11, and her younger sister Henriette aged 4 were sent to the abbaye de Notre-Dame de Soissons a nunnery dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Champagne. There alongside her sister she was educated in theology, arithmetic, writing, and painting. She learnt to sing and dance, she played the harpsichord, lute, harp, and flute. She was also taught Latin, and Italian, later learning to speak Italian fluently after many years of practice.

In 1643, her elder sister, Isabelle left the abbey to be introduced at court, leaving the mademoiselle de Blois and the mademoiselle de Sancerre at the abbey to continue their educations. The thought of going to court seemed to have such a great influence on her and despite the serenity of the abbey, she was filled with longing to experience the life at court.

On the 23rd of November 1646, the 13-year-old Françoise Olympe and her younger sister were informed that her father was killed after a dangerous hunting accident. The incident shocked the young mademoiselle leaving her torn and depressed with the death of her beloved father. Following the death of her father, she was informed that without her younger sister, she would be presented at court, leaving the mademoiselle de Sancerre at the abbey alone to continue her studies. Upon her arrival to court she began to serve as demoiselle d'honneur to Lucrèce Chrétienne de Harlay, madame la Princesse from 1646 to 1650 when she resigned before her wedding.

### Marriage

On the 3rd of May 1650, Françoise Olympe married the son of the duc de Ventadour, Charles-François de Lévis, marquis d'Annonay who was 10 years her senior and a friend to her elder brother the comte de Champagne. Prior to her marriage she was well acquainted with the marquis d'Annonay, even considering him a friend thus leaving her content with the betrothal instigated by her elder brother. The wedding ceremony took place at the Église Saint-Sulpice in Paris, and the affair was relatively long and drawn out with the marquise noted to have complained about how dull the ceremony was. Following the wedding a reception was held at the Hôtel de Beauvais, and a soirée was subsequently held at the Hôtel de Lévis attended by close family and friends. The marriage, however, did not result in a pregnancy and she slowly grew distant from her husband, albeit he was relatively infatuated with her which did not bode well for her. Her relationship with her mother and father-in-law the duc and duchesse de Ventadour was not affected by the sudden drift between husband and wife.

## *Maîtresse-en-Titre (1652-1654)*

### Appointment

Upon her arrival to court at Montrouge in 1650, Françoise Olympe was acquainted with the mademoiselle de La Châtre, soon formulating a close friendship with her alongside with the comte de Grignols. Madame de Moncontour began her attempts in 1652 to become mistress of the emperor who had previously separated from his former mistress, the duchesse d'Halluin. Having the support of her elder brother, the comte de Champagne, who made it clear that the marquise should be undeterred in her attempts to become mistress of the emperor. Several flirtatious events between the Marquise and Charles XI led some to believe that the emperor was enamoured with the young Marquise, and it was rumoured that on the night of the 29th of March 1652, Madame de Moncontour laid with him in his bedchambers after his coucher ceremony. After discovering Madame de Moncontour's actions, the Empress summoned the Marquise in an effort to discourage Madame de Moncontour from continuing her advances towards her husband. Having declined, this set the Empress into a rage which resulted in Madame de Moncontour being barred from ever entering the Empress' household. A few days following the handover of the Dauphine, Catherine of Portugal, and much to the shock and dismay of the court and more importantly the Empress, Madame de Moncontour was appointed as *maîtresse-en-titre* at morning couvert .

Upon Moncontour's appointment, opposition was met from the Empress and her entourage who began to openly snub her. Her husband, Monsieur d'Annonay made numerous threats towards Francoise, which eventually led to a rift between Madame de Moncontour and her father-in-law, the duc de Ventadour. On the night of her appointment to the position as mistress, Madame de Moncontour's cat was murdered and dumped into the lake at Montrogue. Rumour suggesting that the Empress and her beloved sister the mademoiselle de Sancerre had been involved in the murder.

## Issue

With the Emperor, Charles XI, Madame d'Annonay had one child:

* **Marie Louise Augustine,** *Mademoiselle de Nantes* (January 14th, 1653 - present)
* **Charles Aurelien,** *Comte du Maine* (May 1st, 1654 - present)

## Titles and Styles

* **17th June 1633 - 3rd May 1650:** Mademoiselle de Blois
* **3rd May 1650 - present** *Madame la Marquise* d'Annonay
* **2nd May 1654 - present** *Sa Grâce Madame la Duchesse titulaire de Moncontour*