Random Biggest Scandals From Court Of Louis XIV (10 items)

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  (#9) Nicolas Fouquet Became The Richest Man In France Before Going To Prison For Stealing From The King

  Born into a wealthy family in 1615, Nicolas Fouquet was 17th-century France's version of Icarus. He was the son of a self-made nobleman and spent his life continuously moving up the political and social ladder. But by 1661, his time was up.

  For decades, Fouquet held high-ranking positions that allowed him to funnel away money that otherwise would have gone directly to the king. He quickly became the richest man in France, his wealth even surpassing that of Louis XIV. However, his lavish displays of wealth were his undoing, and the extravagant party he threw in August 1661 proved to Louis XIV that Fouquet had become too wealthy for his own good.

  The king had Fouquet arrested and brought to trial for embezzlement. Three years later, he was found guilty, but managed to escape the usual death sentence. He instead faced banishment from France, but Louis XIV worried what a man with such powerful information could do in a foreign land. In the end, Fouquet went to the Pignerol prison until his death on March 23, 1680.
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  (#1) Louis XIV Lost His Virginity To A Woman Called One-Eyed Kate

  When Louis XIV was 15 years old, his mother began her search for the woman who would introduce the young king to the act of procreation. It was incredibly important for Louis to produce "an heir and a spare," as they say, to ensure the continuation of the royal line. However, historical consultant and author Aurora von Goeth described just how hard the queen had to work to find the perfect woman to deflower her son:

  The chosen woman must lack ambitions to raise herself above her current rank, she must be discreet, she must be experienced, but not too much, she must be clean and without any diseases, she must be charming, but not to a level of being too enchanting, after all the whole act will be quite bewitching already.

  In the end, the queen settled on one of her own ladies-in-waiting, Catherine Henriette Bellier, also known as One-Eyed Catherine (or Kate). Not only was she missing an eye, but she was also known for being "ugly as ugly can be." However, she followed the queen's instructions and reportedly did an outstanding job at taking Louis's virginity after he returned to his room one day to find her lying on his bed wearing almost nothing.

  The queen rewarded Catherine handsomely for her efforts - she received 2,000 livres, two townhouses, the title of baroness, and the Hôtel de Beauvais. In fact, the hotel still stands today with the only surviving image of Catherine carved into the wall of the courtyard.
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  (#2) The Queen Possibly Cheated On Her Husband With An African Dwarf

  The details surrounding the origin of Sister Louise Marie Thérèse are very cloudy. What historians do know, though, is she lived as a nun in Moret and rumor said she had royal heritage. However, most don't agree on exactly who her parents were.

  One theory says a Black baby was born to Queen Marie Thérèse, but the child wasn't actually of African heritage. Some historians believe the baby may have been born with dark blue or purplish skin because it had been deprived of oxygen, and that it died soon after being born.

  However, the more salacious version of the story claims an illegitimate child was born to either Queen Marie Thérèse or King Louis XIV. Marie Thérèse was known to have had a jester who was an African dwarf, while Louis XIV had access to "exotic" women from Africa. Either of them could have been Louise Marie Thérèse's parent, but the truth behind her heritage has been lost to history.
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  (#8) The King Had A Widely Known Affair With His Sister-In-Law

  The marriage between Henriette Anne of England and the king's brother, Philippe, the Duc d'Orléans, at first appeared genuinely loving and relatively stable; however, the facade quickly crumbled as both parties began having affairs. Henriette, known at court as Madame, was very close with Louis XIV and served as a diplomat for France's dealings with England. Rumor had it she was also very close with him in a sexual way.

  There were plenty of rumors flying around Versailles regarding the intimate relationship between Henriette and Louis XIV, fueled by their many private rendezvous. And the idea that Henriette was sleeping with her husband's brother only added to the scandalous nature of the affair.
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  (#6) The Affair Of The Poisons Brought Down Many Members Of The Royal Court

  In 1678 rumors flew that a member of Louis XIV's court was going to poison him. The accusation opened up a deep well of secrets and magic as dozens of members of the court were found to have used potions or spells on the king. At that time, Paris had a thriving underworld of magicians and sorcerers who sold their wares to the ambitious members of the court.

  It was mainly ambition that drove them - Louis XIV could give them power, wealth, and social status at his discretion, so the people in his inner circle had plenty of reasons to compete for his favor and attention. One of the most anxious to secure her status as the king's primary mistress was Françoise Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise of Montespan. People believed Madame de Montespan was a customer of the most notorious sorceress in Paris, known as La Voisin. Allegedly, she laced the king's food with love potions and aphrodisiacs she purchased from this magical underworld - on more than one occasion.

  In 1679 Louis XIV essentially criminalized magic and potion making. In an event known afterward as "The Affair of the Poisons," he formed a special tribunal that investigated 400 people over three years, sending 36 people to their death and 34 into exile.
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  (#10) Some Members Of The Court Believed The Duchesse d'Orleans Was Poisoned

  Historians believe King Louis XIV's sister-in-law, Henriette Anne of England, Duchesse d'Orleans, most likely died from natural causes. In the months leading up to her sudden and unexpected death, Madame complained of pains in her side and was generally in poor health.

  After returning from a diplomatic trip to England and traveling with Monsieur to Saint-Cloud, her health quickly worsened. She regularly drank chicory water, and on June 29, 1670, she asked her husband to bring her a glass. Upon drinking it, she almost instantly cried out in pain and claimed she had been poisoned. Suffering from an intense pain in her side, she was taken to her room where she died before the next morning.

  While lying in agony, Madame reportedly insisted multiple times she had been poisoned. However, the remainder of the chicory water was given to the hounds, and none suffered any side effects. Despite the lack of evidence, a rumor quickly spread that it was Madame's husband, Philippe, who had killed her. A second rumor began soon after, claiming Philippe's lover, the Chevalier de Lorraine, had actually poisoned Madame. He presumably had acted out of revenge, since Madame was partially responsible for him having spent time in the worst prison in France.

  In the end, an autopsy of Madame by well-respected surgeons revealed colic, gastroenteritis, and signs of gangrene on her organs - all natural causes.

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