Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon
Secret wife of Louis XIV and influential royal adviser.
Françoise d'Aubigné, later known as Madame Scarron and then Madame de Maintenon, was born on 27 November 1635 in Niort. Her father, Constant d'Aubigné, a Huguenot nobleman, was imprisoned for plotting against Cardinal Richelieu, and it is thought she may have been born in or near the jail. Her mother, Jeanne de Cardilhac, was the daughter of the prison director and a devout Catholic who had her daughter baptised in that faith. Françoise’s godfather was Cardinal François de La Rochefoucauld, and her godmother was Suzanne de Baudéan.
In 1640 or early 1641, Constant was released, and the family moved to Martinique. There, Jeanne raised Françoise and her siblings in the Catholic faith, despite the family's Huguenot connections. Constant soon returned to France alone, and Jeanne acted as both parents until the family came back in 1647. Both parents died shortly after, and Françoise went to live with her paternal aunt and uncle, the de Villettes, at their home Mursay. They were wealthy and kind, but staunch Protestants, and when this was discovered by her godmother’s family, an order forced Françoise into a convent for her education.
She disliked convent life, which offered only basic lessons in mathematics, French, Latin, and domestic work, with a heavy focus on religion. Still, she grew fond of a nun named Sister Céleste, who encouraged her first communion. Françoise later wrote that she loved Sister Céleste beyond words and would have sacrificed herself for her. She also developed a talent for writing, with around 2,400 of her letters surviving to this day. Madame de Neuillant, the mother of her godmother, then took Françoise to Paris and introduced her to influential people.
In Paris, Françoise met the poet Paul Scarron, twenty-five years her senior. He offered either marriage or a dowry for a convent. Despite his chronic pain, she married him in April 1652. The match gave her access to high society, and for nine years she acted more as his nurse than wife, while he provided her with education and a sense of vocation as a teacher. After Scarron’s death in 1660, Queen Mother Anne of Austria continued his pension and later raised it to 2,000 livres a year, allowing Françoise to stay in literary circles. When Anne died in 1666, Louis XIV stopped the pension, leaving Françoise in financial trouble. She planned to leave for Portugal as a lady-in-waiting to the n
- born
- 27 November 1635, Niort, France
- died
- 15 April 1719, Saint-Cyr, France
- field
- Courtier, royal governess, educational founder
- nationality
- French
- known_for
- Second wife of Louis XIV, founder of the Maison royale de Saint-Louis
Lore & Background
Françoise d'Aubigné was born into an impoverished Huguenot noble family. Her father Constant d'Aubigné was imprisoned for conspiring against Cardinal Richelieu, and she may have been born in or near the prison. After a childhood in Martinique and a Catholic upbringing, she was placed in a convent for education. She married the poet Paul Scarron in April 1652, gaining access to Parisian high society. Widowed in 1660, she later became governess to the king's extramarital children by Madame de Montespan, eventually becoming the king's confidante and private companion, though she never officially held the title of maîtresse-en-titre.
After Queen Maria Theresa's death in 1683, Françoise married Louis XIV in a private, morganatic ceremony. She was never publicly acknowledged as queen but became the seco
Reader's Guide
Madame de Maintenon's significance lies in her unique position as the uncrowned queen of France and her lasting impact on female education. Despite her humble origins and the secret nature of her marriage, she became the king's most trusted adviser, shaping political and religious policy. Her piety helped turn Louis XIV away from extramarital affairs and toward a more devout Catholic practice. The Maison royale de Saint-Louis, which she founded in 1686, was a pioneering institution for educating girls from impoverished noble families, setting a precedent for female education under the Ancien Régime. Her legacy is also preserved in her extensive correspondence—over 90,000 letters—which provides insight into court life and her influence. Though never crowned, she remains a key figure in French history for her political acumen, educational reforms, and her role as the king's confidante.
Did You Know?
- She was born in Niort, possibly in or just outside the local prison where her father was incarcerated.
- She married the poet Paul Scarron in 1652, who was 25 years her senior.
- She founded the Maison royale de Saint-Louis in 1686, a school for girls from impoverished noble families.
- She wrote more than 90,000 letters in her lifetime.
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