51. She Got Into a Brutal Public Spat
Madame de Pompadour's shameless quest to get to the top of the French court didn't always make her the most popular person in the room, but when she got on the wrong side of the Comte de Maurepas, she learned to regret it. He wrote an utterly vicious poem about Pompadour where he made fun of her...for her recent miscarriage. And as though that's not bad enough, some historians believe the poem had an even crueller meaning.
52. Her Rival Was Intense
In Maurepas' infamous poem, he refers to Pompadour's "white flowers." It sounds innocent, but nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone at the court knew Maurepas' scandalous double meaning: He alleged that Pompadour's nether regions produces a thick, odorous discharge. But it gets even worse: Apparently, this wasn't just a cruel jibe. It might have been true. Scholars believe that Pompadour may have had "leucorrhoea."
53. She Punished her Enemies
Pompadour was deeply offended by Maurepas' cruel poem and she used her significant power to make her enemy regret his words. She quickly got her lover King Louis to exile her enemy Maurepas. Pompadour: 1. Maurepas: 0.
54. She Made her Mark
Pompadour pops up in all sorts of places. Not only did her breast form the shape of the French champagne glass, there's also a long-standing rumor that she influenced a famous engagement ring style. King Louis XV may have commissioned the “marquise cut” diamond as a scandalous homage to his beloved mistress. Apparently, its shape is based on Pompadour’s mouth.
Louis XV, The black sun (2009), Les Films d
55. She Secretly Controlled France
Pompadour made her mark on French history not just as a mistress and a sly politician but a tastemaker. She was an important patron of the arts whose commissions supported painters, writers, and porcelain artisans. Do you ever wonder how Paris got a reputation for being such a fancy, cultured place? Thank Madame de Pompadour. She played a huge role in making the city the "capital of taste and culture in Europe."
Not all her legacies would be so positive, though.
56. She Had Famous Haters
The French writer, critic, and philosopher Denis Diderot was not a fan of Madame de Pompadour. After her death, he let the world know how he really felt about the king's great love. Diderot angrily wrote, “What remains of this woman who cost us so much in men and money, left us without honor and without energy, and who overthrew the whole political system of Europe?”
Here's where it gets even worse: Diderot had sucked up to Pompadour when she was alive so that she'd fund his Encyclopedia. But after her death, the truth came out: Her so-called friend hated her guts.
57. Her Low Origins Haunted Her
The French court was full of backstabbing and in-fighting, and poor Madame de Pompadour had it worse than most people. High born courtiers constantly insulted her lowly background. Their jibes were so numerous that the nation had a specific term for attacks on Pompadour: These insults were called "poissonades" in a reference to her last name, the common "Poisson" aka "fish."
58. She Righted a Horrible Wrong
One of Madame de Pompadour's final acts was also one of her most noble. In 1762, a Catholic merchant named Jean Calas was accused of killing his son and despite the father's insistence that he was innocent, he died after being brutally tormented by the French police. Pompadour's dear friend Voltaire told her about the miscarriage of justice, leading Pompadour to intervene. She got the king to overturn Calas' sentence.
Though, to be fair, she wasn't this nice to all religious minorities.
59. She Made Life Hard For Her People
Louis passed a bill that suppressed Jesuits, a rising Christian group. At the time, this issue was incredibly volatile. It divided not just France, but the royal family. Although Louis’s son, daughters, and wife supported the Jesuits, Madame de Pompadour did not. Louis ultimately sided with his mistress, and the Jesuits saw their rights greatly reduced because of her sway.
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60. She Produced Kinky Plays
Pompadour didn't just watch art from the sidelines, she took part in it herself. She learned to engrave gems from the craft's greatest artisan, with one of Pompadour's pieces displaying her little spaniel on a tiny gemstone. More scandalously, during her time as Louis XV’s mistress, she staged over a hundred plays at Versailles. Pompadour would often flatter Louis XV by acting as a coy peasant in love with a god AKA the King, and people would lose their minds to get a part in her productions.
61. She was a Style Icon
Madame de Pompadour became well known for her love of feminine designs and the rococo art style. Over time, her artistry became part of her identity so much that a shade of pink was called "Pompadour Pink."
Louis XV, The black sun (2009), Les Films d
62. Her Ending was Tragic
In 1764, Madame de Pompadour began to feel unwell. When the doctors examined her, they had terrible news: the king's great love had tuberculosis. Louis looked after Pompadour as best he could, but ultimately she succumbed to her illness and passed away at the place she loved more than anywhere else: Versailles. She was just 42 years old, but she had lived a hundred lives in her short time on Earth.
63. Her Loss was Felt
After Pompadour's death, tributes poured in from all over France. King Louis XV described their bond not just as a passionate romance, but a "twenty year friendship." Pompadour's dear friend, the famous writer Voltaire, mourned her in writing. He referenced her great contribution to his career by saying, "I am indebted to her and I mourn her out of gratitude." Even the weather seemed to mourn her loss. It rained heavily on the day that Pompadour's coffin left the palace.
However, shortly after Pompadour's death, the king betrayed his great love in two brutal ways.
64. Missing in Mourning
Although the king deeply grieved at Pompadour's death, court protocol forbade him from attending her funeral. After all, Pompadour was still born as a Jeanne Poisson, a middle class woman. Because of this inconvenient fact, she was too low-ranking to deserve a royal funeral attendance, even if the King himself was her life partner.
Louis XV, The black sun (2009), Les Films d
65. He Didn't Mourn for Long
In 1762, Madame de Pompadour convinced Louis to construct the Petit Trianon, a luxurious mini château within Versailles that would serve as their love nest. Unfortunately, Pompadour passed away before construction could be finished. But don’t worry, it didn’t go to waste. The Petit Trianon went on to serve as home base to Pompadour’s successor in the royal bed, Madame du Barry.
66. She Inspired Many
One of the most long-lasting aspects of Pompadour’s legacy is the hairstyle that bears her name. The elaborate coif involves one’s hair being worn straight up from the forehead and sides. This hairstyle has endured for centuries after Pompadour’s death and not just on her female fans! Men who have adopted the pompadour hairstyle in one form or another include Elvis Presley, Marlon Brando, David Beckham, and Justin Timberlake.
67. She Continues to Fascinate
In one of her more recent appearances in pop culture, Pompadour showed up as a character in the Doctor Who episode “The Girl in the Fireplace.” The episode follows the Doctor jumping in and out of Pompadour’s life in order to save her from a group of aliens. Pompadour is played by Sophia Myles, who bizarrely kept her British accent for the role.
Thanks to good writing—and an ending that we know made some of you cry—“The Girl in the Fireplace” won a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and is one of the highest-rated episodes of David Tennant’s era as the Doctor.
68. The Couple Hid a Dark Secret
While on the outside, their relationship was happy and healthy, modern historians now know that the couple hid a dark secret behind bedroom doors. From 1750 onwards, Pompadour ceased being a sexual partner to Louis XV. Just five years into their relationship, they stopped making love. But the reason for their abstinence was so shocking that it's impossible to forget.
69. Pompadour Suffered in Silence
In public, the reason for Pompadour's shifting role was chalked up to her poor health. She suffered multiple miscarriages, her childhood bout with whooping cough had weakened her, and she always seemed to have a cold or bronchitis. But behind closed doors, there was another reason: Pompadour just wasn't that interested in bedroom-based activities.
Louis XV, The black sun (2009), Les Films d
70. She Had a Strange Secret
It turns out that despite Madame de Pompadour's reputation as a beautiful mistress, she didn't actually have a voracious sexual appetite. She even went on a bizarre celery, truffle, and vanilla diet to try to feel more "in the mood." Unsurprisingly, this nauseating combination of flavors did not end up doing anything to help the royal mistress feel randy.
Louis XV, The black sun (2009), Les Films d
71. Her Portrait Hid a Scandalous Secret
There are numerous portraits of Madame de Pompadour—but only one reveals her darkest secret. Towards the end of her life, Pompadour commissioned a painting of her embroidering fabric. It seemed like an innocent activity, but the truth wasn’t so simple: Pompadour would meet with world leaders and negotiate power while demurely embroidering.
Pompadour's portrait was nowhere near as meek and unassuming as it seemed.
72. She Betrayed her Love
Madame de Pompadour was King Louis XV’s great love, but few people know she betrayed him with an utterly brutal act. Pompadour was deeply engaged in arts and culture, and one of her project was editing the first French Encyclopedia by her frenemy Diderot and his co-writer d'Alembert. The book championed science and criticized both the law and the church. Historians now call it the “intellectual prologue” to the French Revolution. The violent uprising would see Louis’ grandson beheaded at the guillotine.
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
