@histodons @historikerinnen @earlymodern

If we caught your interest with this thread, we have some reading recommendations.
On Madame de Maintenon we can recommend the biography by Mark Bryant, Queen of Versailles: Madame de Maintenon, Fist Lady of Louis XIV’s France, London/Chicago 2020
as well as the PhD thesis by Corina Bastian who focused especially on #emdiplomacy: Corina Bastian. Verhandeln in Briefen. Frauen in der höfischen Diplomatie des frühen 18. Jahrhunderts, Köln u. a. 2013.

On Marie Adélaïde de Savoie we can recommend the biography by Elisabetta Lurgo, Marie Adélaïde de Savoie – Duchesse de Bourgogne, mère de Louis XV., Paris 2024. (7/7)

@histodons @historikerinnen @earlymodern

If you browse through the homepage of the castle of Versailles you do find more detailed information about Madame de Maintenon, but on side visiting the palace only with an audioguide at your side as most tourists do, you get a very limited and outdated view of the role of female political and diplomatic actors. (6/7)

https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/history/great-characters/madame-maintenon

@histodons @historikerinnen @earlymodern

Another woman that played an important role at Versailles was Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon. She was first mistress and later wife of Louis XIV, although this marriage was never openly acknowledged. Nevertheless, she was a close confidant and advisor to the king and everybody knew about her political influence. The audioguide doesn’t mention this. At several points it describes how Louis XIV discussed politics with his (male) advisors in this or that room. Madame de Maintenon isn’t mentioned in these contexts. She is only discussed, when talking about Louis’ XIV free time and that he enjoyed going for extended walks with her. That the might have discussed politics isn’t mentioned at all, neither that she was an important political and diplomatic actor at the French court. (5/7)

@histodons @historikerinnen @earlymodern

One of these stories was about Marie Adélaïde de Savoie (1685-1712) who was married to Louis de Bourbon, the grandson of Louis XIV. She was also the mother of the later Louis XV. She came to Versailles when she was only eleven and the audioguide tells you that the old Louis XIV really enjoyed her lively company. When she died quite young at the age of 26 of measels, her papers were sorted and it was discovered that she had regularly reported about court politics to her father the duke of Savoy. According to the story, Louis XIV had been enraged and called her a traitor. (3/7)

@histodons @historikerinnen @earlymodern

Explaining the architecture as well as courtly life under Louis XIV. the audioguide enriched the historical facts with some details and stories from his life. Altogether, very few women appeared in this audioguide and if they did they were presented in a very unpolitical way. (2/7)

Well, apparently it won’t be a trip to Versailles today. I’ve walked 4km to two different train stations and it appears there is a strike which is impacting trains and other forms of transport as well. Trying to change my ticket but their web form doesn’t work so I’ll have to try the phone. Bummer. #AdventuresOfCass2025 #Versailles