Madame De Ventadour - Savior Of Louis XV's Life
5 Video Views·Mar 16, 2022
Madame De Ventadour - Savior Of Louis XV's Life: Charlotte-Éléonore Magdeleine de la Mothe-Houdancourt was born in 1654 and died on 13 December 1744. She was a French noblewoman who, through her marriage to Louis-Charles de Lévis, became Duchess of Ventadour and Dame de Roberval from 1685 to 1744. She was the governess of the future Louis XV, whose life she saved and who, loving her like the mother he had never known, later appointed her, despite her advanced age, governess of the royal children.
Music from https://musopen.org/:
Giovanni Battista - Concerto in G major - III. Allegro con spirito
This work has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights
Charlotte Eleonore de la Motte-Rodin-Court was born in 1654 as the youngest of the three
daughters of Philippe de la Motte-Rodin-Court, Duke of Cardon and Favel, and Louise de Prié,
who was the governess of the children of France.
Charlotte was married off in 1671 to Louis-Charles de Lévy, Duke of Antadour and governor of
Limousin.
The union produced one child, Anne-Geneviève de Lévy, who was born in February 1673.
The arranged marriage was not a happy one, and shortly after her daughter's birth, Charlotte
left her marital home to settle in Paris.
Charlotte had a long career at court, where she was a well-known figure for over 70 years.
Before her marriage, she was appointed Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen from 1660 to 1671.
She was employed as Lady-in-Waiting to the King's sister-in-law, Elisabeth Charlotte
of the Palatinate, between 1684 and 1703.
In 1704, she was appointed governess to the Duke of Bretagne, who was the firstborn of
the King's great-grandchildren.
Officially, she served as second to her mother, Louise de Prié, aided by assistant governesses.
When her mother died in 1709, she took over her mother's position.
In 1712, an epidemic of measles broke out and affected the royal family.
Several members died from it, including the dauphin Louis de Bourgogne and his wife, Marie-Adélaïde
of Savoie.
They left behind two sons, Louis of Bretagne and Louis of Anjou.
These two children also contracted the measles.
After his father's death, the eldest living son, who was five, had become the new dauphin
and physicians put their knowledge to work to save him.
Madame de Ventadur observed their treatment of the child, which included bleeding him.
This treatment severely weakened the boy, and Louis of Bretagne also died from the disease.
Madame de Ventadur was determined not to let Louis of Anjou suffer the same fate, and she
saved his life by locking herself and three nursemaids in a room with the boy, denying
physicians access while feeding him wine and biscuits, until he recovered.
After his recovery, she became a mother figure to Louis, and he would call her Maman Ventadur
from that moment on.
In 1715, Louis became the king of France.
Charlotte remained the governess of the child king until 1717, when it was felt that a king
should be brought up by men.
Louis XV was now placed under the care of the 78-year-old François de Neuville de Villeroy.
At Louis XV's coronation, Madame de Ventadur would be given a seat of honor upon request
of the king.
Before we continue our story, I'd like to present to you another wonderful history channel.
I hope you'll visit my channel to learn about someone you may never have heard of that impacted
history in her own small way.
Do make sure to check out her wonderful content.
Charlotte, now no longer Louis XV's governess, was once again appointed Lady-in-Waiting to
La Palatine, who was the mother of the regent Philippe II d'Orléans.
Between 1721 and 1725, Madame de Ventadur was appointed to be the First Lady-in-Waiting
to the king's fiancée, Marianne Victoria of Spain, who was brought to the court of
France after her betrothal to Louis XV.
The marriage between Marianne and Louis XV never came to pass, and to the great sorrow
of Madame de Ventadur, Marianne was sent back to Spain at the age of seven, allowing the
king to marry a princess of childbearing age.
In 1727, she was able to resume her post as governess to the royal daughters when the
king had his first two children.
In 1735, she handed over her post as governess to her granddaughter Marie-Isabelle de Rohan,
the Duchess of Thaillard.
Charlotte-Éléonore de la Motte-Roudin-Court died on December 13, 1744, at the age of
90, at the Château de Glatigny in Versailles.
Thank you for watching.