Name Louis de | Died December 1, 1691 | |
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Spouse Francoise-Athenais, marquise de Montespan (m. 1663) Children Louis Antoine de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Marie Christine de Pardaillan de Gondrin Grandchildren Pierre de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Louis de Pardaillan de Gondrin Great grandchildren Louis de Pardaillan de Gondrin Similar People Francoise‑Athenais - marquise de Monte, Gabriel de Rochechouart de Morte, Louise Francoise de Bourb, Louis Auguste - Duke of, Louis Alexandre - Count of | ||
Louis Henri de Pardaillan de Gondrin, marquis de Montespan (1640 – 1 December 1691), was a French nobleman, most notable as the husband of Louis XIV's mistress Madame de Montespan.
Contents
Life
He was the son of Roger-Hector de Pardaillan de Gondrin, marquis of Antin, and Marie-Christine de Zamet de Murat. In February 1663 he married Francoise-Athenais de Rochechouart de Mortemart. They had two children:
However, for Mademoiselle de Mortemart, an alliance with a quite obscure noble family from south-western France was not enough and her husband (always short of money) was always away on his judicial duties; she thus became the mistress of Louis XIV in 1667. When her husband found out, instead of accepting it as was usual to cuckolded husbands of the era (especially when it was the king doing the cuckolding), he raised a scandal at court, challenged the king one day at Saint-Germain-en-Laye and decorated his carriage with antlers (like horns, a traditional symbol of the cuckolded husband). He was promptly imprisoned in the For-l'Eveque, then exiled to his lands. This did not stop his agitation, and not only did Montespan go to Paris nearly every year between 1670 and 1686, he also commanded an annual requiem mass to be sung for his wife during her lifetime.