Francoise Marie de Bourbon, 1692 (Short Biography), Brought To Life Ai
Francoise Marie de Bourbon, Portrait painting by François de Troy, 1692 FRANÇOISE MARIE DE BOURBON, Duchess of Orléans, Granddaughter of France by marriage (4 May 1677 – 1 February 1749, aged 71) was the youngest illegitimate daughter of Louis XIV of France and his chief royal mistress, Marquise de Montespan. Also known as 'Mademoiselle de Blois'. At the age of 14, she was wed to her first cousin Philippe d'Orléans, future Regent of France during the minority of Louis XV. She was famed for her arrogance and belief that she was above most other people. Proud, lazy and attractive, she successfully intrigued to have her daughters marry well. Through two of her eight children she became the ancestress of several of Europe's Roman Catholic monarchs of the 19th and 20th centuries, notably those of Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and France. Françoise wielded little political influence considering her near relationships to France's rulers during most of her life. She was ...