Isabelle de Ludres

Marie-Elisabeth de Ludres, known as Isabelle , born in 1647 with Ludres, in Lorraine, was girl of Jean de Ludres and Claude of the Rooms.

Biography

Chanoinesse of the abbey of Poussay, it was high there. In 1662, it was promised in marriage to Charles IV, duke of Lorraine. Excommunicated for Adultery, it had decided, once widowed, to marry its mistress. But when it came to Poussay and that it saw Isabelle, famous on a great beauty, it decided to make his wife of it. It ravisa one year after its engagement, to marry its mistress, who died shortly after. Charles IV wanted to then marry Marie-Louise d' Apremont. Isabelle opposed, and had it the support of the Lorraine Clergé. The duke threatened it to engage of the continuations for the crime of “Lèse-majesté” which it according to him had made. In 1666, it left its abbey for the court of France.

Lady-in-waiting of Henriette of England on her arrival, it passed then to the service of the queen (1670), then of Mrs Palatine (1673). The beauty, but also zézaiement and the strong Lorraine accent of Isabelle de Ludres attracted the courtiers. She would have resisted to them, until, following a momentary disgrace of Madam de Montespan, in Easter 1675, Louis XIV is interested in her. Their connection was rather discrete, but not sufficiently not to wake up the jealousy of Madam de Montespan. The latter made run the noise that “the beautiful one of Ludres” had the body covered with Dartres, like “the Gale, the the conceivable Lèpre, and all diseases”. The king did not believe the rumor and keeps Isabelle near him.

He was however constrained to separate from her, or to make mine, at the time of the return of Athénaïs. Readily mocker, it évertua to criticize it in front of the king, in particular by treating it of “haillon”, but could not prevent Louis XIV to attend it when it was pregnant of its sixth bastard and had to leave the court in spring 1676. While the king was in shift against the Spaniards, Isabelle spread her connection with him, saying even that it was pregnant of her works. The chronicler Primi Visconti tells that the ladies having the envied privilege of the stool at the queen rose on arrival of Isabelle de Ludres. She praised herself “to have flushed out” Madam de Montespan and saw herself already new favorite appointed. She had even the audacity to write in person to the king, who was still with the armies. Their relation having to remain secret, Louis XIV was irritated some. It did not drive out it court, but broke any trade with her. With the return of the king, then of the Marchioness of Montespan, Isabelle had to again undergo the sarcastic remarks of the latter, but publicly. One day that the court heard the mass, the king greeted Isabelle de Ludres. Athénaïs then made irruption and addressed reproaches to them before all the assembly.

At the beginning of 1678, Isabelle left the service of Mrs Palatine and was withdrawn with the convent of the Visitation of Sainte-Marie, after having refused a gift of money which the king proposed to him. The departure of the chanoiness left this indifferent last.

She lived several years in Parisian cloisters. Involved in debt, Isabelle was forced to claim a pension with the king, who granted it to him. She regained then her native Lorraine. “The beautiful one of Ludres”, as named formerly it the courtiers, was created Marquise in 1720. She died in Nancy the January 28th 1726.

See too

List of the mistresses of the kings de France

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