Madame De Maintenon

Madame de Maintenon is a biography written by Maud Cruttwell. The book tells the story of Fran�����oise d'Aubign�����, who later became known as Madame de Maintenon. Fran�����oise was born in a prison in 1635 and was raised by her aunt and uncle. She was married at a young age to a poet named Paul Scarron, who was much older than her. After his death, she became a governess to the children of King Louis XIV's mistress, Madame de Montespan. Fran�����oise eventually became a trusted confidante of the king and secretly married him in 1683. She went on to become one of the most powerful women in France and played a significant role in the court of Louis XIV. The book provides a detailed account of her life, her relationship with the king, and her role in shaping French politics and culture during her time. It also explores her religious beliefs and her founding of the Maison royale de Saint-Louis, a school for girls from impoverished noble families. Overall, Madame de Maintenon is a fascinating portrait of a remarkable woman who played a significant role in the history of France.1930. With sixteen illustrations in photogravure. The story of Madame de Maintenon who was born in a prison and raised to a Throne or next door to it. Freaks of fortune fantastic as a fairy-tale, contrasts of penury and magnificence which seem invented only to astonish and amuse. Yet the heroine of these incredible vicissitudes was no exotic enchantress dominating by superhuman beauty or intelligence. Her personality is singularly free from any abnormal characteristic. She was neither the femme fatale, the malevolent witch blasting all who offended her, of Saint-Simon's malignant invention, nor the all-powerful Dictatress, scourge of the Huguenots, of the Dutch Gazettes, nor finally the hypocritical religious despot of the biographers, austere governess ruling her nuns with a rod of iron when nothing else was left to rule. No personage of her importance in history has been so maligned, so misunderstood, so misrepresented. She, stigmatized as cruel, capricious, vindictive, fatal to France, was in reality a paragon of honesty, loyalty and magnanimity; very simple, very straightforward, supremely charitable; a saint, whose sole ambitions were to convert her King and alleviate the misery caused by his wars.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.