Agnes Sorel
| Agnès Sorel | |
|---|---|
Agnès Sorel as Madonna lactans
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| Born | 1422 Fromenteau (Yzeures sur Creuse), Touraine, France |
| Died | 9 February 1450 (aged 28) Jumièges, Normandy, France |
| Occupation | Maid of Honour |
| Known for | Royal mistress |
| Partner(s) | Charles VII of France |
| Children |
Charlotte de Valois Marie de Valois Jeanne de Valois |
| Parent(s) | Jean Soreau Catherine de Maignelais |
Agnès Sorel (1422 – 9 February 1450), known by the sobriquet Dame de beauté, was a favourite mistress of King Charles VII of France, by whom she bore three daughters. She is considered the first officially recognized royal mistress. She was the subject of several contemporary paintings and works of art, including Jean Fouquet's Virgin and Child Surrounded by Angels.
The daughter of soldier Jean Soreau and Catherine de Maignelais, Sorel was twenty years old when she was first introduced to King Charles. At that time, she was holding a position in the household of Rene I of Naples, as a maid of honour to his consort Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine. Sorel then went on to serve as the lady-in-waiting for Marie d'Anjou, Charles VII of France's wife. She would soon become his mistress. The King gave her the Château de Loches (where he had been persuaded by Joan of Arc to be crowned King of France) as her private residence.
Soon, her presence was felt at the royal court in Chinon where her company was alleged to have brought the king out of a protracted depression. She had a very strong influence on the king, and that, in addition to her extravagant tastes, earned her powerful enemies at court. Sorel would become the first officially recognized royal mistress.
She is credited with starting a fashion when she wore low-cut gowns at court with one breast fully bared.
Agnès gave birth to three daughters fathered by the King:
While pregnant with their fourth child, she journeyed from Chinon in midwinter to join Charles on the campaign of 1450 in Jumièges, wanting to be with him as moral support. There, she suddenly became ill, and after giving birth, she and her child died on 9 February 1450. She was 28 years old. While the cause of death was originally thought to be dysentery, scientists have now concluded that Agnès died of mercury poisoning. She was interred in the Church of St. Ours, in Loches. Her heart was buried in the Benedictine Abbey of Jumièges.
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Wikipedia