Françoise de Châlus

Françoise de Chalus (bap. Château de Châlus-Chabrol, Châlus, Haute-Vienne, 24 February 1734 - Paris, 7 July 1821), was a French noble and courtier. She was the mother of Louis, comte de Narbonne-Lara, possibly by king Louis XV of France. She was the lady-in-waiting of Louise Élisabeth of France in 1749-59, and the influential favorite lady-in-waiting of Princess Marie Adélaïde of France in 1764-1800.

Françoise de Chalus was the daughter of Gabriel de Châlus, seigneur de Sansac, and Claire Gérault de Solages.

On 10 July 1749, she married a noble of Spanish descent Don Jean François, 1er duc de Narbonne-Lara Grandee of Spain 1st Class, Lieutenant General of the Army, Commander in Name of the King of the Dioceses of Castres, Albi and Lavaur, 1st Gentleman of the House of H.R.H. the Duke of Parma (Aubiac, Lot-et-Garonne, 27 December 1718 - 12 August 1806). Her spouse was a member of the Spanish entourage of Louise Élisabeth of France, who visited the French court at that time. Françoise de Chalus left France for the Duchy of Parma in Italy with her spouse in the retinue of Élisabeth of France, and served for ten years as the lady-in-waiting of Élisabeth of France.

In 1755, she became the mother of Louis, comte de Narbonne-Lara. It is alleged that Louis XV was the biological father. According to documents of the Military Archive, her husband Jean François de Narbonne-Lara had been wounded 8 years earlier in the War of the Austrian Succession (1747), becoming from that moment on unable of having an offspring. The baptism of Louis, comte de Narbonne-Lara is another indication of that paternity. His name was Louis, and his contemporaries remarked about the similarities between Louis and the King.

Upon the death of Élisabeth of France in 1759, Françoise de Chalus settled in France, and in 1764, she became the lady-in-waiting to Madame Adelaide; she was promoted to dame d'honneur in 1781. She reportedly rivaled with the duchess de Civrac, dame d'honneur of Madame Victoire, in an attempt to distance the two sisters. After the accession of Louis XVI in 1774, she belonged to what was called the "Old Court" of the Mesdames at Bellevue. She was described as haughty and imperious, and while Civrac successfully hosted parties in the name of Madame Victoire, Narbonne (Françoise de Chalus) was reportedly not as successful, as her temperament did not attract people socially.

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