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Love stories. Renaissance

Agnes Sorel and Charles VII

It is not known exactly when Agnes Sorel, an outstanding woman of her era, was born. Some call the year of her birth 1409, others claim that she was born much later, in 1422. Her father, a close associate of the noble Count of Clermont, tried to ensure that his daughter became a maid of honor at the court of first Duchess Isabella of Lorraine, and then Queen Marie of Anjou herself, wife of King Charles VII of France. Agnes was just over twenty years old. There were legends about her beauty. Even the Pope admitted many years later: “She had the most beautiful face that can only be seen in this world.”

Agnes Sorel. Portrait of an unknown artist

Many noble people and high-ranking officials fell in love with the girl, and even the king himself was no exception. Before meeting Agnes, the king had favorites. It was noted that Maria of Anjou knew about the passionate and temperamental nature of her husband. Her husband was known as a flighty, immoral, cowardly and cruel man, but he was quite well-read, educated and insightful.

Jean Fouquet. Portrait of Charles VII. Around 1444 Paris, Louvre

Having once seen the fair-haired, blue-eyed Agnes, Karl was struck by her charm, that same evening he took the maid of honor to his bedroom and confessed his feelings to her. Not expecting such frankness, the embarrassed girl ran out of the royal chambers. But a few days later she returned, and a month later Agnes became the favorite of Charles VII.

Everyone knew about this, and only the queen, it seemed, did not even know about her husband’s love affair with the charming Agnes. Until one day, in the halls of the royal palace, Maria of Anjou saw her rival walking with her breasts bare. The immodest behavior of the court lady outraged the well-behaved queen.

Agnes Sorel. Portrait by Jean Fouquet

But no matter how Mary watched the king, Charles did not give the slightest reason for jealousy. The queen's guesses were confirmed only when Agnes became pregnant, and on the day of birth the king was so worried that there could be no more doubts - adultery was obvious.

Mary of Anjou - wife of CHARLES VII

The angry and offended queen spent several days in tears, and then decided to calm down and... become a friend of the mistress of her reigning husband. The queen became so close to her rival that she soon trusted her with her most intimate secrets and gave Agnes jewelry and clothes. Women began to walk together, go hunting, and discuss affairs in the country.

Madame Sorel gave birth to four daughters to the king, to whom her lover, despite the persuasion of those close to him, gave the family titles of Valois. And Agnes, even after giving birth, continued to captivate Karl with her elegance and endless imagination.

It was Agnes Sorel who made it possible for diamonds to be worn not only by male royalty, but also by all women who could purchase jewelry made from a precious stone. Agnes first introduced long trains into fashion, which the church called the “devil’s tail” and forbade noble ladies from wearing them. And the neckline, which very frivolously exposed a woman’s breasts, completely aroused the indignation of those around her. The bold favorite was called a reckless woman and a lady of easy virtue, the court ladies-in-waiting hissed with envy, and the married ladies, noticing the curious glances of their spouses towards Madame Sorel, demanded that order be restored, refusing to be present in the company of the immodest and depraved royal favorite.

But Karl did not seem to notice the antics of his mistress. He awarded her the titles of Ladies of Beauté-sur-Marne, Vernon, Rouquesiere. And one title went down in history and became inextricably linked with Agnes - the title of Madame Bothe (Lady of Beauty). In 1448, when Agnes already had three children, Charles decided to present his adored favorite with a castle near Paris.

Agnes Sorel. The title of Madame Bote (Lady of Beauty). Artist Jean Fouquet. Virgin and Child. Diptych panel from Melen. 1450, Antwerp, Museum of Fine Arts

Beloved by the king, showered with his generous gifts, Agnes did not feel completely happy. The poverty of ordinary French people, the ongoing Hundred Years' War, the inaction of the king - all this caused discontent among the people. But for some reason the royal favorite was considered guilty of everything. And Madame Sorel decided to act. The king, in love with her, was ready to do anything for her favor and love. It was then, in 1429, that the name of the brave girl Joan of Arc became known, who was introduced to the king by Madame Sorel.

One day, when the king was in Normandy, Madame Sorel came to him. Her condition was terrifying: Agnes went into labor. Before this, she told the king about the plot being prepared against him, but Karl considered her words to be the delirium of an excited woman in labor. Whether this conspiracy took place or not is now impossible to say. However, those close to him believed that even if the conspirators wanted to kill the king, they were frightened when they learned that the brave favorite had brought this news to Charles.

A few days later, when Madame Sorel returned to Paris, she became ill. She died on February 9, 1450, and before her death she regretted only one thing: last minutes I couldn’t see the man I loved. The king was not shown the deceased. Her face was disfigured by the death throes.

Karl could not come to his senses for a long time: he was sure that the lady of his heart had been poisoned. At first, suspicion fell on the Minister of Finance, who was given a quick trial. Due to insufficient evidence, the charge of murdering the royal maid of honor was dropped against him, and he was imprisoned for embezzlement of the treasury. Then the king began to suspect his own son. Louis really didn’t like his father’s favorite, and he didn’t have the best relationship with Charles. better relationship. However, as the courtiers said, he could hardly take such a step. One way or another, the cause of death of the royal beloved remained unclear. The king gradually calmed down and... chose to forget about his deceased mistress.

The Hundred Years' War ended in 1453. The reforms that Sorel so dreamed of were also completed. Everyone understood that they owe this to the beautiful Madame Botha, the blond Agnes, the woman who changed the kingdom and inspired the king to make bold decisions.

But Charles VII was already having fun with another lady: Agnes’s cousin Antoinette became the favorite. She did not have the same influence on Karl as her cousin, but she turned out to be an excellent lover and organizer of entertainment, parties, and balls.

Having fallen in love with Antoinette and not wanting to part with her even for a minute, the king married her to his friend and settled the couple in the palace. Andre de Villequier knew about the intimate relationship between his wife and the king, but chose not to pay attention to his wife’s infidelities.

Karl spent all his time with his favorite. Soon Antoinette alone was no longer enough for him, and the shrewd mistress gathered several dozen of the most beautiful girls in Paris around her adored friend. The monarch indulged in love affairs, and a rumor spread throughout France that Charles VII had gone mad and indulged in terrible debauchery. The courtiers were indignant and indignant, and the king traveled around the country and collected new mistresses into his “harem”. The queen looked at her husband's debauchery with bitterness.

The bad example of the ruler seduced his subjects. High-ranking officials, noble husbands, even confessors also fell into debauchery and considered it an honor to have at least a couple of concubines with them. Paris collapsed into a maelstrom of passion and lust.

The king's love affairs and his wild life led to the fact that Charles VII fell ill with a serious illness. IN recent months life, remembering terrible death Agnes, he refused food for fear of being poisoned. In the summer of 1461, the king died of exhaustion.

After his father's death, his son Louis XI, the great unifier of France, ascended the throne. He, on the contrary, was afraid of women, which is why he treated them with rude contempt. Deep in his soul, the king was wary of female charms and never allowed women to control him, as Agnes Sorel, the beautiful and charming Madame Bothe, did with his father.

Anna Sardaryan

Dauphin Charles the Eighth (future Charles VII)

"Coronation of Charles VII in Reims." Sh. Lenepwe. 1889

Portrait Charles VII. 1403

Beautiful Agnes. Copy of the portrait of Agnes Sorel from a drawing by Jean Fouquet (1449?). 1525, Paris, National Library

Agnes Sorel died in January 1449, before reaching twenty-seven years of age. And at this time, on the other side of the world, in Japan, the poet Matsuo Onemoto wrote in ink the lines:

Paid tribute to the earthly
And fell silent
Light water.

Few have heard the name of Agnes Sorel, a contemporary of Joan of Arc, who lived in France in the 15th century, but much more is known about the events associated with her.

“− First! - exclaimed Koroviev, - Mr. Jacques and his wife.He became famous for poisoning the royal mistress.” (M.A. Bulgakov “The Master and Margarita”)

Yes, yes, at Satan’s ball in the famous novel, it was Agnes Sorel who was mentioned as the poisoned royal mistress - but more on that later. In the meantime, let's talk about what else Agnes became famous for.

The first thing historians and contemporaries mention is its amazing beauty. Yes, we know that it used to be customary to praise a woman’s appearance, even the most mediocre, it was an element of gallantry and courtly play, but in in this case it's true. Even the Pope said that “She has the most beautiful face you can see in this world.” The chronicler Jean Chartier considered her “the most beautiful of all beauties in the world,” and Olivier de la Marche said: “She is the most a beautiful woman"that I have ever seen." So later Agnes began to be called “The most beautiful woman of the 15th century.”

This is how the writer Juliette Benzoni describes her in her series of novels “Catherine”: “Catherine turned around and looked with wide eyes. A creature slowly approached along the stone slabs, as if emerging from a dream. Tall, thin, graceful young girl. Long chestnut hair shimmering with gold spilled out from under a wreath of fawn roses and flowed over the milky white shoulders, which the dress of azure taffeta revealed as generously as two round snow-white breasts, which seemed ready to burst out of the blue at any second. silks. Large eyes under thin eyebrows were the same heavenly color. The forehead was slightly convex, the cheeks were round, the mouth was small and red, like a cherry. But what was most striking was the skin, the whitest, thinnest and most transparent that exists in the world. It was she who gave her whole appearance a special imprint of unreality.”

First of all, Agnes Sorel (sometimes called Agnès Sorel) is considered the continuer of the business. True, in a completely different form. More on this later, but for now a few words about what else this amazing woman is known for:

1. Agnes was the beloved of King Charles VII - the same one who was crowned only thanks to the efforts of Jeanne. At the same time, she became the first official favorite of the king in European history. Before this, monarchs hid their mistresses and did not emphasize their status. Agnes was also perhaps the only royal favorite who remained unmarried - usually, wanting to get a woman, kings and other noble aristocrats first of all looked for her a “suitable” husband, whose marriage served as a cover for their relationship. But Agnes remained unmarried and all her life she was called the maiden Fromante. Although she gave birth to the king three daughters and this was a well-known fact.

2. Agnes is considered the first to introduce the fashion for wearing diamonds - firstly, by women, and secondly, by persons of non-royal blood.

3. The king's favorite also greatly influenced fashion in general. Women began to wear long trains and dresses with a very low neckline or... exposing one breast. Look at the portrait of Agnes - in it you will quite clearly see this feature of a lady’s wardrobe. However, besides her, there were few who dared to walk like that - but Agnes’s breasts were so beautiful and perfect that she tried in every possible way to emphasize it.

4. Agnes had a strong influence on the weak-willed king - fortunately, in positive side. She insisted on removing his greedy favorites from their positions, replacing them with more worthy people.

5. And finally, Agnes was a true patriot who longed for the complete liberation of France from the British - after all, the Hundred Years' War had not yet ended. Joan of Arc was no longer alive, and King Charles was quite satisfied with the results achieved. Knowing the feelings he had for her, Agnes decided to use them for her own purposes. She told the king that she had learned about the prophecy that was forced to separate them. When asked by the king, Agnes said that it states that Agnes will have to belong to the most powerful monarch in Europe, and everyone knows that this is the king of England. Charles VII was so struck by these words that he resumed hostilities.

Agnes Sorel turned out to be “numerologically” connected with Joan of Arc. Both of them were born in 1412, and in 1431, when Jeanne was executed, Agnes became the king's favorite, symbolically raising the banner that Jeanne had dropped.

Before meeting the king, Agnes was the maid of honor of his mother-in-law Iolanta of Aragon. It is possible that she specifically introduced beautiful girl to her weak-willed son-in-law, so that she would at least a little encourage him to make strong-willed decisions. Subsequently, even the queen began to treat her husband’s mistress favorably, seeing her beneficial influence. But the king’s son, Prince Louis, hated Agnes. According to one version, he ordered his father's mistress to be poisoned. According to another, it was Jacques Coeur mentioned by Bulgakov. But most likely, both of these versions are not reliable. Agnes died either as a result of accidental poisoning from mercury, which was then often added to cosmetics. Or from the consequences of childbirth.

From the king, Agnes had 3 daughters - Charlotte, Jeanne and Maria - whom he recognized as his own and gave the title filles de France (daughters of France). Unfortunately, none of them lived to be 30 years old. Agnes's middle daughter, Charlotte, was the grandmother of the legendary Diane de Poitiers, another famous beauty, favorite of Kings Francis I and Henry II.

She has a story about this woman with absolutely wonderful portraits. I have never seen such quality images on the Internet.
But I still have the audacity to raise this topic again.

Agnès Sorel went down in history as the mistress and favorite of Charles VII. Karl is very good not only for history buffs, but also for fans of the rock opera “Joan of Arc”. True, judging by the portraits, he was not such a sweet boy as in the musical;))

Source of material: " Everyday life in the castles of the Loire during the Renaissance", a well-known sananahead :)

In 1444, King Charles VII introduced his favorite Agnès Sorel into the circle of the queen's ladies. He met her when she was a court lady to Isabella of Lorraine, the husband of Rene of Anjou. For five whole years the young beauty ruled over the king. He gave her the seigneury of Beauté-sur-Marne with the right to bear this name, then other possessions.

Her brothers were also related to the royal court. Two of them were on the staff of the king's residence, the other two served in the royal guard.
Agnes occupied a far from primary place at the royal court: contrary to etiquette, she was served like a princess, and she led a truly royal lifestyle. Her outfits were magnificent, and the trains of her dresses were longer than those of any other lady in the kingdom. She was supplied with marten furs, silks from the East, and gold-woven fabrics from Egypt.
Wanting to shine not only with her outfits, but also with her beauty, Agnes bared her chest and shoulders. Because of her, fashion became even more revealing, and this outraged Archbishop Jean Jouvenel des Ursins. Addressing the king, he cited facts of reckless spending on trains and combs, gold chains, precious stones and outfits, calling it a luxury of bad taste, which is imitated by bourgeois women. “In order to dress up the ladies,” the prelate complained, “the king increased payments to the lords from taxes collected from the poor. God will punish for this, because a woman, the less dressed up, the more beautiful. And those who wear hairstyles and trains are real donkeys, dyed for sale! Such ladies expose their nipples to excite men and sell themselves more profitably.”

In vain did the beautiful Agnes waste a fortune on alms and donations to beggars and churches; she was seen only as a greedy royal mistress. She was reproached for the fact that because of her, the king abandoned the pregnant queen in order to shine in tournaments. So, in June 1446, Charles VII, located in the small estate of Razilly, far from the queen, who lived secluded in the castles of Monty and Chinon, led, together with René of Anjou, the knightly tournament “Dangerous Rock”.
Charles stayed there for eight whole months, while the queen waited alone at Chinon Castle for the birth of her child. The king expressed his gratitude to his wife only by congratulating her in December 1446 on the birth of another son, sending 3 thousand livres and a dress for a thanksgiving service. And they also say something about the morals of the royal court during the times of FJ and Elizabeth :)

Gradually the favorite began to play a political role. Her influential friend was the son of the royal secretary, Etienne Chevalier, who in 1449 was appointed secretary of finance. He commissioned a book of hours from Jean Fouquet, which is now kept in Chantilly: it depicts the courtiers and Agnes, who served as the prototype for the Madonna and Child in the painting for the church in Melen. This painting depicts a beautiful young woman with pearls on her head, wearing a princess surcoat and a large royal speckled robe, with her left breast exposed.

The apotheosis of Agnes was her installation in the royal residence in Losches. The Dauphin Louis, who tried to stand up for the queen, was rudely expelled by his father; the favorite took part in all the ceremonies and feasts.
Agnes gave birth to three daughters for the king: Maria, Charlotte and Jeanne, they were raised at court. She died on February 11, 1450 from premature birth, but there is an opinion that she was poisoned.

The remains of Agnes were given a royal burial. Above the burial place of her heart and internal organs, in the Notre-Dame Chapel in Jumiens, stands a magnificent tombstone made of black marble, above it is a white marble statue depicting Agnes praying with her own heart in her hands. Her body was transferred to the collegiate church of Notre-Dame in Loches and buried in the middle of the choir in a black marble sarcophagus. But Agnes’s body was not left alone: ​​the first exhumation in 1777 was followed by the desecration and almost complete destruction of the grave during the revolution in 1794. In 1806, everything that was possible was restored and placed in the tower of the royal chambers, where the marble tombstone is kept today.

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"She has was the most beautiful face you could imagine."

Pope Pius II

Charles VII was a sickly and frail child from childhood and became king by pure chance. He received the nickname Victor and felt his own power only after meeting Agnes Sorel, who became the first official favorite of the monarch in the history of France.

“I ascended the throne by the grace of God, but I created myself king by the grace of the beautiful Agnes,” said Charles VII.

Agnes Sorel (French Agn?s Sorel) - Dame de Beaut (French Dame de Beaut - Lady of Beauty), was considered the most beautiful woman of her era. She was destined to remain in history as the first officially recognized royal favorite, benefactor of the unfortunate and disadvantaged, and, finally, an example of tragic sacrificial love.

It is not known exactly where and when the most beautiful woman of the 15th century was born. For, if the chronicler, out of courtesy, said that Agnes was born in Fromenteau (which is why the demoiselle from Fromenteau was called - demoiselle de Fromenteau), he forgot to clarify which of the two cities he was talking about - Fromenteau in Picardy or Fromenteau in Touraine. Although it is Morento in Touraine that is most often attributed. Her biological age is determined by bone remains (research carried out in 2004) ranged from 23-27 years - the exact date of birth was lost somewhere between 1422 and 1426, and not as previously assumed - 1409.

In the 15th century, astrology was highly developed and astrological forecasts were an integral part of the medieval cultural society of that time, and if we proceed from the version that Agnes was born in 1422 from the Nativity of Christ, then the Sun stood in the constellation Pisces.

“When the Sun enters the sign of Pisces, extraordinary people are born, often bringing with them the gifts of poetry, music and books. Their refined nature is disgusted by everything coarse, too earthly...” wrote the medieval astrologer Tycho de Brahe in his “Book of Horoscopes.”

An unknown astrologer, who compiled the newborn’s horoscope, assured her parents that the baby would someday win the love of the monarch.

It is unknown how Agnes’s parents, advisor to the Duke de Clermont, Jean Soro and the daughter of the petty baron, Catherine de Menele, reacted to this prediction. In any case, they made a lot of efforts to arrange for their daughter to become a maid of honor at the court of Isabella of Lorraine, the wife of King Rene of Anjou - in such a high society, the young beauty had more opportunities to attract the attention of worthy gentlemen. However, Duchess Isabella went on a long trip to Italy, leaving young Agnes under the care of her mother Queen Yolanda, mother-in-law of King Charles VII. Yolanda, noticing the girl’s intelligence and extraordinary attractiveness, most likely immediately decided to use her for her own purposes. Agnes learned to speak expressively, sing, play the lute and harp, and inflame the male imagination with graceful poses and gestures. Possessing a naturally developed imagination and good taste, she knew how to dress in such a way that much more noble ladies in their luxurious outfits seemed like simpletons in comparison with her. In those days, knights had already brought powder, blush and carmine from the Arab East. But few of the ladies of the world knew how to use this delicately. Agnes knew how and, according to the chronicler Jean Chartier, even gave lessons to her patroness. By the age of twenty, she had developed into a perfect beauty with an incredibly thin waist and a high neck, on which, like the cup of a flower on a stem, sat a lovely head with high golden curls, shaved on the forehead and temples in the fashion of that time. Her face with childishly rounded cheeks seemed angelically innocent and vicious at the same time. So the artist Jean Fouquet, who captured Agnes in the image of the Madonna, having managed to convey this characteristic feature of her face, was even accused of dangerous connection religious feeling with the erotic. In a word, Agnes was an ideal example of “la belle dame san mercy.”

And Agnes, who would soon be considered the most beautiful woman of the 15th century, was presented to the royal court...

History is delicately silent about how many gentlemen the beautiful maid of honor received the attention of before her most important meeting - with the French King Charles VII, but this is not important. The important thing is that by the age of twenty-two, despite court life, she maintained an impeccable reputation.

She was called the most beautiful woman of the 15th century, she was wasteful, but helped the poor, she dressed provocatively, but looked innocent. And Agnes Sorel went down in history as the first officially recognized favorite of the King of France, who was able to become not only the constant mistress of Charles VII, but also the friend of his wife, Queen Marie of Anjou...

The meeting between Agnes Sorel and the king was organized, oddly enough, by his mother-in-law. She often arranged for ladies-in-waiting at court, and when they became mistresses of noble nobles, Iolanta received the necessary information and kept everything under her control. She was unable to influence the king with the help of her daughter, and she found a more sophisticated way - she found him a mistress for this purpose.

Charles VII, seeing the girl, immediately launched an attack, but she ran away from him. The king was seriously carried away, and his persistence was soon rewarded. Within a few months, everyone at court was talking about the king being in love.

Mistress of the French king Agnes Sorel

Charles VII lost his head so much that he was ready to fulfill any wish of Agnes Sorel. To prove the seriousness of his feelings, he declared her his official favorite.

From now on, vassals were obliged to show her royal honors, she took part in political life court, the royal treasurer paid her the necessary amounts, and her and the king’s children received the family titles of Valois. As a gift from the king, Agnes received the castle of Beauthe-sur-Marne and the title of Dame de Beauthe.

Jean Fouquet portrayed Agnes as Madonna and Child

Agnes quickly got used to living in grand style. She allowed herself bold experiments at the time with appearance. The trains of her dresses reached 5 meters; the priests called them “the tails of the devil.” She began wearing diamonds, although until then their wearing by uncrowned persons was unacceptable.

The courtiers were shocked by her extravagant dresses, form-fitting, with an asymmetrical neckline that completely exposed one breast. The queen was angry, but quickly changed her anger to mercy, deciding to become a friend for her husband's mistress. Maria gave her rival jewelry and clothes, they walked and went hunting together.

King Charles VII of France

The daring behavior of the favorite and her official status caused indignation among many. Thus, Archbishop des Ursins pointed out to the king the extravagance of his mistress and her revealing outfits; he said that the ladies at court began to resemble “painted donkeys put up for sale.”

In response, Karl defiantly declared: “ If Beautiful Lady there will be dresses embroidered with gold, she will be in a good mood. If she is in a good mood, I will be in a good mood too. If I'm in a good mood, the whole of France will be in a good mood. Therefore, France has a direct need for beautiful dresses».

The first official favorite of the king in the history of France

Agnes could not help but notice the growing indignation towards her. She began to help the sick and crippled, donating huge sums to the poor. Constant poverty, the British ruling the French lands and the inaction of the king aroused the indignation of the people. And then Agnes, not without the influence of Iolanta, convinced Charles VII to resume the war against the British.

The cowardly and weak-willed king, nicknamed “little goose” by his mother in childhood, was able to instill in the favorite the idea of ​​his courage. So Karl became the Winner. Victorious conclusion Hundred Years' War They celebrated without her - Agnes had died 3 years before.

Tomb of Agnes Sorel

Karl was convinced that Agnes was poisoned, and he was right. An examination carried out today has confirmed the high content of mercury in the remains of the favorite. Perhaps it was unintentional poisoning - in those days, mercury was added to cosmetics and medications.

Agnes Sorel, as an example of caring for the interests of the country, was later set as an example to all the influential favorites of the French kings, including Françoise d'Aubigné, the favorite and secret wife of Louis XIV.