Madame de Pompadour: Mistress of France

The compelling new biography of the legendary mistress of King Louis XV of France offers a dramatic insight into the life of one of the most enchanting, powerful, and feared women to grace the world's stage.At the age of 10 she was told by a fortune-teller that she would become the king's mistress, and was thereafter groomed for the role. Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson underwent a number of transformations before she captivated the king and was officially recognised as his maîtresse déclarée. The court was shocked at her sudden ascension, but the newcomer wasted no time, quickly establishing herself as the king's sole confidante and, ultimately, his indispensable partner in affairs of state.Algrant looks at the influence of this favourite of the king on the artistic and political spectrum of the day, examining her relationships with the leaders of the French Enlightenment: Voltaire, Rousseau, and Diderot.Evocative and insightful, Madame de Pompadour is a seductive portrait of a fascinating woman.Algrant, Christine Pevitt is the author of 'Madame de Pompadour: Mistress of France', published 2004 under ISBN 9780732276782 and ISBN 0732276780.