| Louise de Maisonblanche | |
| Full Name: | Louise de Maisonblanche |
| Baroness of La Queue | |
| Birth Date: | 17 June 1676 |
| Birth Place: | Paris, Kingdom of France |
| Death Place: | La Queue-les-Yvelines, Kingdom of France |
| Known For: | Illegitimate child of Louis XIV of France |
| Spouse: | Bernard de Prez, Baron of La Queue |
| Issue: | 11 |
| Father: | Louis XIV |
| Mother: | Claude de Vin des Œillets |
Louise de Maisonblanche (17 June 1676 - 12 September 1718), was a French noblewoman, the illegitimate daughter of Louis XIV, King of France and his mistress, Claude de Vin des Œillets. She became the Baroness of La Queue by her marriage to Bernard de Prez.
Louise de Maisonblanche was born on 17 June 1676 in Paris to Claude de Vin des Œillets, Mademoiselle des Œillets (1637–1687), the maid of honour (demoiselle de compagnie) or chambermaid (femme de chambre) of Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise of Montespan (1640 –1707). Madame de Montespan had been the maîtresse-en-titre (official mistress) of Louis XIV, King of France (1638–1715) for 9 years, during which he had relationships with other women as well, including Mademoiselle des Œillets. She was officially recorded as the daughter of former cavalry captain Philippe de Maisonblanche and his wife, born Lady Gabrielle de La Tour.[1]
As Maisonblanche's mother was known to have had several lovers, the king always doubted her paternity, even after she had reportedly grown up to closely resemble him. He never recognised or legitimised her, and treated her poorly as an adult.
She was brought up in Paris by her mother and did not receive the same attention that the king's other illegitimate children (by Louise de La Vallière and Madame de Montespan) did. For a while, she lived at the Castle of Suisnes, where her mother died in 1687. She was then placed in the care of siblings François and Catherine Le Signerre in Mulcent.
Maisonblanche remained in Mulcent with the Le Signerres until the age of 20. On 17 April 1696, she married Bernard de Prez, Baron of La Queue, lieutenant of the regiment of Burgundy. The wedding's organisation was overseen by Alexandre Bontemps (1626–1701), first valet of the king's bedchamber (premier valet de la chambre du roi),[2] who secured a dowry of 40 000 livres, silver, and jewels for the bride. This was close to nothing compared to the dowries of her legitimised half-sisters: when Marie-Anne de Bourbon (1666–1739) married in 1680, she received 1 million livres. So did Louise-Françoise de Bourbon in 1685,[3] while Françoise-Marie de Bourbon (1677–1749) received 2 million livres[4] and the Palais-Royal.[5] Later,[''[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers#Chronological items|when?]]] was appointed a member of the Gardes du Corps (Life Guards). As an adult, which allowed her to visit the Palace of Versailles, but she never frequented the court. She only ever went outside veiled in order to avoid scandals. She had 11 children by her husband, 6 of whom survived infancy. On their birth certificates, she was recorded as Dame Louise de Bourbon-Maisonblanche, fille naturelle du Roi ("Lady Louise of Bourbon-Maisonblanche, natural daughter of the King"). Two of her daughters, Charlotte-Angélique (1703–1723) and Louise-Catherine (1709–1756) attended the Maison royale de Saint-Louis in Saint-Cyr, Madame de Maintenon's boarding school for daughters of the nobility. In their school records, they were called petite-filles du Roi ("granddaughters of the King").
She died of smallpox on 12 September 1718 at La Queue-les-Yvelines.
Louise de Maisonblanche had 11 children by her husband, Bernard de Prez, Baron of La Queue, 6 of whom survived to adulthood: