Catherine Bellier

Catherine-Henriette Bellier, baroness de Beauvais (Poitou, 1614 – 7 June 1689 in Arrou), was a French courtier, the first mistress of king Louis XIV of France.

For French athlete, see Catherine Beauvais (athlete).
A grotesque face in the main courtyard of the Hotel de Beauvais, reputedly a portrait of Catherine Bellier

Biography

She was the daughter of Martin Bellier, a porter, and married baron Pierre de Beauvais. She became a chambermaid (Première femme de Chambre) to the French Queen, Anne of Austria, mother to King Louis XIV. During her time as the Queen's chambermaid, she had the intimate duty of giving the Queen her enema.[1]

She is described as intelligent, plotting and a trusted companion of the queen dowager regent. Despite being described as ugly, she had several love affairs, such as the one with the arch bishop of Sens. In 1652, Queen Anne worried about her teenaged son being plagued by sexual dysfunction like his father. The Queen encouraged Bellier to deflower the 15 year old king and ensure that he was capable of producing heirs.[2] Their relationship lasted for two years, after which the queen dowager awarded Bellier an estate and a pension.

As it was French custom to imitate the king, Catherine Bellier's sexual favors suddenly became high demand. She even had Archbishop of Sens, Henri-Louis de Gondrin as one of her lovers. As Catherine aged, she became overweight, her looks faded, and she fell into debt. By the time her husband died in 1647, she was destitute and was forced to live as a renter in the Hotel de Beauvais.[3]

Legacy

King Louis XIV funded the Hotel de Beauvais in the Marais in Paris as a reward to Catherine.

She is portrayed by Valérie Thoumire in the French-produced television series drama Versailles.

Sources
  1. Glyn, Anthony; Glyn, Susan (2000). The Companion Guide to Paris. p. 171. ISBN 9781900639200.
  2. Coburn, Annie; Poisson, Bernard; Vincens, Suzy (2007-01-12). Suzy in Paris: Guide to Unique Paris Promenades. Annie Coburn. ISBN 978-1-4196-2854-2.
  3. Pitt, Leonard (2006). Walks Through Lost Paris: A Journey Into the Heart of Historic Paris. Counterpoint Press. ISBN 978-1-59376-103-5.
  • Oliver Mallick: « Le principal passage pour aller à la ville de Dom Anna » : Mme de Beauvais et la charge de première femme de chambre de la reine (1646-1666), in: Femmes à la cour de France. Charges et fonctions (XVe-XIXe siècle), ed. by Caroline zum Kolk, Kathleen Wilson-Chevalier, Villeneuve d’Ascq: Septentrion, 2018, p. 107-125.
  • L'Hôtel de Beauvais, hrsgg. von der Association pour la Sauvegarde et la Mise en valeur du Paris historique, Paris o.J.
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