La Vallière, Louise Françoise de La Baume Le Blanc de

La Vallière, Louise Françoise de La Baume Le Blanc de (lwēz fräNswäz' du lä bōm lu bläN du lä välyer') [key], 1644–1710, mistress of King Louis XIV of France. Maid of honor to Louis's sister-in-law, Henrietta of England, she became the king's mistress in 1661. She bore him four children, of whom two died in infancy. In 1667, by the same government act that legitimized her daughter, she was created duchess. She was replaced in the king's affections by Mme de Montespan. In 1674 she retired to a Carmelite convent and became celebrated for her piety.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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