Madame du Barry

Madame du Barry, born Jeanne Vaubernier on August nineteenth, seventeen forty-three, rose from humble beginnings to become the last maîtresse-en-titre of King Louis XV of France. Her journey to the royal court began with a hasty marriage on September first, seventeen sixty-eight, to Comte Guillaume du Barry, a union orchestrated to meet the court's etiquette requirements. This marriage was accompanied by a fabricated birth certificate that made her appear three years younger, allowing her to shed the stigma of her past as a courtesan.

Her arrival at the opulent French royal court was met with scandal and disdain, particularly from figures like Marie Antoinette, who viewed Jeanne with contempt. Despite the initial resistance, a rare moment of acknowledgment occurred on New Year's Day seventeen seventy-two, when Marie Antoinette spoke to her, albeit in a dismissive manner. This interaction, while minor, highlighted the ongoing tensions and disapproval surrounding Jeanne's presence at court.

As the tides of history shifted during the French Revolution, Jeanne's fortunes turned dramatically. Accused of treason by her servant Zamor, she was imprisoned and ultimately met her fate at the guillotine on December eighth, seventeen ninety-three. Her execution marked a tragic end to a life that had traversed the heights of royal favor and the depths of public scorn. Following her death, her body was laid to rest in the Madeleine Cemetery, while the exquisite gems she had managed to smuggle to London were auctioned off in seventeen ninety-five.