Agnès Sorel was the model for this Virgin and Child Surrounded by Angels, by Jean Fouquet (c.1450)

Agnès Sorel (1421‑February 9, 1450), surnamed Dame de beauté, was the mistress of King Charles VII of France. Download high resolution version (1004x1113, 176 KB)Virgin and Child Surrounded by Angels by Jean Fouquet (c. ... Download high resolution version (1004x1113, 176 KB)Virgin and Child Surrounded by Angels by Jean Fouquet (c. ... Virgin and Child Surrounded by Angels (c. ... Events March 21 - Battle of Baugé. A small French force surprises and defeats an English force under Thomas, Duke of Clarence, a brother of Henry V of England, in Normandy. ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events March - French troops under Guy de Richemont besiege the English commander in France, Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, in Caen April 15 - Battle of Formigny. ... Charles VII the Victorious, a. ...

The daughter of a soldier, Jean Soreau, and of Catherine de Maignelais, Sorel was twenty years old when she was first introduced to King Charles. At that time, she was holding a position in the household of Rene I of Naples, Charles' brother-in-law. It is said that she was not only an extraordinarily beautiful young woman, but also extremely intelligent. The French king was immediately smitten by her charms and he gave her the Château de Loches as her private residence. René I of Naples (René I the Good, French Le bon roi René) (January 16, 1409–July 10, 1480), was duke of Anjou, count of Provence (1434–1480), duke of Bar (1430–1480), duke of Lorraine (1431–1453), king of Naples (1438-1442), king of Sicily (1434–1480) and nominal... The chateau, as seen from the front. ...

Soon, her presence was felt at the royal court in Chinon where her company brought the king out of a protracted depression. She had a very strong influence on the king, and that, in addition to her extravagant tastes, earned her a number of powerful enemies at court. Chinon is a town and commune of the Indre-et-Loire département in France. ...

Agnès gave birth to three daughters: Marie de Valois, Charlotte and Jeanne de France. While pregnant with their fourth child, she joined Charles on the campaign of 1450 in Jumièges, wanting to be with him as moral support. There, she suddenly became ill and died on February 9 at the age of 28. While the cause of death was originally thought to be dysentery, scientists have now concluded that Agnès died from being poisoned by mercury. The culprit remains unknown. Events March - French troops under Guy de Richemont besiege the English commander in France, Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, in Caen April 15 - Battle of Formigny. ... This article needs to be wikified. ...

Charles' son, the future King Louis XI, had been in open revolt against his father for the previous four years. It has been speculated that he poisoned Agnès in order to remove what he may have considered her undue influence over the king. It was also speculated that French financier, noble and minister Jacques Coeur poisoned her, though that theory is widely discredited as an attempt to remove Coeur from the French court. Louis XI the Prudent (French: Louis XI le Prudent) (July 3, 1423 – August 30, 1483), also informally nicknamed luniverselle aragne (old French for universal spider), was a King of France (1461 - 1483). ...