Jeanne Becu, Comtesse Du Barry [1] [2] (Marie-Jeanne, Comtesse Du Barry) (August 19, 1743 - December 8, 1793) was a French courtesan who became the mistress of Louis XV of France. August 19 is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... // Events February 14 - Henry Pelham becomes British Prime Minister February 21 - - The premiere in London of George Frideric Handels oratorio, Samson. ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1793 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... A courtesan of mid-16th century usage referred to a high-class prostitute or mistress, especially one associated with rich, powerful, or upper-class men who provided luxuries and status in exchange for her services. ... Madame de Pompadour the mistress of King Louis XV of France. ... Louis XV of France (February 15, 1710 – May 10, 1774), the Beloved (French: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1715 until his death. ...

Madame du Barry, a portrait by du Barry's confidante, Élisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun.

Image File history File links Madame_Dubarry1. ... Image File history File links Madame_Dubarry1. ... Self Portrait in a Straw Hat, 1782 Élisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun (April 16, 1755 - March 30, 1842) was a French painter, the most famous woman painter of the 18th century. ...

Early life

Marie- Jeanne, Madame Du Barry was born Jeanne Bécu at Vaucouleurs, Lorraine, the illegitimate daughter of Anne Becu, who was variously reported as a seamstress or a cook. Her father was possibly Jean Baptiste Gormand of Vaubernier, a friar. During her childhood, one of her mother's extra-marital lovers funded her education at a convent. Vaucouleurs is a historic town and commune in France, in the département of Meuse. ... Lorraine coat of arms location of the Lorraine province Lorraine (French: Lorraine; German: Lothringen) is a historical area in present-day northeast France. ...

At the age of 15 Marie-Jeanne moved to Paris, where, using the name Jeanne Rancon, she worked as a milliner's assistant in a shop. As reflected in art from the time, she was a remarkably attractive woman. Her beauty came to the attention of Jean du Barry, a nobleman, in 1763. He made her his mistress and helped establish her career as a courtesan in the highest circles of Parisian society, enabling her to take several wealthy men as her benefactors. 1763 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... A benefactor is a person or other entity providing money or other benefits to another; the person receiving them is called a beneficiary. ...

Life as a courtesan

She first served as courtesan to Louis François Armand du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu. Jean du Barry, however, saw her as a means of influence with Louis XV, who became aware of her in 1768. Marie-Jeanne, however, could not qualify as an official royal mistress unless she had a title; this was solved by her marriage to Du Barry's brother, Comte Guillaume du Barry, in 1769. She was presented to the King's family and the court on April 2, 1769. Louis XV (February 15, 1710 – May 10, 1774), called the Well-Beloved (French: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1715 to 1774. ... 1768 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1769 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... April 2 is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... 1769 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

While she was part of the faction that brought down the Duke of Choiseul, Minister of foreign affairs, she was unlike her late predecessor Madame de Pompadour in that she had little political influence upon the King. Étienne-François, duc de Choiseul, French diplomat and statesman Étienne-François, duc de Choiseul (June 28, 1719 — May 8, 1785) was a French statesman. ... Madame de Pompadour, portrait by François Boucher circa 1750 Madame de Pompadour, (1721 – April 15, 1764) was a well known courtesan and the famous mistress of King Louis XV of France. ...

Jean-Michel Moreau the Younger, Fête donnée à Louveciennes le 2 septembre 1771. Paris, Musée du Louvre.

While known for her good nature and support of artists, the King's financial extravagance towards her was the source of increasing unpopularity. Her relationship with Marie Antoinette, the Dauphine of France, was contentious. The Dauphine supported Choiseul as the proponent of the alliance with Austria and also defied court protocol by refusing to speak to the Madame Du Barry, due to her feelings about the latter's background. She was reportedly christened 'the du Barry'. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (531x635, 134 KB) Sujet : Fête donné à Louveciennes, le 2 septembre 1771 Auteur : Jean-Michel Moreau dit le Jeune (1741-1814) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (531x635, 134 KB) Sujet : Fête donné à Louveciennes, le 2 septembre 1771 Auteur : Jean-Michel Moreau dit le Jeune (1741-1814) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed... Louveciennes is a village and commune in the Yvelines département, in France, in the western suburbs of Paris, between Versailles and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and adjacent to Marly-le-Roi. ... The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre) in Paris, France, is one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. ... Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France and Archduchess of Austria (born November 1755 – executed 16 October 1793) Daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria, wife of Louis XVI and mother of Louis XVII. She was guillotined at the height of the French Revolution. ... Étienne-François, duc de Choiseul, French diplomat and statesman Étienne-François, duc de Choiseul (June 28, 1719 — May 8, 1785) was a French statesman. ...

At the King's request before his death in May 1774, she was banished from the court to the convent of Pont-au-Dames, as her amoral presence would have prevented the king from receiving absolution. Two years later she moved to her famous Château de Louveciennes, where she continued her career as a courtesan, having relationships with both Henry Seymour and the Duke of Brissac. Chesma Column in Tsarskoe Selo, commemorating the end of the Russo-Turkish War. ... Absolution in a liturgical church refers to the pronouncement of Gods forgiveness of sins. ... Jean-Michel Moreau le Jeune, Fête donnée à Louveciennes le 2 septembre 1771. ... Duke of Brissac is the title of a noble family in France. ...

Imprisonment, trial and execution

In 1792 she made several trips to London on the pretext of recovering stolen jewellery; she was suspected of giving financial aid to emigres from the French Revolution. In the following year, she was arrested by the Revolutionary Tribunal of Paris on charges of treason. While in prison, her cellmate was fellow courtesan Grace Elliott. After a trial, she was executed by guillotine on the Place de la Concorde on December 8, 1793. 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... The French Revolution (1789–1799) was a pivotal period in the history of French, European and Western civilization. ... The Revolutionary Tribunal (French: Tribunal révolutionnaire) was a court which was instituted in Paris by the Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders, and became one of the most powerful engines of the Terror. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région ÃŽle-de-France Département Paris (75) Subdivisions 20 arrondissements Mayor Bertrand Delanoë  (PS) (since 2001) City Statistics Land... Grace Elliot (1754?–1823). ... The Maiden, an older Scottish design. ... The Place de la Concorde seen from the Pont de la Concorde; in front, the Obelisk, behind, the Rue Royale and the Church of the Madeleine; on the left, the Hôtel de Crillon. ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1793 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Reportedly, she became quite hysterical during her execution: "She screamed, she begged mercy of the horrible crowd that stood around the scaffold, she aroused them to such a point that the executioner grew anxious and hastened to complete his task." Her last words to the executioner, "Encore un moment, monsieur le bourreau, un petit moment", (Just a moment, executioner, a small moment) were her most famous. [3]

Trivia

• She inspired a wax figure at Madame Tussaud's in London, called The Sleeping Beauty which is the oldest existing figure on display.
• Her famous last words ("Encore un moment!") serve as a symbol of existential angst when they are raised as a topic of conversation on at least two separate occasions in Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1869 novel, The Idiot.

Madame Tussauds and the London Planetarium Madame Tussauds is a wax museum in London, with branches in Amsterdam, Hong Kong ( Victoria Peak), Las Vegas, Copenhagen and New York City. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... Sir Edward Burne-Jones painted The Sleeping Beauty. ... Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (Russian: Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский, Fëdor Mihajlovič Dostoevskij, sometimes transliterated Dostoyevsky  ) (November 11, 1821 [O.S. October 30] – February 9, 1881 [O.S. January 28]) is considered one of the greatest Russian writers. ... Pevear and Volokhonsky translation of The Idiot The Idiot is a novel written by the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky in 1869. ...

External links

• Full text of Memoirs of the Comtesse Du Barry from Project Gutenberg
• The French Revolution - Madame Du Barry and Princess de Lamballe